"Well, you don't see that every day," Oron said, squinting at the wreck.
After a few minutes, the van doors opened and men stumbled out. They looked up and saw the five unit warriors standing in the middle of the road and ran forward. Seconds later, like their car, they slammed into an invisible force, and blood spraying, their bodies fell to the ground.
"Well, I'll be a sonofabitch; Elder Airgead must have figured out a perimeter spell." Colton whistled his admiration.
Gavriel tilted his head and watched as the completely dazed ferals tried again to run at them only to be knocked senseless against the barrier. "As much as I would love to watch them do this all day, we do have ferals attacking the city." He pulled out his gun.
Colton looked over at the men on the ground and sighed. "Doesn't seem right. They should be frothing at the mouth and trying to bite us."
"Think of it like killing a mouse in a mouse trap, it's just a quicker way to exterminate," Aiden said, pulling his gun out.
All five men walked over and took aim. The sound of gunshots shattered the tranquil winter morning. They checked each body and the car for Keelan's soul. Not finding it, one by one, they dragged the bodies into the ditch for burial detail later and got back into their SUV.
"I bet you it was a witch in the city that freaked out during the attack that created the perimeter," Colton said, looking out the window.
"We need to find out who it was so we know the conditions. No perimeter is perfect, we learned that with..." Aiden swallowed hard.
"With Keelan." Gavriel said, finishing their commander's sentence.
"One thing at a time, Aiden. Let's secure the city and make sure our mates are safe first. Then we'll let your father try to figure out who broke the law and cast a spell over the whole city while we get some rest," Colton said, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Aiden just nodded.
Everyone was quiet for the rest of the drive to the city.
*****
Amelia stared out the window as Lorcan maneuvered their SUV through the parking garage. No one spoke as they pulled into a spot and got out. Larik picked up Keelan and gently lifted him out of the vehicle. Amelia watched; to her, it looked like he was sleeping. She recalled his smile, they way he teased Darian, his concern for his friend, and the way he would wink at her, making her feel like she belonged. He was the sweet one, the kind one. Why? Why had this happened to him?
"Amelia, time to go." Lorcan said, holding out his hand to her.
Wordlessly, she took it, and he helped her out of the SUV. "Can you run?" he asked.
She looked up at him and blinked.
"I'll take that as a no. Come on, sweetheart, let's get you to Quinn, he can help you get that magic under control. You'll feel more grounded then." Lorcan easily lifted her and began to run with his men down Lycaonia's cobblestone alleys.
Just a few days ago, her only concern had been whether or not she would have enough time to go shopping. Now, she had lost a friend and was being carried through what sounded like a war zone.
She looked ahead and saw unit warriors running toward them. They met up with their group and surrounded them, acting as an escort.
"We heard you were bringing in precious cargo," Ben said to Lorcan.
"Amelia needs Quinn, and Keelan... I don't think anything can be done for him. But I promised Aiden we'd try," Lorcan said.
The blond pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Gamma Kitten One, this is Adonis, have Foxy Boy on standby to receive Big Sister-Cousin, over."
"I really fucking hate that you got Adonis and I got Gamma Kitten One!" a male voice complained.
"Take it up with management," the blond said flippantly. "Over and out."
"Ben, who's Foxy Boy?" Lorcan asked as they ran.
"Quinn, that's the name Meryn gave him because his last name Foxglove."
"Gods, I can't imagine the call sign she's given me," Lorcan said.
"Lorelei," Ben said with a grin.
Lorcan grimaced. "I had to ask."
The group ran into the city square. Two warriors broke off to intercept four attacking ferals. Lorcan slowed down and finally stopped after they had gotten behind a tall barricade. He set her down on her feet. "You okay to stand?"
She nodded. All around her, the men started barking orders. Gunshots were almost non-stop, filling the air with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
"Gamma Kitten One, what happened to Key Largo? Why did he have to be carried into Council Manor, over?" Meryn's voice demanded to her left.
She watched as Sascha picked up his walkie-talkie. He took a deep breath. "We'll talk about it later, Menace, not over walkie-talkies."
"Let me talk to my big sister-cousin" Meryn ordered.