Page 76 of Elven Throne

The healer rolled her eyes. “I wish.”

Rebecca swallowed a laugh. “Okay, fine. Since you’re both up and at ’em right now, I’m handing youbothcommand while I’m gone. Dual leadership. Make your decisions together and try not to kill each other.”

Bor whirled on Zida, his scowl darkening. “What the hell did you say to her?”

“Something like ‘good morning,’” the woman grumbled. “Clearly, that was a big mistake.”

“I have every faith in your ability to handle this,” Rebecca told them. “Both of you. But if you need to reach Hannigan or me, for whatever reason, you have our… Well, actually, no. My phone’s gone. You havehisnumber.”

“Well, at least we know they’ll be doing something stupidtogether,” Bor said with a grunt.

“That’s about all the reassurance we’re gonna get.” Zida nodded. “Fine. But you better come back.”

“That’s the plan,” Rebecca replied. “Always has been.”

Then she turned away from the crotchety couple standing in front of their shared tent and hurried after Maxwell toward the side of the farmhouse.

Zida and Bor would be just fine, she knew. Which was exactly why she felt perfectly justified putting them in charge, however temporarily. If she’d asked them about it ahead of time before leaving the compound, they likely would’ve told her to piss off.

But now it was done.

The air was so much quieter and still, even just around the side of the farmhouse. The crickets’ chirping grew louder when she and Maxwell hurried across the grass and onto the front lawn. The Shade vehicles were still parked half a mile down the road, and once they hopped in one of those, they could move as quickly and make as much noise as they wanted.

She’d almost reached the edge of the yard off the road when she felt a sudden change in Maxwell’s emotions—urgent to get going but otherwise a calm and collected focus.

All that disappeared as the shifter froze up, both inside and out.

Rebecca looked over her shoulder and found him standing stock-still, yards behind her, facing the farmhouse and gazing upward.

Only then did she realize how much better lit the front yard was, and not from the moon or any streetlamps. There were none.

A light was on in one of the second-story windows, spilling a soft yellow glow onto the grass at their feet.

Standing at that window, perfectly centered within the frame, was Jim.

Watching them.

Shit.

So much for slipping out unnoticed.

“Is this going to be a problem for us?” Rebecca murmured as loudly as she dared.

“No.” Maxwell still didn’t look away from that window. “Honestly, this is for the best. For all of us.”

“Well then, we better get moving.”

He nodded and turned with her, but she felt him glance over his shoulder for one more look.

Of course it pained him to walk away. This was his family, this place his home, and the only farewell he would receive was a blank stare from his uncle up in a second-story window.

At least they weren’t fleeing an attack on their way out. She had a feeling there would be plenty of that coming up for them in their immediate future, regardless.

They hurried down the road toward the abandoned lot filled with Shade’s remaining vehicles, and Rebecca stopped in front of the Toyota. “Good thing everyone’s made a habit of leaving the keys in for the next person. So those should still be—”

“We’re taking this one.”

With her fingers curled around the handle of the Toyota’s driver-side door, Rebecca turned toward his voice and sighed. “The Honda? Seriously?”

---