Jim looked at me. I knew exactly what he was thinking. He would’ve loved nothing more than to drag me back to the Keep and surround me with rings of combat shapeshifters, but Hugh changed everything. I was the Pack’s best hope against Hugh. He was an enemy I was uniquely equipped to fight. Curran had put his life on the line for the Pack dozens of times. It was my turn. If I didn’t come back, someone had to hold the Pack together. Jim would be that someone, because he was the best man for the job and he was pissed as hell because of it.
“You’re taking Robert,” he said, his voice very calm. “Take Derek with you, too.”
I opened my mouth to say no and stopped. I had no clue where Robert’s loyalties lay, but Derek would die for me. He was almost twenty, he’d had combat training since he was sixteen, and he’d been through more shit than most people could handle in their lifetime. Objecting to him because I still thought of him as a kid and didn’t want to see him hurt would just humiliate both of us.
“Are you in?” I asked.
Derek looked mildly offended.
Right. How dare I ask? Teenage werewolves and their touchy feelings.
I turned to the rest of them. “We need one more.”
There was a reason why everyone from SWAT to the Marines and SEALs used four-man fire teams. They were fast, maneuverable, they let you cover all four sides, and in our case, having four people would make sneaking into the People’s territory much easier. We could break into pairs. A couple walking at night in Atlanta wouldn’t immediately attract attention. Three or four people together would draw the eye.
Myles, the wolf render, stepped forward. Perfect.
“No.” Jennifer narrowed her eyes. “Take Desandra with you.”
Seriously? She wasn’t even trying now. I was an amateur when it came to Pack politics, but this was just blatantly obvious. If I insisted on Myles, I’d insult Desandra. If Desandra backed out, she’d lose face.
Jim and Robert looked at each other.
“This is a dangerous mission and Clan Wolf wants to assist the Consort,” Jennifer said. “We’re still the largest in the Pack, and as the alpha present at the Conclave I feel our clan must do everything in its power to help. Desandra knows the scent and she’s an excellent fighter.”
“You’re sending her off hoping she’ll die and for what, so you can clutch onto power for a couple of extra days?” Jim said.
Jennifer raised her chin. “You have something to say, cat, say it.”
“I just did,” Jim told her.
If I didn’t cut this off right now, they would bicker all night. “Enough. Desandra, are you up to it?”
Desandra looked like she’d rather suck on some rotten lemons. “I’d be honored, Consort.”
“Great.” Now I had two wolves in my fun party. My wolf avoidance strategy had so far proved to be an epic fail. “We’ll take the northern evacuation route.”
We’d planned both north and south escape routes, but the northern one ran right past a stable. I’d need a horse to keep up with the shapeshifters. Good that I had already rented one.
“Remember the way d’Ambray was howling about killing anyone caught in the People’s territory?” Jim asked. “For this shit to happen, d’Ambray must’ve made arrangements with the cops. I don’t know if he bribed them, blackmailed them, or what, but he’s done something. Steer clear of the Paranormal Activity Division.”
“Will do,” I said.
“Who’s got the treasure chest?” Desandra asked.
Sage, the other render, went to the left Jeep and popped the hatchback. An assortment of weapons looked back at us: swords, knives, and batons. Nothing elaborate, just simple, functional tools to speed the journey to the afterlife. Derek looked at the smorgasbord for a long moment and fished out a tactical tomahawk. Solid black and about eighteen inches long, it had a six-inch blade on one side of the axe head and a sharp spike on the other. Desandra pulled out a two-foot-long solid metal mace. Its weighted head sported eight sharp flanges. I glanced at Robert.
He smiled. “I’m good. I retrieved my toys from my Jeep before we left.”
I turned to Barabas. “Can I have a word before we go?”
“Of course.” He walked off with me. I put a hundred yards between us and the rest of the shapeshifters, made sure my back was to them, and said, “Barabas, before you leave the city, I need you to stop at a courier and send a few messages. Call in every favor we have with the city and whatever goodwill we have with law enforcement. Use anything we’ve been saving for a rainy day, because the hurricane is here. Please call Evdokia or one of her kids. Tell her what happened.”
Evdokia was one of the prominent witches in the Atlanta Covens and one of the few people who knew my background. The Covens would fight Roland to the end, and letting them know Hugh was on the warpath would buy them time to prepare.
“Will do.”
“As soon as you get to the Keep, please put together a combat team and send it into North Carolina to find Curran. Keep it quiet. We don’t need a panic.”
Barabas nodded.
“Jim will want to send one, but I want you to oversee it. Use renders, use combat people, the best you can get without leaving us too vulnerable. I don’t care if they have to take the mountains apart rock by rock. They need to find the Beast Lord and they need to do it fast.”
“I understand. What about the Pack Council?”
“They are Jim’s problem. If you can, try to stall them. Delay any decision making until tomorrow. We should be back by morning. If I don’t check in by noon, I am dead and you’re on your own.”
“Understood.”
“Find him, Barabas.”
“Kate, I will. I promise you, I will.”
“Also, please tell Jezebel to take Julie out of the city. She’ll need backup, because Julie is good at escaping. If Hugh takes Atlanta, Julie can’t be here. He will use her and make her into something terrible.”
“He won’t take Atlanta,” Barabas said.
“I know. Please do this for me.”
“Of course. Good luck.”
“Thank you. We’ll need it.”
We went back to the cars. Jim’s face looked grim. “For the record, I’m sick of being left behind,” he said.
“For the record, I’m sick of Hugh being alive.”
The weremongoose was waving at our people. “We’re moving out.”
Jim paused. “Don’t get yourself killed and don’t make me come and rescue your ass.”
“Thanks, Mom. I love you, too.”
Jim growled under his breath and went to the Jeep.
“Jim!” I called, too loud.
He turned.
I waited a second to make sure I had everyone’s attention. “If I’m not back by tomorrow evening and the Beast Lord is still gone, you have my blessing.”
Jim blinked. His mouth opened. “Understood, Alpha.”
Someone would have to run the Pack. He had done it before and if I didn’t come back, he would do it again, and now I had a dozen witnesses who would support his right to do it.
Jennifer shook her head. She and her bodyguards got into their vehicle. The dark-haired man who had cut Desandra’s back open lingered. Desandra stepped close to him. “Go with our alpha. When you get to the Keep, send someone to Orhan and Fatima. And if Jennifer tries to do something stupid, delay her as much as you can. Get George to help you.”