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“Smugglers.” Oli nodded as he grinned. “Leave them to me.”

“Christ. Go with him, Ben,” Kurt instructed.

“A-team to the rescue,” the cheeky vampire replied. “Just like the good old days.”

“You mean when I saved your ass all the time?” Oliver snorted, then teleported away.

“That never happened,” Ben muttered, then disappeared.

Kurt, Logan, and Mack stood up and walked slowly along the dusty path, waiting for an update. It only took three or four minutes before a double-cab Toyota Ute in need of a muffler repair pulled up beside them.

“Get in, boys.” Oliver grinned from the driver’s seat.

Ben sat shotgun and in the back were two humans looking stunned—the result of vampire compulsion.

“Let’s head to the Soviet.” Logan clapped his hands, as if this was a road trip to Vegas or something. He shoved the humans over and closed the door.

“Russia, dude. It’s the twenty-thousands,” Mack said, leaping into the back of the Ute in one jump.

“Semantics.”

Kurt shot Mack a grin when he joined him, crash-landing onto the cab. Then whacked the side of the vehicle. “Let’s move out.”

With a skid, the Ute moved forward and their journey to the border continued.

Mack lay his head back, despite all the bouncy-bouncy, and tried to tune out Ben, who was giving directions from Google Maps.

“It says three hours. Route has tolls and crosses a region border. Blah, blah, the border is closed and not open...whatever. We aren’t asking permission.”

Logan got some information out of the smugglers about what to expect from the Russian side. They had one of the biggest armies in the world, and the more knowledge they had before crossing, the better.

It could mean life or death, even to them.

As vampires, they had the ability to circumvent most military environments, but nobody liked a surprise. And given the world was aware they existed now, and their number one enemy lived in the country that they were illegally crossing into, well, information was handy.

Mack pulled out his phone as they drove through the dark and scrolled through his messages with Ella. He couldn’t help his smile at the cute excitement she’d showed when leaving Seattle just days ago.

So much had changed.

He’d been such a dick when she arrived at the castle. God, he hoped he could get home and show her what she meant to him.

Listening to his dad seemed like the right thing to do when he was younger. Mack still couldn’t regret that they weren’t bonded before changing to a hybrid. If it had harmed her in any way, that would have destroyed him.

It still could destroy her.

Ella needed to accept him and his wolf. Not knowing was eating at him, now that he’d finally let his love for her into his heart.

We’ve landed. I miss you.

...

You said you loved me, then disappeared. I’m so mad at you.

Mack smiled.

But you miss me, right?

Ugh, you are so frustrating.