When I get back to the guys, they’re all still talking, and Ty has disappeared to do something else.
“So, what do you think? Are you going to give Ty’s offer to join SID some thought?” Griff asks, Trip curiously.
Trip looks down at the card in his hand, having pulled it from fuck knows where since the last card turned into a USB stick, and shrugs, “As I said, I’m not really a team player. Never have been. I don’t really trust that I won’t be forced to be on a team at some point,” He glances over at River, and Ransom, and adds, “Plus, I feel like they would ask too many questions.”
I instantly know that he’s referring to the fact that he can use magic, and as a shifter, he shouldn’t be able to, but the others all look confused by his words.
Understanding flashes through River’s eyes, “There are ways around that, trust me. We can help you navigate that if you were to choose to join SID.”
“Hmm,” Trip replies noncommittally. “I’ll think about it.”
“Fair enough,” Reed replies. “So what now? Can we call someone for you?”
Trip shakes his head, “There’s only one person that I would want to know that I’m free, and she already knows I’m alive and out. As for your other question, I’m not sure. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to make a choice. I’ll figure it out.”
I have to admit that I thought that he would immediately be going to find Rana. Especially because of his reaction in the cells, but like everything, there is obviously more going on that we aren’t privy to.
“Well, if there’s anything that we can do to help you, just let us know,” Van offers with a smile.
River reaches out his hand, “Thanks for your help, man. We wouldn’t have known about the seal if it weren’t for you.”
Trip grins and grasps River’s hand, “No problem. I should be the one thanking you anyway. It’s unlikely that we would have ever been able to escape otherwise.”
“You can thank Rana for that. If she hadn’t given us so much information, we would have never been able to pull this off, and the place would have disappeared on us again,” Reed tells him.
Trip’s eyes cloud with emotion, and he smiles, “Is she okay?”
The guys hesitate, unsure how to answer, but I decide that it’s best to answer as honestly as possible without telling him things that it’s not my business to tell him.
“She went through hell,” I start, and he tenses, his purple eyes darkening with anger, “but she’s safe now.”
“Are you sure?” He asks.
Van nods, “She’s on my family's compound, and they’re all looking out for her. She is safe.”
Trip nods, “In that case, as much as I want to make sure that she’s okay with my own two eyes, there are a couple of things that I need to sort out first.”
“Actually,” River replies with a big smile, “I think I have a suggestion.”
My eyebrows dip in confusion, since I have absolutely no idea where River is about to go with this.
Trip narrows his eyes slightly, “I’m listening.”
“I know that you have no reason to trust me, but if you find yourself at a loss, make your way to the compound sooner rather than later. There’s a security gate, but we’ll let them know that you’re coming. The town is safe, secluded, and very well guarded, which is why we know that Rana is okay there. There is a nearby pack, but they won’t give you any trouble. I’ll let them know that you might be turning up at some point, too. I think you’ll find that it’s exactly the kind of place that you’re looking for to regroup,” River explains. He turns to look at Raiden and asks, “Raiden, do you have a pen and a piece of paper?”
Raiden nods, looking confused as he pulls both things out of the many pockets on his pants, and hands them to River, “Sure.”
“Thanks, man,” River replies as he quickly writes down what I’m assuming is the address to the compound and hands it to Trip. “There’s a wolf shifter in town called Merrikh, he can show you around.”
I try not to let the surprise show on my face because of all the people that could show Trip around the compound, Merrikh is definitely not the one that I would have chosen to do so.
River has a knowing look in his eye though, so he obviously knows something that I don’t.
Trip’s gaze is wary as he takes the piece of paper, but he surprises me when he replies, “I do trust you, but I’m not making any promises. Having said that I have always been too curious for my own good, and you have piqued my interest.”
He doesn’t say anything else as he simply salutes us with a grin and then shifts, taking off into the woods in a flash of fur.
“He just shifted into what I think he did, right?” Coen asks with shock.
