Page 87 of Season of the Wolf

I crept to the window for a better look.

“Ithinkit’s all clear.”

“Good. Get out of there,” he ordered, adding a firm, “Now!”

“Okay.” I was sure he knew how freaked out I was, because I’d never bent to his will that easily, not even when he still held the power to outrank me.

“Ben and Kyle are already with me, helping out, so we’ll leave now and meet you at Mom and Dad’s,” he stated, sounding like he’d already begun the dash toward his truck.

“See you in a bit.” I ended the call and turned to the others. “We have to go. Richie thinks it’s a bad idea to stick around.”

“Then I’m with Richie,” Chris replied, his wide-eyed expression telling of how on board he was with the idea of getting as far away from here as possible.

“Did you get a hold of Beth?” I said, turning to Lucas as I grabbed my hoodie from the back of the couch.

He nodded. “Yeah, she’s safe at home with her parents. I told her to tell her folks they needed to stay in and to keep the doors locked.”

“I just … I don’t understand.” At Roz’s words, I turned toward her, breathing deep. It didn’t make sense to me either.

“Why here?” she asked. “Why you?”

There was a strong possibility this was personal, not just some random act of darkness. It may have very well been a message.

A warning.

I’d chosen to spare Roz most of the details from our battle with the Sovereign. She seemed content to know everyone made it back alive, not pressing for more information. So, one of the things she wasn’t made aware of, was how Evie and I came face-to-face with the Sovereign, his son.

How I was likely just as much a target for foiling their plan as Evie had been.

Only, I didn’t have the protection she did.

When I didn’t readily offer a response, I felt Roz’s eyes burning a hole through me.

“What aren’t you saying, Nick?”

I could have told her what I suspected—that this was the Sovereign’s way of flexing his muscles, letting me know he was in town and knew exactly where to find me—but it would’ve just been speculation. So, I kept it to myself.

“We don’t know it’s personal,” was my answer, but deep down, I believed differently.

Roz said nothing. If I had to guess, that keen intuition of hers had already determined things were more dire than I mentioned, but maybe she wasn’t asking for details because she didn’t reallywantthem.

She dropped the issue, instead asking adifferentquestion.

“What about Evie?”

Grateful for the conversation shift, I blinked.

I’d already shot her a text as soon as I hung up with Richie, but didn’t think to call. Mostly out of respect for Roz, but also due in part to being sure Liam would be close by.

“I know they’ve basically got the National Guard surrounding the house,” Roz added, “but still … you should check in to at least give her a heads up,” she went on to suggest.

I slipped on my shoes while I thought about it, deciding Roz was right. I moved toward the door while the phone rang against my ear.

No answer.

I tried again, and still nothing.

“They’re probably asleep,” Roz chimed in again. “Normally, I wouldn’t think it was a good idea to show up at the door unannounced, to wake them, but … circumstances,” she concluded, staring while I thought.

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