Part of being on the team

*Eli*

It would be quicker to heal if I stayed in ET form, but the small seats in these utility vehicles aren't exactly built for four legs. Since my hand is still injured, I'm stuck in the pas...enger seat while Kelly drives. And I wish it was faster.

She insisted I eat, but I didn't want to waste time, so I inhaled about half of a sandwich before finally convincing her to leave, so now I'm finishing the rest one-handed as we speed through the forest. Fortunately there is a rough road here, so the vehicles move fast, although in ET form we could run faster, but again, my hand is injured, so I would probably move like a snail.

While I'm in a generally useless state, I have time to think. There's a deep pain in my stomach every time I think about Kamila being kidnapped, and that makes it harder to finish the sandwich. While I could easily ask Kelly what happened at the castle, I really don't think she'd want to hear the details. I know Kamila would never let anyone take her alive, so imagining what someone had done to get her out of there is just... unthinkable.

The result of whatever happened is that Kamila is missing, and has probably been kidnapped by Kane's people, which means she is in Kane's hands right now. Thinking about that, I completely finish my sandwich, but force myself to drink some water because I'm going to need the hydration to heal and fight off that evil bastard. Of all the ET1s, he is the worst because he is willing to kill anyone he needs just to have as much power as he can grab. Well, maybe Kamila's father is the worst after what he has done to her throughout his life.

But Kane... he's terrifying, which means whoever has Kamila in custody will never go against their orders. I never want to harm innocent ET´s, but I won't have a choice if they come between Kamila and me.

I look at Kelly, who is very focused on driving, so I decide not to bother her. She probably doesn't even know where our troops are anyway. 'She Reece,' I say into the mental link.

'Eli? Are you OK?'

'I'm fine,' I tell him. 'What is the situation?'

'Our main forces are heading to Kane,' he says. 'But the other ET1s and I are going after Stephen.'

'That?! Because?'

'Malena Milly said Stephen took her,' he says.

'And you believe him?' That knot in my stomach has turned into pure anger, and it's welling up in my chest.

'Does not say. 'But if it's true, then we'll be wasting time with Kane while Kamila and the cubs are still in danger. She's practically in the way of Kane anyway, so we're taking the chance. If he's not at Stephen's castle, then we can get to Kane pretty quickly.'

Deep breath. It's a gamble, but he's right. I know Malena Milly is working with Kane and she would do anything to help him. But on the other hand, Malena Milly is all about Malena Milly, so if it's in her best interest to help us, which it is since we'll be the ones ruling the kingdom, then she's just as likely to betray Kane without hesitation. If we ignore her, then Stephen might be hurting Kamila right now. We simply can't take the risk. But with three ET1s heading towards Stephen, my place is with the troops going after Kane.

'I'm going to Kane,' I tell him.

'You're in no condition for that,' says Mark. Apparently, Reece had brought the other ET1s into the mindlink conversation.

'I'm fine,' I say. 'Kelly brought herbs from the healers and they are working well. Nothing is going to keep me from Kamila. We need an ET1 overseeing the attack on Kane.'

It's quiet, so I know everyone understands there's no point in trying to convince me. We all feel the same way about Kamila, and we just need to rescue her as soon as possible.

'We'll find her,' Tristan says, and then we disconnect the mental link. We all have troops to command and there is no time to waste talking about it.

And that's exactly what I do, contacting my warriors to find out their position so we can meet them before they reach Kane's fortress. I'm so angry for Cora, and I pray to the Moon Goddess that she hasn't brought any of my trusted warriors to her side, whatever her side is. I'll have to worry about that later.

The landscape pas...es by at breakneck speed, with flecks of green mixing with the deep browns of the tree trunks as the smell of pine and cedar fills the air. I close my eyes, needing a moment to regroup in my head before we meet our troops. Images of Kamila flow through my mind, stopping at an image of her smiling face of her looking at me sadly as we wake up from a night of love. The pain of missing her is searing, but I can't help but smile at her beautiful face as the memory of her scent dances in my mind.

I feel a sudden violent jerk and open my eyes to see the bushes and trees still moving quickly, but I'm no longer in the utility vehicle, my body is flying forward. I shift shape in the air and leap forward with too much momentum, landing violently on my wounded foreleg and letting out a deafening howl as I roll across the ground, pine needles mixing with blood in my fur until I finally come to a stop in a giant tree

***

*Adam*

'Step up for the team,' I say in my mind, 'The ET1s need you.' I've been repeating my little mantra for the last hour, but I don't think I've convinced myself that sitting here listening to Malena Milly and Gene argue about... clothes?... is somehow going to win the war against Kane and win back Kamila. But since it's all my fault that she's gone, I sigh.

I can't believe I didn't watch that damn door to the secret pas...age.

—I will be Queen Luna!— Malena Milly shouts. —How can I be seen in these useless rags? They're hardly worth burning in the castle oven for warmth! —She seems to have perfected the art of screaming almost as effectively as Gene.

"They're made of the best damn silk!" Gene shouts. No, he's still the champion at screaming.

"I don't care what they're made of," she says. —I'm not going to be caught dead in these dull colors and unflattering styles. I'll need the actual seamstress to start from scratch.

They continue to chatter for several more minutes, and I close my eyes, just to give myself a few milliseconds of peace.

—Adam!

I jump in my seat and open my eyes to see Gene's face no more than twelve inches away from mine. It's frightening.

“Y—Your Majesty,” I say.

There's silence as he looks at me without speaking, and I can see he's even drooling a little.

“You must escort Luna Malena Milly to the seamstress to be measured for new outfits!” He finally steps away from me, and I as...ume it's so I can get up and take Malena Milly where he ordered me. I'm torn as to whether this is a good thing or not, but I guess going from dealing with both to just one is a win. Yes, I'll call it a victory.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I say as I stand, give Gene a half-hearted gesture of respect, and head toward the door.

He's already pouring himself a drink at his private bar when I close the door behind Malena Milly and me. I myself need a drink right now.

-And good?!

Now Malena Milly's face is in front of me, and although she has somewhat attractive features, she has a nasty habit of contorting into gruesome configurations that make her look like a witch. I quickly dodge her and wish I had bleach to clean that horrible image from my mind, and we both head towards the sewing room to find the seamstress.

She keeps talking as we walk, babbling about nothing and clicking her heels on the floor. I don't know how she walks in those huge heels. They seem to defy gravity. To ignore her, I escape into my own mind for a while... Shelby, yes, she'll do it for me. She is so attractive, and I remember how I sneaked up behind her in the shower a few days ago and grabbed her beautiful as... from behind. At first she was angry, but then I ran my fingers around her and mas...aged her nipp...s until they were all er... and delicious, then I turned her around and tasted them. They were fabulous.

I'm almost at the door of the sewing room, so I snap out of my thoughts and realize that I've successfully managed to ignore Malena Milly. I no longer hear her chatter, nor the click of her heels, now that I think about it. I turn around and face an empty hallway.

Curse. I had a job, and once again I screwed it up.