Chapter 20
When Trenton left, Ali overheard some of the plan. She didn’t know that it was one of Cal’s brothers that was setting them up, but she heard that they were going to be let into the compound and they were going to take out Cal. She couldn’t let it happen, and that just pushed her to find a way to get out of there.
Trenton had forgotten about his ultimatum, and when he was gone taking care of business, she took off. There were supposed to be a couple of people watching her, but everyone in the coven was abuzz about the raid they were going to do. No one liked the shifters because they had been fighting them for centuries. There was a palpable air of excitement that set her heart to thumping hard in her chest. She didn’t want anything to happen to Cal or the people there.
As she made her way through the woods, it took some time to get her whereabouts figured out as best as she could. She found a cab and made her way to the club. From there she hoped that she could find the place. It had been dark, and she’d been on the back of a shifter at the time, so it wasn’t like she had an address, though she had heard more about the location from Trenton talking to his second.
When she got back to the club, it still had police tape around it, and she got a sinking feeling inside of her. That was where it had all happened. It was a day that she was never going to forget if she lived. So much had changed for her since that fateful night that it seemed like a lifetime ago, even though it hadn’t been that long at all.
Unsure where to go next, she went to the tree that she had hidden behind before and stopped for a minute. The strangest thing started to happen. She could smell Cal and maybe even her from before. The smell was strong, and it was so clear that it was like making a path to where she needed to be.
Not sure if she was going the right way or not, Ali followed the smells of the shifter that she’d mated with and hoped that there was going to be a village at the end of it.
It wasn’t long before she started to recognize things. She was so tired though, even being close was not enough to reenergize her. Ever since leaving Cal’s protection, Ali had felt weaker and weaker.
She stopped and thought about it for a moment. Before, Cal had chosen his pack over her, and she was afraid that he would do it now too. She was a full-blown nightwalker now. Even though she hadn’t drunk human blood, her transformation was complete. The fear that he would do something was real, but the idea of her sitting around and letting them get ambushed and slaughtered was an even worse feeling. She was just going to have to put her faith in Cal and hope that mating with him meant something to him. He’d known who she was when he was with her and Ali hadn’t known what had changed.
The village came up into her sights, and she breathed out a massive sigh of relief. It was nice to know that it was still standing. She’d been so afraid that she was going to be too late and the place would be in ashes when she arrived.
Before she could get the energy to go forward and find Cal, she was lifted from behind. “A little nightwalker spy, I see. I will bring you to Calum, and he can deal with you.”
The man was not one that she’d met before and she tried to sputter out a response, but she was too terrified to come up with actual words. The shifter was strong, and her feet didn’t even touch the ground as he dragged her deeper into the village. This was a part of it that she hadn’t seen before.
“Put her down right now, Fredrick!”
Ali heard the thunderous voice behind her and sighed to herself. It was a scary voice, but the man was one that she knew and cared deeply about. He didn’t like what she’d become, but he would always be her first.
“But sir, I found this nightwalker stalking at the edge of town. You know that she is here spying.”
“That is my mate and the mother of my child.”
Ali didn’t understand that last part, but she was just happy that he wasn’t mad at her. She was set down, and Cal moved towards her. Anything had to be better than getting taken out by a mate.
“I know that you guys don’t want me here, but I found out something that I wanted you to know about. You helped me once, and I owe you.”
Calum couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d been searching for her for so long he’d figured that he might not ever find her, but never did he imagine that she would come walking up like she did. Ali had come out of nowhere in the middle of the night. He hadn’t seen that coming.
“Why would you think that I don’t want you here?”
“I heard you talking to your pack before in the woods. But that doesn’t matter, Calum. I will leave once I’ve told you what you must know. They are planning to attack you, and I wanted you to know so that nothing happened to you.”
Cal didn’t know what to say. She was confusing the hell out of him, and all he wanted to do was pull her to him and kiss her. She had changed, that much was clear, but that hadn’t changed the way he felt about her.
“Did you hear me? Trenton is planning to attack you tomorrow night at nine at night. They are somehow going to be let into your compound. They are going to kill everyone here.”
Calum should have been worried about what she said. He was, in a way, but not enough to ruin the moment. She was in his arms, and that was all that mattered now.
He’d pulled her to him while she was talking, his gaze on her lips as they moved. Cal tried to listen, but it was impossible to. He shushed her seconds before his lips came down to meet hers.
Ali was in mid-sentence, and it was abruptly cut short. His lips were as warm as insistent as they were before. Trenton had tried to trick her, and he had for a moment, but the kiss should have sealed the deal. Calum’s lips were warm, and they covered hers so perfectly.
Fredrick was standing there gawking, as well as a few others. They were worried about having a nightwalker in their midst, no matter what baby she was carrying. It was even more upsetting to see her locking lips with their leader. It was a new day, and no one stopped it, but no one knew how to look away either.
The second cleared his throat after a moment, and Calum growled at him. He pulled away and wiped his lips off, but that didn’t mean that he was happy about it.
“What?”
“Don’t you think we should set up a meeting to call off the search?”
