Free Three’s a Clan by Roxy Mews Page B

Something told me this kid would be even more important than its parents.
    The Alpha of the Paulson Pack stood as still as a vampire. I watched as he began to barricade himself inside his walls. I knew the look of someone working incredibly hard to withdraw.
    We weren’t a united group. That was something the miasma kept flashing against the inside of my eyeballs. A broken chain was nothing but confetti against an army. I was drawn to the heartbeat. As Protector, I was constantly curious about new facts. There was not a stitch of info in my databank about two hybrids mating. I wanted to ask a million questions, but Amber shook her head. She was right—it wasn’t the time.
    I faced everyone as I spoke. I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing anymore, but I had support from everyone here who wanted to know what to do next. I had the information they needed. I could put it together, so why the hell not.
    “The blood is running through the mansion. I don’t know where the captives are, but they have to be close. My only conclusion is that not all the witches are blood bag prisoners. I’m assuming the Matheo has compelled at least one or two to do spellwork like he did for the Alakin Pack.”
    The Hart Clan all exchanged a meaningful glance. Then Amber stood. She met me in the middle of the broken circle. She was taller than me. I hated being short most of the time, but among all in the woods that night, I didn’t mind looking up to any of them. Especially Amber. She had changed since I last saw her. She found something important while she was gone. Perhaps the tiny heartbeat inside her had something to do with it. I know it affected me in ways I didn’t think I could be affected anymore.
    “Ever had someone invade your dreams, Barbie?” Amber wasn’t insulting me with the name anymore. It was laced with sugar when she spoke it now. “I had a witch walk into my head a couple days ago. We…” Amber reached and pulled Mary beside her. “We know what is being done. Kari showed us enough to feed my nightmares for the rest of my supernatural existence. You’re right that it’s close. It’s the mansion. Beneath the ground. Too bad my wonderful father-in-law doesn’t know enough about witches, the powerful ones anyway, to understand that they can draw from the earth. Kari showed us the way in.”
    Mary stood tall beside her Alpha female. “It takes a lot of strength to reach that plane, Shelly. We don’t know if Kari is still alive after the shot to the brain she gave us both. Between the blood loss, the restraints, well, we just don’t know for sure how much of her is left to find. But I am headed in to get her one way or another.”
    Amber grabbed onto Mary’s hand even though it was balled tight into a fist. “ We are headed in. Kari might have the information we need. She said something in the dreams that I don’t think I have right, and we need to figure it out.”
    “I heard it too. No mistakes.” Mary raised her chin toward me. “She said Amber was the one to bring it all down. Amber would lead us.”
    “So we’re dealing with a prophet now, Mary?” Really? We were making epic predictions here? I nearly sighed at the Mayan apocalypse of it all. “We aren’t headed into an election here, where everybody is going to civilly appoint the new magistrate of the non-human world. Don’t be naïve. We are fighting an army. We need soldiers, not magic.”
    Amber got that look that told me nothing I said would sink into her thick skull. Jake stepped up. It was bittersweet to see him as an Alpha’s mate. If I were being deep and reflective, I’d realize calling forth his wolf was exactly what needed to happen. On the shallow level I felt more comfortable in, I wanted my little brother back.
    “We are going in tonight for Kari.” Amber didn’t look like she would fit through a door if she tried to sneak. And she was going on a recon mission?
    Jake noticed my horror at the idea, yet he agreed with this