“We’ll make sure we keep it contained,” Phoenix said assuredly. “Based on the attacks, this creature’s lair must be close by. We’ve come up with an approximation of its territory, and with Shay’s recruits and the werewolves, we’ll have a better chance of tracking the animal down.”
“I just have one question,” Layla said. “Did it come through the book?”
“I’ve no idea,” Phoenix said. “All I know is that it’s dangerous and fierce enough to fend off a werewolf. Every group who searches must be accompanied by a werewolf to have any chance at success, and there may not be enough werewolves at that. We’ll need to call in reinforcements from all over the country to take on this search.”
Willow glanced at the others before nodding. “I’m sure we’re all agreed that this is our priority right now. We may never know how this creature arrived, but it’s up to us to remove it. If it’s as awful as this book makes it sound—”
“It’s worse,” Daimhín interrupted.
Willow cleared her throat. “Well, we’ll just have to find it before it causes any more damage. We’ll send for help tonight, and by tomorrow night, we should be ready to start the search.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, the Senate had agreed on something sensible. As the Senate left to make arrangements, I noticed that Daimhín was accompanied by the female half of her shifter bodyguards.
“Hey,” I said. “Where’s the other one? I have a bone to pick with him after he tried to get Val kidnapped by Mac’s disgusting little breeding program.”
Daimhín’s lips twitched. “She beat him up and dragged him to Shay to be arrested.”
I looked at the shifter woman for the first time, a little impressed.
“My sister ran from the pack,” she explained. “They found her in those barns.”
“Oh. Well, then. Good job,” I said.
“I acted as my father would have, had he been alive. He was the last true alpha, before the fraud came with his magic tricks. The pack will destroy itself unless a true alpha leads us.”
“Right,” I said slowly. “Let’s hope a new one shows up soon.”
She nodded then escorted Daimhín out.
Phoenix was in the middle of a conversation with Callista, so I decided to head home. Terry was still outside, and, thankfully, the protesters were gone.
“Werewolves are off the hook, I take it,” he said.
I shoved my hands deep in my pockets. “We’ve a new monster to track down. A wendigo. The Senate’s organising a massive search.”
“I had an uncle who used to tell us horror stories about wendigo. Nasty things. My family will be up for helping in the search.”
I smiled at him. “Your family is a pack of daredevils.”
“Nah, we just live to drive Ma crazy.”
I walked down the road and ruminated on the night’s events. The werewolves seemed to be in the clear. And if the Senate called in bodies from around the country, then surely, we would easily track down a solitary wendigo.
Goosebumps rose on my skin as I heard a growl, but a car pulled up next to me before I could decide if it was a wendigo or my imagination.
“Don’t you want a lift?” Phoenix asked from the driver’s seat.
“I’m fine. I could do with some air after a stuffy Senate meeting.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. I was about to ask him what he was staring at when I realised he was looking behind me. “Did you realise you were being stalked by a pair of shifters?”
I blew out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God! I thought it was the bloody wendigo!”
Phoenix stepped out of the car and addressed the shifters. They wore hoodies that covered their faces, but the scent of the shift was strong in the air. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Not Senate business,” one of the shifters said in a suspiciously growly voice. Greg likely hadn’t been the only one having trouble controlling his shifts.
“You know what? I think I’ll take that lift after all,” I said breezily. “Let’s go, Phoenix.”
We got into the car and left the shifters behind. “What’s that all about?” he asked.
“I told you—I’m an enemy of the pack now. Their focus on killing me is the only thing stopping them from turning animal completely. They can’t reach me in the cul-de-sac.”
“Why on earth would you walk home alone when you know they’re out there?”
“Compared to the wendigo, I’m so not scared of the shifters. I’m keeping their minds off Esther. It works out.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “If you say so. Get some rest tonight. We’ll have a lot to do tomorrow.”
Hunting a wendigo was going to take a lot more than just a good night’s sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
The Senate had been working hard, and on the morning of the big search, television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and blogs all warned the country to stay indoors that night. A wild wendigo wouldn’t exactly browse blogs, but if it had a master, we had just informed it of our plan.
All kinds of people were offering their services to the Senate in the hopes of tracking down the wendigo, from the brethni and Moses’s crew to the older children in the home, like Noah and Ari. Of course, I had high hopes that the latter’s help would be politely refused.
