Page 159 of Poet & Protector

“So am I.”

Twenty-Six

The forest outside Vail

October 31

The union of Renier Laroche and Calla Tor

MASON

The howls of the elder Guardians began to die out one by one. Then they stopped altogether.

There was no sign of Calla.

Ansel, Bryn, and I exchanged alarmed looks, a sudden, shocking truth passing between us.

There would be no union. Calla wasn’t coming.

I pivoted, briefly locking eyes with Nev, before turning back to Ansel. I didn’t know what to say or do.

The Keepers must have arrived at the same conclusion because Efron, Logan, and Lumine abandoned their posts behind the altar, their wraiths keeping close.

“Emile!” Efron’s voice snapped in the night air. “To me.”

Lumine was spitting words rapid fire at Naomi, who had shifted into human form. Naomi’s face was terribly pale. Beside his mate, Stephen remained a wolf, his hackles raised with alarm.

Ren, still in wolf form, paced restlessly before the altar.

Emile and a handful of Bane elders abruptly dashed into the forest. Efron watched his wolves depart with a face like a thunder cloud, while Logan’s features were schooled into a mask of neutrality.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Nev, Sabine, Dax, and Cosette, all in human form now, had split away from their appointed positions in the ceremony to gather as a pack, uncertainty reestablishing old allegiances. Then I realized it wasn’t only them. I hadn’t intentionally tried to distance myself from Nev and Dax, but Ansel and I had moved away from them, unconsciously drifting closer to the elder Nightshades as we waited to learn what had gone wrong.

My chest tightened when I saw Ren shift to human form and join his packmates. They watched him approach, their faces tight with worry and sympathy. I turned away, not wanting to intrude on whatever the jilted alpha wanted to ask of his pack. The thought made me wince. It was a harsh word, jilted, but that was what had happened, wasn’t it? What other explanation could there be for Calla’s absence?

Beside me, Ansel pawed at the ground, restless and anxious. I wondered if we should do something, like offer to look for Calla or at least try to find out if our mistress knew anything more than we did. Maybe all the Haldis wolves should try to find her. I didn’t like the way we’d divided so quickly, and I especially didn’t like being separated from Nev. The sooner we showed unity and worked together, the faster we could fix whatever had gone wrong and make sure the Keepers were happy.

I was about to ask Ansel what he thought when Stephen Tor bolted from Lumine’s side toward us. He shouldered into Ansel and took up a defensive stance in front of his son.

Why does the Nightshade alpha believe Ansel’s in danger? Are all of us in danger?

Bryn and Fey crept across the clearing to join us. Like the younger Banes, we Nightshades were instinctively closing ranks. Bryn came to Ansel’s side. Fey and I moved to Bryn’s flank. It was impossible not to notice we were all taking cues from Stephen, behaving as if a fight was imminent.

Howls sounded nearby. Emile and the Banes he’d led into the forest. Unlike those summoning Calla to the ceremony, these were howls of alarm, battle cries calling for aid. Ren reacted instantly, shifting forms and sprinting toward the sound. His packmates appeared startled by his abrupt departure, but a moment later they’d shifted as well and chased after him and they were gone…which meant Nev was gone.

Conflicting instincts tore at me: I wanted to go after my mate, to be at his side if he was racing into danger, but I was still loyal to my pack and couldn’t abandon them.

Efron and Lumine sequestered themselves near the altar, heads together, bodies tense. Logan stood nearby, respectfully attentive but watchful, no doubt calculating what his next move should be.

With her mistress no longer berating her, Naomi Tor shifted into wolf form and ran to join us. She took up a position beside her mate.

Emile suddenly reemerged from between the trees, making a beeline for Efron. He shifted forms when he reached his master, speaking animatedly. Efron’s expression contorted into a mask of outrage. The Bane master pointed at our small cluster, and in the next moment Emile was a wolf again. He barreled toward us. Stephen stepped forward and braced himself, blocking the Bane alpha’s path. Emile pulled up short, snarling. Stephen bared his fangs in reply.

What do we do? Bryn’s voice entered my mind.

Ansel replied. I don’t know, but we can’t attack a Bane alpha. Can we?

While Stephen and Emile continued to face off, bristling, muscles bunched, Efron and Lumine made their way toward us.