“So what does that mean?” Was the King not able to help me?
The Prime was quiet for a moment as he listened to the Elemental King, then he put him on speaker. I did the same with Riggs, figuring he needed to hear it as well.
“What it means is that we have to do this the old-fashioned way. I’ve already sent out some of my enforcers to track him down,” King Asharien said.
Riggs snorted from my phone. “That should be pretty easy to do. He’s in Moonhaven. I’ve already notified our sheriff, and my Clan has been on high alert.”
Instead of asking who the new voice belonged to, King Asharien seemed to already know. “That makes things easier. I’ll send my enforcers to help protect Alanna, and you as well, Piper. Will they be welcome on Clan lands?” he directed toward Riggs.
“Yes,” Riggs said. “But when they’re on my land, they follow my orders. No exceptions.”
“Agreed,” King Asharien said. He paused, then added, “I’m sorry, Piper. If there’s anything else I can do, please send a message through King Alaric. Or, if you’re comfortable, he can give you my direct line. I answer it day or night.”
It was more than I had dared to hope for. “Thank you.”
“I only wish I could do more,” he said quietly.
The Prime took him off speakerphone and walked to the other side of the large room to continue conferring with him, while I took Riggs off speaker as well.
“Thank you for letting the elementals onto Clan property.”
His voice was rough when he answered. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, Piper.” He quickly changed the subject. “You’re heading back with Matteo?”
“Yeah, we’ll take a flight today. I had hoped taking a chopper here would throw Barrett off, but they tracked us anyway. So the Prime has offered us one of his private planes.”
I looked toward the Prime to be sure that was still the plan, and he nodded. Everly leaned into him, looking exhausted. Seeing her haggard expression, he wrapped his arms around her and guided her back against him, supporting her weight. She gave him a sweet, grateful look, and his expression softened.
It was only a moment. A blip. But it made something burn inside me. I had spent a long time alone. Most shifters do. And if they’re lucky enough to find their mate, they usually hold on with both hands and never let go.
I pulled the phone back up to my mouth. “He just confirmed that’s still the plan. He’s also sending some of his enforcers. Are you going to have room for them all?”
“We have over fifty beds in the Lodge alone. And that’s not even counting members’ houses. I think we’ll be okay.” His voice was amused, but then turned serious. “I’m glad you’re going on the Prime’s private jet. You’ll be safer that way. I’ll see you later today?”
The Prime, who could clearly hear my conversation even though it wasn’t on speaker, nodded.
“Yeah, later today.”
When we hung up, I moved to check on Matteo, who looked like he was sleeping again. The healer stood, then swayed slightly until one of the guards moved to support him. The poor man looked completely exhausted.
His tired, mulberry eyes found mine. “I’ve done all I can for him. I’ve managed to get the poison out of his system and put him back to sleep. It’s the best thing for him right now. Try to get him some elven healing potions when you get to Moonhaven. Even with the potions, his road to recovery will probably be a long one,” he warned.
“We need to get an elf here, mate,” the Prime said, speaking softly to his wife.
She said something in return, but I ignored them, wondering how in the world I was going to get Matteo onto the plane without hurting him further.
The Prime seemed to read my mind. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he gets on the plane. I can carry him, but I think we also have a stretcher here we can use if we need to.”
“Thank you.” I had been numb for the last two months, just running in survival mode, which made the gratitude I felt now seem heavier.
I wasn’t alone anymore. I had to keep telling myself that.
I had the Clan. I had Riggs. I also seemed to have the Prime and Everly.
Everly wrapped me in a hug. “Stay safe, okay?”
When she pulled away and gave me a pointed look, I nodded. “I’ll try.”
The Prime, after speaking with a guard, finally reported, “The rest of Dragonspire has been swept, and there’s no trace of anymore bombs. It should be safe for us to leave the bunker and get some food now.”
