Page 70 of Challenged Mate
Nineteen
The sirens shutoff five minutes ago, leaving an eerie quiet to permeate our surroundings. Only my companion’s breathing reached my ears. Not even the insects, who normally chirped well into the evening, dared to make a sound.
All the streetlights had been turned off, and no lights shined from within the buildings. I stared into the darkness, letting my wolf’s eyes take over as I watched and waited.
The buildings were empty, as were the rooftops. Curtains billowed in windows left open; their occupants had left in a hurry. No other movement caught my attention.
Only extensive training kept me from fidgeting as the silence became a roar in my ears.
I glanced at Kayla. Power glowed in her palms, but her face was calm. Chase’s power, also, flickered in his hands.
My ability to use my power had improved these last few days, but I was far from their level of control. My golden power slithered under my skin, ready and waiting to offer its assistance, but I kept it at bay. I didn’t want to waste it.
A crackle, like the static when the car radio moved out of a station’s range, rippled through the air. Then, a red bolt soared across the sky. It burst into an explosion of specks of light, illuminating the sky like fireworks.
“Into the building,” Chase commanded. He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the coffee shop. Kayla was already inside. She held the door open for us, but her eyes were trained on the specks of light still falling from the sky.
Once we were inside, Kayla slammed the door and flipped the bolt, even knowing it likely wouldn’t keep our attackers at bay.
“What was that?” I asked.
My question went unanswered as my companions focused on shoring up our defenses.
Kayla’s power flew from her hands and covered the café’s exterior wall. Chase’s power joined hers. Together, they created a lattice of power that looked like a chain-linked fence. The magic traveled, encompassing all four walls around us. Only then did Kayla and Chase lower their arms.
Kayla wiped sweat from her brow, then faced me. “It was a warning beacon from one of our teams. Red means an enemy sighting and an attack has been initiated.”
“Why don’t we go help them?”
“Our job is to protect the bunker. A team of fighters will see the flare and go help.”
If that were true, why did we start our post by surveying the street?
Why wouldn’t we have barricaded the building the moment we arrived?
Something didn’t add up.
“You’re hiding something.”
Kayla’s gaze flickered to Chase.
I directed my next question to him, “What did that red flare really mean? What’s going on?”
He pressed his lips together.
I stepped closer and looked up into his shadowed eyes. “Haven’t we had enough deceit between us to last a lifetime? Tell me the truth. What did the flare mean?”
Chase’s lips remained sealed.
Frustration built within me, but it faded when Kayla said, “The red flare means sorcerers or sorceresses have been seen, and they are attacking.”
That wasn’t everything. I couldfeelit.
“What else?”
Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. “Red is our highest threat level. It means whoever is facing our enemies won’t make it out alive. It’s a warning for everyone to hide until our fighters return.”
My stomach fell to the floor. “They’re going to die?”
