Page 111 of Artemis' Bow
My stomach rumbles embarrassingly loud and I growl in frustration. Olly jogs over with a bag in his hand and gives it to me.
“The leftovers from the hotel,” he says. “Figure you can use them more than I can.”
“Thanks, Olly.” I reach in the bag and pull out a taco, practically inhaling it before reaching for another.
This new normal is going to be a pain in the ass. I have been using massive amounts of magic since we’ve been on this mission.
“Okay, bestie, you can stuff your face in the SUV while we head out to New Orleans.” Raven chuckles.
“You wait. This is in your future too, I’m sure. When you use your new trick too long in battle, you’re gonna be starving all the time just like me.”
“Shit,” Jayden says. “Are we gonna have to start carrying snacks on the battlefield?”
Greyson and Thad burst out laughing at the expression of pure horror on Jayden’s face. I don’t know how that would work, but it’s a thought worth looking into. I shrug and pull a burrito from the bag. Jayden opens the door for me, and I climb into the passenger side of the SUV, happily munching on the burrito as we head down the highway to our final destination.
The rest of the drive is uneventful, only Greyson’s occasional directions piercing the quiet in the vehicle. The city of New Orleans is beautiful with a ton of history and gorgeous gardens in some places. When we turn the corner to get to the temple, my jaw drops open.
“We need to fucking hide, now.”
They were expecting us, and I knew it, but the view in front of us is worse than I could have ever imagined.
We are so screwed.
27
“How did they get this many monsters in one place without humans noticing?” Raven sits forward between the seats.
“I think we should retreat and regroup. We need to figure out how to do this without losing anyone.” I chew my lip.
“All right, let’s head out but not too far away because we need to keep an eye on them. This just got a whole lot more complicated.” Jayden squeezes my thigh.
We meet the others in a parking lot about a mile away from the secluded temple. The place is deserted, which suits our purposes perfectly. I lean against Jayden, exhausted but too terrified by the sight of that many ancient monsters in one place to think about sleep.
“You guys are dead on your feet.” Draven points at me.
“Yeah, it’s been an exhausting few days. You have no idea how many monsters we’ve fought and now there’s a horde of them outside the temple.” I press my forehead to Jayden’s shoulder.
“You guys should go get some rest,” Kira says. “We are a lot better rested than you, and if we just watch, then there won’t be any trouble, I’m sure.”
“No, we can’t leave you guys here and go rest when all that is going down.” I wave a hand vaguely in the direction of the temple.
I straighten my shoulders and glance between the four of them. They helped in the battles as much as they were able. They have to be exhausted too. We can’t just go sleep while they stay up and do recon for us. It isn’t right.
“I’m not asking,” Kira says, determined. “You can barely stand, let alone fight if needed.”
“This is my mission, Kira. I can’t expect you guys to put yourselves in danger while we sleep,” I argue.
“You can and you will,” Dax says, arms crossed. “You’re a liability like this and you know it.”
“They’re right, B. We have a huge fight ahead of us that we can’t possibly win with you like this.” Raven shakes her head.
“Fine. I’ll go back and rest, but I’ll need to call you with the shell to let you know where the hotel is we end up booking. That way you can find us and we can regroup if needed,” I say. “Who’s coming with us?”
“Your entire team needs rest,” Kira says.
“Actually,” Thad cuts in. “I haven’t really done much of anything. I’m good for recon.”
Adrian nods. “Me too, I have had a couple visions but nothing too taxing. I’m good.”
