22. Chapter Twenty-Two
~Leo~
A bony finger tapped my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine.
In the darkness, I couldn’t figure out who was touching me or why, but it didn’t take long for the memory of the reaper pointing at me to drift to the surface.
Claws already extending, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the creature’s throat.
“Leo! Stop!”
Kalo’s frantic cry roused me from my muddled, half-asleep state, and I opened my eyes to find him staring at me in horror. Following his gaze, my eyes trailed over my extended arm to the person on the receiving end of my chokehold.
Oh, fuck.
Immediately, I released my grip, and Evalina gasped for air, her hands fluttering to her delicate neck.
“I’m so sorry, Evalina. Are you okay?”
Blinking hard, I tried to make sense of what was happening.
Kalo’s delicious spicy scent filled my nose, and sunlight streamed through the windows of the pack’s media room.
We were both still seated on the couch, where we sat to watch the movie last night.
At some point, we must have fallen asleep.
I could just about remember the feel of him curled into my side beneath one of the throw blankets, his breathing gradually getting slower and deeper.
But morning had obviously arrived, and with our erratic sleep schedule over the past few days, I must have fallen into such a deep sleep that I hadn’t heard the light-footed fairy come in.
“Should I call Felix?” I asked when she didn’t immediately answer me. My Beta would kill me if I injured his mate, but it would be better to let him know directly than have him find out on his own.
“No.” She coughed once to clear her throat, still rubbing at the tender skin. “No, I’m okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
“That was kind of impressive in your sleep,” Kalo commented before I could apologize again. With Evalina seemingly unharmed, he shot me a look that was more approval than reproach. “I feel safer already.”
Unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not, I focused back on Evalina again. “Let me get you some water.”
There was a fridge in the corner, kept stocked with beer, soda, and any other drinks people might want while using the room.
I grabbed a bottle of water from it, and when I returned, Evalina was already looking better.
She took a few delicate sips before delivering the message she’d come to give us in the first place.
“Felix and Calista would like to talk to you about whatever you learned last night. I went to your rooms, and when you didn’t answer, I checked with the house staff. One of them mentioned seeing you in here. You were really out of it.”
“I’m sorry,” I had to add one more time. “I guess I’m a little on edge.”
After a quick stop in the restroom next to the media room, where I took the opportunity to splash some water on my face and refocus on the day ahead, Kalo and I headed down the hall to Felix’s office. Evalina had already made her way there.
“Good morning,” Calista greeted us. “Please, have a seat.”
She gestured to the chairs in front of Felix’s desk, one of which was already occupied by Evalina’s mother. When Kalo headed towards it without hesitation, I realized what was happening and reached for his arm to stop him just before he went to sit down.
“Hang on. There’s somebody already sitting there.”
Confusion flickered through his amber eyes. “What do you mean?”
“So, Kalo can’t see people from the fae realm,” Felix concluded, giving Calista a nod. “Now we know.”
Kalo’s gaze went to the chair, which, to him, seemed empty, and back to me. “Another fairy?”
I nodded. “One who’s only visible to people who have visited her home world. Since you haven’t, you can’t see her.”
“But we thought you might be able to,” Calista added. “Given yesterday’s results with the magical residue, we thought it was worth checking.”
Kalo shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t see anyone there.”
Evalina offered her mother a sympathetic smile before reassuring Kalo. “That’s alright. Most people don’t see her, but we’re trying to find a way to fix that.”
Someone knocked at the door behind us, and Felix’s father poked his head in. “Are you ready for breakfast, Maudi?”
He still couldn’t see the fairy either, but he acted as if he could, which pleased the older woman immensely. She beamed as she got up from her chair. “I believe I’m finished here?”
Evalina nodded her agreement. “I’ll join you.”
The three of them took their leave, and Kalo and I sat down in the now-vacant chairs.
Felix also sat down on the other side of his desk and leaned forward. “What happened at Brendan’s?”
