Page 3 of Cimmerian

Beau nodded. “Sure is. We just might need a few more rations. For you at least. Jasp and I can fend for ourselves if need be.”

I shuddered. Poor rabbits. “Okay. I’ll snag some food on the way out. Adrian, you can handle Duke right?”

Adrian nodded glumly, still disappointed in missing out on what he deemed an adventure. I stepped up close to the young wolf, giving him a tight hug, and waiting for him to return the embrace. I pulled back, looking Adrian straight in his warm eyes. “We need you here, Adrian. You’ve had experience with demons before.” There was a sharp intake of breath from all three of the men, and I rolled my eyes again. “Seriously, guys. I think we’re in enough shit as is without worrying about a stupid word.”

“Speak for yourself.” Beau muttered.

I shook my head and turned back to Adrian. “Look. You’re the only one who knows the signs and what to look out for. We need you here to protect the pack. Can you handle that? I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

Adrian nodded, brightening slightly. I knew he would do whatever it took to keep his pack safe. I stepped up onto my toes, ruffling his shaggy blond hair. I felt better knowing the pack would be in his hands while we left. Jasper clasped Adrian’s hand, the two of them doing their complicated bro handshake. Beau rounded up the end, grabbing Adrian into a tight bear hug and lifting him off the ground as our friend protested and complained.

The walk to the parking lot was quiet, an uneasy silence stretching between Jasper and myself. Things weren’t resolved between us, but there was no way for us to talk with Beau nearby, chattering on about his camping trip, and a girl he had met on his way home. I couldn’t focus on his story, my thoughts drifting toward what we were about to do. Adrian was going to stay behind and watch over the pack, so that was fine. We had rations and were on our way to grab the camping gear from Beau’s truck. Now we just needed a plan. Duke had said they saw Monica near the pack lands recently. Would she still be hanging around there?

“You’re thinking so hard I can hear your wheels turning from here.” Jasper’s words sprang into my mind unannounced. I had been so focused on the plan I had let my guard down.

I tipped my head to the side, meeting his caramel eyes. I took a moment to admire him before I responded, Beau now happily humming to the side of me. How could I ever stay mad at him? His thick dark hair was swept off his tanned forehead carelessly, not that it mattered. Jasper could make anything work. He didn’t need to try like the rest of us mere mortals.

“Just trying to figure out a plan.” Speaking to Jasp this way, in my mind, still wasn’t natural for me, but it was becoming easier.

Jasper narrowed his eyes. “The plan is to try and not die.”

I opened my mouth to snap at him, but we arrived at the truck. Beau and Jasper were already unloading the camping gear from the truck and discussing if we needed anything else. Besides, what was there to say? If I were being honest the planwasto try and not die. And find Monica. And make her see what a shitty mother she was. I had considered using Merrick originally. Would Jasper go for it though?

Jasper had said we were together. Always. And I trusted him implicitly. But it didn’t mean the tension between us wasn’t palpable, ripe enough to cut through with a dull blade.

“Do you have a plan?” Jasper’s voice was tight, but I knew him well enough to recognize the tightness came from a place of concern, not a place of irritation.

I nodded. “Merrick.”

Both men froze, and Beau frowned. “Merrick?”

“Long story,” Jasper muttered, turning toward me. “What does Merrick have to do with any of this?”

“I want to use him as bait.”

Chapter Two

We made our way into the woods where Duke had told me they first scented Monica. I didn’t want anyone else in the pack asking questions about why we were decked out to go camping, or start quizzing Beau on his camping trip, so I decided it was safer for us to wait in the dense forest for Merrick to arrive. I had caught him on his cell phone as he was driving out of town, and once I explained a brief summary of what was going down, he immediately agreed to meet us out here.

Another reason for meeting out in the woods instead of the parking lot? We were off pack lands. Other packs used the forest as they travelled from coast to coast, so Merrick’s scent in the woods wouldn’t be seen as a threat to Jasper’s pack.

Jasper and Beau were sparring in the small clearing where we waited, having tossed both backpacks and shirts off to one side. They never changed, the two of them. I paced, watching them fight. I kept my mental walls up as I debated my plan, wondering if this was the right call. What if Beau got hurt -- again? What if Not-Lucy got to Duke before Adrian could intercept her? What if we didn’t find Monica? That was the worst one of all. I could imagine Jasper’s pain all too clearly if we didn’t find her. I wasn’t going to put my blood’s debt on the pack.No. I decided. If we didn’t find Monica, I would write Jasper a note, and leave in the middle of the night when he was dead asleep to meet my fate -- whatever that may be.

I watched him grapple with his larger friend, taking Beau’s legs out from underneath him with a swift kick to the back of his knees. His pack needed him, his strength, his determination, and his leadership. What the pack didn’t need was a liability, which at the moment was me. Beau went down with a grunt, and Jasper immediately offered his hand to help him up, both of them laughing. I smiled. Maybe everything would work out for the best, and we would find Monica, and resolve this whole mess. But it was best to be prepared, just in case.

“Ava!” A gentle voice called out behind me, and all three of us turned to look at the newcomer. I held my hand to my forehead, shielding my eyes from the sun.Merrick.

I smiled, waving. “You made it!”

He grinned back. “Of course I did.” He turned to look at Beau and Jasper, both formidable creatures, shirtless, and frowning. “Uh, hi.”

Apparently it was going to be entirely up to me to make the first move, as Jasper had shifted into caveman mode. I sighed. “Beau, this is my brother, Merrick. Merrick, this is Jasper’s best friend, Beau. Who is going toplay nice.”

Beau’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “Since when do you have a brother, baby girl?”

Good question. Thankfully, Merrick beat me to the punch. “Seeing as I’m older, she’s always had a brother. But as for when she found out, that would be last night.”

“Right.” Beau tugged his shirt over his head, snapping his backpack into place. “Makes complete sense.”

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