Phoenix turned up earlier than I’d expected. “Are we starting early?” I asked at the door.
“Shay and others like him are setting the search up as we speak. You and I need to make a quick stop first.”
“Where to?”
“You’ll see. Meet me at the truck. I didn’t want to bring Icarus into the cul-de-sac in case anyone here still believes the werewolves are the killers.” He turned and left before I could respond.
I hurriedly got ready, wondering exactly how awkward my night with Phoenix and Icarus would be. I had to tell Phoenix the truth; I knew that. I just didn’t know how to begin. He’d kissed me, and then I’d almost forced him into a blood bond. That wasn’t going to go down well no matter how I presented it.
I left the cul-de-sac and found the truck outside. Icarus let out a warning growl as I approached.
“I did the best I could,” I barked at him.
The werewolf snapped at air in response.
I ignored him and got into the truck. Phoenix drove away as I pulled my seatbelt across my body.
“How is this working then?” I asked.
“We’ll be starting the search at the south point with Shay and Callista,” he explained. “There will be other bases manned by Layla and James, and Willow and Daimhín. Each pair is in charge of organising those they’re responsible for, and hopefully, we won’t all get in each other’s ways. Each pair will set off at different times in a bid to flush the wendigo out. If we’re lucky, it’ll be us who comes across it.”
We did have experience, but I couldn’t believe he actually wanted to face the creature that had pretty much impaled him. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked. “You were in a pretty bad way last time we confronted this thing.”
“I healed quickly,” he said.
I fell silent as I imagined how my confession would go. Every attempt ended in my death at the hands of an angry fae prince.
“Where are we going?” I asked when I realised he was driving in the wrong direction.
“I told you. We have a stop to make first.”
“I was thinking it was like a stop for supplies or to pick up Shay or something.”
“No. We have other business to take care of.”
I stared at him.
What does that mean?
He turned on the radio as if to end the conversation, and I settled into my seat to wait.
We eventually drove into a massive car park, where a dozen shifters were waiting.
“What’s going on?” I asked nervously.
“Come on,” he said. “I told you I’d help you with the shifters when you helped me with the werewolves. You cleared the werewolves of the crime by finding the identity of the true culprit. I owe you.”
He jumped out of the truck. I followed as Icarus leapt out and landed next to me.
“I’m going to tell him,” I whispered. “So you better stop glaring at me like that.”
The werewolf growled again. I pretended not to notice. If Phoenix didn’t kill me, then Icarus surely would.
I strode after Phoenix as the group in front of us gathered, eyeing me with hate and distrust. Something about me always provoked such strong reactions in people.
“I called you here to warn you,” he said. “This woman is off limits.”
“She’s an enemy of the pack,” a young man shouted.
“She’s a friend of the werewolf pack,” Phoenix said.
I groaned inwardly. Icarus would not be happy about that proclamation.
“That has nothing to do with the Senate,” a middle-aged woman said. “Pack rules apply.”
“I’m not here as a Senate member,” Phoenix said coolly. “I’m here as prince of the fae.”
My stomach turned. It had to be a blood bond. There was no way Phoenix would go out on a limb like that without some encouragement from my pesky blood.
“Phoenix, wait,” I whispered. “I have something to tell you.”
Icarus growled; Phoenix ignored me.
“Your next alpha will decide if she remains an enemy of the pack or not,” Phoenix called out. “And if you choose to target her in the meantime, then you’ll have to go through me, the fae, and the werewolves, first.”
The crowd murmured, exchanged cowed glances, then shuffled away like a horde of zombies.
“There,” Phoenix said brightly. “That should keep them out of the way for a few weeks.”
“Phoenix, you don’t understand.” I winced. “I really need to tell you something.”
Icarus’s growls grew menacing.
“Oh, shut
up
,” I said. “Keep out of it, werewolf. I’m trying, here.”
“There’s a problem between you two,” Phoenix said slowly.
“No, it’s… I did something I probably shouldn’t have, and Icarus wasn’t impressed, and I’ve been too chicken to tell you, but after
that
, I have to. You wouldn’t have said that to the shifters under normal circumstances because—”
“These aren’t normal circumstances.”
