“And Sabine was your best choice?” I couldn’t quite keep the anger out of my voice. “Do you know what she’s been through?”
“It was Sabine’s idea,” Anika answered, giving me a measured gaze.
I opened and closed my mouth again, unable to reply. Sabine came up with this plan?
“And it was a good plan,” Anika said. “We need her help. She’s the best link between Keepers and Guardians we have.”
“You didn’t worry that Efron wouldn’t take the bait?” I asked, feeling a bit unsteady in the current of this information.
“Logan was sure he would,” Connor said. “Something about pride being his father’s greatest weakness, Sabine as an Achilles’ heel, blah, blah, more metaphors.”
“Fine.” I bared my fangs at Connor. “But how does Ethan feel about all of this?”
“He only agreed if we let him go too.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “Ethan is in Vail?”
“Yep,” Connor said. “He insisted.”
“But they’ll kill him.”
“God, Connor.” Adne glared at him. “Don’t say it like that.”
Connor grinned. “But it’s so much more fun when she looks like she’s going to throw up.”
She ignored him, turning to me. “Calla, Ethan isn’t with the Keepers. He and Nev are with Tom Shaw.”
“At the Burnout?” I asked.
“He built what’s pretty much a bunker under that bar,” Connor said. “We’ve used it as a safe house from time to time. Nev and Ethan are staying there, coordinating intelligence coming in from the Guardians through Sabine and Logan. Logan’s keeping tabs on his father and the other Keepers. Sabine is lining up allies among the Banes and hopefully getting your father to do the same with the Nightshades. We’re using them to set up the final offensive on Rowan Estate.”
I swallowed the hard lump that formed in my throat. “When is the attack?”
“If we pick up this last piece,” Adne said quietly, “we attack at midnight.”
“That soon?” I asked.
“Well, considering we’ve jumped a few times zones, it’s actually already in the past.” Connor wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I’d assumed Connor had dragged me through a portal back to the Academy. But we weren’t in the Searchers’ building. It had been afternoon when we’d left the mountain meadow. Now we were outside and it was dark, but not night. The air was full of the promise of dawn. Hushed pink light crept upward into deep gray sky.
“We’re in New Zealand,” Adne said. “Where it’s already tomorrow morning.”
“But when we get back to Vail for the attack, it will still be midnight yesterday,” Connor said.
“You’re giving me a headache,” I said.
“It’s what he does best.” Adne grinned.
“Let’s be on our way.” Anika started walking. “The others are waiting.”
“Where are they?” I asked as my mind began to settle.
“They’re at the boat,” Adne said.
“Another boat?” I groaned.
“Different sort of trip this time,” Connor said. “No swim at the end.”
He led us into the brightening morning, pushing through a forest unlike any I’d seen. The ground beneath my feet was rough, broken rocks that seemed to be halfway to becoming sand. Trees with spiky limbs and thick leaves stretched over us, complemented by dense brush, tightly packed along the forest floor.
When the path opened up, the trees thinning to slope down onto a wide beach, I heard two familiar voices shout at once.
“Calla!”
Ren and Shay were both staring at me. They were sitting back to back. And they were tied up.
I stared at them. “What the—”
Mason, who’d been circling the captive boys as a wolf, shifted forms.
“Thank God!” He ran to me, catching me in a tight embrace. “It is so good to see you.”
“You too.” I hugged him and then pointed to Ren and Shay, who were now squirming against their restraints. “What’s going on?”
“We had to tie them up,” Adne said.
“And I had to guard them,” Mason said. “Even after creating the most intricate knots known to mankind. I even bit Shay once.”
“I wasn’t being that difficult,” Shay said.
“Yes, you were.”
“Why did you have to tie them up?” I asked, watching as Connor drew a knife and began to saw through the ropes holding Shay and Ren together.
“You didn’t have to tie us up!” Shay shrugged the frayed ropes off.
“Yes, we did!” Adne’s hands were on her hips. “You would have torn right through that portal to get to her. You were both acting like morons.”
“She’s right,” Ren said. “They probably did have to tie us up.”
Shay grinned.
“Shut up!” Adne glared at Ren. “You’re still on my list of people I’m angry with. Don’t think you’ll get off it by agreeing with me.”
Ren gave Connor a sidelong glance. “She keeps a list, huh?”
“Don’t worry,” Connor said. “I’ve been on it for years.”
“I heard that.” Adne’s voice jumped up a couple of octaves.
“I’m sure you did, gorgeous.” Connor jumped back, having cut through the rope, as Shay and Ren both leapt up and rushed at me.
I took a few steps back, anticipating a tackle. But they both pulled up just short, breathing hard, glancing from each other to me.
“Hey,” I said, unsure what to do. I wished they would both just hug me, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
“Hey,” Ren said, folding his arms over his chest. “Sorry we couldn’t come save you ourselves.” I could see his pulse jumping at his throat.
Shay looked just as uncomfortable, giving Ren an uneasy smile. “Not that we didn’t want to. Hence the being tied up.” He raked a hand through his windblown hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “The wraith was awful. But it was over pretty quickly. At least from my perspective. After I passed out, I don’t remember much. I woke up in my room. Lumine was there.”
