“What if we just walk in and demand to see their leader?” Húnn asks. “Then we grab him and make a run forit.”
Torben shakes his head. “There will be too many of them, and if Van Deen has the power of Arcas, he’ll be hard to subdue. Arcas was the first bear shifter, after all, he’ll be incrediblystrong.”
Yes, my son has always been strong,Alis tells me.But I amstronger.
Wait, does that mean you could dominatethem?
Yes, I think I could. It will be hard to keep them all under control, but I should be able to do it for long enough so the others can get to Van Deen. But they’ll have to fight him themselves, I won’t be able to help them. And they can’t hurtArcas.
“Alis thinks she can help,” I tell the others. “You know that dominance thing where you get all cowry and have to do what shewants?”
They nod sheepishly; Alis did that once when they didn’t let her have part of the prey they’d killed. It had been incredible to see even Torben cower in front ofher.
“She thinks she can do that to them all, stop them from attacking you,” I continue. “But you’d have to be quick and get Van Deen as fast as possible. She’s not sure how long she can do itfor.”
“That would make things easier,” Torben says with a relieved smile. “We can handle Van Deen, there’s four of us against just one ofhim.”
Don’t underestimate him, Alis warns. If he even has just a part of my son’s power, it will be a tough fight. And he will fight to kill, while they can only fight to subduehim.
I pass on her words and the guys nod. I’m glad they’re taking her warning seriously. Overconfidence is never a goodthing.
Once again I’m glad that these men are mine. Here they are, ready to put themselves into danger to save their species. Lesser men would probably go home and have a good life, but not them. No, they fight for what they believe in. They’re selfless andgood.
My ovaries jump in excitement. Girls, you’ll get them again soon. After this adventure, when we’re all safe and sound in our littlecottage.
The door opens without warning and in comes Airlea, her long red hair flowing around her shoulders. She reminds me of a messenger of doom, and she’s enjoying her role. I hope she knows that we’re depending on her to give us a way out of Canada. I’m not in the mood to get stuck there in a compound full of feral shifters and madman. Not my kind ofadventure.
“Follow me,” she says without preamble and sweeps out of the room with a flick of herhead.
“How long will the Portal stay open?” I ask as we hurriedly follow her along thecorridor.
“Until you’ve gone through, don’t worry. I might get bored after a while though, so better hurry up. So, I lied, you shouldworry.”
With a cackle, she leads us into a large, airy room, with windows on all walls. But my eyes are on the Portal in the centre. It’s the same kind ofcrackagain, but this time it’s hovering in the air, not on the ground. I get dizzy just looking at it. It’s not natural. Wrong. Like the universe itself isinjured.
Airlea throws some bundles of clothes at us, then leans against the wall and crosses herarms.
“Hurry up and don’t take toolong.”
She nods towards the Portal, signalling us that it’s time to gothrough.
I take a quick look at the bundle in my hands. Jeans, a woollen jumper, and wrapped inside a down jacket are a pair of black boots. I slip into the clothes as quickly as I can, enjoying the feel of proper fabric on my skin. This robe may look pretty, but it’s not very comforting. And boots… I’ve been barefoot a lot recently, but I relish how warm and comfy theyare.
The guys have changed as well; all of them have been given jeans and thick black shirts. No jackets for them, but at least they got the same boots I did. I’m feeling slightly more preparednow.
Airlea clears her throat impatiently and I take a deep breath. Last time I passed out when Alis stepped through a Portal. Was that just because of the Fates or our shift? Or will it happen again, rendering us vulnerable on the otherside?
Suddenly, someone takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I turn to see Ràn. He’s smiling at me and I give him a tight smile back. We can dothis.
I mean, we’re only about to jump into the middle of a group of crazy shifters. What could gowrong…
Twelve
It’s cold in Canada, but it’s a different kind of cold than on Inchbrach. The air here is drier and the cold doesn’t creep into your bones as much. There’s not as much wind here,either.
A thick layer of snow covers the ground. In this moment, I’m incredibly grateful that I don’t feel the cold as much anymore as when I was still human. My new clothes are warm, but in the midst of the Canadian winter, they wouldn’t be enough to keep me warm for more than anhour.
I watch as my breath turns into little cloudlings. Yes, I’m trying to avoid reality by not looking at my surroundings. My brain is needing a moment to get used to the idea that we just jumped from Scotland to Canada via a mysterious place in themiddle.