“I got you,” Lucas murmured, and Garrick came running over too. “We both do.” Both Primes took him and vanished.
“What in shade’s name is happening?” Salem demanded as Rorik arrived, who hurried over to Sloane.
“You are losing much blood, Sentinel, this may hurt you,” he told Sloane as his shirt was cut off him.
“I wasn’t even injured that badly,” Sloane protested.
“You’re doing a pretty good job of bleeding to death then,” Michael jested as he moved closer to him. His eyes flicked to Tegan, who was lying on the bed as several healers worked on her. “Where is my grandmother?”
“Behind,” Sloane answered. “She was calling for them to capture them all.”
“She was truly gone?” Michael asked.
Sloane nodded even as he gasped with pain. The Pure Castor gave him a drink in a beaker. “You need this so we can work.”
“Will it knock me out?” Sloane asked eagerly.
“Yes.”
“Give.” He grabbed it and downed it, and within seconds he was being eased back onto the bed.
“We have him, Sentinel,” the Pure Castor told Michael.
Michael stood back and walked over to Tegan. His sister had refused the drink and was gritting her teeth as her arm was sewn. Salem offered his hand, and with a grim smile, Tegan took it and squeezed.
“You could take the drink,” Michael suggested. “Sloane did.” He looked over to his sleeping friend.
“I do not need it.” Tegan gripped Salem’s hand more. “Where is the Castor?”
“His Prime Castor is aiding him.”
“His Prime Castor is not a healer,” Tegan glared at the speaker. “He was stabbed. That crazy female stabbed him with a knife.”
“Mother?” Salem asked in surprise.
“I think your mother has been gone for a long time,” one of the Elite Sentinels spoke. She was sitting up as her ribs were bandaged and her head wound was seen to. “The obscenities she was screaming were not something Talia Holt would ever say.”
“Did she fall?” Salem asked softly.
“I killed her,” Cord told him as he strolled into the room and made his way to Tegan. “She was going to kill me, and I defended myself.” Cord did not look at anyone but Tegan. “Why are you not asleep for this?”
“I do not need to sleep,” she muttered stubbornly. His hand traced her face before she noticed the white powder falling. “You sneaky...”
Cord caught her as she fell to the side, laying her gently on the bed. He raised his head to meet Tove’s eyes. “Lycan.”
“Castor.”
“She told me they wanted you?” Cord asked as he straightened fully.
“We realised on the hunt that the Drakhyn could have taken Zahra at any time since she has been the most vulnerable Akrhyn throughout. If she had been the female they sought, Talia would have told them.” Tove pulled on the clean top a Pure Castor offered her. “Tegan realised the five of us were at the woods the day of the battle, we were at Headquarters when the one came, and all five of us were on the hunt.”
“One of you is the female they seek?” Salem realised as he stood vigil over Tegan. “And Zahra?”
“We believe she is a decoy, Principal,” an Elite Sentinel answered. “When we were on our way back, we found Talia, and she confirmed she had been left behind for a trap.”
“One we walked right into,” the other Lycan said as she crouched beside her fallen comrade. “Narween died protecting me.”
“So, the female they seek is one of you four?” Lucas asked. He had come into the room not long after Cord returned.