Page 12 of Sparks Flying

“You’re worried they’ll come here.”

He nodded. “It’s well known throughout the shifter world that all ravens are witches. We’ve already seen evidence that the Collectors know this too. If they have the capability to annihilate an entire species, what do you think they could do to you?”

“I see. What can we do to stop it?”

“For starters, we’re going to lock down security. Archie is here with us, and already working on perimeter surveillance. You’ll need to meet with him to go over his findings this afternoon.”

“Of course. And while I appreciate the assistance, I would very much like to be kept in the loop and have final approval for any changes you suggest we make to our current system and processes.”

“That’s not a problem. Archie can be, well, difficult at times. Pig-headed. Stubborn. Really quite obstinate.”

“I get the picture,” I said, cutting him off.

“But I promise he’s going to try.”

Something told me I was not going to like this one single bit.

Bailey

Chapter 4

“Bailey and Chandler, you’ll go with Archie and get started on securing the area right away. Luka and Jude, you’re with me. We have a meeting this morning with Dean Davenport to explain what the feck we’re doing here,” Patrick said.

When we arrived yesterday, Ryan Davenport and his brother, Elias greeted us. They were ridiculously handsome, but also had their mates with them. Still, they were nice to look at.

I may choose not to act or date, but I was still a breathing female. I could appreciate a gorgeous male when I saw one. These men had a mysterious vibe with their black hair, fair skin, and standoffish attitude that gave them an aura of mystery.

Okay, not so much Ryan. He was the mayor of Ravenden after all and he at least smiled. But Elias? Oh yeah, he was definitely the dark and mysterious type. The only time he truly seemed to soften that rough exterior was when he looked at the Kim, his mate. It was enough to make this romance movie loving heart melt.

We’d all had dinner together at their sister’s diner while Patrick went over a few things, like why we were even here.

Gia was really nice and the perfect host. From her shockingly red hair to her infectious smile, she was nothing like her brothers. Her mate, David, was a lot of fun too. Once we learned that he was a mimic, Jude and Chandler asked him to prove it. So he did. While the “grownups” talked, David entertained us by shifting himself into every object imaginable, even Archie. The often grumpy mole shifter was not amused. In fact, he looked down his nose through his round spectacles andstared at his own image for a moment before saying, “I am not amused.”

I thought Patrick was going to put the four of us back on a plane and ship us home to San Marco when we all burst out laughing.

Ryan and Elias had taken it in stride though and even admitted they both wished David had been around when they were still in high school and had a big test or something that he could have stood in for.

It was a fun night and I think we all relaxed a lot because of it.

This was our first mission and kind of a big deal. No one in the internship program expected to see actual field work. In fact, we were explicitly told we wouldn’t.

My head was still spinning, and I kept discreetly pinching my arm just to ensure it was actually real.

I was here, on a real Westin Force mission. This was my dream, or at least I thought it was. Maybe this mission would help me see things clearly.

Until yesterday, I had never left Westin Pack territory before. Now, here I was halfway across the country. It was thrilling, but as the excitement waned and the dawn of a new day began, I realized that the smells of Ravenden were quite different from I was used to. It didn’t have the comforting, woodsy scents I loved, yet there was something appealing in the air here. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. It certainly didn’t soothe me like back home. Instead, it made me jittery, nervous even. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

At least this was a group of shifters. What would it be like to be surrounded by humans?

I shuddered to think about it.

Maybe field work wouldn’t really be in my future. There were lots of other positions at Westin Force, though. Maybe I could work for Archie.

I bit back a smirk as I thought it.

Archie was short and plump. He had beady eyes with a long nose that a pair of round Harry Potter like glasses sat on, but instead of a cool vibe they reminded me more of the monocle the Monopoly guy wore.

“We’re going to scan the area from here and identify any vulnerabilities. With a secondary highway running right through town, I know there are plenty. We’ll address that mess later. Right now, I’m looking at the edges,” he explained.

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