“On my way back to Vegas. I should be there in—”
“Can you meet me at the Wolf’s Head instead?”
“Uh . . . I guess?”
“Good. How long?”
“I don’t . . . maybe an hour?”
“Make it less.”
The call ended with me staring at my phone and wondering what the hell.
“Problem?” Caleb asked. He was riding shotgun, having entrusted his bus to the boys, since it was larger. They’d be back in town tomorrow, with Danny driving and Cyrus riding the bike. Leaving us with only one form of transportation tonight and me with a dilemma.
“No. Just a quick diversion.”
“It better be quick. We got clean up to do.”
“Hey, take your time,” Aki said from the back seat.
“I’m not doing any more dishes.” That was Chris, sounding belligerent from the truck bed.
“I left a lot of it soaking,” Caleb informed them. “It won’t be that bad.”
“Says the man who doesn’t know how to cook.”
“But I do know how to do a gag spell.”
The peanut gallery got noticeably quieter after that.
I’d have preferred that they didn’t, as the jabber was a distraction from my thoughts, which were grim. And became grimmer when we turned into the dirt road that led to the Council Grounds, also known as the Wolf’s Head, a large, rock cut stadium inside a natural formation of cliffs. It should have been dark tonight, with the monthly meeting of clan leaders more than a week in the past, but no.
“What is that?” Caleb asked, sitting forward at the sight of a haze of light spilling out of the top of the cliffs, turning them a dull red and frankly somewhat ominous.
That wasn’t helped by the huge torches burning in front of the entrance, shedding yellow puddles that reminded me of eyes. That was by design, as the formation had been chosen as much for its appearance as its size. Pointy shards of rock jutted upward toward the star field like wolf’s ears, and the entrance was through a narrow passage along what, if you squinted, looked like the snout of a crouching beast.
The image was heightened tonight by the vehicles scattered out front, on the hard packed dirt that served as a parking lot. They reminded me of pieces of meat, shredded by those powerful jaws. And wasn’t that just a wonderful thought to have?
“Lia?” Caleb said, when I didn’t answer. “I asked what that is.”
Trouble, I didn’t say, because my brain didn’t know that yet. But my gut did, and was clenching as we rolled to a stop. I left some space between the truck and the rest of the vehicles, and parked off to one side before turning to Caleb.
“Wolf’s Head. It’s where the clans meet,” I explained. “If I’m not back in a few minutes, take the truck and go home. I’ll get a ride with Sebastian after.”
“After what?” he asked, his eyes on the glowing rocks as though having some of the same thoughts as me. “And you’ve had a hell of a day. Can’t this wait?”
“No. You don’t ignore a summons.” And that was exactly what that call had been, although I had no idea why. Probably had something to do with this morning, though.
Great.
“You’re just trying to get out of clean up,” Aki said, forcing a laugh and attempting to lighten the atmosphere.
It didn’t work.
“We’ll go in with you,” Sophie said, eyeing the two burly guards standing on either side of the entrance.
They were big guys in suits with gun bulges under their arms that they didn’t need, because they were Weres. They looked like they could handle themselves, but were far less impressive than the usual council guards, who were nowhere to be seen. I frowned, my eyes scanning the area as if I thought they might have wondered off somewhere.