Serenity was grinning at me, a spark of mischief in her eyes, and I rolled mine, trying not to grin. The anger I felt seconds ago was fading now that I’d gotten it out of my system.
It wasn’t until I turned around that I noticed War and Gareth exchanging a look, both of them silent and brooding. I didn’t want to think about what they were thinking about, but I had a good idea. They were considering Estelle's possible next moves.
“You guys okay?” Serenity asked.
War shrugged, and Gareth crossed his arms, his eyes trained on the others across the portal. It was impossible to read his expression.
“I just want to know where this is going,” Gareth said, his voice low. “I want to know if Trix is in any danger out here, and if we need to be taking extra precautions, or if we just wait it out until Estelle is caught.”
“Trix isn’t in any danger,” Atlas said. “We’re keeping alow profile, and we’re taking all the necessary steps to ensure that Estelle can’t get to her. But we can’t let her know that we’re aware of her powers, either. We can’t take unnecessary risks. We don’t want her to know that we’re on to her, not yet.”
War growled, the sound reverberating through the air. “I’m getting tired of playing defense. Why can’t we go on offense for once? We can find her with real help. Let’s go to the city and ask questions. And by ask, Idon’tmean ask.”
“We need to be careful,” I said quietly, looking around at my friends and lovers. “I don't want any of you to get hurt because of me.”
“Don't even go there,” Merrick said, his voice stern. “We're in this together. You know that. We're not leaving you to face this on your own. This all started because of a witch who planned this before either of you or Serenity were even born. You didn't cause this; you're just stuck in the middle.”
I nodded, feeling a knot form in my throat. These were my people, my family, and I knew that they would do anything to protect me. But I couldn't help but feel like I was putting them in danger.
“We need to find out who Estelle is working with,” Faust said, his voice low, calculated, and thoughtful. “If we can cut off her allies, then she won't be able to outsmart us.”
“And how do we do that?” I asked, feeling a sense of hopelessness wash over me.
“We can start by pooling our resources,” Atlas said, his voice calm and steady. “We all have our own networks, our own connections. If we can find out who's helping Estelle, we can cut them off at the source. She'll be forced to show herself.”
There was a moment of silence as we all consideredAtlas's words. It was a daunting task, but it seemed like the only option we had.
“Okay,” Thane said, breaking the silence. “Let's get to work then. Everyone, gather your information and report back here in two days. We'll go over what we've found and come up with a plan from there.”
"We'll portal in a few days," Bastian said.
We all nodded and said our goodbyes before the warlocks closed the portal. Thane collapsed on the couch, exhausted.
As I walked away, I felt War's hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to face him, and he pulled me into a tight embrace.
“Hey,” he murmured, his voice soft. “Don't worry too much, okay? We'll get through this. You're dealing with ancients here. It takes time. ”
I nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude wash over me. War was my big bad protector, the one who made me feel safe and secure since we met.
As we pulled away, I caught Gareth's eye, and my heart skipped a beat. He was watching us, his expression unreadable. But as our eyes locked, I felt a spark of something pass between us—something electric and charged.
It was a feeling that was all too familiar, a feeling that had been building between us for a while now. But he eyed War carefully, and I knew the brand-new bond between us was causing an internal war inside him. Male wolves could be possessive, so we had to tread carefully.
10
We spentthe next two days huddled around the kitchen table, brainstorming. At night, War would light a campfire just behind the cabin, and we’d try to relax a bit and breathe the crisp winter air after being cooped up inside.
Thane and War went through lists of every powerful witch or warlock they knew, weighing them one by one and considering who might be responsible for joining Estelle and helping to free her.
I didn’t recognize many of the names unless they were politicians, and even then I was mostly in the dark.
After the first day of brainstorming, I was feeling a little more optimistic. Between War and Thane, we had a pretty sizable list going. Now we just had to narrow it down.
On the second night, after I slept for most of the evening, I woke up to the smell of campfire smoke and the sound of deep laughter. Sitting up in bed, Ifinger-combed my hair out of my eyes, listening closer, and I glanced at the far window where warm orange light flickered off the glass.
Getting out of bed and slipping on my shoes, I tossed my wild curls into a bun on the top of my head and peered through the window. The guys were sitting around the bonfire with drinks in their hands, having a discussion that was apparently funny because War’s booming laugh echoed off the trees. Thane was talking animatedly, and Gareth had a small smile on his face.
Something inside me warmed seeing them this way. The three men who had come to mean more to me than anyone I’d ever cared about.
