Page 154 of The Blairville Legacies

“Do you think the human girl will cause problems?” David asked now calmly again, looking at me.

“It’s working to our advantage right now. Believe me, if the Alpha sees that a human has been dragged into this, we’ll not only turn the pack and witches against each other, but we’ll also fuel each of the internal conflicts a bit,” Miles explained from behind me. There was satisfaction in his voice.

It was a coincidence that a human had gotten in the middle of this planned event because we had actually checked all the walk-throughs beforehand.

“The most important thing is that we have the camera footage,” David commented.

A stick flew forward from the back seat in confirmation, and David caught it between his thumb and forefinger.

“What do you think, little brother.” Miles sounded amused. Apparently, he was still resting on his accomplishments.

David just shook his head, being the older of the two at 23. And in fact, the three of us weren’t brothers. David wasn’t even a born DeLoughrey.

“Good,” I said and drove through the increasingly dark and foggy forest, finally turning into the DeLoughrey estate’s rough forest access road with a soft squeal of tires. A few ravens shot up in fright, almost crashing into my windshield, as they always did.

Since I was brought here, the fog has blanketed this territory and kept the wolves from venturing in. The forest is silent on this part of the island, and one can sense any intruder from miles away.

However, it was rare for anyone to stray in here, because what idiot would want to mess with a pureblood Ruisangor, or better, with Nicolaj? Prestige, fortune, and the best training ensured that he trained his clan to be an easily underestimated weapon. If one could put it that way, our clan had supremacy in all of Canada, if not soon in all of North America, were it not for theOrder of Tenebrisin California.

The DeLoughrey clan had been headquartered here in Blairville since the founding days, and that would not change anytime soon. This part of the island was ours.

The fog lifted, and I had to stop again to wait for the electric steel gate to open in front of me, held in place by moss-covered walls that surrounded the entire property.

Two stone angels were looking down at my car from the right and left, probably still considering whether to allow me to enter the Receptum. Often, I felt watched by the countless statues on our grounds.

But no one was watching me.Iwas the watcher.

After the gate opened, I hit the gas once more to get across the gravel driveway between the entrance and the old baroque-style mansion that loomed 500 yards in front of us, like a castle.

“There’s someone waiting for you, Adrian...” Miles teased, and by now, he had sat down sensibly again.

I sped up one last time.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Don’t be a killjoy, David,” it came from behind me.

Miles was right. A little fun was a must.

Then I slammed on the brakes, turning the steering wheel, and the car spun slightly on the flying gravel before coming to a stop.

Within seconds, I turned off the engine, and all three of us got out.

How good it felt to be able to live at normal speed again. This campus, with its slow life, was already hanging out of my throat.

“Ten minutes late.”

On the stairs, arms folded behind his back and wearing one of the newer suits, stood Bastien. He eyed me, then the knee-high planting in front of the building’s large windows, which by now must have had a zillion gravel stones in it.

“We had unfinished business,” Miles chirped with a bit too much glee, and I gave him a punishing look.

“I hope you didn’t have too much fun, boys.”

If he knew why we were late, I would bleed. Not that my mentor was particularly punitive, however, he should be taken seriously because he was the best trained, next to Nicolaj and Camille. And since he had literally moved mountains to get us to this institution, he would give me a good hard time.

“Oh, don’t worry about Adrian. He’s safe with us.”

Miles patted Bastien on the shoulders with a grin and walked past him inside the building.