Page 15 of Guarded By the Bigfoot
“You know why,” I said, turning away before I did something really stupid like kiss him.
I turned back, waiting for him to say something, anything, when Tali breezed through the door.
“The meeting’s set up in the control room,” she said, wings fluttering behind her. “Pack and clan leaders will be linked in five.”
Brock nodded, though his eyes lingered on me. That look, too intense, too much. I bent down, pretending to re-check the contents of my bag just to catch my breath.
A soft giggle drew my attention to Tali. Her wings fluttered rapidly, like a hummingbird’s, and she glanced between us with obvious amusement.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She grinned and shrugged, wings still shimmering.
Brock cleared his throat. “I should head to the control room.”
“I’m coming too.” I zipped up the bag and stood.
“Of course you are.” He shook his head, but I caught the hint of a smile. “No point arguing with you, is there?”
“None whatsoever.”
Tali bounced on her toes. “I like her, Brock. She’s got spirit.”
“That’s one word for it,” he muttered, but the warmth in his voice took any sting out of the words.
I grabbed my jacket. “Lead the way.”
8
BROCK
The operations room hummed with ancient magic and modern technology. Screens flickered with data streams and mystical signatures while crystals pulsed with monitoring spells. I stood before the main display, muscles tense as I tracked the spreading corruption. Each screen showed a different section of the Veil, and every one of them blazed with warning signs.
“The patterns are changing,” I muttered, manipulating the interface to zoom in on a particularly troubling disturbance. The corruption wasn’t just spreading. It was organizing itself into distinct signatures. Multiple signatures.
The communication screens chimed one after another as the pack and clan leaders joined the meeting. Multiple faces and forms materialized in showers of magical energy, each connection shimmering with the unique signature of their territory.
Draven’s face appeared in a shower of golden sparks. “Tell me you’re seeing this, old friend.” His usually smooth voice carriedan edge of genuine concern. Glowing dragon eyes narrowed as he studied the data.
“Multiple entities.” I shared the data stream through our connection, watching expressions darken across all the screens. “At least three distinct signatures.”
“Four.” Thorne’s gruff voice cut through the murmurs of the other leaders, his wolf form prominent among the gathered faces. Frost clung to his fur, evidence of his northern patrol. “Just picked up another one at my boundary. They’re not just gathering. They’re coordinating.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up seconds before Parker’s footsteps approached. Her scent, touched now with something wild that matched my own, wrapped around me like a caress. Every instinct screamed to shield her from what was coming, but I knew better than to try.
“What’s happening?” she asked. The energy pulsed stronger between us, making it harder to focus on the displays. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
“Trouble.” I shifted the screens, showing her the pattern of dark signatures spreading like poison.
“Like moths to really evil flames,” Draven commented, his scales rippling with power. “The dragon clan is spread thin as it is, Brock. If they launch a coordinated attack...”
“They won’t get through.” The words tasted like ash, even as exhaustion pulled at my bones. Today’s confrontation had drained more power than I could afford to lose.
Parker moved closer, her shoulder brushing my arm. The contact sent sparks through my fur.
“There has to be another way,” she said. “You can barely stand. I can see how tired you are.”
“I’m fine.” The lie felt like betrayal, but I couldn’t show weakness. Not now, when everything balanced on the edge.
