Page 58 of Elven Crown

The tension of anticipation rippling through her body was impossible to ignore. Not because she was nervous about this particular mission; this team had already fought Eduardo’s guys and would have walked away from that op with far greater results if Aldous hadn’t shot it all to hell.

But Aldous wasn’t here anymore.

The giant weight of knowing the changelings’ hare-brained plans would only reap disaster for all of them no longer weighed on her shoulders.

Now, it was the weight of needing this team to succeed in their efforts. Otherwise, freeing themselves from Aldous’s idiocy would have been for nothing.

Plus, there was the added pressure of Rebecca now leading her first official mission as Shade’s Commander.

Not that much would change if things went wrong. Maxwell had blamed her for more than her fair sharebeforeshe’d taken command. He would doubtlessly blame her for it still.

Only now, if anything went wrong, it would be Rebecca’s fault. Just like ensuring the success of this mission was her responsibility.

On top of all that was a bonus weight sinking in her gut and hardening into a dull pain every time she thought of it.

She had Rowan here with her team this time.

It wasn’t the first time she’d been out in the field or moving against an enemy with Rowan at her side, no matter how long it had been.

The problem was, Rebecca still didn’t know if he would shape up and join them in achieving their objective, or if he still refused to take any of this seriously.

Which was why she’d ordered him to join this op.

The Blackmoon Elf could still cause an enormous amount of damage while they were here, if he wanted. But leaving him to his own devices at headquarters, without Rebecca there to oversee him, was even more dangerous.

When it came to Rowan, no matter what she did, she still couldn’t win.

Within the still, steady darkness of the docks, a flash of violet light caught Rebecca’s attention. She looked up toward the top of one of the shipping containers stacked and waiting to be loaded, and another quick flash of violet light greeted her.

Nyx’s signal to the team in quick strobing flashes let them all know there was still no sign of the enemy’s approach from her position. But when Eduardo’s convoy of vehicles laden down with the weapons he meant to ship out came into view, Nyx would be the first to see them.

Then the team would be ready to execute their ambush.

From three other positions around the shipping yard came three other bursts of different-colored magical light—or, in Titus’s case, two blinking signals from a flashlight—all offering the same update.

No one had eyes on the target yet, but everyone’s eyes were open. And they were waiting.

Rebecca had enough patience to understand the importance of lying low, but the team had been here for almost half an hour already, which had already chipped away at the urgency of what they were doing.

Once every operative stationed elsewhere around the docks gave their signal as well, Rebecca couldn’t help but wonder if they’d missed something.

She turned toward Maxwell crouching beside her behind the shipping container and whispered, “You said this was a time-sensitive thing.”

“It is,” he replied without removing his gaze from the docks. “Eduardo’s guys will be here. Intel confirmed it.”

“Did they confirm an exact time?”

“We got a hit the second that convoy left Eduardo’s base. Judging by the way those griybreki fought us the last time, it wouldn’t surprise me if they struggled with organization.”

With a snort, Rebecca scanned the docks again. “They were organized enough to drive us away last time.”

“Not a proud moment for any of us.” Maxwell turned his head a fraction of an inch to meet her gaze, and she would have laughed if they weren’t holding covert positions right now.

Understatement of the year from the shifter.

No mission with Aldous had been a proud moment for Shade or any of its operatives, but now they had a chance to fix all that. The opportunity began tonight, right here.

A heavy metallic thump echoed on their right, and both Rebecca and Maxwell turned slightly that way, their weapons raised in defensive readiness.

---