“Is this a cahh?” Treno asks, rubbing a hand over the metal hood of the Seaman SUV.
I smile, remembering the first time he saidcarlike he was from Boston on our little picnic back in Kestrel. It’s crazy to think about how much has happened and that they’re even here in my world, touching things I never thought they’d see.
“It is. We call that a Toyota Highlander,” I tell him over my shoulder as I rush to press the button that opens the bay doors.
Treno, Ryn, and Zeph all seem to be distracted for a moment, feeling up Mrs. Seaman’s SUV. A smile sneaks over my face, and I quickly make a list of all the other weird things I’m sure they’d be fascinated by in this world.
Snow spills in as the bay door creaks and groans in protest of being forced to work in these temperatures, and I add it to my list of things I need to look at and possibly oil. The door finally crawls high enough for Teo and his pack to slip in, and as soon as it seems the bodies have stopped slipping into the bay, I reverse its trajectory, blocking out the brittle wind that seems intent on helping us freeze to death.
“Sorry about the cold,” I offer Teo. “My lobby isn’t that big, and I figured a group this size might want a little more space.”
I feel Zeph, Ryn, and Treno walk up behind me, and one by one the eyes widen in Teo’s pack as they take in the giants behind me.
“By the stars, and I thought you were big, Knox,” a male says with wavy brown hair that’s pulled back in a man bun. He’s good looking, and his hazel eyes seem to scan up and up and up behind me.
“Did they bottle feed them Human Growth Hormone since birth?” the hazel-eyed male asks, and the male next to him chuckles.
I realize they’re twins—apparently, you put a beanie on one and it takes my brain a while to see that they look exactly alike. In addition to Teo and the twins, there’s five more people: a guy with medium brown hair and bright blue eyes, a bigger dude who must be the Knox guy one of the twins was talking about. He’s mixed and looking a little tense. A guy with shoulder-length blond hair and sky blue eyes. Another serious looking man with a square jaw and perfectly quaffed hair. I see a hint of a tattoo peeking out between his coat sleeve and his gloves. And last but not least, the only female in the group. She has dark hair, light green eyes, lips that people pay good money for—although you can tell her pout isn’t enhanced—and a solidfuck with me at your own riskkind of vibe.
They’re my age and all incredibly attractive, but I still don’t have the foggiest clue why this wolf shifter thinks I should talk to his pack.
Teo steps forward, his brown eyes darting to the female and then back to me. “Falon, this is Bastien and Valen,” he says, pointing to the twins. “Ryker and Sabin.” The blond and the pretty boy with the tattoos both nod. “Siah and Knox.” Blue eyes and tough guy just stand there. “And this is my mate, Vinna.”
Her name sparks recognition for some reason, and I quickly try to sift through my memories for where I’ve heard it before. Her light green eyes are fixed on my hands like Teo’s were when I first met him, and something about that is prickling through me as important.
They’re all staring at me expectantly, and I abandon my memory search for politeness.
“I’m Falon, for those of you who I haven’t met. This is Ryn, Treno, and Zeph,” I introduce, pointing behind me.
“Are you all from here?” I think Sabin asks, or maybe his name is Ryker.
Crap.
“Uhhh, no. I grew up here, they didn’t,” I answer politely, and he nods once.
I get the distinct impression that I’m missing something. It’s not a feeling I enjoy.
“Soo, what’s up? I mean, your pack seems...great and all, but you could have just told me if you wanted your cars towed in a text, so why are all of you here?” I ask, cutting to the chase.
The female steps forward, her eyes jumping from me to my mates and back, like she’s sizing them up. I take her in warily, tapping into my core on instinct, just in case this meeting somehow goes south.
“Have you ever heard of the termSentinelbefore?” she asks me, her nostrils flaring like she’s scenting the air for my answer.
It’s a very wolf thing to do, but when I also take a deep breath, in an effort to figure out what’s going on, I realize she’s not a wolf. She has hints of a floral scent, but it has a citrusy base, the tang of caster magic, an earthy tone like the wolf shifters do, and a cool scent that smells slightly metallic that I can’t quite place. I have no idea what she is. Caution weaves through me at her question.
How does this chick know that term?
Zeph releases a deep growl behind me, and everyone in the room tenses.
I narrow my eyes. “Who are you, and what do you want?” I ask evenly.
Maybe my looking around and asking about Sentinels and the Ouphe flushed out whoever these people are, but I can’t tell if they’re friend or foe.
“I’m getting cold, and honestly I could really go for a taco, so if we can just speed up whatever the fuck this is, that’d be great,” I add, feeling antsy, and an amused smile breaks over the female’s lips.
She carefully starts pulling off her glove and then shoves the sleeve of her coat up to her elbow. She holds her hand up, palm in, and I trace the marks on her fingers with surprised eyes. She rotates her arm to the side, and I see a full line of runes that run up the outside of her forearm.
Well, damn. I didn’t see that coming.
