Page 418 of Master of My Life

“How are you feeling?” Alex asked, standing and pouring coffee into a Styrofoam cup before

handing it to Chase.

Chase shrugged and sat down hard in an empty camp chair. He looked around, wondering if any of

the other men on his team had come along. He couldn’t imagine Ethan doing this alone.

“Your men went out at dawn to see if they’d have better luck than us locating Ethan,” Tony said.

Chase nodded and stared at the fire. He felt numb. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse than

the pain. With the pain, he wanted to do something. The numbness made him want to sleep.

“How can the morning be so beautiful after the horrors of last night?” Seth asked quietly.

“It is what gives us hope, Seth,” Wilhelm said, holding his cup in both hands, the steam drifting

lazily up into his wise face. “If there was no beauty, there would be no hope. Though we know what

can happen, beauty can inspire us to fight for the good.”

“Are we safe here?” Chase asked.

Seth nodded. “Theo and Sebastian put protections over the area. Damian can’t trace us unless we

go out of the ring.” He pointed to several large stones across the way. “That’s the barrier line, but

you’ll feel it if you leave. We have quite a bit of room in here, though.”

Chase stood and walked to the edge of the camp, sipping his coffee but not tasting it. Several

large tents circled around the inside edge of the barrier with a large open-sided meeting pavilion in

the center housing chairs and tables. Chase wondered why and then realized there were over twenty

men at the camp, plus the two Immortals. They needed a big area to talk and plan.

Slowly the camp awakened. Chase helped Tony and Seth make breakfast as the Elders gathered in

the pavilion to talk. He needed to keep busy. Alex sat nearby and flipped through the old tome.

“What are they talking about?” Chase asked Alex as he manned the bacon on the griddle.

Alex looked over at the ten older men. “Sharing information and trying to decide what to do next.”

He studied them for a long moment. “This is the first time they have been able to speak without fear of

being overheard.”

A groan and laughter caught Chase’s attention. Erich, Alex’s cousin, sat on the ground laughing as

Tommy frowned at a gun in his hand. Erich had decided to teach Tommy and Peter how to shoot.

They’d brought out the digital targets and laser bullets. Peter’s shoulders shook with laughter and

Tommy kicked dirt in his direction.

“Try hitting the target next time,” Tony called, shaking his head.

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