Page 178 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

“No.” Griffin shut the door and started the car. The composure he’d been maintaining slipped away, revealing his worry. “The crystals almost lost power.”

“Impossible.” Rosemary crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “That can’t happen. The guards would have contacted the witches when the power began to flicker.”

“The guards weren’t there.” Griffin ran his hands through his perfectly gelled hair, causing it to stick up. “And Dick somehow has the council believing that it’s my fault.” He backed out of the parking spot and turned toward the heart of the city. As we pulled away, the group inside stepped from the building.

We’d left in the nick of time.

Their conversation baffled me. I didn’t understand a word of what they were saying, other than the power flickering. “Whatare the crystals, and how are they important?” I asked. Magic circulating in the air could be powerful, but it was also short-lived, so I didn’t understand how a witch could leave if their magic fueled the grid. I hadn’t realized how large this city was.

“Crystals.” Rosemary blew out her breath. “Varying types of gemstones in different sizes that stabilize the witches’ spell to make it last longer and hold the protective shield in place.”

“Well, if that’s the case, how did the witches not know they were weakening?” Surely they couldn’t blame Griffin for that. They should have the replenishments scheduled and not wait for someone to randomly call and ask the witches responsible to come recharge the crystals.

“It’s not that simple.” Griffin turned back onto the main road and glanced in the rearview mirror. “You can get up now if you want. None of them will be able to see you.”

“All this is ridiculous,” Rosemary grumbled as she lifted her body into one of the seats.

Griffin chuckled. “Who would’ve thought you’d become friends with my fated mate and we’d have to keep you hidden?”

“If you would’ve told me that three months ago, I would’ve thought you were insane.” Rosemary rolled her eyes. “Not saying that I don’t actually think that.”

I almost felt like I was listening to Killian and Sierra talk to one another. Rosemary usually stayed on point. “Why didn’t the witches know that the barrier was weakening?”

“Because the barrier keeps the city hidden from human eyes, there isn’t an exact science to tell how long the spell will last. It depends on how many humans are in the outer towns at any given time.” Griffin pulled onto the road that ran parallel to the buzzing metropolis. Even from where I sat in the passenger seat, I could easily see the divide among the races: the angels flew around the city sky in groups; the paler-skinned vampires with their overly sweet smell congregated on the side of the street;shifters were gathered, hanging out in front of a place called Shifters’ Dive. Some hairy men who had to be bear shifters were laughing loudly while sipping foaming glasses of what appeared to be beer.

The herbal scent that Griffin had informed me signified witches hovered around a group perusing the wares at a stand that showcased crystals, herbs, and all things needed for spells.

I noticed that whenever two groups of supernaturals passed, neither acknowledged the other’s presence, as if the other people didn’t exist.

It unsettled me. The lack of regard would mean horrible things in the future if it didn’t get taken care of.

I tore my eyes from the beautiful buildings and focused on what had to be fixed first. “So...I’m still not following.”

“The more humans who visit, the more magic must be used to keep up the illusion. If there aren’t as many humans nearby, the spell will last longer.” Rosemary broke the facts down for me. “So we have guards stationed at each gate that leaves Shadow City. The building containing the crystals is guarded by wolves because they had to step in for your ancestors. Someone is always on duty in case something happens or the city is infiltrated, but mainly to keep an eye on the levels. The spell has a signature they’re trained to identify, and if it begins to fade, they are to alert Erin that someone needs to come refresh it.”

“There are also other magical artifacts in a warehouse near the crystal building that have to be protected.” Griffin cleared his throat. “We aren’t privy to what, but the witches swear that if the items were to be stolen, there would be severe consequences.”

“See, that’s my whole point.” I felt like a broken record. “The witches don’t feel obligated to tell you what’s at stake because they see themselves as a separate community. We need to bridge the gap and learn to work together.”

“I see your point, but change won’t happen overnight.” Rosemary sighed. “This is how things have been for centuries.”

Dick blamed Griffin, but why? “Why were the guards called off? And how?”

“I have no clue.” Griffin tapped a finger on the steering wheel. “I didn’t approve anything that would have directed them to leave their stations.”

Obviously, thehowwas the leverage Dick had against Griffin, so we had to figure out what the hell it was. “Rosemary, your mom was there. Do you think you could find out from her what Dick told everyone?”

“Yeah, I should be able to do that.” Rosemary sighed.

“And are all the guards wolves?” The question kept popping into my brain. “I mean, there are other races, too. Wouldn’t they want to protect the city as well?”

“There are vampire guards who protect the vampire side of Shadow City and the bridge that connects the city to Shadow Terrace, which is on the opposite bank of the river from Shadow Ridge. The vampire gate is also how Shadow City vampires get their blood supply, since humans don’t live here,” Griffin answered, his voice tight. “And there are Shadow City police, but the force is small and made up mostly of shifters who aren’t wolves so that the wolf shifter representatives don’t have undue influence in case someone needs to be taken down. There aren’t a lot of them, but they protect the artifact warehouse and have a few people on patrol.”

That made sense and was great for checks and balances. If wolves protected everything, all Griffin would have to do would be to use his alpha will, and he’d gain access to anything he wanted.

We pulled up to a large golden building with a sign outside that declared it the Elite Wolves’ Den with a wolf pawprint underneath. The building had to be forty stories high. Griffinpulled into an attached garage and scanned his badge to open a gate for the lower parking level.

“This is my stop.” Rosemary opened the door and climbed out. “I’ll get to the council meeting early. Meet me at the coffee stand inside the council building, and try not to act suspicious. I’ll tell you everything I know then.” The door shut, and she took off so fast that she blurred.

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