Talis: Thank you.
Axel:When this is over, come find me.
“Everything all right, Talis?”
I glanced up to find Max, Rys, and Sasha staring at me. It was Rys who’d spoken, and his gaze dropped to my phone.
“Yeah,” I smiled, truly meaning it this time. “Well, apart from waiting for some fae nut job to stalk Axel.” Rememberingthatput a damper on my mood, but surely fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to dangle hope in front of me and then snatch it away. I had to believe that.
Axel would be fine.
We were a little over a minute away at a flat-out run. As soon as he made the call, we’d be out that door in seconds.
It would be fine.
And if I had to repeat that every hour, then so be it.
Rys had a rota system set up so that at least four shifters were ready to go at any time.
With everyone taking turns to watch Rys’s phone, all that was left was to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
* * *
Axel
Three days was all it took in the end.
Sat outside on the patio, I stared at the stone, the blue glow around it faint but definitely there.
Chlah’al.
This was it.
I pulled my phone out, then hesitated as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. There, right on the edge of the treeline. I couldn’t be sure from this distance, but I knew it was him. No witch magic had altered his appearance.
He’d seen me too, because he stopped and held up both hands.
They were empty, no weapons, but he could call for that dagger at any moment.
He started walking.
“I only want to talk,” he yelled out.
Fuck that.
I scrolled for Rys’s number, found it, and hit send. “He’s here,” I said as soon as someone picked up.
“We’re coming.”
I stood, palms sweating as he carried on walking towards me. I had roughly a minute and a half before the wolves arrived. I could go inside and lock the doors, but I wanted to keep him where I could see him. I wasn’t going to run away and hide. I’d done enough of that.
“Whatever it is,” I yelled back, “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Please, Axel.”
