72 | THE GAME BEGINS

It takes Blue all of five minutes after Ry came in to call me. He lets me know he’s sent word throughout the Pack to close all the borders in and out of the territory and has the whole Pack running patrols. As he tells me all this, I can hear growling from the other side of the line. Not Blue’s. I’m able to distinguish that it’s not from any Wolven I know, but definitely not a normal wolf either. Blue must still be wrapped up in Pack business with the Berner Wolven…and it doesn’t sound like things are going well.

Hearing the unmistakable sounds of paws tearing through the undergrowth and snarls snaps me out of my shock.

“Watch your back.” I tell Blue, fighting my natural urge to ask him where the hell he is and if he’s okay. No need to voice my fears for his safety aloud for any Wolven to overhear. I’m not part of his Pack and questioning him like that - within hearing range of another Pack - would only bring more trouble. And I’m positive the Berner Pack’s listening to our conversation right now.

“*You too. I’ll be home soon.*” Blue breathes out, his sigh making the line crackle. “*Cole and Yuri should be getting there any second now.*” He adds a little more quietly and I can’t help but nod, though the thought that his two strongest cousins are coming to be with me rather than their Alpha is a little unsettling. But I don’t fight his words. He knows how I feel about this situation, though the bond, and I can feel his mental presence curling around mine.

My breath catches as I hear whining and a sharp cry of pain from the other side of the line. I hear Blue growl under his breath, muttering so low I can’t catch the exact words that come from his mouth, but the very sound makes my blood run cold. The wolf in me whimpers, as if I were under Blue’s control. The order - cause it must have been an order Blue just uttered - makes my whole body tense. I shiver as Blue’s emotions flutter back over me with a surge of warmth and soothing tones. My muscles relax and I can breathe again.

“Don’t be too long.” I burst out before I can sensor the words. Blue chuckles as all other sounds around him go silent. I half-expect him to grumble at me or be angry by the order I pretty much voiced. Instead, I feel another ripple of warmth from him and tenderness attempting to soothe the worries that had risen in me.

“*I’ll see you soon, Red.*” He murmurs softly, the gentleness of his voice is the last thing I hear before he hangs up. A moment later, Yuri’s and Cole’s presences fill the room. I look up from the floor I’d been staring at, still pressed into the far corner of the room where I’ve been since Ry left to report in to Paris. I’ve been rooted to this spot, my back against the two adjacent walls so I could keep an eye on the entirety of the room.

“Scarlett.” Cole nods to me in greeting, his eyes shimmering and pupils slitting as his eyes scan the room. Again, his aura feels…*odd* to me, more than Wolven, and I know he’s using some of his hybrid *draki* senses right now. His nostrils flare and he lets out a low growl as he glares at the door - as if it’s personally offended him.

“Hey, beautiful,” Yuri pushes past his smaller cousin and crosses the room without hesitation, wrapping me in one of his Yuri-special hugs. He doesn’t try to squeeze the life out of me, however, so I know he’s got to be as worried as Cole seems to be.

“Something was here. Not a vampire…something…*twisted*.” Cole grits out, dipping his head to the handle of the door and sniffing at it. Almost immediately he rears back, letting out a low, rumbling hiss that doesn’t sound vamp or Wolven. The sound doesn’t help the decrease my anxiety levels. Cole’s lip curls in disgust and he take a few steps into the room, skirting the door like it’s on fire. “It’s foul.” He growls, his eyes scorching bright silver. His aura…I shudder, recognizing just how much like the Darklight, Akira’s, is. Not a perfect match, but close enough that the power of it makes my wolf feel unsettled. Unlike Akira’s, however, it’s a hell of a lot weaker, so the vamp side of me couldn’t care less.

“Revenant.” I choke out, still wrapped up in Yuri’s arms, though it’s not because of his light grip that I can only utter the singular word. The mountain man releases me anyway, eyes wide and face pale as he shares a look with Cole. Cole’s silvery eyes putter out behind his wide-rimmed glasses, back to their usual slate-grey, pupils shrinking to normal sizes. They must know what I’m talking about, that’s the only way they could be so freaked out by the name of the creature that was here.

“Z said it was bad, but he didn’t say-” Cole begins and interrupts himself with a harsh hissing breath.

I catch the faint outline of scales shimmering under his skin, rippling just under the pale surface before fading back out. Some part of me distantly prays the kid’s not about to shift into his dragon form - because even if he’s only part *draki*, I’m sure the Leviathan-Class beast would take up most, if not all, the space of this room… And I really don’t feel like being smushed against the wall like a bug right now.

“Hale?” Yuri guesses hesitantly, a slight wince in the set of his already tight eyes.

“No. I mean, I’m sure he’s fine, I haven’t talked to him since this morning.” I begin, but shut my mouth because I can’t really explain how I know this without real evidence. But the presence I felt earlier was nothing like that Hale threw off the time I saw him transform into a Revenant…or *partly* transform since he actually came back.

“It’s not Hale.” Cole confirms, his nostrils flaring and eyes flickering back to the creepy slitted-glowing-silver as he scents the air. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I hadn’t been able to scent exactly who had been here - only knowing the smell of rotting tangerines correlates more with the smell I got off the King when we first met and not Hale’s signature apples-and-iron.

“I believe it’s the Vampire King, William, who’s gone Revenant.” I add, briefly telling them about Ry’s visit and report before he had to leave and alert his own Alpha. “There had been an incident when I first visited Court-”

“Wait,” Yuri stops me with a frown. “Isn’t the Vamp Court in-”

“Colton.” I nod solemnly, mentally thinking about the town that sits several states away and wondering about the state of the town near it…and if any of the locals were spared or ignored by the creature before he came out here.

“That’s a fifteen-hour drive-” Yuri’s eyes are wide now as it all dawns on him.

“Revenants are fast. Faster than vamps and Wolven.” I explain with a little shake of my head. “I’m not sure how long he was here…but Ryker came
in soon after I sensed him.” I feel a little chill slide down my spine as I wonder just how long the Revenant was hanging around here before I actually sensed him. *Had he been watching me for hours? Just waiting for me to feel his presence and attack me? What would have happened if Ry hadn’t come in when he did? And why didn’t the Revenant kill me when he had the chance if he really is after me and my power?*

The realization that clicks into place in my head a few moments later has my already nervous gut knotting unbearably, and a freezing cold burning through my bones. My hands ball into fists at my side, trying to cover up the tremors wracking through my body as the already tsunami-like anxiety rises to new heights. I force myself to try to breathe normally as my heart lurches into a too-fast pace, a thin trickle of cold sweat sliding down between my shoulder blades.

“He’s playing with me.” I voice my thoughts, the words even more frightening out loud. Beside me, Yuri stiffens, as if only just getting what I’m saying.

“Like a freaking cat with a mouse.” Cole agrees, his eyes back to slate-grey as he glances around the room. Probably following the same line of thought I am. “You’re not safe here.” Cole’s voice is tight with the edge of fear. I shake my head at him, forcing more air in and out as my head spins and the truth spills out of my mouth.

“I’m not going to be ‘safe’ anywhere.”