“I guess I need to speak to Aaron about pack security,” Rafe continued, satisfied his message to his impulsive pack member had been made. “Elina and Lily have gone over to the Hanlon Compound. Kal is off into the city with Brandon and some of the Praetorians to investigate the new wolf activity over there. With three of my top pack members off to Europe and the Romanov twins being more active in the Vampire Council to back up Mara while Demetri is away, there is a gap in pack security that will need to be plugged.”
Rhianna rose too, nodding as she did. “Talk to Mackenzie. He can probably spare some Praetorians to increase patrols around the compound. Now they don’t need to protect the children, they’re at a bit of a loose end. Perhaps talk to Jared too and see if he would like any additional backup at the Hanlon compound. I think Karn went with the girls so he could maybe act as liaison between the Praetorians and the pack?”
“Great idea,” her brother agreed, giving her a quick hug. “I take it Caleb is organising transportation for everyone to Europe?”
“Yes. Everyone should meet Demetri in an hour at our house,” Rhianna answered. “Caleb’s set aside one of his jets so they can leave as soon as possible.”
“Okay, sounds like everything is settled then. You better pack some gear and head over to Demetri’s. Call me every day with an update. I’m sure Demetri will be doing the same with Caleb.”
The others said their farewells heading out, leaving the siblings alone. Rhianna moved to sit on the vacated sofa, her brother sitting beside her.
“How are things going with Ava? Do you think you’ll be able to save her?”
Rafe frowned, concern etched across his handsome face. He ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign that he was worried. “It looked as if Reasa had made a decent connection yesterday, but after a few hours Ava deteriorated considerably. Liam had taken Pippa home to work on her own grief, but we had to reunite the pair to save not only Ava but to calm Pippa down. It appears her promise to Tali is the main thing keeping her grounded at the moment. Being separate from Ava caused her to have a meltdown.”
“The fact that Ava is still here in some form proves that she is strong, Rafe. If anyone can help her through the loss of her mate, it will be this pack. You have so much more experience saving wolves than any other pack alive today.” She chose her words carefully, reminding her brother that not only had Rafe and Dayton both been saved from going rogue, but that they also now had the formidable skills of Liam and Reasa who could heal even vampire minds.
“Sometimes I wonder who is taking care of whom here,” her brother chuckled ruefully, mussing her curls as he was wont to do.
“I don’t mind taking the odd turn every now and then,” she grinned back at him, giving him a quick hug. “Now, where is that lovely mate of yours? It’s been ages since I’ve been able to visit with Lacey. I might as well steal as much time as I can while I’m here.”
Arm in arm they headed out the study and towards the large dining room. Yes there was a lot of uncertainty and danger surrounding them all, but sometimes they had to take a moment of blissful normalcy to remind themselves of just what they were all fighting for.
~~~~~
“We will stop here for a rest.”
Agony’s declaration whispered through the trees surrounding them, and Natalia knew she was the reason they were pausing for a rest. The vampires and Varcolac could have carried on for days without stopping, but she was only human, and despite being extremely fit due to being raised in a wolf pack, there was a limit to her stamina, and she was almost at breaking point.
She didn’t view it as a weakness though. Some might have, seeing physical power as being strong. Natalia had learned over her reasonably short life that strength came in many different forms, so she wasn’t offended that the others paused for her benefit only. She saw the stop as a chance to talk with Mila. She’d been noticing some subtle changes in her gifts as they made their way up the huge Carpathian Mountains and the Seer was probably the best person to talk to about it as she shared a similar gift.
“Mila, can we have a moment to talk please?”
The stunning dark-haired vampire turned sightless eyes to her and smiled gently. “Of course, Tali. Come, we can talk just over here.”
Natalia was still amazed that the blind woman moved so gracefully. If someone didn’t know about her visual impairment, they would never be able to tell that the vampire saw in such an usual manner. Natalia guessed that Mila was using the wind rustling the leaves and shrubbery as a means to take a snapshot of her surroundings and plot her course over to a fallen log a little way away from the clearing the others were now scrutinising.
“Is something wrong, Tali?”
“Not wrong,” she answered in a lowered tone. They were far enough away that most of the others couldn’t hear them talk even with their enhanced hearing. She wasn’t so sure that Agony and Dara couldn’t hear but she needed to discuss her thoughts with Mila too much to worry about them overhearing.
“It’s just… I know some gifts allow others to see auras around people. I heard about it once a while ago, but I don’t know too much about it.”
Mila’s expressive face showed surprise and her gaze quickly turned in Dante’s direction. How she knew where he had moved to in the clearing, Tali didn’t know, but her new friend always seemed to know exactly where Dante was.
After receiving a modest nod from the male vampire, Mila finally responded, “Yes, some can see auras surrounding others.” “Dante is one of those people. Even though Kothari was concealed from view, he could still see his red aura. He discovered he had entered the coven in this manner. Dante could be the ideal person to question about auras if you need to know anything about them.