Page 24 of Stolen Oath
“That’s ludicrous, Char. You know it as well as I do.” I dismissed the idea immediately. “It’s impossible to find a seer worth half the effort you need to protect her. It’s like finding a unicorn if you discover one who could see the future for real.”
“As impossible as finding a Louisiana coven of witches migrating to LA?” Char cocked an eyebrow at me, looking unimpressed.
My mouth opened, then closed.
“It is as unfeasible as finding a witch in Santa Monica, passing for a candlemaker.” Dimitri finished hammering the point with a smirk on his face.
“Okay, fine. I admit I could be wrong. Make sure you mark the day in your calendar, Char.” Blowing out an annoyed breath I turned to look down at the creeps outside. “Probable? Not likely. Possible? Maybe.”
“Be that as it may, we must proceed as we planned. This changes nothing apart from having us be more prepared.” The alpha said it like someone died and made him God.
He even stretched his neck a bit to look over both our heads out the window with such an apathic expression you’d think the spelled souls outside inconvenienced his Sunday brunch.
“Why are we hanging out with this guy again?” I tilted my head closer to Char and muttered in a low tone as if he won’t hear me. “He seriously thinks he can boss us around. Look at him.” My elbow jabbed into her ribs and she flinched away. “Just look.”
“Play nice with the wolf, Allie.” Char snorted at the frown bunching up Dimitri’s forehead. “We might need his help sooner than you think.”
“I dunno. I doubt he knows how to play fetch.” Try as I could I wasn’t able to hide the humor from my tone.
Pressing both hands on the glass, I leaned into it straining my neck to see up but it was difficult. While we talked and waited on Angela, I scanned the area outside and was pleased to see the pack had woods almost attached to the back of the mansion, the tall trees stretching their branches to brush parts of the large home on one corner. That could work to our advantage if I could figure out how to get up on the roof.
“How many stories is this house?” Looking over my shoulder I nearly touched Dimitri’s chest with my nose. I didn’t notice when he moved that close to me. “I see you still haven’t learned about personal space.”
Storm blue eyes lazily blinked down at me while the alpha totally ignored me as if I had not spoken. My heart picked up speed and I was grateful for the coolness of the glass or the chances were I would’ve turned into a puddle right there and then. When his nostrils flared his gaze sharpened on my face.
“Three stories,” Dimitri answered. “Plus, the basement and attic, which are counted as a double level each.” At my raised eyebrow he shrugged slightly. “The pack uses the house as their headquarters. They need the space.”
“I think I have an idea on how we can get the hyenas and vamps out of here where we don’t have to worry about me being seen where I’m using my…you know.” Wiggling my fingers in the air to indicate my magic I leaned into the glass again to make sure that one tree I had been eyeing would work. “I do need a rope though. So, that might be a slight problem. I didn’t exactly come prepared to crawl up buildings from the outside.”
“Ropes are not a problem.” Angela joined the conversation again as if she never left. “My parents developed a love for rock climbing, we have enough equipment for an army here somewhere.”
The curvy wolf sauntered into the room completely unclothed, and my friend and the alpha didn't blink an eye at all the exposed skin she was flaunting. In her hand she carried a bouquet of dripping wet Calla Lilies, which she unceremoniously tossed onto the sleek cream rug at our feet. Her hair was loose too, falling like a silky waterfall over her shoulders and down her back. Char and Dimitri were unfazed since every normal person knew nudity amongst shifters was commonplace, but my eyes remained fixated on the unexpected sight a second too long to be considered polite.
I felt like a creep.
Not wanting for the female to catch me staring like a teenage boy that had never seen boobs before, I pointed at the Callas on the floor. It was discernable this close that they were not of the magical variety, thank the stars. They looked real enough before, but I didn't want to keep looking at them to remind myself why they were placed on the fountain in the first place.
“They were not worth your life if any of the shifters or vamps attacked.” I told Angela but she only blinked at me like I’d spoken a foreign language.
“The alternative was my father going feral, and in his state killing a bunch of his associates.” Nodding in gratitude she took the jacket Dimitri offered her and she slipped it on, finally covering up her nudity. “Which is never good for business…or so I’ve heard.” The female snorted making me think I missed some inside joke somewhere.
“Judging by the uninvited guests we have I’m guessing your ex was a bloodsucker?” Angela turned to Char this time with an expression full of understanding. “They do tend to get very possessive like this.” Her hand twirled in the direction of the flowers.
It took me a moment to realize that Angela thought an ex-lover of Char’s was trying to win her over since I dumbly said Callas were my friend’s favorite flowers. It was much better than the alternative of me confessing who and what I was by any stretch so I didn’t correct her.
“You should not have gone outside alone, Angela.” Dimitri scowled like some grandfather. “We don’t know what we are dealing with.”
“Don’t we?” Cocking a hip she didn’t back down which elevated her in my book. “It’s obvious it’s some potion gone wrong that they took. Maybe the dude thought she would feel empathy for them and try to fix it. She is a sorceress after all, isn’t she?”
The conversation was taking us nowhere, and we were running out of time; I could feel it in my bones. The psycho hive mind creatures outside weren’t going to stay transfixed for much longer my intuition warned me.
“About the rock-climbing equipment that you mentioned.” I chirped in, batting my eyelashes at the she wolf who looked as if she forgot I was there. I was not sure if I should be offended. “Can we get it now? Sooner rather than later would be preferred.”
“And what are you planning on doing with it, may I ask?” Bright blue eyes narrowed down on me as if I was a five-year-old asking to play with the expensive china. “Throw candles at the bloodsuckers?”
Lots of snarky comments popped in my head many not appropriate to be said on a pirate ship much less in front of people I didn’t know too well so I swallowed them down.
“Go out that window so I can try and lead them away from the house.” I answered truthfully. “I’ll climb.”
