Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“Because we weren’t really working as a team. We were just flying all over the place, trying to kill the enemy while simultaneously trying not to die. But now we have some team direction. The next one will be better.”
“Unless it’s an enemy we haven’t experienced before,” Jasper said, pushing up to sitting. “That’d probably mess everything up.”
“Way to cast a black cloud on a good training, bro,” Ulric said, running his fingers through his hair and straightening up. “We’re learning how to build off each other. Even if it is a new enemy, or an old enemy who throws a wrench in our plans, we’ll find it easier to improvise and regroup.”
“Hear, hear,” Hollace said.
“Ready, alpha?” Nathanial asked me as I zipped up the black jacket of the sports sweats. Only he and I had chosen those instead of the muumuus. Niamh apparently didn’t plan on putting on anything at all.
“What are you ready for?” Cyra asked, stepping closer. “Are we interrogating someone?”
“No, we are not interrogating anyone,” I told her. “We’re about to choose which cairns to invite.”
“I’ll get her this time!” Edgar’s shout came from behind us. He went racing through our area with his high-kneed lope. “Hi, Jessie! Great flying! Pity about the…”
His words trailed away as he disappeared.
“What’s he up to?” Ulric asked, watching him go. Ulric’s muumuu was bunched around his neck.
“The basandere is stealing his flowers,” Mr. Tom said. “He can’t seem to catch her in the act. Nor can he find any evidence. He’s as blind as a bat. She’s doing a wonderful job of trimming things down, though, so I haven’t troubled myself to educate him.”
“Are you sure we need those gargoyles?” Cyra asked as we all started for the house. “They don’t seem to pack much of a wallop. One in town picked a fight with me. I let him have the first three punches, but he was so weak I barely felt it. It was so disappointing that I just burned him on the spot and moved on. He posed absolutely zero threat.”
“I thought we agreed you weren’t supposed to tattle on yourself about that,” Hollace said through his teeth.
“Oh yeah.” She curled her lips as I stared at her with wide eyes.
“It’s not like no one knew who did it,” Ulric said. “Next time, clean up after yourself. Jasper and I had to quickly hide the evidence before one of Alpha Steele’s people found the mess.”
“Oh, thanks, Ulric! That was nice of you.” Cyra pushed into him from behind and squeezed his middle, trapping his hands at his sides. “Teamwork, see?”
“Your hugging still needs work,” Hollace replied. “That’s more of a tackle.”
I spread my arms out. “Hello? I’m an alpha. I shouldn’t be hearing this.”
“Don’t you mean that she shouldn’t be burning people on darkened street corners?” Mr. Tom asked.
I pointed at him. “Yes, exactly. Cyra, stop burning people.”
“I might’ve provoked it, but he threw the first punch, so he technically started it,” Cyra said. “I was defending myself.”
“Provoking it is starting it,” Jasper told her.
“Oh.” She twisted her lips to the side. “Hollace, did you hear that? So technically that shifter—”
“Don’t,” Hollace said quickly. “And if you do, let’s all remember that I have nothing to do with anything.”
“Oh yeah. Right.” Cyra scratched her head. “I’m terrible with secrets. Anyway, like I was saying, I don’t think the gargoyles will be worth all this fuss.”
“The gargoyles in town are nothing like the guardians that will be coming,” Nathanial said in a low tone. “Nothing like us, either. If one of the top four cairns make it, you won’t want to offer up the first three shots.”
“Oh.” Cyra gave a thumbs-up. “I like that challenge. I’ll do it just to see what happens.”
I thought about veering off course to check on Naomi’s claim that Edgar had set up some sort of a shrine, but I didn’t want to waste the time. I also didn’t really want to find out she was right.
In the hall, we had to stop and wait for a line of shifters carrying old furniture toward the front of the house to be removed. I had to hand it to Naomi—when she got to work, things happened at lightning speed. She’d already showed me her vision for a few of the rooms, with colors and drape options and sample furniture. They’d all looked absolutely amazing. Better than anything I could’ve imagined.
She hadn’t been happy with my immediate sign-off, though. I was apparently supposed to seek out more opinions. She then took the designs to Austin, and the two of them bickered about who knew what. I just stayed out of it.
“Out with the old,” Ulric said as the last of the moving people headed down the hall. “Are we just going to have bare rooms for a while? Because I thought I heard her say the stuff she ordered yesterday wouldn’t be here for at least a week or more.”