“Axe!” someone shouts behind me.
Snapping out of the spell of rage, I fire just in time for the Sentinel to be dragged under again. The two beasts wrestle underwater, Qinnu gradually bringing him back into range. When they reemerge for the second time, I get a clean shotthrough one of the flippers. The seal shrieks, releasing Qinnu’s upper arm. Finally, Qinnu gains the upper hand and slices through its soft underbelly with razor sharp claws. The creature howls in agony, finally releasing him.
Back in human form, Qinnu gets to his feet, covering his crotch with his shivering hands. Tesni makes a sound of disgust. Her eyes note the purple swell of his nose, then dart over to me.
Qinnu wipes his bloody mouth. “Nice to see you, Princess. Got some fresh meat here. You lot must be starving.”
Tesni stomps forward and kicks him in the ribs, right back into the frigid water.
Tripp and the other cadets snicker at the outburst. Qinnu coughs, spitting out the seawater. By now, it’s probably come back to him that seals are the patron symbol of the Norgsik lycans. Butchering them is a grave offense to Tesni’s ancestors.
She falls back to my side again. “It’s all water out here . . . the temple is deteriorating—hell, I’d say impossible to surveil without swimming. I don’t know what those rogues were doing up here.”
Tesni’s right. This was a complete waste of a mission. Or was it another calculated diversion?
Her voice withers. “The portal’s gone, Axe. I can feel it.”
Gone. How is that even possible?
How much longer are we going to let these cowards jerk us around?my wolf snarls.
There’s no denying it now. Bleeding Sun has a traitor in its midst.
One by one, the unit shifts back into their human forms, loading into the choppers with warm blankets. The pilot lifts off the ice and takes the first load back to the mainland, while the second chopper stays behind.
Tesni stares into the distance, the first despondent tear slipping down her cheek. Slowly, the sun awakens over thehorizon, over a vast, warming ocean that gobbles up more and more ice by the day. She weeps openly, watching as the crown jewel of her ancestral homeland vanishes.
Vessa
Between imagining what horrors wait for the rescue team and suffering through heat flashes, I haven’t been able to sit still over the last few days. A sense of unease circulates around all who trickle in and out of Lupine Manor. Tonight is another full moon: the Eagle Moon, dedicated to discovery and regeneration, according to Maurleen. Though it’s also an omen. Tonight, when the sun sinks behind the mountains, the moon will arise blood red.
As if this curse wasn’t blatantly ominous enough. I can only speculate what unpleasant fate is in store for me when Axe returns. For the time being, Maurleen and I are still allowed supervised roams around the territory.
When the sanguine moon finally graces the sky, I pour myself a glass of wine to ease the nerves, nearly spilling it on the floor when pounding on my door startles me. Nell waits on the other side with a fully stocked quiver slung over her shoulder. She gapes at my new shiny protective measures, courtesy of Wyatt: two pistols strapped to my thighs, silver cuffs on my wrists, and a stringy chainmail piece that attaches to the thick metal choker clutching my neck.
Nell reaches inside to grab my parka off the hook. “Are you wearing a collar?”
I’m not fucking around this time. I have every intention of arming myself to the teeth and barricading the door to the Alpha’s suite. Anyone touches me, they’ll get burned.
“What’s going on?”
She hooks a lock of hair behind her ear. “The Alpha of Glacier Meadow is outside, demanding to speak to the head of the pack.”
Well, that’s just perfect.
Tapping his foot in the quad, Paul Childers is anything but pleased to see me again. Especially since the man he was hoping to speak with is nowhere to be found. His sideburns are flecked with grey strands and the creases in his weathered forehead have deepened over the last couple of months.
Gesturing to Wyatt and Maurleen, Paul scowls. “These two were not granted authority to leave pack grounds. Why did the Alpha fail to reach out to me personally? Why isn’t he here?”
Nells stares him down. “It was urgent.”
“What was so urgent that he had to bypass basic procedure?”
“We’re not at liberty to disclose that.”
Paul’s upper lip curls. “Eighteen months ago, after returning from an extended assignment, Wyatt James and his witch brought Vessa before me, claiming they were cousins whose coven leader had been butchered by a host of vampires.”
I gulp, reminding myself to play along.
