Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“Jessie would never allow any harm to come to me,” Sebastian muttered when he got up close, and Nessa felt the pang of guilt with those words. “And only an idiot would be cavalier with Alpha Steele.”
“Agreed,” Tristan said, chuckling a little. He seemed completely relaxed in the alpha’s presence, something not even Broken Sue could achieve.
Austin leaned forward and asked a question, too low for Nessa to hear. In a moment, Sebastian worked his hands, probably putting them in a magical cone of silence.
Tristan watched Sebastian for a moment, then lifted his eyebrows at Austin, who said something that couldn’t be heard outside of that spell. Tristan’s mouth moved next, although he had the sense to look in a different direction as he spoke. He glanced back only once, to make sure Austin was getting what was being said. Once finished, he sipped his drink and moved away, leaving the magic and crossing to a guardian in the back corner.
Nessa was burning with curiosity when Sebastian got back. His look said wait, though. He didn’t open his mouth.
“What’d he say?” Nessa asked him a couple of hours later, no longer able to contain herself.
Tristan had long since left the bar, never having spared her a glance. Broken Sue had also left, after waiting for the big gargoyle-monster to make his exit first.
Now, it was their turn to leave. She and Sebastian walked just outside of the bar, having easily spotted the idiots who’d been staring at Ulric all night, gathering their courage and their allies. The would-be attackers had skulked out a few moments earlier, and Niamh had tipped them off that the weasels were getting into position. They’d then drink out of flasks and smoke their cigarettes, waiting for Ulric to pass them on his way home.
Sebastian glanced around, slowing when he caught sight of the basajaun exiting the bar.
“He’s not coming with us, is he?” Sebastian asked.
“No, I don’t think so—”
“Hello, mages,” the basajaun said jovially. His hard hat gleamed in the moonlight and the wind caught his kilt and flared it a little too high for Nessa’s comfort level. “I wondered if I might join you in wreaking havoc on the shifters terrorizing your crew?”
“Oh…” Nessa let the word ride an exhale. “Uh… That was actually supposed to be a secret. This is against pack rules.”
“Yes, Niamh mentioned that. We have to be extra stealthy. Do not worry—I am very good at blending in.”
She and Sebastian took in his outfit.
“Yeah, I can see that,” Nessa said. “It’s just…we might get in trouble. And Jessie needs you. So you shouldn’t get involved.”
“Ulric has always been kind to everyone,” the basajaun growled. “And the shifter rules are not protecting him, so they should not protect his attackers. The alpha is failing in his duty. It is up to us to set matters right.”
It certainly was a mystery as to why the sentinels wandering around hadn’t blown the whistle on this before now. Nessa suspected some of the shifters still nurtured a dislike of gargoyles, and they were turning a blind eye. Something that would provide Nessa and Sebastian with cover now.
“It’s fine,” Sebastian said, starting to walk again. “Just don’t get caught.”
“I definitely will not.” The basajaun kept pace. “I’ll lose them in the trees if I am seen.”
Sebastian glanced back at him. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out who he was if he had to run, but she didn’t see any point in saying so.
“Anyway,” Sebastian said as they walked, knowing where to go courtesy of Niamh. She’d known about all of this for months but had never said anything and never helped, respecting Ulric’s request for her to stay out of it. He was concerned that the bullying would just get worse if anyone tried to intervene, something that had happened often enough in his youth.
He clearly hadn’t had the sort of support Nessa and Sebastian could provide then. These bastards would know better than to show their faces in public again.
“Tristan told Austin that Khaavalor—”
“Mr. Porsche?” she asked.
“Yeah. Mr. Porsche liked what he saw from Jessie. Tristan said that if we move slowly and play our cards right, we could very likely establish a cairn friendship with him. That would greatly help our status in the long run, even if we don’t have much status to start.”
“Wow. So he was helping us? What’s in it for him?”
“I don’t know. Austin asked the same thing after Tristan walked away. Tristan also said that he respects a leader that isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and suggested the cairn leaders would benefit from seeing what an alpha shifter can really do. He implied there might be some way to get the point across at the goodbye dinner.”
“Damn it,” Nessa said, curling her hand into a fist. “We have a way; we just need to…” She imperceptibly glanced behind her, stopping from saying anything incriminating with the basajaun listening in. “Do you think it’s a trap? Is he trying to set us up for failure?”