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“Where the hell is this?”

Someone had carried Sylvan out of the ruins and put him in one of the cars to recover from the belting Jack gave him. He staggered out of the car, glancing around wildly.

“We have to go back, now.”

“We’re not going back, you little shit,” Aaron said. I eyed Sylvan. He wasn’t exactly small, but I guess everyone was small compared to Aaron.

“No, no, no…” The seer started to move in fits and starts, searching for a way out or a way back, but he obviously wasn’t sure how.

Then he scanned the outer gates of the settlement we were parked outside.

The walls were all made from bound logs, sharpened to points, the gates graceful things covered with intricate carvings, the doors themselves reinforced with curling bands of hammered metal. “You brought us to the Uldariel?!”

I watched his face transform, at first aghast, then unfocussed as something else caught his attention, then it smoothed down to an artificial calm.

“They’ve got our gear and seemed fairly insistent we come for a feast, so we go, we eat, we get our stuff, and we get back to the mission. You gotta problem with that?”

“No, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

The seer’s glib response had me frowning, as was Brandon when I glanced at him.

“Then let’s get inside,” Aaron said. “No fraternising with the locals.” His order was met by the sound of their groans.

“We’ve got no idea what they’re like or what their agenda is, so keep your dicks in your pants and watch what people offer you.

Don’t want to have to rescue you from some kind of sex slave ring. ”

“You can leave me there, Moonie,” one guy said, rubbing his crotch.

“Just remember, you’ve gotta have something to sell,” another guy said.

“Might not be packing that anaconda you got going, but at least mine lasts longer than three strokes,” the first man shot back.

“How about you stop thinking with your fucking dicks for just one minute and focus on the fact we’re entering a possibly hostile citadel?” Aaron said.

That shut them up. They moved finally, walking in a deliberate formation, most clustered near Aaron and Sylvan, rifles over their shoulders, the rest loosely grouped around us.

“That was weird, right?” I said to Brandon.

“Yep. Did you pick up anything when you touched Sylvan?”

“Oh, shit.”

I hadn’t told him or the others about what Slade and I had discovered about Sylvan.

Now that we seemed to be able to touch each other’s minds using whatever that psychic space was, I really needed to set up some kind of mental group chat where the events of the day were passed on, so people stopped getting left out.

I filled Brandon in on what I’d seen as we walked in, my eyes taking in the several rings of spiked wood fences that enclosed the albino elf village.

The only break was this large cobblestone walkway that led up to a series of gracefully made buildings.

The largest was in front of us when we came to a stop. Several of the elves—no, Uldariel waited, smiling in the bright sun.

“Welcome,” said the spokesperson who had invited us for the feast, sketching some kind of bow. “I am Ralnor. Your comrades are inside. Please, come and be welcome.”

The hall was huge, with an arched roof and polished wooden floorboards.

“You may leave your weapons here,” Ralnor said, gesturing to an extensive weapons rack against one wall, a curious combination of armaments displayed on the wall.

“We’ll keep them on hand,” Aaron said before anyone moved.

“Of course. They are fascinating pieces. Human technology, yes?” He nodded. “Specimens come to us occasionally from Silverwood.”

He reached down to untie a leather pouch attached to his belt, the men around me stiffening. His movements slowed down as he pulled out a small handgun and then passed it to Aaron.

My love inspected the piece, unclipping the magazine and eyeing the muzzle before handing it back.

“You’ve kept it in excellent condition, but this kind of handgun has been obsolete in our world for sixty, maybe seventy years.

” He grabbed his rifle, his turn to slow down now as the other Uldariel drew closer.

“Fully automatic, Trijicon holo sight, multiple rails for accessories, angled foregrip, and a glass breaker flash suppressor.”

“They are beautiful machines,” Ralnor said with a shine in his eyes that had the guys’ grips tightening on their guns, but he shook his head.

“But I am neglecting my duties as host. I have my people carrying your supplies down to your vehicles. Perhaps you would like to send some of your people to supervise?” Aaron nodded to several, who peeled off to go back the way we’d come.

“One of my healers could see to your man.” He gestured at Johnno, who eyed the pale man balefully.

