With nothing else to say, Maddy leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss over my lips. I took her by the arm and walked her out the front door. I’d have to leave her at the steps, but I wanted to see her as long as possible. I really didn’t want to leave her, but there was nothing else to be done. We only had these last few moments before our world got turned upside down.
If I’d been hoping for a few more seconds of calm, I was sorely mistaken. As soon as we stepped outside, Sebastian came jogging up the path toward the house. That would have been fine, but from the other side of the path, Abi was heading to the house as well. Maddy and I shared a look as the two finally spotted each other.
Abi and Sebastian froze ten feet apart, staring at each other. It could go either way. Would they continue needling and poking each other? Would they bury whatever hatchet there was to bury? Would they ignore each other and try to act like nothing had ever happened?
Right when I thought they were never going to do anything, Abi stalked straight toward Sebastian. Her eyes were dark and intense. I was a split-second away from leaping forward. I truly thought she might attack Sebastian, but Maddy clenched my hand tight, holding me in place.
Abi reached forward and grabbed Sebastian by the shirt collar, shaking him gently.
“If you try to die on me again, I swear to Go,d I’ll never forgive you. Be careful.”
Sebastian looked confused at first, but that faded and was replaced by a warm and happy smile. He chuckled. “I’ll be careful.”
Then he leaned forward and kissed her. Abi wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him right back. I let out a relieved sigh. I was happy the two of them had finally gotten their shit together. Though, it was annoying that it took Sebastian almost dying for them to get to this point.
Sinthy stepped out the door, and I knew before she even spoke what she was going to say. Her eyes were stern, but nerves danced in them.
“She’s coming. I can sense her,” Sinthy said.
Viola. It was happening. She was on the way, and God only knew what horrors she’d bring with her.
“Okay, Abi, Maddy? I need you to get inside,” I said, then kissed Maddy one final time. I placed both my hands on her stomach, cradling our unborn child. “You stay put. I’ll see you soon,” I said, even though I couldn’t promise that was true.
The vial was in the house. I could almost feel its pulsating power. I prayed things wouldn’t go so poorly that we’d have to use it. Though, I had to admit, it was nice to know we had one last trick up our sleeve if we needed it.
Once Maddy and Abi were locked inside, Sinthy and I walked toward the massive group of shifters gathered at the battlefield. Anxiety permeated the air around the crowd. However ready they were to fight, they were scared. At least they understood what was at stake. My eyes widened as the thousands of shifters turned to watch my approach. Never in all my life did I think I’d be leading an army. It was awe-inspiring yet terrifying.
I nudged Sinthy as we got close. “I want to speak to them. Can you like… amplify my voice or something?”
Sinthy grinned and rolled her eyes. “You could at least ask for something a little more difficult.”
I frowned. “Does that mean yes?”
“Yes. Nico. I’ve got you taken care of.”
A pick-up truck was parked in the clearing, and I climbed up into the bed to look down at everyone. Sinthy raised a hand and waved it toward me.
When I opened my mouth to speak, it sounded like I was talking into a microphone with speakers strewn around the field to bring my voice to everyone in attendance, no matter how far away.
“Viola is on her way,” I said as the crowd quieted. “I want to thank you for joining us here. I don’t think you’ll ever know what it means to my pack and me that all of you have chosen to come here for this final fight.” I gazed across the multitude of faces and tried not to wonder how many wouldn’t live to see another day.
“I feel, deep in my heart, that we will win this day. Tomorrow, when the news reports what happened here, they are going to tell a story. A story about how a few thousand shifters stood up to face a threat. It is not only a threat to our kind but to the whole world. For decades to come, history will remember what we do here today. You will be remembered as the brave few who stood up and fought back against a force that wants nothing more than to see us vanish from the face of the earth.”
The crowd began to murmur, and I saw my father’s face light up with a smile. I pointed toward the gate where our enemy would meet us soon.
“The royals think they’ll win. They think they’ll crush us and destroy our race. They think they will erase us from history and then continue doing all the horrible things they’ve been doing.”I curled my hand into a fist and raised it high overhead. “When they step foot on these pack lands? They’ll see they bit off more than they could chew. Those who survive will know that they were on the wrong side of history. When they go to sleep each night, they will be haunted by nightmares of the battle that unfolds here today. They will wake in a cold sweat and regret the day they ever tried to say to us thatwe don’t deserve to live.’ My voice was gaining volume, enhanced both by Sinthy’s spell and my passion. It reverberated across the entire pack lands, so loud I wondered if Maddy could hear me.
“I want you to look at everyone to your right and left and know that they are here to defend not only themselves but you and yours. Today, on this patch of ground, there is one pack. One species. We are the last line of defense against the darkness—against the shadow that would fall upon us and eradicate us. This is where it stops. It ends here. As God is my witness, they will know this day as the day shifters stood up and saidno more.” I looked at the crowd once more. “Do you believe?”
The next moment, I was nearly knocked backward from the scream of agreement that erupted from the army of shifters. The truck on which I stood vibrated under my feet. My chest filled with the rumble of shouts, roars, and bellows of agreement.
I climbed down, and Sinthy and I headed to the gate. There were a half dozen police cars sitting at the gate. Sinthy lowered the barriers enough for me to walk out to meet the Clearidge sheriff. He looked beyond me at the huge fighting force, and his face paled.
“Uh… Mr. Lorenzo? I’m Sheriff Grand. I need you and your people to disperse. There’s word of a fairly large force heading this way. We’ll be handling that. I don’t want any fighting to happen in my city. Do you understand that?”
With a look over my shoulder at my army, I said, “Sheriff, even if I wanted them to, there’s no way they’d leave. I also don’t think you have the manpower to stop what’s coming.”
He grumbled and pointed a finger at my chest. “Now, hang on a minute. You don’t dictate terms to me. I’ve put a call into the area National Guard for backup. We’ll be fine.”