“It was Sabine’s idea,” Anika answered, giving me a measured gaze.
I opened and closed my mouth again, unable to reply. Sabine came up with this plan?
“And it was a good plan,” Anika said. “We need her help. She’s the best link between Keepers and Guardians we have.”
“You didn’t worry that Efron wouldn’t take the bait?” I asked, feeling a bit unsteady in the current of this information.
“Logan was sure he would,” Connor said. “Something about pride being his father’s greatest weakness, Sabine as an Achilles’ heel, blah, blah, more metaphors.”
“Fine.” I bared my fangs at Connor. “But how does Ethan feel about all of this?”
“He only agreed if we let him go too.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “Ethan is in Vail?”
“Yep,” Connor said. “He insisted.”
“But they’ll kill him.”
“God, Connor.” Adne glared at him. “Don’t say it like that.”
Connor grinned. “But it’s so much more fun when she looks like she’s going to throw up.”
She ignored him, turning to me. “Calla, Ethan isn’t with the Keepers. He and Nev are with Tom Shaw.”
“At the Burnout?” I asked.
“He built what’s pretty much a bunker under that bar,” Connor said. “We’ve used it as a safe house from time to time. Nev and Ethan are staying there, coordinating intelligence coming in from the Guardians through Sabine and Logan. Logan’s keeping tabs on his father and the other Keepers. Sabine is lining up allies among the Banes and hopefully getting your father to do the same with the Nightshades. We’re using them to set up the final offensive on Rowan Estate.”
I swallowed the hard lump that formed in my throat. “When is the attack?”
“If we pick up this last piece,” Adne said quietly, “we attack at midnight.”
“That soon?” I asked.
“Well, considering we’ve jumped a few times zones, it’s actually already in the past.” Connor wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I’d assumed Connor had dragged me through a portal back to the Academy. But we weren’t in the Searchers’ building. It had been afternoon when we’d left the mountain meadow. Now we were outside and it was dark, but not night. The air was full of the promise of dawn. Hushed pink light crept upward into deep gray sky.
“We’re in New Zealand,” Adne said. “Where it’s already tomorrow morning.”
“But when we get back to Vail for the attack, it will still be midnight yesterday,” Connor said.
“You’re giving me a headache,” I said.
“It’s what he does best.” Adne grinned.
“Let’s be on our way.” Anika started walking. “The others are waiting.”
“Where are they?” I asked as my mind began to settle.
“They’re at the boat,” Adne said.
“Another boat?” I groaned.
“Different sort of trip this time,” Connor said. “No swim at the end.”
He led us into the brightening morning, pushing through a forest unlike any I’d seen. The ground beneath my feet was rough, broken rocks that seemed to be halfway to becoming sand. Trees with spiky limbs and thick leaves stretched over us, complemented by dense brush, tightly packed along the forest floor.
When the path opened up, the trees thinning to slope down onto a wide beach, I heard two familiar voices shout at once.
“Calla!”
Ren and Shay were both staring at me. They were sitting back to back. And they were tied up.
I stared at them. “What the—”
Mason, who’d been circling the captive boys as a wolf, shifted forms.
“Thank God!” He ran to me, catching me in a tight embrace. “It is so good to see you.”
“You too.” I hugged him and then pointed to Ren and Shay, who were now squirming against their restraints. “What’s going on?”
“We had to tie them up,” Adne said.
“And I had to guard them,” Mason said. “Even after creating the most intricate knots known to mankind. I even bit Shay once.”
“I wasn’t being that difficult,” Shay said.
“Yes, you were.”
“Why did you have to tie them up?” I asked, watching as Connor drew a knife and began to saw through the ropes holding Shay and Ren together.
“You didn’t have to tie us up!” Shay shrugged the frayed ropes off.
“Yes, we did!” Adne’s hands were on her hips. “You would have torn right through that portal to get to her. You were both acting like morons.”
“She’s right,” Ren said. “They probably did have to tie us up.”
Shay grinned.
“Shut up!” Adne glared at Ren. “You’re still on my list of people I’m angry with. Don’t think you’ll get off it by agreeing with me.”
Ren gave Connor a sidelong glance. “She keeps a list, huh?”
“Don’t worry,” Connor said. “I’ve been on it for years.”
“I heard that.” Adne’s voice jumped up a couple of octaves.
“I’m sure you did, gorgeous.” Connor jumped back, having cut through the rope, as Shay and Ren both leapt up and rushed at me.
I took a few steps back, anticipating a tackle. But they both pulled up just short, breathing hard, glancing from each other to me.
“Hey,” I said, unsure what to do. I wished they would both just hug me, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
“Hey,” Ren said, folding his arms over his chest. “Sorry we couldn’t come save you ourselves.” I could see his pulse jumping at his throat.
Shay looked just as uncomfortable, giving Ren an uneasy smile. “Not that we didn’t want to. Hence the being tied up.” He raked a hand through his windblown hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “The wraith was awful. But it was over pretty quickly. At least from my perspective. After I passed out, I don’t remember much. I woke up in my room. Lumine was there.”
