“No,” Garrett said shortly. The Seven ritual had been pure hell; it was a shock that any of them had survived. The plus side was that the ordeal had fused the bones in each of their torsos into an impenetrable shield. The downside was that their enemy had fused his entire body into a shield and couldn’t be killed by any weapon. He was Ulric, the leader of the Cyst, the religious arm of the Kurjan people, who were the Realm’s enemies. Ulric was currently in a prison worlds away, but it was believed he’d be breaking free at some point. “Chalton? Do you have a couple of scouts you can send out?”
“Consider it done.” Chalton typed rapidly. “By the way, I’m supposed to tell you to call your mother.” He clicked off.
Bear crossed his arms.
Garrett shut down the tablet. “We don’t have time to hunt down a lead like that. Let the scouts do it.”
Bear pushed away from the table and stood. “Fine.”
* * * *
After a lovely breakfast and then a terrific lunch, at which the triplets entertained her with stories about each other, most often crazy ones about Tackle, Dessie still couldn’t get settled. She helped clean up and then looked around for a place to meditate. Her gaze caught on Garrett, Sam, and Bear talking together by another fire. Even from this distance, she could see the tension in their bodies.
Something told her this motorcycle run wasn’t all for fun. They seemed to be planning something. Plus, Garrett had ignored her all day. Well, he’d been busy and hadn’t included her.
Shrugging, she moved beyond their now rolled-up sleeping bag, looking for a private place to meditate. Garrett had been more than clear that she wasn’t to leave the immediate campground, but she intended to walk around later to look at the other campers. Who were they? She was so curious. But she’d have to wait until later this afternoon, when he’d told her he had some sort of super-secret business to handle.
The perfect spot caught her attention, and she sat on colorful leaves, facing the rocks. Setting her hands in position on her knees, with her thumbs and middle fingers touching, she shut her eyes and breathed in the world. Sounds and smells disappeared first, followed by all other sensations. She’d been meditating since she’d first arrived at boarding school, and the way into Zen had become second nature to her. Her mind was the last to clear, and then the universe went quiet.
Once she dropped into peace, she pushed herself back to that day she’d had the dream. This time, she was merely an observer. The man at the cliffs was definitely Garrett Kayrs. His eyes, his body, his voice. There was no question in her mind that it was Garrett. He was there, and he’d saved her from going too close to the edge and probably falling to her death.
Her eyelids opened, and she stared at the rocks. How in the world was that possible? The only thing that made any sort of sense was that she was supposed to rescue him. Right now, she was torn between knifing him and kissing him again. The muscled male had intended to teach her a lesson the previous night, and he had, but something told her it wasn’t the one he’d wanted her to learn.
“Hey, girlfriend,” Honor said, coming up on her left. “The rush of the morning is over, and afternoon is usually a better time to use the facilities. I thought I’d hit the showers and think we should go in pairs.”
“Good idea.” Dessie stood and stretched her back. “I don’t have any shower necessities.”
Honor grinned, looking even more beautiful today with her hair in several braids. She wore dark jeans and a thick blue sweater, and in her hand was a small backpack. “I found you additional clothing. Also, I have extra toiletries, so don’t worry.”
Dessie frowned. Why did Honor have extra? Did Garrett regularly pick up women to ride on runs?
Honor slid her arm through Dessie’s. “I’m so not going to answer that question on your face.”
Yeah, that’s what Dessie had thought. Her mood turned even darker, unusual after meditating so deeply. They reached the shower area, which was rather quaint. They showered quickly, and then Dessie changed into faded jeans that cupped her butt perfectly. The sweater Honor handed over was a sweet pink. It was nice of the woman to find her clothing, but Dessie wanted to look more like some of the other biker babes, as she’d heard them called. They wore black and looked tough.
She looked like an assistant to Cupid.
Sighing, she pushed her wet hair away from her shoulders so it could dry, curling down her back. The autumn afternoon was warm, so at least she wasn’t chilly with the wet hair. Although clouds were rolling in from the east. “Thank you for the clothing. I appreciate it.”
“Sure.” Honor pulled the backpack over one arm. “The Grizzlies are always happy to share. Though it was hard to find clothing in your size.”
Dessie had noticed the female Grizzly members were all a healthy size. “I’m not loving the ‘property’ designation on the jacket Garrett gave me.”
Honor snorted. “It’s dumb but necessary, unfortunately.” Over her sweater she wore a deep green leather jacket with the designation on the back. “Speaking of which, put on your jacket. Garrett won’t be happy to see you walking around without it.”
While Dessie would love to defy Garrett, her butt was still sore from the previous night. Sore and tingly in a way that was more intriguing than annoying, though she’d never tell him that. Of course, he probably already knew.
Three women stepped in front of them. “You Grizzly twits think you’re too good to party with the rest of us?” The one slightly in the lead, a redhead wearing a black tank top showing tattoos down both arms, sneered.
Dessie blinked.
Honor pulled her to the side. “Ignore them.”
The trio moved right along with them. The other two women also wore tank tops, had tattoos, and looked tough. One was a brunette and the other a blonde. The blonde had a nose ring and a piercing in her eyebrow that was red and looked infected.
Nessa suddenly appeared on the other side of Dessie. The petite mother of three put her hands on her hips. “Is there a problem?”
Dessie’s senses went on full alert. It was one thing to defend Honor, who had some decent muscle mass, but another to protect the fragile young mother. It appeared Nessa had forgotten her jacket with the Grizzly emblem on it! “I think this is just a simple misunderstanding, and we should all go our own ways,” Dessie said calmly, edging a few inches in front of her friends.