I swallowed hard, ignoring the furious werewolf. I held Phoenix’s gaze. “When the wendigo attacked, I thought you were dying, and I panicked. I fed you my blood because I thought I had no other options. I know that was wrong, that I had no right to make that choice for you, and I’m sorry about that, but it really was my last option. And now I think it must have affected you if you’re going around telling off shifters for me.”
He stared back at me, his face blank. “We made a deal. You help with the werewolves; I help with the shifters. That’s what this was today.”
“Oh, God.” I ran my hands through my hair, completely stressed out. “I think I must have accidentally bonded with you. You’re taking this too calmly.”
“Ava.” He took a step closer. “I already knew what you did.”
I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, unable to form words, never mind sentences.
“You saved my life, and I thanked you for it. I wasn’t aware we had an obligation to discuss the details. There is no bond. I awoke briefly during the process. Your blood helped me survive long enough for a transfusion and likely helped my recovery process in the meantime. That is all.” He walked past me and got into the truck.
Icarus huffed and jumped into the truck bed. Dazed, I got into the passenger seat. Phoenix drove us away from the shifters. It took me a while to find my voice.
“You looked disgusted,” I said.
“Are we still on this?” He flashed me an impatient glance. “I’m not repulsed by what you are.”
“But are you angry? I mean, it was dangerous. It could have gone wrong.”
“You did what you thought was best at the time. There’s no point going over this.”
We drove to our meeting point in uncomfortable silence. It was at the edge of a forested area, and the place was full of people already. Phoenix left us abruptly to speak to Callista and Shay, so I sat on the truck bed with Icarus.
“You know I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” I said sulkily. “You could cut me a little slack.”
The werewolf leaned against me in answer, pressing me against the side of the truck.
“You arse,” I said, gasping for breath.
“Making friends with the werewolves again?” Shay called out.
I waved at him, and he came over to chat for a moment.
“You’ve obviously been busy lately,” he said.
“We all have. How are the shifters who were held captive doing?”
“Better, I’m told. It’s a delicate situation, but we’ve been rooting out anyone who might have been responsible. Most of the women we recovered have been helpful.”
“I’m glad. And thanks for helping me back at the old headquarters,” I said. “Sorry I assumed the worst.”
He shrugged. “They fooled me, too. I wasn’t going to let children be murdered, no matter what else has happened.”
I swung my feet. “Glad I can count on you, at least.”
He eyeballed the werewolf. “Yes, well, the way you dealt with those bodyguards was pretty impressive. Think I could persuade you into helping me set up some more classes at the boxing club?”
I grinned. “Maybe I’ll think about it.”
“Great. I should get back to work.” He took a few steps before looking back at me. “Think hard.”
When he left, a familiar car pulled up a few feet away. Val and Peter got out and approached me.
Great, another person who’s mad at me.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked, shoving the werewolf back onto his side of the truck bed.
“The same thing you are,” Val said. “We volunteered, and they accepted our help.”
“Oh.” I looked at Peter, who was looking anywhere but at me. “Well, good luck, you two.”
Val clapped me on the shoulder. “Same to you. Don’t look so worried. This creature will be ours tonight.”
Peter finally met my gaze. “Good luck, Ava.”
Callista came over. “Good, you’re here. Here are your packs. Torches, food, water, medical kits, and, most importantly, walkie-talkies. If you see the wendigo, call the closest team for backup. Val, Peter, head over to Shay to find out your position.”
The pair thanked her and left.
Callista beamed at me as she handed me a bag. “Phoenix should be ready to leave soon. It’s been exciting, setting the werewolves up with partners. This will go a long way toward repairing the damage the paragon did with his little interviews.”
“Any experience with a wendigo?” I asked her.
“I’ve heard old stories that I never really believed,” she said. “You should be extra careful. I’m told I had a great-great-great-grandmother who was speared to death by a wendigo claw.”
“Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“Catch this wendigo for me to make up,” she said with a grin. She moved on to gather up more victims.
I hefted the bag over my shoulder, ignoring Icarus’s heavy panting in my ear. Phoenix returned to us after the sun had set.
“Let’s find this wendigo,” Phoenix said. “This way. We’re up next.” Icarus eagerly bounded after Phoenix.
I followed them both into the darkness.