Page 22

21

WREN

The guys all looked at me like I’d grown two heads. Maybe they weren’t up on their Exorcist references. But hell, Ender looked like he’d gone a round with Mike Tyson.

Then Puck started laughing, and Kingston joined in. I thought I might’ve even heard a chuckle from Brix. But it was Locke who came through for me. “It does seem like an excellent day for an exorcism.”

I grinned at him, my smile huge. “I knew you were my favorite.”

“Hey,” Puck complained. “I thought I was your favorite.”

“Not today, buddy. It’s Locke all the way.”

Puck’s face transformed into a scowl. “Birdie…”

I couldn’t help but laugh, but it died as I turned to find Brix studying me like some sort of specimen on a lab slide. This was it. The moment that could make or break things. “Sorry I freaked the other day. Not sure if you guys know this, but you kind of have an awful reputation.”

Kingston’s lips twitched. “Awful?”

“You’re called The Diablos. That doesn’t exactly bring up mental images of kittens and puppies.”

King groaned. “That’s not what we call ourselves. We like to go by the Arcane Pack.”

I lifted a brow in challenge. “I heard you were some crazy group of mercenaries.”

Puck grinned. “I like being known as a mercenary.”

“You would, buddy.”

He just growled at me.

“We are a security firm,” Kingston explained. “We take jobs on a case-by-case basis. One of them was dismantling a cartel in Mexico. They called us The Diablos. I guess it stuck in certain circles.”

Interesting. I wondered how much of that was true. I knew we were leaving out one very important fact: They were shifters. So, they had senses and gifts that gave them an edge against human factions like a cartel. But I knew they had to face supernatural foes, as well.

“I guess I’d be okay with it if a drug cartel called me the devil,” I mumbled.

Kingston’s lips twitched. “Great point.”

Brix moved in closer, and I swore I heard him sniffing me. I stiffened. My scent shields, the ones that kept my wolf and caster scents hidden, had become second nature by now. They only slipped when I went into an especially deep sleep. But I did a mental check just to be sure. All in place.

I turned to Brix, sending him a megawatt smile, something that seemed to confuse him. “If I smell like fried food, blame buddy over there.” I gestured at Puck. “He refused to help me with the tables.”

“Way to throw me under the bus, Birdie,” Puck grumbled.

Brix studied me, his head tilting from one side to the other. The move was animalistic in nature, maybe because he was closer to his beast than the rest of them. It was always a delicate balance between human and animal. Sometimes, the animal won.

“You smell…wrong,” Brix said, a growl bleeding into his voice.

“All right, then,” Puck interjected, throwing a towel at his friend. “That’s no way to talk to a lady. It’s time for you to get in your weight training.”

“I need to get my workout in, too,” I muttered, heading toward the treadmills. But a chill skittered over my spine. I couldn’t help but wonder what Brix scented that I couldn’t.

“Girlie, you planning on taking on a heavyweight champ I don’t know about?” Clyde asked as he came up beside the speed bag.

I didn’t let his distraction ruin my rhythm. “Just working out the day’s stressors.”

“Heard some gals were mean to you at the bar. Need me to have a word?”

I slowed my tempo on the bag as warmth spread through me. “I’m good. I think they’ll be too embarrassed to show their faces for a while.”

“Good,” Clyde harumphed.

I stepped back from the bag, unwinding my wraps. “Don’t gotta worry about me.”

“Just because I know you can handle yourself doesn’t mean I don’t worry,” he mumbled.

I grinned at him. “I appreciate it.”

Clyde swung his keys around his finger. “I’m headin’ out. King’s locking up tonight,” he said as if checking if that was okay.

Unease slid through me. Brix’s scent comment had me tweaked, as did the fact that all five wolves had hung around throughout my evening workout. Some did their own workouts, King did some training, and Locke holed up on the couch, fingers flying across his keyboard .

But I’d powered through. I wouldn’t give The Diablos any reason to suspect that something was up. I shot Clyde another smile. “Sounds good. I want to work on some grappling this week.”

That had him returning my grin. “You got it, girlie. See you.”

“See ya, gramps.”

He chuckled as he headed for the door while I moved for my bag near the back wall. I tossed my wraps into it and grabbed a towel from one of the stacks in the corner. I wanted to bail so badly, but I wasn’t changing my routine. Would do nothing that gave me away.

I took my time going through my stretches, forcing myself to whisper the counts aloud so I didn’t rush. By the time I was finished, all the guys appeared to be wrapping up. I wasn’t sure that was a coincidence.

Tossing the towel into a hamper, I grabbed my bag and headed toward the door. Puck jogged to catch up with me, grabbing the handle before I could. “Leaving without saying goodbye? Why are you trying to break my heart?”

I patted his chest. “I think you’ll survive, buddy.”

“I like watching that vein in his temple pulse when you call him that,” Locke said, laughter in his voice.

A little of the tension thrumming through me eased at the banter. I felt the most comfortable with Puck and Locke. Something about them was a little less intense than the other three.

“Hurry up,” Ender complained. “I’m fucking starving.”

“Wouldn’t want your sensitive Sally to get hangry,” I singsonged. “Better get him home.”

Kingston chuckled, clapping Ender on the shoulder as we stepped outside. “She knows you too well.”

The parking lot seemed darker than usual, and I found my gaze searching out the reason. One of the pole lights was out. I frowned. Something about that did not sit well with me.

And then I scented it.

Sulfur. The scent that always accompanied dark magic.

Fuck .

My gaze instantly went to the tree line. That’s when I saw them—at least a dozen, all wearing dark robes, their faces nothing but shadows.

One raised their hands in a casting motion, and I felt my magic rise in response. But all I could think about was that I had to warn the wolves.

“Watch out!” I screamed.

And then, all the remaining lights in the parking lot shattered.