“Aye, captain!”
Laughter propelled us into the tavern where a karaoke machine had been set up on a makeshift stage. Three vampires stood rigidly on the platform while attempting to sing in unison, their aggravating bellows invaded my ears as I guided Henry toward the bar. Donovan and Sasha snuggled close at the counter wearing contented smiles.
After checking in with my alpha to report that I had gone over some of the documents, he sent me back to pack lands with my son, my upper back was still tingling with awareness as I left the tavern. When I turned around, I didn’t see anyone staring at me.
So, what the hell was I feeling?
***
Henry passed out as soon as I started the car. Stars twinkled overhead while I maneuvered the car out of the parking lot, Lucius and his team of wolves trailing after us. Luckily enough, the town of Rochdale was accustomed to the sight of supernatural beings roaming freely. Many of the streets were friendly to most creatures and any pesky humans who were brave enough to drive past our city limits were met with force—and promptly returned to their homes without any memory of this place.
Knowing that we were safe, I allowed my muscle memory to take over as I went over the recent battle faced by my alpha. How had that many vampires traveled so fast at dusk to ambush him and his mate? Were they given assistance? Magic? It had to be something.
And I had to figure it out before it happened again.
Both my alpha and my son had to be protected at all costs. Since Donovan charged me with taking over research on the wars, I was motivated to find a reason why these wars began—and why the hell they should even continue.
If I find out this is about losing a bet, I’m going to track down whoever started this shit and deck them all in the face. I rubbed the back of my neck as I focused on the road ahead of me, yellow-tinted light from the streetlights illuminating my path. As soon as I saw the ramp for the highway, I slapped my blinker on and merged onto it. A few wolves in other cars next to us slowed as well to merge onto the highway in order for us to travel back to pack lands together. A couple of wolves slowed with my car next to me.
Tighter security and more restrictions meant nobody left pack lands without a group of wolves tagging along. For Donovan, he was fine at the inn with Stefan and Sasha, especially if he was going to stay the night. I wasn’t too worried about Lucius following me instead, but it still made me ache to think that something could happen at that inn.
Especially to Charlotte.
I blinked rapidly to clear my vision and picked up speed on the highway. I’m just tired. I just need to get home and get some sleep. Henry needs rest, too. We’re all exhausted from this crap.
My shoulder blades tensed as I rubbed my shoulder. Looking through the documents hadn’t shown me anything I didn’t already know. Donovan had filled me in on plenty of what he and Sasha had discovered, the map they revealed on the ceiling of the crypt one of the more compelling findings.
Regardless of what they found, none of it shed light on how the wars originally began. And if we weren’t able to figure out the beginning, then how could we possibly see it to the end?
“Dad?”
I cleared my throat and said, “Yeah, kiddo?”
“Are we almost home?”
“Yeah, dude. Sorry. I was just being careful and driving slower.”
A sigh rose from the backseat. The leather squeaked as Henry adjusted his position, the sound of his clothes rustling with the movement. “Can I visit the garden before we go inside?”
My features darkened with concern. “You’re not seeing your friend anymore, Henry. I thought I made that clear.”
“She’s harmless, Dad. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“She drinks blood for a living. How can she not hurt something like that?”
He sniffled. “But Dad…”
“No, Henry. You’re not seeing her anymore and that’s final, do you understand?”
Silence echoed from the backseat. Great, nowIfelt like the bad guy. I just wanted to get home and crawl into bed without having to worry about my son getting tangled up with his little vampire friend.
I sighed. “I’m sorry, Henry. You heard Donovan at the market. It’s for your own good, okay?”
“Okay, Dad.”
The poor kid didn’t have too many friends, but I didn’t want him getting his start in life with the wrong sort. It was bad enough that he didn’t have a mother who wanted to stick around. I didn’t need him ruining his reputation, too. The kind of gossip that friendship would produce would put everyone at risk—not to mention how much it would cost to repair whatever emotional damage he would inevitably suffer.
It was best to cut this behavior off now before it got to be too much.