Page 84 of Taken By the Alpha Priest

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TILDA

My feelings are mixed as we draw closer to Homestead. I thought I would be excited—eager to see my sister again, for the most part. But I can’t shake the dread sitting like a stone in the pit of my stomach, the feeling that this is a very bad idea.

For one thing, I feel like an idiot. It hadn’t even occurred to me that the people I lived with just a few weeks ago might have an issue with Reyes. He’s diplomatic enough to sway the worst of them, I’m sure, but he shouldn’t have to do that. I’m putting him in a horrible situation.

They could hurt him. They could hurt me, and even Enid, if they don’t like what I’ve done.

“You don’t think we should turn back, do you?” I ask, chewing on my lip.

He glances over at me, looming large as sunlight filters through the trees and illuminating the silver in his hair. He’s wearing a white button-up, denim, cowboy boots–he looks like the consummate Texan man, coming home to meet the parents.

So why the hell am I so afraid?

His brow furrows in confusion. “Do you?”

“I’m just…thinking more and more about this, and I wonder if I wanted to see Enid so badly that I let my judgement slip,” I say. “The people in Homestead—they aren’t kind, Reyes. No matter how badly you want to help them, they might still say no.”

“Which is why you’re going to ride ahead to see if they’ll talk,” he says. “That’s the plan, right? Head up to the gates, call out to them, and see if they’ll negotiate. If they won’t, then they won’t, and we’ll find some other way to deliver insulin to the settlement.”

“They might already know we’re coming,” I say. Despite myself, I’ve started whispering—like someone might be in the woods, listening. “If they’ve been watching, and there’s still a price on your head…”

“I don’t mean to be morbid, but you saw me take out those bounty hunters a few weeks ago,” he says. “I can shift fast enough to fight them if it comes down to it, but I doubt it will. We’re all just people, after all.”

That’s the problem, though.

They might not even think he’s a person.

“We can find another way to contact them,” I murmur. “Tap into the Host’s network? Get a hold of them via extranet…?”

“Tilda,” Reyes says, his voice measured. He pulls his horse closer and I pause as he puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

The horses are calm. Birds sing in the live oaks overhead, not a care in the world.

We’re okay.

So why do I feel like we need to run?

Homestead is just on the other side of the woods, and we reach the edge of the Celestial Curtain by early afternoon. The sunlight fades as we approach, the world dimming into the eerie red haze of the Curtain. Everything is cast in rose gold, the light unnatural and oppressive.

I used to find some comfort in it—back when I thought the Heavenly Host had come to protect us. But now, it just reminds me how much has changed. How much I’ve changed. I don’t belong here anymore. Not really.

I glance at Reyes, and though he hasn’t said anything, I know this place weakens him. His lycan abilities are muted under the Curtain, like a flame struggling against a lack of oxygen. If the people of Homestead catch on to that, if they see him as a threat…

Well, it wouldn’t end well. For either of us.

I clear my throat, breaking the heavy silence. “Stay here,” I say, gesturing toward the edge of the woods. I slide off Annie’s back, my boots crunching on the forest floor as I dismount. I tie her reins to a tree, smoothing a hand over her neck. “I’ll go ahead and bring out a few people—Enid, and the town’s mayor, Patrick.”

Reyes nods and follows suit, dismounting his horse and tying it beside Annie. His movements are deliberate, calm, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. “I don’t want to look threatening,” he says, keeping his voice low, “but if this goes sideways, I won’t hesitate to shift. Just give me a signal.”

I blink at him, caught off guard. “What signal?”

He frowns, clearly thinking. “Don’t know. Any ideas?”

I chew on my lip, considering. “How about I call you Father Garza?” I suggest. “If I say that, it means it’s time to get serious and get out of here.”

He nods, but his eyes darken with concern. “And what about you?” he asks, his voice hard.

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