Page 40 of The Night Calling

SHANE

Raika left first.I watched from the window as a demon followed her from a distance, and they made their way back to my house. I waited a little longer, until the demons in front of the school struck up a conversation, their attention not at a hundred percent. I took my pants off, rolled them up and tied them to my ankle, drank the invisibility potion, stashed the empty vial in my rolled pants, and felt as the potion took effect.

When I was invisible, I opened the door, stepped out, closed it behind me before anyone saw the library’s front door mysteriously open, shifted, and ran out of there.

It was hard to leave Raika behind, but I had to do it. Until I had a semblance of an army with me, I had to leave her, my siblings, and the others behind.

Again.

The way she looked at me before exiting the library, it was like she was afraid I was toying with her, giving her hope just to snatch it away.

As if that was the last time she would see me.

That fucking killed me.

I ran like the wind. The invisibility potion wore off after I crossed out of the pack lands, and I continued running along the trees flanking the road.

I could have brought the Jeep, but I needed the exercise to burn off this pent-up energy and frustration. I ran twenty miles to the nearest town and shifted back when I was in front of the inn where I had rented a room under an alias. Though Conri wasn’t expecting me, I couldn’t risk it.

I put on my pants at the edge of the parking lot, and then walked, barefoot, to my room. Thankfully, this place was deserted and no guests or workers saw me as I went up the exterior stairs and opened my door with the keys I had fished from my pocket.

In the dingy inn room, I threw myself on the bed and stared at the dirty ceiling.

A plan. I needed a damn plan.

If I called DuMoir Castle, I knew Killian and Lavinia would come, and Drake would certainly send a handful of his best vampires, if not more. If I asked, maybe even Twyla and Daleigh would come. Add those to the wolves Delco said he would lend me … then I would have enough to fight Conri and his demons.

But what was an army without a plan?

Until I found a way of breaking the barrier, there would be no fight, no army, no justice.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and checked the messages and missed calls. Since I left DuMoir Castle, Killian and Lavinia had been calling nonstop, texting me and threatening to kill me if I didn’t answer.

So far, I had no energy to talk to them.

But this time I sent them both a text.

I’m fine. I might need your help, though. I’ll let you know.

Tired, I put the phone down and dragged my feet to the bathroom, where I took a long, hot shower. I put on another pair of jeans, a shirt, and was about to shove my shoes on my feet, when I heard shuffling outside my bedroom’s door.

I stilled and focused on my hearing.

Soft footsteps approached my room. I walked to the door, shifted my right arm, and opened the door, ready to rip someone’s throat.

A figure zoomed two feet back and away from my claw.

With an arm in front of Lavinia’s body, Killian frowned at my claw. “Now you’re attacking your friends?”

“Shit.” I shifted my arm back to normal and stared at the two of them. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“When your friend learns his mate and his pack are still alive and he leaves without a word, you go after him,” Lavinia said. “You make sure he doesn’t get himself killed, and then you help him.”

A corner of my lips tugged up. “Come in.”

I stepped back and let the two of them inside my room. On instinct, I glanced out into the open corridor and the almost empty parking lot before locking the door again.

I crossed my arms and turned to them. “How did you find me?”