I showed up looking for my brother. Aries took me in, vowing to help. It’s partially true. Aries did take me in and offer to help. But we couldn’t reveal how our initial introduction took place.
We completed that mission then I was brought to a remote location only the team, their mates, a few select others, and a mage know about. Yvonne Rakotz did this thing with my mind where she built a powerful block no one could break. Not even the Verascues. It’s something she rarely uses and never tells anyone else about. Powerful spells like that drain her energy, so she doesn’t do them often.
I’m still floored the Verascues haven’t found out about the team but grateful at the same time. Sol and Ford would want to join. Hell, Eloise and Seth probably would, too. Not that they’re bad to have on our side, but Sol and Ford aren’t exactly known for being silent killers. Deadly? Sure. However, our missions require a lot of watching. Waiting. Exacting plans down to the T. There is no room for anyone to go off half-cocked.
Neon green paint splatters against the wall above my head. I drop lower and crawl backward with the others by my side. We practice with paintball guns and paintballs. It keeps our training fresh and it’s fun. There’s a lot of satisfaction in hitting the other team with paintballs. It stings and bruises. We shift at the end of each session to erase any evidence of what we’ve been doing. Except for Thay. He heals instantly, thanks to the fae side of him.
“He almost got you, Cam,” Austin chuckles in my ear.
We each have an earpiece in. The same we wear when out in the field. Ones that Thay used his magic on so we can hear everyone on the team through them, but they also have a mic built in so we can be heard. And they’re nearly invisible.
I growl low, “I’m going to kill you when we get out of here.”
“No, you’re not. You love me. You won’t touch me.” I may shoot him once he comes down from that tree. It’s tempting.
I’m still mad about everything going down with the Quivakond Pack and the fact they didn’t tell us what was happening as it was. Members of their pack were hurt and killed. It explains why Austin, Echo, and Thay were absent from some of the training sessions. And Andre? Seth’s brother? It blew my mind that he was involved. But there’s something Thay isn’t telling me. I saw it when he looked at me this morning. I asked him what it was but then we were interrupted.
After our training session, I’m having lunch with Solomon. How I got roped into that I’m not sure. I have a feeling it has to do with whatever Thay is keeping from me. The others on the team watched him curiously today. Seems I’m not the only one in the dark. It wasn’t surprising, though. Out of all of us, Thay is the only one who can read minds. The rest of us are shifters with no vampire powers. No fae magic. Just wolves who fight the best we can.
Two paintballs hit me in the back. I stand, throw my gun to the ground, and watch as Thay and Echo are picked off next. They got us. Somehow, they crept in behind us and took us out.
Aries, Sevan, and Sawyer come around the side of the building with wide grins.
“You won’t get us next time,” Thay warns, causing Aries to laugh.
We mix up teams. Never the same three. And the spotters change, too. Desmond and Austin were the ones overseeing the training today. Not only do they rile us up and get us off our game, but they also watch both teams’ every move. They look for spots we don’t cover. Holes we leave open. Things we should have done differently so we can learn and improve.
Thay takes a few minutes to use his magic to clean us of paint then we enter a big shed where we change, can shift, and store the gear we use for training. We’re currently in the woods of western New Jersey, where Aries had bought land and started a business. Every day, except Mondays, this place is open to the general public. It’s a big paintball course and also a way to get more income for the pack. On Mondays, it’s ours and ours alone. Completely closed to the public.