Talakai didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked tense, but he nodded. “I’m just doing recon?”
Sebastian locked gazes with him. “You have an issue with that?” His tone could have frozen hell itself.
The Dragonshifter straightened. “No, sir.”
“Good,” the Bellati said. “The locals know we be coming, but not exactly when. They will not make it easy, and if they catch you, they will nail you. It won’t be lethal, but it will incapacitate, and your mission will be declared a failure. You be not authorized to engage the guards, but there be predators, so the weapons be loaded with nonlethal darts. Shift form only in an emergency. This be a two-legged exercise.” When no one commented, he said, “Maddy, I need Team Valkyrie ready to go in half an hour. Darius, Phoenix will have until they return to prepare.” He swept his cold gaze over us all. “I expect you be using every minute wisely.”
We trailed Maddy and her three Dires out of the tent. The four peeled off to the clearing’s other side.
“This way, team,” Darius growled, leading us in the other direction.
I sighed and followed him. Matt moved like his body hurt him. Talakai was rigid as a board. Mari was the only one of us who looked truly calm.
Not a promising start.
We paused in the shadows, and Darius waved the package at us. “I already have a plan.”
I stared at him. “How can you have a plan when you haven’t reviewed the information he just gave us?”
Darius shot a look toward the tent. Sebastian stood just outside it. His eyes were closed, as though he were meditating on his feet.
“I’ve already seen what’s in the package.” When none of us reacted, he sneered. “Which gives our team the advantage.”
I theorized that his liaison with Constance was reaping benefits, and I barely stopped myself from making a snide remark.
“This isn’t a competition,” Talakai snarled. “It’s a mission.”
“You want to mess with the Bellati?” Matt glared at Darius. “You got more balls than brains.”
“I’m not afraid of the horse,” Darius replied to Matt. To Talakai, he said, “And everything’s a competition. I got the parameters for the mission this morning and have spent the day formulating a plan.”
I stared at Darius, and my stomach twisted. It didn’t feel right. It felt like cheating. But when I really thought it through, all it had done was given Darius more time to come up with a strategy. We still had to perform the actual mission.
“Let’s hear your plan,” I said.
Matt shot me a look, but Darius’s eyes lit up. “The goal is several sealed bags in the basement of a building. The recon team’s job is to investigate the best approach to the building and also how to gain entrance.”
He opened the package and pulled out the contents, which included aerial photos of the target building. It was large and sprawling, centered in a small, landscaped clearing surrounded by forest.
“The security is on foot. Fourteen guards in teams of two, three teams have scent animals. Avoiding them will be our main challenge, especially as humans. If all the Dires do partials, we should be able to smell and hear them long before they get to us.”
“Are we allowed to do partials?” Matt asked.
“Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission,” Aaron quipped.
Darius didn’t agree or disagree, simply pulled out the photo with the main trails marked in ink.
“How far out are we?” I questioned.
“Just over four miles,” Darius replied.
“What is the target?” Talakai asked.
“Unknown. That hasn’t been divulged, but it is in pieces. Several sacks, estimated total weight about three hundred pounds.”
My brows rose. “That’s a lot of weight to pack out.”
“I can carry it,” Mari said. “No problem.”
