“The Council has called an emergency meeting. Please come as soon as you’re able.”
My heart plummets into my stomach. The Council gave us a deadline, but we’re well ahead of it.
Shit. Something’s happened. Does it have to do with Gunnar, or is it unrelated? “Got it. I’ll be there soon,” I say and kill the call. Acid prickles the back of my throat, leaving a sour taste.
Heart thudding, I try to call Gunnar, but he won’t answer. My stomach gurgles, and I worry I’ll be sick with nerves. I’ve got to know what happened. Maybe I’m blowing this out of proportion.
Truffles squeals when I throw open the door. “What did the wankers from the TTA want?” she asks, trotting after me.
“A meeting with the Council.” Kneeling, I fumble with her collar and open the pouch strapped there. Inside is my TTA-issued ID and my badge, allowing me to travel to the TTA’s headquarters.
I slap the badge on my chest, and magic makes my teeth vibrate. I tear open a portal and run through. It feels like my stomach flips upside down when the grass under my feet becomes hard tile. The headquarters lobby bustles with agents heading to work. I show my badge and they let me into the elevator.
I have rarely visited the Council’s meeting room, so I have to ask for directions a few times before I find the damn place. Inside, gathered around a round table, are men and women dressed in suits. They look less like witches and more like executives from Wall Street.
“Mr. Tenanbaum.” A woman rises and extends her hand. Her smile is bright white against her ruby-red lipstick. “Marjorie Pence, head of the Traveler Council.”
“A pleasure,” I mumble, giving her hand a squeeze.
I don’t miss the way she wipes her hand on her skirt. “Have a seat.”
I drop into a seat opposite her. “Has something happened?”
Pence folds her fingertips together, her expression stony as she flips through a folder filled with goddess knows what. “You were tasked with helping Gunnar Erikson control his berserker rage after a major security breach. Is that correct?”
My heart seizes.
Shit. It’s just as I feared. “Yes. I just got the final ingredient for my potion. I was making it when my superior called. I could have it ready as soon as—”
She slaps the folder shut. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Mr. Tenanbaum.”
There’s a ringing in my ears. “W-what?” I laugh. “No, it’s not. We haven’t even reached the deadline. Just give me some more time!”
“Mr. Erikson went berserk and shifted in public. Heattackeda witch and terrified a street full of onlookers.”
What?That makes no sense. Gunnar’s been doing great. He’s been calm, in high enough spirits—
But I know all too well how quickly things can take a turn for the worse. I’ve got the bloody scars to prove it.
When it becomes clear I’m incapable of speaking, Pence says, “We’ve secured the scene. Agents are wiping memories as we speak and the injured witch is being tended to.”
I don’t care. Fuck this, all of it.
“What happened to Gunnar?” I have to choke out the words as my throat thickens with dread. Goddess, did they capture him? Is he in this very building, awaiting the death penalty for losing control?
“He has evaded custody.”
It takes everything I have not to sag into my seat with relief.
“You know him better than the rest of us. Do you have any idea where he might be?”
“I… I’m not sure. Have you spoken to his brothers?”
“We will visit the Erikson pack after the security breach has been contained. For now, the task of finding him falls to you, Mr. Tenanbaum. He was your responsibility, after all.”
It feels as if the floor’s opened under my feet. I’m falling, falling down a long, dark tunnel. Drawing in a slow breath, I squeeze my hands into fists, trying to ground myself in the now.
This is good. So long as I’m tracking Gunnar down, no one else is. There’s still time to make this right and save my wolf.