I guess that was warranted, as it was his people that put the arrow in his shoulder in the first place.

“What do you think, Johnno?” The man shook his head. “Thank you, but we had a medical kit in the car and were able to perform a field dressing. He’s fine, aren’t you, Johnno?”

The man in question gave a curt nod.

“Well, your clothes have been moved to one of our rooms. Your lady may want to freshen up before the main event.”

“Show us the way,” Finn said, walking in from outside, not looking any more relaxed than he had before. Perhaps he hadn’t been able to ‘get things in hand’ after all.

“Of course, alpha,” Ralnor said with a dip of his head.

The hall opened out into a large square, covered with cobblestones, though much smaller in size. Chairs and stools were set up at the perimeter, and Sylvan took a seat on one of them, looking at a woman who hurried over with a foaming tankard of something with a sour eye.

“So, I’ll just waste yet more time sitting here, shall I?” he snarked.

“You do that,” Aaron said.

In the centre was an expansive firepit, and beside it were quite a few of Ralnor’s people.

Many were stripped down to the waist as they butchered the corpses of the beasts we’d run from.

I glanced at the beautiful fur, now matted with red blood as they were skinned, their entrails dragged out and removed by the women who milled about.

Each carried large baskets and wore thick aprons to avoid the mess staining their pretty dresses.

“Through here, my lady,” Ralnor said, moving to put a hand on my back.

The instant his palm connected with my torso, the guys moved closer, growls rising in their throats.

“My apologies,” he said, stepping away. “I didn’t realise you were yet to formalise your pack.

Vesryn, have the clothes we brought up put into the larger room. You have six men, yes?”

I paused. That sounded obscene, being stated in the calm, reasonable tone Ralnor was using, but I nodded.

“Excellent. Your other men were just getting refreshments, but I will have them sent to you straight away.”

“Stay here, eyes open,” Aaron said to his guys. “I need everyone’s eyes on this building. We’ve got something we need to do in here, and I need to know we’re safe.”

“You got it, Moonie,” Johnno said.

Aaron nodded, and then we all followed Ralnor to another building.

Of course, now that we were in the safe environment Finn had asked for, I felt nervous being alone with my guys.

I put my hand on the door handle and paused.

This was different. Sanctuary seemed to revolve around men hanging around and women making the mating marks, and we were about to ignore that.

I glanced over my shoulder at half my pack, standing there, waiting, and not just for me to open the door.

Walking inside this private space had a meaning to it.

The room was light and airy, the windows covered with thin cotton curtains that had been hand embroidered.

Tapestries showing scenes dominated by large white or black wolves were hung on the walls, but they weren’t what drew my eyes.

It was a huge room, and in the middle was a massive bed that rivalled even the one in our home.

This was pretty too, a four-poster with carved posts and filmy fabric hanging down to create what I bet would feel like a cocoon to hide away from the world.

I moved towards it, instinctively searching for something to settle me after today’s insanity. Then I heard the rumble.

I froze with my knee on the bed, not feeling like me right now—clumsy, spent most of her life as a human, Jules.

I didn’t even feel like the kind of girl who fucked two of her mates to put another in his place.

Rather, when I turned to face the three of them, spread out evenly through the space of the room, Finn in front of the door and blocking my exit, I felt like prey.

Is this why they don’t allow men to mark women?

I thought. They were so still, just standing there, their facial features partially obscured by the diffused light streaming through the windows.

I couldn’t see the softness of Brandon’s eyes or the need to hold me in Aaron’s.

They just watched and waited, like they had all the time in the world.

Then Slade, Hawk, and Jack found us, and seemed to sense the mood before they even got in the door, despite the rough glass bottles in their hands.

A trill of fear slipped through me. How did they know?

Why did they watch me with the same implacable look that seemed expressionless and hungry all at the same time?

Were they communicating with each other without me?

“I—”

I didn’t get the sentence out. A low growl came from Finn as he took a step towards me, the others not far behind.

“Stop!” I said, my voice ringing out, my hand up, as if that would be enough to halt them, but it did. The weird mood didn’t dissipate though, they just stayed where they were, frozen like statues. I studied the lot of them, saw the greenish shine in all of their eyes, and swallowed hard.