He cringed. “Jeb, you are planning on letting me leave here alone, correct?” I asked with all the patience I could muster. “Or are you planning to accompany me and change into a wolf so we can run up north together?”
Jeb cleared his throat, tripping once more on his robe as he took a big step back. “You will be allowed to leave alone, but I will remain cloaked. Even now, my power is leaking around the edges because you forced me to drop my glamour. We are at risk.” He stuck out his chin, trying to regain his footing. “Enid will be able to spot us soon enough, but I refuse to make it easier on her.”
“How about this—if I promise to you that once you drop your wards, my team will be here within minutes, and once they arrive, we won’t linger for more than a moment, will that be enough? You will be rid of us and free to cloak yourself again. I’m certain Enid can’t act that fast—you’ll be safe.” He wasn’t convinced, his body language hostile, so I continued with “Listen, times have changed, Jeb. And if you and I are going to get along, you need to evolve your way of thinking and be open to new ways of doing things. If you’re going to be my right hand, you need to follow my directions immediately. That’s how you begin to earn my trust. I’m the one who has to do the heavy lifting around here. You have to trust that I can formulate a good plan. With Enid breathing down my neck, and only a two-hour window to figure out how to survive, I need my team. The sooner the better. Wherever I go, my family goes. Once I take a seat on the Coalition, it will be the same. There’s no getting around it.”
Jeb sighed, a look of defeat causing his bushy eyebrows to buckle above his eyes like a pair of sad, hairy caterpillars. I had a feeling I’d never get sick of looking at them. “I knew you were going to be stubborn, but I had hoped it was an error in the paperwork. So be it. I will drop my wards, but only for three minutes. If they do not find us in that time, I will put them back into place and we will agree to finish our discussions and you will go.”
“Agreed. Three minutes will be more than enough time,” I said.
He whipped out an arm in a long flourish, his hairy wrist coming into view as his robe flopped back, and instantly there was a loud booming noise, like thunder, and then the reverberations hit my chest. Jeb didn’t mess around. He had some serious magic.
I closed my eyes and counted down in my mind… three, two, one.
A loud, terrifying roar filled the air and there was rustling in the forest, not fifty feet from us.
Jeb paled and I opened my eyes, grinning like a shrew.
It had taken Rourke three seconds to find us.
22
My mate was spectacular as he bounded into the area. He was in his beast form, fangs curved, a snarl on his lips. His muscular shoulders spanned at least three feet. I’d just seen him in this form, but he still took my breath away.
He rushed over and rubbed his flank against me, marking me with his scent and reassuring himself I was okay. Then he turned his ferocious glare on the warlock.
Jeb took a few shaky steps backward, waving a hand in front of him. “I meant her no harm, cat. This was a necessary meet—”
Rourke silenced him with a terrifying roar that shook the trees.
I grinned at the flustered warlock. “See, I told you he’d find me in less than three minutes. And if you don’t want to deal with an angry cat, like I said, next time call me.”
“Well, yes, I see that three minutes was adequate—”
A whooshing noise tore through the area and Ray landed next to me, hands already on his hips. “What the fuck’s going on? Who’s this guy?” He thumbed his fist at Jeb. “Do we need to take him out for you?”
Tyler barreled into the area before I could answer, emerging from the woods right where Rourke had come in, Nick behind him. Tyler had recently shifted out of his wolf form, still donning the clothes Nick held out to him as they walked. Marcy came next, holding Rourke’s clothing in her arms like a small bundle of laundry. I could hear James shifting back in the brush.
My entire team in under a minute. I smiled wide.
“Who’s this guy?” Marcy asked dryly as she passed by him. “The power in this area is ridiculous, but something isn’t right. And why is he wearing a bathrobe?” She came to stand by my side and leaned over. “And what’s with the crazy hairdo? Porcupines look better put together.”