Page 72 of Moonlight and Mischief
“What?”
His expression hardens, lines forming near his mouth. “Pin your braid up. So no one can grab you by your hair.”
The fight leaves me. “Okay.”
“Be safe. We can talk when this is over,” he says, walking away before I can gather my thoughts.
“Marigold,” a low voice says. I turn toward Hawthorne. “Ready?”
The small group of adults staying behind gather around him. We are all that’s guarding the rest of the pack while our fighters are busy rescuing our reluctant allies.
With a sigh, I join the circle and duck my head while Linden reads out assignments.
We watch the warriors of the pack load into vehicles to leave. Hazel jogs toward me, holding a pair of wicked looking daggers. “Jasper wants you to have these,” she says. “Don’t argue. He has good taste in daggers and I want you to have all the protection possible.” She forces them in my hands and turns away before I can thank her.
My heart is in my throat as Slate’s truck peels out, throwing up pebbles under the tires. Jasper rides shotgun. Hazel is right behind them with Onyx beside her. I have to hope they keep each other safe.
JASPER
The car wobbles over the uneven road as we exit our territory and pull onto the highway. With a crack, the clouds let loose and rain splatters across the windshield.
“What’s the strategy you guys finalized while I was handling the drones?” I ask Slate. They were still debating when I had left for surveillance.
His eyes flick between the road and the mirrors, his knuckles white. We’re going as fast as we dare with a wet road. “Hazel wants to lead your squad into the building to clear a path for evacuations. Heath’s team will take care of them once they’re outside.”
“Sounds good,” I say, hands gripping the car door as we pick up speed.
“My team will be going after Ironcrest leadership, and Fisher will be looking for stragglers,” he rattles off, his voice surprisingly steady.
“Who are you taking with you?” I ask. Slate’s team will be at risk as they seek out the most dangerous of our enemies.
“Onyx, Cassia, and Fern.” It’s a good team. Cassia is a vicious fighter, and Fern can match her. They will cut through the Ironcrest wolves without hesitation. Onyx worries me, but after everything he went through last year, I’m not surprised he sought out such a placement.
My stomach tenses up in knots while Slate parks the truck along the side of the main road. It means a longer trip on our way out, but prevents the vehicles from being bottlenecked or trapped in the trees.
Hazel leaps from the truck ahead, her eyes blazing like a war goddess. Beside me, Slate adjusts his weapons post-driving, his eyes on his mate. I can’t quite tell if the heat in his gaze is protectiveness or reverence.
Our teams take up positions. There are around two dozen of us. Against an estimated fifty Ironcrest fighters and up to seventy Granite Ridge members- we won’t know until we see them.
Hazel leads our group of four straight toward the pack house. Lazuli creeps long silently, his dishwater blonde hair looking like ash in the dimming light. Clove takes up the rear. She’s the oldest in our group, but as Fisher’s mate and the twin’s mother, I don’t question her capabilities.
Slate’s squad stays close to us. Cassia and Fern stalk behind their leader while Onyx scans for danger at their back.
Through the trees, the last of the day’s light illuminates chaos. The exterior doors stand wide open, the handles bent. Nearby windows are shattered, glass sparkling in the dirt. They’ve broken into the pack house. So much for Nyx’s defensive plan.
Only a few Ironcrest Zetas stand guard, ready to assist their teammates as the Raven Pack wolves are pulled out of the building. Five younger men and women are led out. The frightened packmates cling together, Ironcrest warriors shoving them along.
A woman with dark hair stumbles and falls, landing on her hands and knees in the mud. Her captor yells, the words unintelligible in the havoc. She cringes as he pulls her upright by her arm, twisting it viciously.I see Hazel’s hand go to her own arm. Cold fear settles in my gut.
Our team halts, allowing Slate’s team to surge forward, guns drawn. Rapid shots announce our arrival, and the first of the Ironcrest wolves hit the dirt.
Heath’s team bands around the Raven pack members, directing them toward the rendezvous location. Moving as one, Slate breaches the door and his team slips in. Hazel nods us forward and we follow the same path.
Inside the pack house, Ironcrest seems to be destroying as much property as possible while they take captives.
Shouts of enemies drown out my thoughts. Slate’s team raises guns and opens fire. Shock paints every face. Ironcrest seems entirely unprepared for any sort of resistance.
Hazel motions us forward and draws her own weapon. Now it’s our turn.
