Promise the Moon (Lorimar Pack Book 1) Page 20

  “Call her if you want, but I can tell you the answer.” He toyed with an object on the counter. “The only sure-fire way to combat one siren is with another.”

  Icy dread squirmed through my gut, and I fisted his sheets. “Tell me you’ve got some kind of techno toy that bounces sound like sonar or a gadget that emits a high-pitched frequency that will render the boy tone deaf.”

  “Given time, I could make either of those happen.” He palmed the object. “We don’t have that luxury. The kids screwed up and let you escape. Their safe house is compromised.”

  “We don’t know that.” I flexed my cramping fingers. “They always stayed put before.”

  “You stumbling across them the first time could be dismissed as a fluke. What he did to you would have killed a lesser fae. That might explain why they weren’t too worried when you got away. Then Zed came sniffing around, proving they weren’t as safe as they thought. They attacked him and left him for dead.” He balled his hands at his sides. “They would have crushed you like a Coke can if you hadn’t been strong enough to get away, if Zed hadn’t been there to scoop you up and get you home, if you hadn’t pressed the panic button in time for me to have Abram and Enzo in the exam room waiting.”

  “That’s a lot of ifs.”

  “Too many ifs.”

  “How is what you’re proposing any better?” I stood and brought him the glass.

  Stubborn to the core, he pressed his lips together.

  “Don’t play dumb. It’s not a good look for you. There’s an organic solution, and you know it as well as I do.” My pulse leapt when his fingers brushed mine around the glass. “How are you going to get close enough to the boy to get a drop of his blood?”

  Isaac didn’t answer. He put the glass in the sink then revealed the item he’d kept hidden in his palm. The simple leather bracelet from last night was gone, replaced by a thicker band with a digital watch face. “I made some adjustments to my prototype.”

  “I see that.” His warm hand gripped my wrist, his thumb smoothing over my pulse to fasten the closure. I had to swallow twice to rediscover my voice. “Why so fancy?”

  “It’s a modified smartwatch,” he said, as if that meant anything to me.

  “Mmm-hmm.” I jiggled my wrist, but it held flush against my skin. “And that means what, exactly?”

  “The GPS functionality is still there.” His finger trailed my wrist bone. “Press this button, and you can call me direct.” His gaze flicked up to meet mine. “Knowing you were hurt but not knowing what was wrong… I can do better. This will allow you to relay messages when other means of communication aren’t viable.” He pressed the button, and his phone rang. He removed it from his pocket and flashed the display at me. Dell. He’d made me one of his contacts. “The panic button works the same way.” Ending the call, he tucked his cell back where it came from and then pressed the watch face. “The surface area is even greater, which means you’ll have an easier time pressing it in either form.”

  Red light washed over the walls, fading again in a blink. “You’ve been busy.”

  “I was motivated to find a better solution.” A point-blank statement fired right at me.

  “Did Zed get an upgrade too?” I removed my hand from his, because it felt too good leaving it there.

  “I didn’t have enough time for two,” he admitted without a hint of remorse.

  Dull knocks at the front of the trailer saved me from poking at his motives.

  “That’s probably Zed,” I prompted, when Isaac didn’t make a move to answer his door.

  His lips parted, fingers trailing my arm, but he let his hand fall and went to let Zed in.

  “It’s about time,” my reluctant gamma complained. “They were out of trays. Grab some of this off the top, will you?”

  Isaac leaned out and reappeared with three paper cups with plastic lids.

  The rich scent of roasted coffee hit my nose, and I groaned. “Zed, you’re an angel.”

  “She shouldn’t drink so much coffee.” Isaac thumped his haul on the table. “She needs sleep, not stimulants.”

  “I was here before you, and I’ll be here long after you.” Zed set down his bags then passed a steaming cup to me. “Don’t tell me how to take care of Dell when you won’t be here to fulfill your own prescription.”

  “Play nice.” I punched his shoulder. “You don’t have to pee on my leg. He gets it. We’re BFFs, and your vote trumps his. Especially when it comes to coffee.”

