“I know. I was with a female earlier.”
There was no blushing and no misinterpretation, which was so typical of the blunt female. Charlie rolled his eyes and tugged her away from Nico, their familiarity with each other apparent. But the intimacy felt gentle and natural, that of two people who just liked to spend time with each other and nothing more.
“You need to go home, Daria, before your folks come here looking for you again,” Charlie said.
Daria shrugged. “They don’t know I’m out. We haven’t had any threats lately and they won’t mind if they find out. Besides, I can’t go out now. A big storm’s coming.”
“Huh?”
She inclined her head. The two men looked, expecting to find dark clouds. But there were only white ones and a scatter of stars.
“The sky’s clear,” Charlie shot back.
“Not that.That.”
She was gesturing at the fog, not at the sky. They watched as it roiled and coated the forest area in a thick gloom, leaving behind zero visibility. Nico checked the invisible barriers and noted they were secure.
“It’s not fog season,” he said. “Are you sure about the rain?”
“Yes. All the supernatural magic in the city’s messing up with the weather.”
“Meaning?”
“There’s a big burst of magic somewhere in New York, and it’s causing all this fog and incoming storm,” Charlie concluded, in tune with her.
When Daria nodded, they snapped into motion and spread the information to the heads, who called other heads to determine what was going on. Peachy showed up just as Angelo declared that they would close off their territory just to be safe, but that there was nothing major to worry about.
“Close off the territory?” Peachy echoed.
“No one goes in and out. Just for tonight.” Angelo nodded at her. “That includes you, and I will have someone assigned to ensure your protection.”
“But—” She clamped her mouth shut when Nico tugged her arm, sending her warning looks not to argue with the clan leader. She huffed and walked away, resigned. Angelo turned to him.
“She’s in a tent in the west where most of the females are. I have a feeling it’s going to do her some good and make her more comfortable.”
“Her name’s Anne. That’s the only word she said. And death. She was pretty clear on the death part with whatever was in North Bear.”
Angelo grimaced but nodded. “My police team will handle that soon.”
“Thoughts?”
There was quiet mulling, then a sigh.
“I don’t know. I don’t sense anything. Janella and I will be here tonight, so we will be extra vigilant. And you know our clan’s already vigilant, anyway. Plus we have bigger troubles…not that this weather has anything to do with us.”
“Yes.” Nico contemplated over it, too, and could no longer restrain his ruminations. “She could have attacked me anytime. She knew I was around and watched over the campers. I surmise she was there longer than I was. She followed the others up to the campsite, but no one was harmed. She stopped one attack.”
“I know.” Angelo glanced at the sky. “If this storm doesn’t last long, the full moon will be out, so there’s going to be a lot of shifting going on. Rampant hormones. I already told her to rest in her tent and not come out, but….”
“I will remind her and handle it.”
He was on his way to visit her now and couldn’t stop Peachy from shadowing him, insistent on bidding the new woman goodnight while she was stuck here. When he sensed someone following them, he looked behind and found a sight that had him gawking.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Nico muttered in disbelief. “Either Angelo has a crazy sense of humor or wants you two to make up.”
With the clan leader, it could go either way. Michael nodded in acknowledgment. After a while, Nico nodded back.
“You don’t have to follow me, you know,” Peachy said, face carefully trained to the front.