Aaron’s suggestion after the confrontation Zera faced last week was that she quit her job at the university. He explained how necessary it was to keep a very low profile now that there was so much they didn’t understand. Ivan was still out seeking answers for what had happened, and there was still no clue. With the deaths of the wise ones in every pack across the country, getting answers would become as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. There was no guarantee that there would be an answer. The best advice would be to keep with her own until they got to the root of this, but she couldn’t do what he wanted despite agreeing to keep a low profile.
The university was almost closing up for the session, and the next week would be exam week. The least she would do was give the last weeks to them and be done. Aaron didn’t understand why she refused, and even after she explained everything to him, he still didn’t get it. Her safety was more important than two weeks with a university that would replace her the minute she was gone. He didn’t get her view, and she couldn’t force him to. It wasn’t easy.
He wanted to pull Zion out of school as well because, according to him, there was no telling where the attack would come from. Zera told him there was no need to do that and instead suggested security around his school; besides, just like her university, they had only a week of exams left. Though Aaron didn’t want to agree with her, he had no choice. Zion would never understand why he was pulled out and made to stay home, no matter how many explanations were given.
The killer was out there, as were those seeking revenge for the loss of their wise ones. And so every day she went to work in the last week, Aaron had something to complain about.
“When will you be done with your class today?”
“By 12:30, why?” she asked and turned to him after picking up her handbag.
“I’ll come pick you up.”
“There is no need for that, Aaron; I will come home straight from work, and remember, it’s my turn to pick Zion up from school.” She reminded him. “And I get your need to be protective of all this, but I am not a human, nor am I a werewolf; I am a sage; it would be harder to kill me.”
“Don’t blame me for being careful.”
“And I love you for that.” She smiled at him, and moving closer, she kissed his lips. “After next week, I will be yours.”
He must have liked the sound of that, because he smiled and deepened the kiss.
The day went by faster than she expected, but she was happy it didn’t drag on. She couldn’t wait to return home. She didn’t want to be away from home at this time, and she knew Aaron was right in his worries.
She left the university and headed for the Hendon Academy to pick Zion up. She spotted Miguel, the beta Aaron had stationed around the school, and knew he wasn’t playing around when it came down to protecting his family. They stood alert in their black suit and black shades, with their wolfsbane-filled gun tightly tucked. Zera still couldn’t believe Aaron could convince the school board to let these men watch them and the kids.
Who was she kidding? She had seen that man negotiate in the past, and he wields the power of conviction with his tongue. He could make the president agree to sell the country if he was ever in the same room with him.
Just like last week, when she stepped into the classroom, she sighted Zion seated beside Quincy engaged in what seemed to be an engaging discussion. There was no way she would have been able to pull Zion away without it negatively affecting him.
Leaving him here was the best choice, and she would die on that bridge.
Quincy was the first to see her, and he must have told Zion about her presence because he turned around the next second to see her. His face broke into a cheerful look, and she ran up from his seat and over to her with her arms stretched out. She dropped to her knees and picked him up from the floor.
“You’re so happy today? What discovery did Quincy tell you about?” she asked.
“No, he was just telling me about his mom,” Zion answered.
At his response, she looked back at the little boy, now seated quietly in his seat, and her eyes dropped with pity. “Oh, that must have been hard for him to talk about then.”
“Not really; he said he dreamt of her yesterday, and she told him to look after his father.” He replied.
Knowing Quincy had already lost his mother and lost her at a very tender age made her sad. The little boy deserved to still have his mother in his life, but fate had played a painful card. Now he bore the responsibility of looking after his father, although he was a child.
“Oh, he’s a big boy now.” She said. She was doing her best to make conversation. “Is his father coming soon?” she asked as she set Zion down on his feet.
“I don’t know, but I will ask him,” he replied. He returned to pick up his bag and lunch box and then spoke to Quincy for a while before returning to her.
“He said his father should have already been here,” he tells her.
Although Davine wasn’t early for his pickup the last time she came, Quincy knew where he was when she asked. Today was, however, different. She took Zion’s hand and approached the rather quiet boy, whose eyes were fixed on his fingers.
“Hey, Quincy.”
He looked up at her. “Hey, Mrs. Hart,” he replied.
“Zion told me your father should already be here.” She started.
He nodded. “Yes, but he isn’t coming.”
“How did you know?”
He shrugged, “Because he should already be here if he was coming.”
“Well, where do you think he is?”
“Home; they came for him.” He answered, and his eyes dropped to his fingers again.
“They?” she repeated, and her eyes narrowed while staring at him.
“Bad people,” he mumbled.
“What will they do to him?”
“Bad things.”
Zera’s protective side kicked in. Learning Davine was in danger had ticked off that side. “We need to get to your home and help him, then.”
“They won’t let me leave alone; I’m only seven.”
“Leave that to me.”
Five minutes later, Zera successfully convinced the teacher on duty, Mrs. Mara, to release Quincy. She claimed Davine, whom she worked with, said so, and when Mrs. Mara asked Quincy if that was true, he nodded. Mrs. Mara had to release him after making her sign in Davine’s place.
Zera set the two kids into the car and adjusted the seat belt around both of them before shutting the door.
The five pack members assigned to the school approached her, led by Miguel, and she exhaled, grateful that she didn’t have to go to them. If Davine was really in danger, as Quincy said, then driving there wouldn’t be fast enough, and so she needed to race there. With her speed, she could cover the city in under a few minutes and knew getting to where Davine was wouldn’t take too long. She needed Zion and Quincy taken home safely, and since they had brought them home in the past few days, they could do it now.
“Mrs Hart. Why is the other kid with you?” Miguel asked, getting to where she stood besides the car.
“He’s going home, and you are taking them home.” She replied.
His eyebrows narrowed. “Why? What about you?”
“The father of that little boy is in danger, and I need to save him before it’s too late,” she answers.
“I do not think the alpha will feel very pleased to learn that you placed yourself in harm’s way, especially now.”
She understood their scepticism, but they needed to understand that she wasn’t some weak being who needed to be protected every time. She was stronger than all of them combined.
“I am a sage, and anyone out to kill me has another thing coming.” She said, and her tone told them she didn’t look forward to further interrogation from them.
“Fine, then George will go with you.” He said this, nodding to the beta standing behind him.
“Zion and Quincy need more protection than I do; besides,” she said, but it fell on deaf ears. They were more afraid of disobeying their master than they were of listening to her. “I am faster than most; do you think you can keep up with me?”
“I will try my best,” he replied confidently.
“Do not worry, my mom will get your father away from the bad guys,” Zion assured Quincy with an utmost certain tone of voice.
Quincy smiled and nodded.
She turned to look at them through the window and said, “Listen, Miguel will take you two homes. You know where you live, right?”
“Yes, it’s the 3rd street on Cleveland Street,” he answered, and she nodded and imputed the address into the map on her phone. It drew out the map and told her it was a twenty-minute drive there.
She would be there in a minute at most.
“Hold on, Davine.”