Chapter 27
Erich
“What the fuck was that?”
My voice is calm despite the angry words. I stare at the back of Laurant’s head as he stares out a window in one of alcoves with a little table and two chairs.
He doesn’t respond, doesn’t even acknowledge my presence as I approach and take the seat opposite him. He just keeps staring outside.
“Look. You should have told us they wanted to send us on a mission, there’s no doubt of that. But I’m more interested in why you didn’t, and why you don’t want to help our people.”
I level my gaze at his profile, that infuriatingly handsome and clean-cut face of his.
Since mating with Nyx, he’d started taking care of himself again after going scruffier than I thought possible while avoiding us all like a plague.
Now, his brown hair is perfectly styled, and he’s cleaned the stubble on his face to look like one of those catalog models who wants you to think he’s rugged, but is really just that. A model.
A bitter laugh huffs from Laurant’s form, his evergreen eyes swivel toward me. “You think I’m pretty?”
I blink, aghast for a brief second, before my suspicion rises. “You can read my mind.” It isn’t a question.
He turns toward me in his seat. “Not all the time. When you’re in close proximity. But it only works with our pack.”
Huh.
“At least, right now it does.”
“Tell me what’s going on. Aside from this new ability.”
He levels me with a steady look for a breath before sighing. “New abilities are part of the issue.”
My head tilts as I furrow my brow.
He blinks at me. “Did you know you can draw magma from the earth now?”
Raucous laughter fills our little alcove, bouncing off the walls as I grip my chest, wipe away a fake tear. Only my laughter dies when I see the serious look on his face.
“What are you talking about?”
Laurant’s head shakes slowly. “Have you been to the back courtyard today?”
“No.”
He frowns. “When you were in your rut last night, lava spit up from the earth and decimated a good portion of the grounds just outside the exit.”
My mouth opens and then closes. There’s no way that could have been me.
Right?
“There’s more, of course,” he continues. “I’ve been having… visions. Of things that have already happened and things that will come to pass. At least, I believe that’s how it works. It just started last night.”
“And this has to do with you not telling us about this mission for however long you knew about it?”
He levels me again with those eyes, huffs a laugh. “You’re very calm about all this.”
“I have to be,” I say. “My pack depends on me. All our people depend on us.”
He seems to absorb my words, his body shrinking just a bit. “After we all mated last night, I had a nightmare. Nyxeris getting hurt. Badly. And taken away from us.”
Fury builds inside me, hotter than my fire, a growl scratches its way from my chest as that creature within begins to slither and gnash its teeth behind my sternum.
No one will take Nyx away from me. From us.
“I want to believe you.”
He’s read my thoughts again, but I don’t care.
Taking a breath myself, I ask slowly, “Did you see her… die… in this dream?”
“No. But I have a terrible feeling.”
My breath comes a little easier. He may not know yet for sure how his visions work, but I trust him to have a good idea, no matter how much that pains me. He’s a smart guy who always seemed to have a firm grasp on other people’s abilities, helping them control and understand them.
“Look,” I tell him. “Not me, you, or Zeph are going to let anything happen to Nyx. We’ll watch her like a hawk and guard her every step of the way.
” I lean in over the small table. “We have to do this for our people. It’s bigger than us, than our pack.
Besides,” I lean back again, “did you see the determination on our Omegas’ faces when the plan was laid out? ”
This draws a small smile to his face. “I did. Bloodthirsty lot.”
I laugh, secure that we have this under control.
“But we should discuss training with them,” he adds. “Our bonds make our powers grow, evolve. It’s like a mutation triggered by forming mated packs.”
This is something I’ve heard from others. It makes sense. “We’ll talk to them. I know they’ll want to learn. And I’ve heard that some powers are enhanced in the presence of pack members.”
Laurant nods affirmatively at this. “I’ve read about that, and heard from Colt this is true of his pack.”
“Well, training will be the best chance for us to succeed and get back to safety, so I say, let’s do it right away. Besides,” a little laugh bubbles in my chest, a lopsided grin stretching across my face. “It’ll be fun to see what we can all do now.”