Turning his attention to a broken chain on the floor, he picked it up, carefully examining it. Whoever severed it hadn’t used brute force—all the links were intact. After checking the others and finding them in the same condition, Rudy realized he’d clearly underestimated Frank and concluded he wasn’t any ordinary shifter.
Stomping out of the room Rudy yelled, “Pack up…we’re leaving. What we can’t take…burn it.”
Seth looked at Hans and shook his head. Nothing had gone as they expected and now their location had been compromised by an unknown enemy. “What do ya think? Should we stay with him or take off on our own?”
“I dunno,” murmured Hans. “Whoever has Frank…they know where we are and if they got in here undetected, then I don’t think there’s any place we’ll be safe.”
Who do you think could do that?”
“Someone with magic since they triggered Osrum’s spell.”
“Hans, Seth! Let’s go!” shouted Rudy.
“Be right there, boss,” Seth replied. Then, looking back at Hans, muttered. “Let’s stay with him until we can talk to Bruno.”
Giving a short nod of agreement, Hans headed to Rudy, trying to quell the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him it was only going to get worse.
Chapter 37
Heading with Heath over to the community meeting room where the enforcers and volunteers were waiting, Tristan’s mind went back to Oracle and the gift the goddess of the moon supposedly gave him. It was hard to believe such a thing existed, especially since his mother never brought it up in her lessons about shifters. Stopping suddenly, he looked at Heath and asked, “Do you know anything about gifts shifters can get from the gods?”
“Just what I learned from my parents…why?”
“So, they are real?”
“Uh…I guess so, though I never met anyone who was blessed with one of their gifts”
“How can you tell? Is there a sign, like they get a tattoo…or…I don’t know…like they glow or something?”
Bursting out in laughter, Heath said, “Is that what your mother told you?”
“No…that’s why I’m asking you,” Tristan growled.
Clamping his mouth shut, Heath stared at Tristan, surprised at his tone. “Oh shit…you’re serious.”
“Of course, I am.”
“Right…well, as far as I can remember, there aren’t any outward signs a shifter has gotten a gift,” Heath replied. “But I may be wrong since I usually only listened with half an ear. I think my lack of attention was the first clue my father had that I wasn’t cut out to follow in his footsteps.” Then seeing the disappointment on Tristan’s face, he said, “If you want, I can ask my father when I call him. Is there a particular gift you want to know about?”
The last thing Tristan wanted was for his mate’s father to learn how ignorant he was about shifters and gifts. He’d just have to figure it out himself. Giving his mate a quick smile, he said, “Nah, that’s okay…it’s not important.” Walking away, Tristan chastised himself for bringing up the subject and hoped Heath would let it drop.
His mate had just lied to him and Heath couldn’t figure out why. Slowly following Tristan, he went over the conversation in his mind, trying to pinpoint what was so odd about it. Every shifter knew about the rare gifts the gods and goddess could give to someone who was particularly worthy of receiving them, but…No. Fucking. Way!Hurrying to catch up to his mate, Heath called out, “What did you get?”
Tristan stopped and quickly glanced around, relieved that no one was nearby. Then, turning to his mate, he murmured, “Will you keep your fucking voice down?”
“Tell me…what gift did the gods give you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I mean,” Heath said. “Why won’t you answer my question? Why are you hiding your gift from me…your mate?”
After glaring at Heath for several moments, Tristan realized his mate wasn’t going to let it go. Sighing, he shifted his gaze to the woods surrounding the pack buildings. Any thoughts he might have had that Oracle was part of a prank had disappeared when Heath confirmed the existence of gifts, but he still didn’t know if his was one of them. Deciding there was only oneway to find out if it was an actual gift, he looked back at Heath and muttered, “Absolute Courage.”
Stunned, Heath just stood there, staring at Tristan. He suddenly remembered his father saying that of all the gifts the gods could give, it was one of the rarest. Shaking his head, he said, “You’re joking.”
Raising an eyebrow, Tristan asked, “Does it sound as if I’m joking?”
“No…but…really…are you sure?”
