Page 23 of The Tracker's Revenge
The woman, Yura, scanned the length of Jake’s body as if she were weighing in his worth. Jake stood taller, his shoulders drawing back, his chin jutting forward. Yura inhaled, her nostrils flaring as she took in his scent as if that also were part of her judgment. After a long moment, she gave him a welcoming nod.
“Lift your right hand and repeat after me,” she instructed.
Jake complied, his deep voice ringing out. “At this sacred juncture, I vow to a moratorium with all the alpha members of this and any other Pack Rule. I vow to speak only when spoken during the proceedings, and make a vow of secrecy to never divulge to anyone what transpires here today.” Then he stepped past the threshold and seemed to exhale in relief.
I hung back, casting a furtive glance over my shoulder. Had Eric left the keys in the van’s ignition? Maybe I could hop in the driver’s seat and tear out of here like a bat out of a cave, except Travis’s car was blocking the way.Shit!
Yura cleared her throat. My head snapped back, and I fidgeted on the spot.
“Who vouches for her?” she asked.
“I do.” Eric stepped forward. “Her name is Antonietta Sunder. She’s an alpha and, like Jacob Knight, a witness to the events we’re here to discuss.”
“Very well.” Yura beckoned with one of her tattooed hands.
If Jake and Eric hadn’t been on the other side, I didn’t think I could have approached to withstand the woman’s scrutiny. After she was done weighing me in and taking in my scent, I expected her to instruct me on what to say, but instead, she gave me a complicit smile.
“An alpha female,” she said with no small measure of satisfaction. “It’s been some time since I’ve encountered a kindred spirit in these depths.”
I blinked in surprise. She was also an alpha. Cool!
“Welcome, Antonietta Sunder.” She gave a sidelong glance at the men as if to say she was glad to have another female here. I imagined that, for eons, it had been an endless parade of males walking through this hidden gate.
“Thank you, Yura, if I may call you so.”
“You may.” She smiled with perfect white teeth. “Now, repeat after me.”
I did as instructed, my voice trembling a little as she recited the same words she’d offered Jake.
“You may enter Wolfskeep,” Yura said when I was done with my vows. She inclined her head with a level of respect I didn’t think I deserved from someone such as her, whoever she was.
I swallowed thickly and crossed the threshold. A strange feeling washed over me, and I felt transported, the way I did during my tracking trances. I glanced back the way I’d come. The cars still sat there, waiting for their drivers to return, and the smell of exhaust still hung in the air. Frowning, I started to turn back but stopped when, from the corner of my eye, I noticed the air wavering like water. My attention snapped back, but the illusion disappeared. I angled my head again and perceived the same effect.
“You have sharp senses, Antonietta, if I may call you that,” Yura said with a gentle smile.
“Sure. Or you can call me Toni.” I returned her smile. “Where are we?”
“You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy,” Travis said with a derisive chuckle.
I threw a dirty look in his direction that made him do a double-take. I had a feeling he was used to being regarded as something special from the get-go. I thought he was special all right. As special as a lying sack of shit.
For the first time, he seemed to consider me, to perhaps wonder exactly who I was. Had my last name suggested anything to him? Had he known my father? Mom had given me few details about their relationship, and, because I didn’t want to go back to hating her, I didn’t press her for any more than she was willing to offer.
After assessing me for a few beats, Travis donned a bored expression and said, “I don’t know about you all, but I don’t have all day.” He turned on his heel and headed down the long corridor.
Everyone followed him. Still unsure, I lingered behind, but now it was Yura who was walking next to me and not Jake. After a few steps, I peered over my shoulder to find that the wall behind us had reappeared, and we were trapped.
No, Toni, not trapped.I tried to think of another word to ease my tension but none came, so, hoping for a distraction from the claustrophobia threatening to overtake me, I switched my attention to the magnificent specimen of a woman at my side.
“Who... who are you?” I dared ask, expecting her to tell me it was none of my business.
To my surprise, she answered candidly. “I am Yura of Maliseet, one of the Keepers of Wolfskeep. When the Pack Rule meets, I allow them entrance.”
“Maliseet?”
“Yes, in the Wabanaki Confederacy.”
That still left me just as lost.
