Nodding, she didn’t say anything else as she led his daughter back into the house. They all stayed silent as they waited for Jax, Piper, Seth, and Amelia to come outside. When everyone was gathered, Ian quickly explained everything that happened.
Looking sick, Jax said, “I’m sorry, man. We didn’t know any of this was going on out here. We were in the attic, and I was playing them my new song. We didn’t know. We should have.”
“No, Jax. You had no way of knowing what was going on, so don’t even go there.”
“What the fuck,” Seth exclaimed. “Why the hell would the War Cats come after us?”
“I don’t know, but there’s no way we can hope to take them on, especially not if they’re sending a lot of tigers. They’re extremely well-trained warriors. We don’t stand a chance,” Ian said grimly.
“Where’s Kian?” Piper asked, looking around.
“Don’t know. He looked at the arrow and then took off. I don’t know where he went, or if he’ll be back.”
“I bet it’s because he knows this is Zane,” Seth said. “And before you tell me to cut it out, look at the facts. These attacks have been aimed at you and Kian, both people that Zane has issues with. You for some unknown reason, and Kian because he ordered him home, which was likely a disgrace to Zane. Then Kian looks at an arrow that has distinctive markings. We might not know whose it is, but it would be obvious to someone who knew the shooter. And he takes off. Now Alex says the War Cats are coming for us. Who else, besides the alpha, Kian, and Kian’s second, can call the tigers to war? This is Zane, I’m telling you.”
Blowing out a breath, Ian nodded. “I have to admit you have valid points there.”
“Of course I do. You should have fucking listened to me to begin with.”
Putting her hand on his arm, Amelia rubbed gently, trying to calm her mate down. “What’s done is done. Now we have to decide how to react.”
“I’m not running,” Jax said softly, ignoring the worried look Piper gave him.
“Neither am I,” Seth agreed.
“Us three will stay, then. Try to talk to the tigers, explain. Alex and Cammie, you guys take the mates and Shelby and get out of here. Go to Cheyenne or somewhere else, put some distance between yourselves and the storm brewing.” Glancing at Chase who’d been listening quietly with a frown on his face, Ian said, “You all should get out of here, too. Warn your family and the shifters at Bear Claw and go.”
“We can help, Ian,” Chase said stubbornly.
“Not against the War Cats, you can’t,” Ian replied grimly. “And this isn’t your fight. I’m not risking any of you getting hurt for me. Get your family and friends and get out of town.” Turning to Alex, he asked, “Did you see any sign of when they’ll be here?”
“I saw them passing through that clearing by the mountains about ten miles outside of town.” Hesitating, he blew out a breath. “We were meeting them out there, stopping them before they got close to town, and I looked at my phone. It showed tomorrow’s date.”
Stunned, Ian exhaled sharply. So fucking soon. It didn’t leave them much time to prepare, and nowhere near enough time for him to spend with Holly. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough, but a measly day… fuck.
“Wait, what did you mean by we?” he asked, the rest of Alex’s words hitting him.
“I was with you, Seth, and Jax. And I want to be there.”
“Alex, no. I need you protecting the girls, and you have a baby on the way—”
“I want him to be with you guys,” Cammie cut in. “If I weren’t pregnant, I’d be there. But I can’t be, so Alex is the next best thing. I know he’s not on the level of fighting skill we’re on yet, but he’s a motherfucking dragon. He can char a whole field of them, if it came down to it. Without him, you guys don’t stand a chance, but with him, you guys could win. Let him be there. I’ll take the girls and hide us well. I’m good at hiding. You know that.”
Ian wanted to protest, but Cammie made a lot of sense with what she was saying. She was absolutely right. He didn’t want to put anyone else at risk, but having a fire breathing dragon on their side could only help.
“All right. Let’s get a plan hammered out and put in place. I have some explaining to do to my mate, and I know we all want to spend as much time as possible with our loved ones.”
HOLLY STARED OUT THE WINDOW, WATCHING THE FIGHTERS TALKING. Exhaling, she paced away and then back, twisting her fingers together. She felt so incredibly jumbled inside, a mass of fear, confusion, love, almost every emotion under the sun, tangled together in her gut, making her nauseous.
What the hell was going on? Either this was an extremely abnormal family she’d stumbled into, or a very mentally disturbed one. Tigers, visions, death threats, arrows. Was this even her life? It felt like a dream, or like a movie she was watching. It didn’t feel like hers.
“He’ll be back inside soon, Holly,” Shelby said quietly. “And I promise, everything’s going to be okay.”
Turning, she made her way over to the little girl, sitting awkwardly in a chair, grimacing at the streak of pain in her leg.
“Shelby, is this kind of thing… normal for you?”
Pursing her lips, Shelby considered the question. “That depends on which part you’re talking about. But everyone’s definition of normal is different, right?”