Page 5 of Gray Dawn
“Let me guess.” I felt the universe cock its fist and take aim. “We have a problem.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Your father has returned.” Fergal turned his gaze skyward. “With help.”
A ball of limbs spiked with struggling wings grew silhouetted against the moon, and I squinted to see if Dad was carrying Mom. Except Mom tended to curl against his chest, not chicken dance across the sky.
“I wasn’t the only one dispatched, I see.” Asa twitched his lips. “Maybe Saint had more luck than I did.”
Except I hadn’t issued orders to either of them. I hadn’t been in my right mind. I wasn’t sure I was now either. Asa had decided to make one last appeal to his grandmother, in the hopes she had figured out a way to remove the Hunk so that I could get my magic back.
With my magic restored, I could trace Colby through our familiar bond, find her, and bring her home.
Without that connection, I wasn’t sure how to locate her hidden within the spells the director cast to cover their tracks.
Dad had left shortly after Asa. Without a word to me. Not one I registered anyway. Numbness had seeped in by that point. I was used to him appearing and disappearing, so I hadn’t questioned him about his plans.
Clearly, that had been a mistake.
“Is that…?” I jerked my head toward Fergal. “He flew in a warg?”
A long howl in the distance told me a second one wasn’t far behind, and my heart beat in my throat.
“Yes.” He smoothed his tie. “From the looks of it, she didn’t appreciate it much.”
“She?” I wiped a hand through the air to erase the inane question. “I know who it is.”
From the amusement bright in Asa’s eyes, he had identified our incoming guests too.
Before I could determine Dad’s drop zone, a lean gray beast exploded from the hill with a snarl. “Derry?”
The wolf ignored me and began leaping, higher and higher, attempting to clamp on to Dad’s leg and drag him to the ground. A beat later, flames erupted out of the corner of my eye as Blay emerged with a grin.
“Derry friend,” he called, waving his arms. “Blay says hi.”
The wolf might as well have had springs in his paws the way he was bouncing like a kid on a trampoline.
“Stop,” I yelled at him, and…yep. Ordering around an alpha worked about as well as I had figured.
Blay, who must have thought this was a fantastic game, bounded after his friend. Both of them launching into the air, jaws snapping at Dad’s heels.
“Back away slowly,” Dad growled at Derry, “and I’ll return your mate to you.”
He was hovering almost above my head, which meant I could now see the problem.
“Marita is shifting.” I reached for my magic to zap Derry to attention, but no power answered me. That fast, I had forgotten. Right. No magic. I picked up a rock and hit him between the eyes with it. “Stand down.”
Between the frantic chase after his mate, and the direct orders from Dad and me, he was in full-on alpha mode. I don’t think Derry could stop and think if he wanted to, and he very much did not want to if the drool stringing his jaw as it snapped shut a foot away from my face was any indication.
Not until spittle hit my cheek did Blay quit playing around and clue in to what was happening.
Above me, Marita finished enough of her transition to speak, and speak she did. At the top of her lungs.
“Youidiot,” she yelled. “You’ve bit me sixty-five times.” She stuck out her (hairy) human leg. “Look at my poor foot.” The wolf cocked his head, and I had to agree with him. I didn’t see a scratch on her. “I healed it, obviously.” She wriggled in Dad’s hold. Now that his forearms were locked under her boobs instead of around her wolf’s chest, he was starting to look green. “You attacked me. Yourmate. You’re a total idiot.”
The wolf bellycrawled to Blay, whining low in his throat in a show of submission few would ever witness from an alpha, even in deference to his mate. Certain Blay would protect him, Derry began his change.
“Yeah.” She thrashed against Dad. “You better shift.” She blinked, noticing me at last. “Hey!”