  Isaac made himself busy finding silverware and set a roll of paper towels on the table. He waited, places set, to see whose side I would choose. Zed stood beside him, grin cocky. He knew I would sit next to him rather than rub elbows with Isaac.

  Except I had woken to find Isaac slumped on the floor, a guardian angel with a crick in his neck. And I was wearing one of his shirts, the fragrance of his skin filling my lungs with each inhale. His bracelet, which must have taken him all night to create, weighted my wrist with a promise he would be there for me.

  Until he wasn’t.

  This much Isaac exposure did weird things to my head. Like making the teensy part of my brain that didn’t require caffeine to function agree he might be right about the cream-and-sugar crutch I had been limping around on lately. That alone was proof the man drove me crazy.

  I cozied up to Zed, and Isaac took it as a hard pass on my part. He slid into the booth opposite us and opened his container. Zed’s glee earned him another punch in the shoulder. Sticking out my tongue, I pushed my food across and sat next to Isaac. His eyebrows shot up his forehead, and a pleased expression settled on his features. Zed glowered at me, and I kicked him under the table.

  Be nice, I mouthed.

  Zed dug into his meal. I did too. The wolf had expended too many calories the night before, and coffee only made us feel invincible. It wasn’t the cure-all I wanted it to be. Isaac ate slower. We had finished by the time he started on his eggs, so I caught Zed up to speed on what I had discovered.

  “What’s our next move?” Zed picked at the lid to his orange juice. “Now that you’ve had coffee, I expect to be blown away by your strategic brilliance.”

  “We get Isaac close enough to steal a drop of blood from the siren boy, and he uses the kid’s magic against him. Once we have the boy subdued, the others will fall in line.”

  “What about the girl?” He leaned forward. “Do you think they’re an item? Siblings? Either way, she’s not going to thank you for taking him down.”

  “We don’t know what she is—or what the others are. Based on her age and her tone, my guess is she’s the one crafting the glamours that protect them. We’ll have to be careful. Just because they let him do the heaving lifting doesn’t mean they’re not powerful in their own right.” I downed the last inch of my first cup of coffee and started on the second. “We also have to keep in mind they may have hostages.”

  “Kids,” Zed breathed. “Why did it have to be kids?”

  “Children are prey in Faerie.” Isaac finished his breakfast. “Even earthborn fae are raised to fear the old ways, the predators who thrive on sweetmeats. These kids are cornered prey, and they’ll know it once they spot the wargs coming.” He shut the container’s lid then reached for his drink, which smelled of spices and made me think of chai…and Cam. How I wished the alphas were here to make this call instead of me. “Underestimate them, and they will kill you. They aren’t half as innocent as they would have you believe. None of us are.”

  The doubt hanging over Zed was palpable. “They’re kids.”

  “Some fae breeds don’t come into their powers until puberty. Others are born with magic in their fingertips.” His lips pressed hard together. “I almost killed my brother once. We were two. One of Mom’s short-term renters was a manticore, and he brought his son over when he came to pay rent one week. I pricked his finger before she realized what happened. I sprouted a scorpion tail, freaked out so badly my hindbrain took over, and stabbed the nearest threat. Theo.”<
br />
  “That’s horrible.” Needing to comfort him, I rested my hand on his arm. “But it wasn’t your fault.”

  “My brother would have been just as dead if the manticore hadn’t traveled with antivenin in case of emergencies like that one.”

  What could you say to that? He had made his point. As much as I hated the thought of harming kids, I had to be prepared to defend the pack against all threats. That included ones not out of diapers that could atomize us with a sneeze.

  Chapter 19

  I called a pack meeting at the office to discuss strategy. That left two of the most capable Stoners in charge of patrolling the perimeter of the wards. With those in place, I was less afraid of their inexperience than I otherwise would have been. Like starting kids out with bumpers in the gutters at a bowling alley.

  “Thanks for coming.” I smiled out across all those familiar faces. “Except you, Isaac.” I winked at the others. “Never thank a fae, remember?”

