Chapter 24 - Emma
I filled my cup with a third pour of coffee.
I hadn’t been able to sleep last night, too filled with worry about Grace and the pack as a whole.
The vigil had lasted until midnight, and after that, Elias and I had to convince Grace to learn how to shift into human form, much to her reluctance.
At least for the handful of minutes she was awake after shifting back before passing out.
I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if she declared she only wanted to be a wolf once she flounced down the stairs after waking up. I’d deal with that when it happened.
“Hey.”
I turned to see Elias standing in the door, his hair mussed, dark bags under his eyes. He’d slept as well as I had, then.
“Hey.” Without him asking, I reached up and grabbed a second mug, pouring coffee up to the brim before holding it out to him.
“How are you doing?” Elias asked as he took the steaming cup of coffee from me, his fingers brushing against mine.
“Honestly? Pissed off,” I said as we both sat at the table.
Elias gave a half-snort into his coffee. “Yeah, I know that feeling.”
After a long pause, Elias looked up at me, his piercing blue eyes boring into me. “You did well last night,” he murmured. “You helped keep the pack calm. I don’t think I could have done it as well without you.”
“When you have a five-year-old, you learn how to calm people down and soothe fears pretty quickly,” I said dismissively, glancing down at the table to hide the blush crawling up my cheeks.
“It’s not just that,” Elias said. “I mean it. I know a lot of people who consider themselves strong or whatever who wouldn’t have been able to quell things the way you did.
” His hand reached out, wrapping around mine, his palm still warm from the coffee as he gave a reassuring squeeze.
I glanced up and met his gaze, heart fluttering.
“It just cements my certainty that the Oracle was right about you,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better luna.”
I leaned against him for a long moment, taking in his scent as I heaved in a deep breath.
I could have stayed like that forever, taking comfort in just being near him.
After a moment, though, I slipped my hand out of his.
We had other, more important things to deal with.
Taking long moments wasn’t a luxury we had, not with the threat of the wraith looming overhead.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said.
“Always a good sign,” he said, cracking a grin.
I gave him a playful glare. “We need to get rid of the sand wraith once and for all,” I said. “Before it does any more damage. But we can’t just wait around for it to attack. We need to bring the fight to it.”
Elias’s face broke into a grin, his eyes filled with a vindictive fury. “I was thinking the same thing,” he growled. He gave me a knowing look that had a spark of admiration in it. “And I’m also guessing that you have some idea of how to do that?”
I gave my own grin. “I might.”
He spread his palms in a by all means gesture, urging me to continue.
“I think we need to set a trap for him,” I said. “And I think I know how.”
He raised an eyebrow, interest and avarice glittering in his eyes as he leaned forward. I drummed my fingers on the table. I’d been thinking about this all night. A headache pounded between my eyes, but I forced it back.
“Everything I read about the sand wraith says that it feeds on despair,” I said. “And we know for a fact that it’s looking to expand its territory and destroy the oasis.”
“If there was any doubt about that, I think yesterday squashed it all,” Elias agreed with a low growl.
I bit my lip as I stared at the wood grain on the table, fidgeting either from nerves or too much coffee.
“If it really wants to destroy the oasis, what it needs is the underground spring.”
Elias’s eyes widened as understanding flickered across his face.
I watched his expression as I explained my idea.
His brow knitted together, lips pursing as I spoke, his expression intent but unreadable.
I couldn’t tell if he thought I was insane.
Part of me wouldn’t blame him. But he continued nodding.
His brow creased as I fell silent. I waited, letting him ponder the proposal, knowing it would take a bit to digest and already sensing his unease through our bond.
“I could see it working,” he admitted. “The problem is, it’s dangerous.”
“Trust me,” I replied, “I’m well-aware.” Even now, just thinking about it sent my stomach churning with unease.
There were so many ways it could go wrong, especially since I still wasn’t used to my powers.
I didn’t want to put myself in the line of fire, or anyone else I cared about, for that matter.
In truth, I was terrified of the whole thing.
I took a deep breath.
“If you have a better idea, then I’m all ears,” I said.
“But right now, this is the only plan we’ve got.
And I’d rather take a dangerous risk than see what happens if the sand wraith keeps attacking.
We have to do something. So if that means putting myself in danger in the short term for long-term prosperity for the pack, then that’s what I’ll do. ”
Elias let out a soft, annoyed growl. “I don’t like it,” he said.
“Neither do I,” I admitted. “There are a lot of ways this can go wrong. Trust me. But this is the best chance we’ve got right now.”
He exhaled, running his fingers through his hair as he glanced up at the ceiling. Eventually, his hand flopped down.
“All right,” he said. “In that case, let’s make sure the wraith doesn’t catch us off-guard again.”