Page 38 of Wicked Fate

“That’s it?” Sun pursed her lips.

Cassi nodded. “It’s a simple setup. I’ll do the gathering myself so no one else is put at risk. I know where to find everything I need.”

Reid studied her. “How long will it take?”

“If I leave now and nothing gets in the way, I can be back soon.” Her voice stayed even, but I could hear an edge of anxiety buried beneath it.

“We’ll do the spell tonight then,” Reid said, nodding once. “That gives us time to coordinate and make a plan for the morning.”

Xander shifted his weight, glancing between me and Ryker. “And what exactly is that plan?”

“We use the location to track her down,” Sun answered before Reid could. “We don’t act until we’ve scouted out the situation properly. Hopefully, she won’t be with a ton of vampires, but if she is, at least they shouldn’t be cloaked.”

“Will you have enough of us ready for scouting in the morning?” Briar bit her lip. “So many are injured.”

“We have enough strength,” Reid finally said, breaking the silence. “Bruce, do you have any people you can call here?”

“Not a ton, but I can try to get a few more. Though, probably not by tomorrow.” Bruce shook his head. “Whoever I ask to join is pretty much signing a death certificate. We have to stop all these deaths.”

His words were the equivalent to a kick in the gut. I hated that so much life had already been taken. “Well, the vampires are still reeling from what happened last night and trying to figure out how the barrier works. That should keep at least some of them occupied.”

“What if the witch tracks Ryker while we’re on the way to her?” Kendric scratched at his beard.

“We’ll contend with that if it happens.” Even though I wasn’t one for elaborate strategies, I did know that every plan had flaws. Right now, we just needed an advantage.

Reid let out a long breath, rubbing his temple like the tension was starting to weigh more than his own weight on the cane he was leaning on. “Then we reconvene after the burials. Let the dead rest before we plan to risk more lives.”

No one argued.

The heaviness in the room didn’t lift, but it settled into mutual understanding.

“I’ll get the supplies,” Cassi said, voice low. “I know what I need and where to find it. I’ll be ready to perform the spell at sundown.”

“Go,” Reid muttered. “And be careful.”

She nodded and slipped out the door without another word.

The moment the door closed, tension cracked through the room like a whip.

“Rest while you can,” Reid said, his tone final. “We all need to be in the best shape we can be for our next move.”

He was right. A lot of us were still injured, and sleep would be the best way to rejuvenate us.

Xander and Kendric fell in behind Ryker and me as we followed Briar and Gage toward the house. The weight of what we’d learned, of what was coming, pressed against our backs.

When we stepped out into the fresh air, Ryker’s hand found mine again, but it wasn’t the comforting gesture it usually was. Despite the fated-mate connection buzzing between us, his grip wasn't strong, and the sludgy feeling of guilt weighed on our bond.

Briar’s eyes flicked toward the path to the house, where so many people stood over the dead, crying.

Tears stung my eyes. I wished we’d had the same opportunity to mourn our own pack.

The second we crossed the threshold to our house, the door shut with a snap.

A beat past-tense, stretched thin.

Gage marched into the living room and stood in between the two couches. Accusation flared into his eyes. “You put all of us at risk without informing us of what you’d done.”

“No wonder they always found us,” Xander said and grimaced.

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