  Chuckling, they nodded dutifully.

  “I have some news, but first I want updates. It’s been too long since we all sat down together and talked.” I was burning precious moments, yes, but this type of unity was what glued packs together. The warm glow in my center told me the wolf was pleased, and that meant the others would be basking in their own contentment too. “Who wants to go first?”

  Haden’s hand shot up in the air. “The Stoners are driving me insane. They’re like big, furry kids who won’t share their toys or food or oxygen if they can help it. Can I not be the liaison?”

  “Request denied.” I banged my fist on the desk gavel-style. “You’re performing a valuable service to the pack, and you’re great at it. You’re a people person, and they relate to you. You’re smart enough and tough enough to keep them in line. Plus you’re the youngest, and you get stuck with the shite duties. It’s all in the fine print. Sorry you didn’t read your contract.”

  “We didn’t sign contracts,” he protested.

  “All those in favor of relieving Haden of his liaison duties?” Not a single hand lifted. They knew without asking the person to vote him free would take his place. No one wanted that. “Let it never be said this pack doesn’t practice democracy.”

  “I get no respect around here,” he huffed before slapping the shoulder of the quiet man sitting beside him. “Maybe you’ll have better luck. Dell, this is—”

  “Tahvo Virtanen.” I had recognized the man, his bright-eyed intellect, on sight. “Do you have something for us?”

  “Due to technical difficulties—” he cut Haden a scowl, “—I don’t have a full report prepared, but I can tell you the bulk of the strikes center over the town proper with major hits at the Cantina, Panda Crossing and the grocery store while minor ones occurred at The Pie Barn and the Holston Inn.”

  “That makes this one hell of a smart storm front,” I murmured.

  Or it meant we had a much larger problem than the rift igniting rogue weather patterns.

  “The most damaged area lies outside of town.” He passed over a folded map delineated by red hexagons. “I believe the property is used as grazing land. That would explain why targeted reports are scarce.”

  Without looking, I knew what I would see. The area where Zed and I had been attacked was a hot spot in more ways than one. Meaning our mystery fae must be involved. The possibility of that type of control over a deadly element made my dry tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.

  “Thanks for your help,” I managed after working up enough spit to swallow. “Anyone else?”

  This new information required digesting, and I needed a few more minutes to chew on it.

  Moore lifted two fingers in the air. “I bought a garage on a few acres. I should be back in business in a few weeks. And no, that doesn’t mean free oil changes or that you can hunt me down to pester me about rattles, squeaks or squeals.”

  Not bothering to lift a hand, Zed tacked on, “The back half of his property is actually my property.” He thumped Moore’s ear. “Unless you want to take up my half of the payments too?” Moore grumbled about his name being on the mortgage but didn’t push. “My junkyard is open as of…now. So if you need parts for a project, come pull them.”

  That announcement perked up the rest of the room.

  “My exam room has seen more excitement this week than, well, ever,” Abram announced. “While I appreciate having the rust polished off my skills, I would prefer fewer life-or-death situations cropping up in the coming weeks.” He looked right at me. “Be careful out there. These are strange days for us all.”

  I mashed my lips together to keep from pointing out Enzo and Zed had had their share of scrapes too. No one ever intended to end up in an ER-style situation. It just happened. Among wargs, it happened a lot. Abram ought to be used to it by now, but mother henning was his shtick.

  “Y’all know what I’ve been doing.” Nathalie hooked her thumb toward Aisha. “Babysitting.”

  A haughty glare twisted the ex-alpha’s face. “I’m running patrols and keeping tabs on the Stoners. I’m contributing to this pack.”

  She was also on her best behavior because the alphas weren’t here for her to antagonize. The rest of us were hardly worth the effort of breaking a sweat in her book.

  A throat cleared, and a brown-haired man in a dress shirt and slacks raised his hand. “I’ve been hired by Terrell Associates to handle finances for their multinational conglomerate. The office is two hours away, but I only have to put in biweekly appearances. The rest can be handled online or over the phone.”

