Chapter One
Talk continued longer than I thought it would, focusing on who would go where on this rescue mission. I stood there anxious, as in trembling from head to toe inside. With my hands grasped firmly together to the point of aching in front of me. I hoped that at least my anxiety laced with mounting impatience didn’t show. I narrowed my eyes to hide a few eye rolls. Not that I could see much other than what the moon illuminated. I didn’t want to appear ungrateful, because I wasn’t, but knowing Lex was in that building as I stood there was creating drama inside of me on epic proportions.
Nira stood to one side of me, in deep debates about what the inside of the building would look like, and what issues it might create. I knew it was important to the safety of everyone involved, including Lex’s, but it was still hard to stand back and listen to as my anxiousness mounted, igniting my power which whirled inside of me. Looking down to hide my clenching jaw, I swore I would begin to spin like a top at any minute.
Looking down didn’t help. The Royal werewolves were all currently in naked human form, and to my side was Alex. He was the Royal werewolf Nira and I were paired with. Muscular, hulking really, in human form, his abs bulging and cut, his arms and legs the same, he was definitely the body builder type one wanted to go into battle with. I could only assume that his human build translated somehow into the strength of his wolf form. My face flushed at the view, and I began a thorough study of the shoes Nira had given me to wear tonight.
As they all continued to hash it all out – the unknowns and the possibilities, along with what they did know from past encounters with these true wolves – I finally glanced up to stare at the small flicker of light that shone and then disappeared, off and on, on the top floor. It seemed symbolic at this point, of not only our chances of pulling this off, but of finding all three of them alive. Just a flicker of hope I had to hold onto. The longer I stood and waited, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, the more cynical I became, rather than the other way around. Had to be the conversation going on around me.
“Most of these abandoned buildings are open floor plans,” a vampire behind Nira said.
I knew he was a vampire because he wore clothes. The whole shirts and skins thing had me reflexively curling in on myself, my shoulders raised but forward, my stomach held tight, as if any of it made a difference. I really didn’t know what my problem was with it. Maybe unfamiliarity, or maybe putting my own unease with being naked in public on them. Either way, it wasn’t like anyone was asking me to get undressed. Rather than let the stupid thoughts continue, though, I marveled at what a completely, unbearably stressed-out mind will focus on.
“Yes, I believe they are,” Nira agreed. “Usually most of the heavy machinery, though, has been left behind, or at least the skeleton of work areas where the machines had been housed, like work tables and such. We need to watch for debris, sunken floors that grounded equipment, and random pieces of wood or metal that may be sticking out. Whatever machinery or desks, or whatever is left, though, will at least provide us some hiding spaces to move between as we move in. Biggest problem I see is the stairs. No matter what they look like, there is no protection when going up them.”
“Right. Expenses in these building were not wasted where they didn’t need to be, either. Most have open, metal stairs at best. We have no protection there at all,” Alex spoke up. “Plus, we have a large wolf body to get up them. Even the best stairs are a challenge on all fours, let alone narrow ones with openings.”
“We are going to have to combine our strengths; rely on each other, as we have done in the past, only now deciding what our strengths and weaknesses are given this arena we were given,” Nira stated, as if stating the obvious, really thinking out loud, from her quieter tone. The command in her voice, that had been there moments ago, seemed to disappear for a moment of vocal contemplation.
It had been the theme of the talk so far, stating out loud what everyone knew, probably to get on the same page, I assumed, or to be overly cautious. I got it. They needed to get a division of vampires and werewolves into groups, hear if anyone had anything to add. I think it had a pep talk kind of feel to it all, a confidence booster rather than just barging in. I did get it, even if my toes were clenched together in my shoes to keep me in place. I was new to the game, and needed to stand my ground, learn the rules. Me going off half-cocked on the desperation of love would only serve to get us all killed. I needed to continually remind myself of this important, actually critical, fact.