Page 18 of Curses and Casualties
“True. But so far, it’s just your pack,” Darius adds. “That’s only the start of this. Between now and the next supermoon,things will escalate significantly. It won’t just be your pack after you, the Elders will bring in reinforcements from every pack they influence.”
I feel the chill of his words creep down my spine. Three weeks until the next supermoon—not nearly enough time to prepare for a war on such a massive scale. My glow dims to almost nothing as fear takes hold.
Ryan tightens his grip on my hand, both of us trying to find comfort in the familiar touch. “We’ll need allies,” he says. “There’s no way we can do this alone.”
“I agree,” Amara says. “And tomorrow I’ll take you to meet someone who I think can help. For now though, you must rest. You’re safe here, and you’ll need your strength for what’s to come.”
Chapter 8
Ryan
Amara leads us up a hidden staircase behind a bookcase. The room she shows us to is small but cozy, with two twin beds and an overstuffed couch that’s seen better days. After the roach-infested motel from the night before, it feels like a luxury suite.
“It’s warded by magic,” Amara explains. “Nothing and no one malign can enter without my knowledge. It will give you a respite and a chance to fortify yourselves emotionally and physically.”
We thank her, and Scarlett immediately claims one of the beds, while Ethan takes up position by the window. Georgia hovers uncertainly near the couch, exhaustion evident in every line of her body.
After Amara leaves, I guide Georgia to the other bed. “You should sleep, love,” I murmur, steadying her as she sways slightly.
“What about you?” she asks, her eyes heavy with fatigue but still full of concern for me.
I smile, touched by her care even in her exhausted state. “I’ll keep watch for a while. Don’t worry about me.”
She nods drowsily, and I press a kiss to her forehead before she settles onto the bed. Within moments, her breathing evens out into the rhythm of sleep.
I exchange a few quiet words with Ethan, arranging our watch schedule. Amara may have assured us this place is locked up tight, but we’re not about to take any chances. We decide that he’ll take the latter part of the night, allowing me to rest before dawn.
Once the details are set, I step out onto the small balcony that attaches to the room. For a place that is both nowhere and everywhere, this place sure does have a nice view. The night air is cool and crisp, but it’s not the scent of nature that I’m used to back home. No. Here, the air carries the faint scent of the magic that seems to permeate this place.
As I gaze out at the starlit sky, I ruminate over everything we learned today. In a way, I was still coming to terms with the importance of the Soul Bond toshifterkind. Finding out that the fate of magic itself rests on our bond is a staggering responsibility. It puts an even bigger target on our backs, and the thought is enough to tighten my chest into a painful knot. For years, all I wanted was to find my mate, and now that I have her, the stakes are impossibly high—not just for us, but for everyone caught in this supernatural power struggle.
After a while, I hear soft footsteps behind me. Georgia’s scent reaches me before her arms wrap around my waist, her cheek pressing against my back.
“Couldn’t sleep long?” I ask softly, covering her hands with mine.
She shakes her head against my back. “Too much on my mind.”
I turn in her embrace, cupping her face gently. “It’s... a lot to process, isn’t it?”
She nods, her eyes filled with turmoil. “Ryan, I’m scared,” she admits in a whisper. “What if we can’t do this? What if we fail? Everyone is counting on us, and the thought of letting them down—” Her voice breaks, and I pull her closer, trying to offer whatever comfort I can.
“Hey,” I murmur, tilting her chin up so her eyes meet mine. “We won’t fail. We’re strong. Stronger than any mated pair has been in living memory. Plus, we’re smart. Well, at least you are,” I add with a teasing smile, hoping to lighten the mood just a tad. “And we’ve got Ethan, Scarlett, and Amara and whoever else is willing to fight on our side. We’re not alone in this. Creatures want change, and together we’re going to find a way.”
“How can you be so sure of that? I’m only just beginning to understand how vast this supernatural world is, and already I can see how much power the Elders and the Arcane Council have. How do we even get into the Soulcave when they’re expecting us? They know that’s where we need to finish this. We barely escaped with our lives on the full moon. How on earth do we survive a super moon when every pack in the country—and maybe even the world—is out to get us?”
“If every wolf shifter in the country decided to stand against us, that’d be…I don’t know, about fifteen hundred of them. We could totally take them.”
I laugh a little at the absurdity of my own bravado, and Georgia smiles, a little of the tension lifting from her shoulders. “Fifteen hundred,” she echoes, “and you’re estimating we’d only have to face, what, two or three hundred at the Soulcave if we’re lucky?”
“Probably less,” I say, “since half of them are lazy, and the other half will be too busy arguing which alpha gets to lead the hunt.” The smile lingers longer this time, and her eyes soften as she leans in to rest her forehead against my chest.
“You’re ridiculous,” she says. “But thank you for making me laugh—even if the odds seem evenworsenow that I know how many shifters exist inside this country.”
I wrap my arms tight around her, holding her close as the night air settles cold and quiet around us. She buries her face against my neck for a moment, and I just breathe her in.
“I’m scared to face this too,” I confess. “But like everyone else who’s helped us come this far, I believe in us, love. I believe we can succeed because we have something they don’t—our bond. It’s not just the source of our strength. It’s also our greatest weapon.”
“Our bond is our weapon,” she repeats, taking a shaky breath as her hands fist in my shirt. “God, Ryan. How did we go from just trying to figure out how this bond works to being responsible for the entire supernatural world? I’m not even in control of my wolf yet, and I’m somehow supposed to save the world?”
