They spent more time gawking at the passersby and the unbelievable architecture than they did actually investigating for the whereabouts of the cure, but in all fairness, they had to start somewhere, and keeping a close eye on their surroundings was the best lead they could exercise until they stumbled upon something more substantial than that. So until they overheard anyone talking about an antidote, their best bet was to peek around corners, searching for knowledgeable if shady types who looked receptive to questions. And in the meantime, if they could sightsee and absorb all of the outrageous things here, then what was the harm?It was midnight again by the time they gave up, according to the grand clock that rose up from one of the great stone towers with decorative embellishments constructed all around it. By then, Beth and Daniel were both exhausted and had made no headway at all except to deduce that the tenth of the city they had scoured was devoid of the information they nee
"I can explain," said the stranger. "I'm a Bronze Nation emigrant, now an outlander technically by your terms. I recognized you from afar when I saw you questioning the locals, but I didn't know if you were friend or foe. There's been no word yet about the situation on the border so I was being cautious."A Bronze Nation emigrant? That was usually the polite designation for a spy, especially since Bronze Nation's Catii pack exercised their power through business and intel, but this could be a trap, too. Beth never lowered her guard as she glared at the man, waiting for him to continue speaking.He took her silence as a signal to continue. "I was sent here with my family almost fifteen years ago when I was just a boy. The Catii pack installed us in these parts to keep a steady flow of information coming from past this point, since this is a hub of information across a lot of the other nations. And I know the Heether pack has been collaborating with the Catii pack for weeks now, we got
"It's as bad as I thought!" the man exclaimed. "Maybe worse. We have to take him now! Please, hurry and get his other side, I don't know if he'll even make it far enough to my residence."Beth had already caught Daniel before he could slide down the wall, one arm supporting him around the waist and the other pulling on his wrist to secure it around her neck. There was no longer any time to doubt. His skin was cold and clammy though it had lost so little color -- no wonder he hadn't walked close enough for her to feel his skin, and he hadn't tried even once to hold her hand in the last couple of hours they had spent traveling the breadth of the city.The cold weather wasn't doing this to him, making him icy-cold to the touch. Daniel had always produced so much more body heat than others, and even back then when she had rescued him from Andrew Troy's grasp and taken him back home, he had been warmer than this, even sick. Her heart plummeted when he groaned softly, the signs of his stru
The first night would be the hardest, Beth told herself. It could only get better from here. So as she settled into the chair by Daniel's bed for the night and felt his hand, heart twisting at the coolness of it, she reminded herself again and again that this was only temporary. Twelve hours from now, twenty four hours, he would be well on his way back to his normal self. One night and a day and he would be stronger, livelier. She had nothing to fear.Marten had assured her that even if he looked to be in pain now, it was manageable with the herbs and medicines he had access to in Pandemonium. In the werewolf nations, not much emphasis existed on medicines and pain killing methods since werewolves were by nature resilient. Even Gold Nation with its plethora of half-shifters mixed in with its bursting population didn't invest into these things, not comparably anyway.But here in the outlands, it was far more vital since there were shifters and other peoples who didn't possess werewolf
In the doorway stood Marten. He had been smiling with a tray in his hands, holding a bowl and a few small piles of herbal remedies he must have been about to give Daniel for his morning medicine. But when his eyes fell upon Beth and Daniel in the patient bed together, his entire face went red as a tomato and he half-turned, as if about to leave.But that would have made the situation worse, so he stopped and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, I apologize. I should have knocked, but I wasn't thinking you would be up so early since I..."Beth was also still blushing, but she hurried to slide off the bed without taking the covers with her. "There's no need for any apology!" she exclaimed as she half-ran to the apprentice with her arms out. "Let me take that from you.""No, no, I can bring this myself.""Not at all. You look exhausted, have you even slept?"Marten mumbled something about a doctor's apprentice being trained to stay up the night when there were critical patients, and Beth smil
Beth helped Daniel sit back down on the bed after helping him wash up later. With a grunt, he settled back onto the cot."It's better not to tell him we know," he said. "Let him think we're taking him at his word. I wasn't supposed to see that symbol on his wrist or know it's connected to Matthew, so it's better to pretend we know nothing."Beth nodded. Though she couldn't admit it, she well knew there were harsh consequences for slip-ups, and although Matthew might be a changed man now, he had been hard on all of his spies in the first life, far more than he ever should have been. She couldn't stomach the idea that Marten might be punished when he was only trying to help them. If not for his help, Daniel might not be alive this very second."I agree," she said. "Besides, it's no harm done. I'm concerned what it means that Matthew's reach extends this far when it's completely illegal... but that's between him and the Union Court if it ever comes to it. I won't have a part in it. Neith
It was the swiftest Anna had ever run. Until now, nothing had ever required all of her strength, all of her drive, all of her dedication -- she had lived a comfortable life on the line, surrounded by others who worked hard to make her happy.But everything was different now. She had fought her mate to the ground, installed herself as a commander, usurped the natural order she had always been taught to respect and even exploit. And the sister she had always thought she despised and envied was telling her to run away -- to get help, Beth had said, but Anna knew the truth. Beth was sending her away and fighting alone because the chances of them surviving the battle were nil, at this rate. And sending her to get help? As if that would work. The nearest outposts could all make it in time if they tried, but Anna knew well the Gold Nation army politics.The other rival generals and commanders would hardly grieve Noah's loss, or that of the relatively small army garrisoned in Tahoe. To all o
Beth... Beth had been right to tell Anna that fighting in actual battle was different. This was nothing like the one on one fight to make Noah submit. There had been no time to calculate for what the enemy did this time, and the battle had ridden on reaction, instinct, pure adrenaline only. She couldn't even remember how many she fought and defended against, couldn't recall how she had gotten half of her wounds at all.But it had been an ambush. Surely not all battles were this chaotic. Surely it had just been this one, because they had been taken by surprise and Anna had let down her guard.She refused to believe this was her best, or even her usual. She refused to believe she was so mentally weak that even her Alpha body couldn't keep up."This way, Annalise," Michael urged. "We'll be passing by the area your father the Alpha was last seen in on the way to check your mother's cabin, so it would be best if you can investigate both. You knew them best, maybe you'll find something we m