  A round of cheers and applause broke out in the room. Job straightened his shoulders and grinned. “Is this the part where I say now that I’m gainfully employed again you guys have to go back to using TurboTax?”

  Pained groans chorused in surround sound.

  “Just kidding.” He rubbed his hands together as if preparing to dig into a meal instead of a stack of paperwork. “I don’t mind helping file your taxes. I do, however, expect the paperwork February first. Later than that, and you’ll have to face the IRS firing squad on your own.”

  More claps and catcalls rose in thanks for Job protecting us all from the horrors of itemized deductions.

  “I’m not pack,” Enzo said from the back of the room, “but this is as good a time as any to update you all on my progress.” He stood. “The wards surrounding Stone’s Throw are secure. We’ve had no breaches, and the fact it repelled Isaac proves the anti-fae charms are working. The wards surrounding the lake are weakening. I need to anchor them soon, or I’ll have to start over from scratch.”

  I narrowed my gaze on him. “Has Abram cleared you to use magic?”

  “No, he has not,” Abram chimed in from his seat.

  “I didn’t use much.” Enzo appeared contrite. “Just enough to test the structural integrity of the spells.”

  “All right.” I grumbled an unhappy sound. “Ask before you magic next time, please. Your brother will skin us and wear us as coats Cruella De Vil-style if we get you hurt.”

  Enzo inclined his head and sat. I didn’t believe his easy acquiescence for a minute. Not that I thought he was lying. Magic was a part of him, easy as breathing, and breathing was a reflex. Not a conscious choice. Slip-ups were bound to happen.

  All eyes turned to Isaac. Technically, he wasn’t pack, either. Even if he was the alpha’s cousin. Still, they had to be wondering about the reason for the visit. Speculating, more like.

  “I’m here to offer technical support.” His lips ticked up at one corner. “Enzo has created powerful wards to keep you safe, and I’m going to build on that foundation. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be installing motion-activated cameras around the lake and the RV park. I’m commandeering one of the empty spaces down the hall and outfitting it as a control room, where feeds can be monitored twenty-four seven. The goal is for you to go into any confrontation better informed and better prepared.”

  Murmurs carried around the room, and several eyes made sly connections b
etween him and me. If they were waiting for Isaac to admit he had come crawling back for me, there were other events more likely to occur first. Hell trademarking its own brand of brimstone-flavored popsicles came to mind.

  I clapped my hands for silence. “My turn.” I waited until everyone settled. “I’ll start us off easy with the mundane points. The clinic is near fifty percent completion. The rent is paid for the month and…there’s a tribe of fae kids robbing the town blind and possibly kidnapping restaurateurs.”

  No one batted an eye for several heartbeats, waiting on a punch line that wasn’t coming.

  “That’s who took Mr. O’Malley?” Nathalie rested her chin in her palm.

  “It looks that way. Ms. Zhuang too.” I told them everything we had learned without sparing details then tied in my weather theory to the data Tahvo had shared earlier. “We’re going into a hostile situation. There may be captives. There will definitely be dangerous—if young—fae involved. We have to be smart about this, or it will go sideways and our people will get hurt.”

  “What’s the endgame?” Moore glanced down the table. “These are kids. Dangerous or not, they’re kids.”

  “We’re not going to hurt them if we can help it.” I grasped for an example. “Think of them as a feral cat population. We’re animal control, moving in to capture and relocate.”

  “Where are we relocating them?” Aisha scrunched up her nose. Not a fan of kids, that one.

  “That will be determined by the conclave.” Months ago I met a kitsune who worked for the conclave as part of their youth counseling program, meaning there was framework in place to get these kids the care and supervision they required. “I’m calling the alphas once this meeting ends. I need to get their stamp of approval and give them a heads-up to start the ball rolling so these kids aren’t on our hands longer than they need to be.”

  A few more questions got answered, and then I shooed everyone back to their posts while I made my call. Enzo slipped into his lab, and Abram headed for his exam room. Zed kept his seat. So did Isaac.