Page 5 of Fastlander Fallen

“Fantastic, do you feel better?”

Corey scrunched up her face. “Literally no.”

“Okay, well, I hear journaling your feelings is helpful,” he said as he turned and walked away.

“Thank you, stranger, for making me feel even worse,” she called.

“Thank you for unpairing us,” he said over his shoulder.

She didn’t know what it said about her, but it was only eight in the morning and she could already use a drink.

“What is this?” she asked.

The man stopped walking, and she could see the tension in his shoulders ease. He turned. “You know, if you want more time with your cousin, you could apply to be in the Fastlanders.”

“Fastlanders?”

“It’s the Crew.” He gestured to the crowd. There had to be seventy or eighty people gathered here. “People are flooding this place for a chance to be chosen.”

Okay. She was interested.

Corey meandered over to him, her arms still crossed over her chest. “Why do they want to be chosen for Hallie’s Crew?”

His nostrils flared, and now his hands were on his hips again. He looked around and lowered his voice. “It’s not for the human. They’re here because of Gunner.”

She frowned. She knew him personally. He struggled with his animal. He had been rough on his last Crew. “Why?”

“The son of Haydan and Cassie of the Saw Bears, one of the original Crews in Damon’s Mountains, has been listed by the blue dragon as the one who will be the beginning of the expansion of his territory. The blue dragon is needing more. No one knows why, but being in one of his Crews means safety. It means protection.” He gestured to the others. “They’ve traveled from everywhere just for a shot at being one of the few who will live here.”

She looked around at the milling crowd. This was different than she’d thought. Here she’d been worried about a missed breakfast date, and Hallie was trying to manage a mass of monsters meeting with her man. Corey dragged her gaze to Hallie on the front porch. She looked uncertain as she talked to one of them.

All right. She was overwhelmed, and Corey had gotten pushed to the back burner. It didn’t mean she didn’t love Hallie. It didn’t mean she didn’t want the best for her.

She felt like crap. Sure, she was going through a lot, but if Hallie said she hadn’t known her home would be flooded with these shifters this morning, Corey believed her. Hallie was an honest woman.

And here were the choices again—she could stomp out of here and be mad for days and eventually call a cousin-meeting with Hallie and try to fix what was broken.

Or…she could do what they had always done for each other, and just be there no matter what.

She inhaled deeply, and exhaled her anger. There was no use for it today. They could deal with her feelings another time, but right now? Hallie could use a friend.

“Thanks for explaining,” Corey murmured, striding past him.

“Are you going to sign up for the Crew?” Bagel Boy asked.

“No.”

“Wait,” he said. “What are you going to do?”

She turned and forced a smile. “I’m going to help my cousin interview you monsters.”

A slow smile took his lips. “I’m Ace.”

“Corey.”

He nodded. “Good to meet you, Corey.”

“You aren’t getting free points in your interview,” she called as she walked away.

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