As one, Brock, Dad, and Cho swiveled to look.
“Shit,” Brock said. “That can’t be good.”
So he saw it too.
“It isn’t,” Dad said. “Cho, I thought everything had gone to plan?”
“It did,” she said. “But maybe the force of joining Evie’s power to the earth shook up the gate. Her power is substantial. It might have been enough to upset things inside the gate, especially if it’s cracked open.”
Well, that would have been a good point to bring up—beforewe bound my power to the land’s and unleashed the nasty-looking green misty shit.
“We have to get inside. Now,” my dad said. “It’s moving fast, and if it touches us...”
“What happens if it touches us?” Brock asked, urgency vibrating through his words.
“I’m not exactly sure, but whatever it will do, it’s the energy of the underworld, so it can’t be good.”
My father was right. The sinister looking mist could be poison for all we knew.
I gulped. “We have to stop it, then.” What if it hurt someone?
“I don’t know how to stop it, and unless you do, we should steer clear of something we don’t understand. You’re our only chance at stopping all of this chaos. We need to keep you and my unborn grandchild out of harm’s way.”
Brock’s hand settled on the small of my back and he urged me forward. “Come on, Evie. We’ll figure it out. Once you and the baby are safe.”
Cho was already dusting her hands of dirt and flinging them in Dad’s direction to hover his wheelchair. This witch was definitely powerful. The binding spell had been strong, and yet she looked as bright and eager as before, and it was still butt early in the morning.
I gave the green fog a wary look, hesitant to leave when there might be something I could do to stop it, though I’d probably have to be in kitsune form again so I could see where it was coming through the gate. I couldn’t risk another shift so soon, not with the danger that might pose to the baby. Besides, the fog seemed to be rolling away from Brock’s house and Gran’s cottage, so we had time to think.
“Let’s go,” Brock urged again, and when he took off at a run behind Cho and my dad, I followed.
Seconds later, Brock was in my head, only this time his message was directed to the entire pack.‘We’ve got a problem. A green fog is seeping out of the gate. We don’t know what it does, but it’s gotta be bad news. Donottouch it. No contact. Get inside your homes and stay there. If you’re out and can’t get back home in time, stay in your cars or a locked building, all windows shut. I’ll update again once we know more.’
The day was barely starting, and already it’d gone to shit...
4Shit’s about to go down
“Blackish green,you’re sure it was a blackish green fog?” Cass was pacing Brock’s living room.
When I’d mind-messaged him about what happened, telling him to stay inside, he’d come right over. Tianna had sensed my merging with the land all the way over at his loft in town, and they’d already been on their way to see what the magical disturbance was about. Molly, Reo, and Haru were locked tight in Gran’s cabin awaiting further instructions.
“It was mostly green,” I told Cass.
“But it was also blackish.” Brock trailed off in thought, rubbing his stubble.
My father was watching my bestie with one raised eyebrow. “Do you know what it is?”
Cass grumbled. “Well, I sure as hell hope not. The only fog demon I know of is from childhood stories, and if that’s what we’re dealing with, then this is a huge problem.Huge.”
I swallowed hard. “Fog demon?”
Cass rubbed his little pot belly. “If it’s a fog demon, the entire town could be in trouble.”
My eyes widened. “The entire town?”
He nodded. “If what you saw is what I think it is, then things in Eugene are about to go south, and quickly.”
My heart jackknifed in my chest. “How? Should we warn the townspeople? What do we do?”
