“Yes! I know exactly where I am, but Arabella is with me so please be careful. They have silver knives.”
“Silver? Humans?”
“Yes, hunters. At least three of them, probably more. All of them have silver knives.”
“Send me a mental picture of your location if you can, and just do whatever they want. We’ll be there soon.”
He looked at Roman. “I was right. Arabella's with her and hunters have her.”
Roman cursed. “Silver? Is that what you said?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe it's time to call the witches’ coven we've been working with, but I’m not sure the product is ready.”
“I don't really care. At this point, I'll try anything.”
“You know the pack is behind you. Say the word and I'll get all of our fighters out.”
“I appreciate that.” Tristan was relieved to have his Alpha’s backing. He knew he would send out plenty of their best warriors. They all trained in protecting the pack; it was their full-time responsibility. They understood silver and they understood hunters. They even had a trained sniper if humans were involved.
But he did not want to go in guns blazing, so to speak. Not with Arabella there. He was afraid approaching them like that would cause Arabella or Violet to be harmed.
“Let me try this first and see if the witches can help, and if not, then yes, I want your team.”
Roman clapped him on the back. “Then you have them.”
For over a year they had been working with a coven to help them develop a spell that would serve as an antidote to silver.
Silver was the one thing that could cripple a shifter. It had always bothered Roman knowing how vulnerable they were. Roman did not harm humans in any way, and he never would. He did not allow it from his pack. He would be the first shifter to come down harshly on someone who harmed a human.
So it really bothered him that the humans could get the wrong idea and kill a shifter.
He found a coven that was ethical and also didn't harm humans. He'd explained what he needed. They didn’t have a spell that fit exactly what he needed, so they'd been trying to come up with one. It had been a year.
Tristan had met them several times, so his arrival should not be alarming to them.
The leader came out. “Tristan,” she said. “You look alarmed.”
“Yes. I need to try the spell for the silver protection. Even if it's not ready. It's my best chance. My mate is in danger. And so is my daughter.”
“In that case, come to our courtyard. I will teach you the spell and perform it on you, and then I will test it with the silver weapon. You have to know that it may work, but it will wear off quickly. The longevity is what we have not yet mastered.”
“How long are we talking about?”
“Two to three hours, tops. It will not work in an extended battle, and as I've explained to Roman, so far we've only been able to get it to take about once every twenty-four hours. So it couldn't be recreated on the battlefield. We were both concerned that it would wear off with no warning, and in the heat of a battle, any warrior might forget and still be relying on it. It's just not ready. But under the circumstances, I understand why you want it.”
“I'm grateful.” He sat down on a bench, and she began the spell. She handed him a piece of paper with the Latin words, and he read them along with her. Then, she pulled out a silver blade and placed it against his arm.
It should have burned. It should have hurt to the point where he'd want to shove her away. But he felt nothing much, only a slight buzz.
It was as if the knife actually wasn't touching his skin.
“I barely feel anything,” he said.
“That is great news. I am very happy for you. Now go. Please be careful.” She bowed her head against his.
And then he was off.