I exchanged a glance with Kalo before answering. “He confirmed most of what you and Calista already explained. Reapers don’t cause death. They appear when someone’s time has already come, sever the soul, and move on.”
“So, he hasn’t heard of one hanging around?” Calista prompted.
“Not by choice,” Kalo jumped in. “But he did know of one that had been trapped. He gave us this book that outlines the ritual.”
He passed over the book that had been at his side, and Calista carefully took it, flipping through the brittle pages until she found the page Kalo had been reading from the night before.
“I found rumours that they could be trapped in my own research, but nothing this detailed. This is excellent.”
Felix peered at the text over her shoulder. “Is it safe to trap one?”
Recalling Brendan’s stories, I suppressed a shudder. “I don’t think it would like it much, but it seems safer than letting it roam around. We need to know what it wants.”
“I’ve come to the same conclusion,” Calista admitted. “Whatever it’s after seems to be specific to this situation. None of the info I pulled up seemed to apply. And luckily, we have access to most of the necessary materials. But…”
She frowned down at the page, her lips moving silently as she reread something.
“The type of iron it calls for isn’t very common. My father had a small cache, but I’m not sure if it still exists.”
The purse of her lips gave her away even though she didn’t say it; Calista hadn’t spoken to her adoptive mother since she came to the Crimsontooth pack, and she obviously didn’t relish the idea of doing so.
As Gamma, it went against every bone in my body to make my Luna uncomfortable, so I looked for another option that would protect my mate without forcing Calista to reach out to her mother. “What kind of iron is it? Where could we get it?”
She tapped the page. “It comes from a particular ore that’s usually found alongside gold, but there are no gold mines around here.”
My gaze slid to Kalo, who gave me a short nod, already on the same page. “There’s gold in a cave system near the Ravenstone pack. Kalo described it to me last night.”
Calista’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and, unless I mistook it, relief. “Really?”
Felix was already reaching for his desk phone. “Let’s see if Sav can help.”
After a couple of rings, our Alpha’s sister’s voice filled Felix’s office, as full of energy as always. “What’s up, Beta buddy?”
Calista’s hand covered her mouth to hide her smile while Felix rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Hi, Sav. I have a favour to ask.”
As succinctly as possible, he explained what we were looking for, and Savannah answered as bluntly as usual. “Hang on. I’m actually in a team meeting at the moment, so let me put you on speaker.”
The phone clicked, and Felix repeated what he’d just said.
Savannah’s mate, Jasper, was the first to respond. “There are a lot of mountains and caves around here. Can you be more specific?”
Everyone looked to Kalo, who did his best to describe the spot. “It’s a narrow fissure opening, facing the lake, and the main chamber slopes downward before splitting into two smaller passages.”
“I actually think I might know what you mean,” Jasper replied, sounding as surprised as anyone.
“How could you possibly recognize one cave based on that description?” Savannah scoffed.
“I spent a lot of time in caves when I was a rogue,” he retorted. “Glad to know it might come in handy.”
Someone else made a mumbled comment in the background, which Savannah passed on.
“Luna Troy wants to know how quickly you need it.”
Troy’s voice was much louder as he grumbled, “I told you not to call me that.”
Kalo snorted, while I answered, “As soon as possible. Maybe I could come up and get it, or someone could meet me halfway?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Amanda stated, the Alpha sounding as calm and in control as always. “We have some military-grade drones that can handle small payloads. We could send it to you by air.”
Felix and I exchanged impressed looks. “Don’t tell Darius that,” I warned him. “He’ll want us to get some too.”
Savannah laughed. “This pack’s scientific research is insane. But, you know, none of us has even asked what you need this for. Maybe we should have started with that.”
Felix joined in with a chuckle. “After the insanity of the last couple of months? Is it even worth trying to explain?”
“We trust you,” Amanda assured us. “Jasper will put a team together, and if we find it, we’ll send it down to you ASAP.”
Kalo shot me a small, hopeful smile, and I did my best to return it sincerely. There were still a lot of unknowns, but we had people in our corner, and that had to count for something.
We’d find out soon if it would be enough.