Page 21 of Tangled Fates

“I don’t want to leave him, it’s going against everything we’ve ever done, but I don’t see another way.” I looked up at the sky.

“No,” he spat.

“Look, we need to leave to get another necklace,” I said, getting up. “We are wasting precious time to get him back and we know how to get in. We need to go to Lindsey and have her make us a necklace.”

“So, leave him here all alone?” he sneered. “What if he comes back and we are not here?”

“If he were to come back, he would have done it already,” I said, grabbing my things.

“So, you want to leave him and hope he doesn’t come out?” He walked up to me, getting in my face.

My wolf threatened to come out with him blatantly threatening me with his bared teeth.

“Fine, then stay, but it would go much faster if you came with me to get supplies and to feed yourself too,” I said, standing my ground. “You need to eat and you need to bring supplies back for both of you. We need to prepare for possibly taking on something bigger than we could ever imagine.”

His demeanor slowly lost its dominance and anger. He knew I was right, but that didn’t mean he wanted to do it. Leaving Gray was going against all his instincts.

“Fuck,” he snarled, walking away from me.

“The sooner we leave the sooner we can come back,” I said, slipping on my backpack, checking that my vest was secure and if I needed to I could rip it off if I had to shift quickly.

“One day, maybe two days, and if you're not ready to come back, I’m fucking leaving you,” he growled, as he picked up his own things. “Where am I taking us?”

“Take us outside of Denver and I can go to Linds and then Addie,” I said, as my stomach grumbled.

“Ok,” he said, looking back at the mountain Gray disappeared into before throwing the vial and whispering the incantation to start the spell.

Once he pictured where he wanted to go, the portal opened and as much as I was happy to leave to go get what we needed, I didn’t like leaving Gray either. I didn’t like my pack being separated.

“How long does it take to get a fucking necklace juiced up and ready to go?” Soren growled, pacing right in front of me.

It had only been a day and a half since we left the gorge and I was not looking forward to going back, even though this time we would be better prepared. I had taken the longest shower of my life, grateful for fucking hot water and to be able to fully wash myself properly. No one had wanted to be caught naked, so we all took quick rinses in the river while in the gorge.

“She said she needed a day and it hasn’t even been a full day, Soren,” I said, walking into Addie’s little shop. “If you're so tense then go back and I can follow you.”

He stayed quiet as I walked up to the register, where Addie stood reading behind the counter.

“Yes, and it’s going to cost you,” she said, without looking up from her book.

Addie was a seer, but she was also an amazing alchemist. She could imbue magic into any object, and it was powerful. Her brain could also dissect most spells so she could replicate them.

“How much?’ I asked her, expecting her to say some outrageous number.

“Ten grand and a favor,” she said, finally looking up at me with one black eye and one bright blue eye.

Fuck. I didn’t mind the ten grand, but the favor; I hated owing people favors and she knew it. I didn’t have a choice though, I needed her to replicate the portal spells and she was the only one I trusted enough to do it.

“Deal. Ten thousand for five,” I said, knowing that was not what she meant.

She laughed.

“Ten thousand each,” she smirked.

It wasn’t as expensive as I thought it was going to be, but that favor still irritated me. I looked back at Soren who looked livid as hell before looking back at her.

“Fine, I need?—”

“Give me twenty minutes,” she said, holding her hand out to me.

---