“You aren’t coming,” Darius growled.
“What?” I exclaimed. “Why not?”
“She’ll only slow us down,” Aaron complained.
“I wasn’t aware it was a race,” Matt growled.
“When in enemy territory, speed is always necessary. And the Dorinthian will be too slow. So she stays here.”
“We’re a team, Darius,” I argued. “And we’ll need her strength once we get there. We won’t be moving very fast loaded like that.”
“I’m team leader. It’s my call,” snarled Darius.
I seethed but looked for the compromise. “What if she follows us? We can meet her on the way back out, and she can help us carry the packs from there.”
Darius frowned and opened his mouth, but Talakai interjected, “It’s a sensible compromise. I can fly cover to keep her out of trouble.”
“I’d rather you were packing with us,” Darius grumbled to the Dragon. “Why does the damned horse want you in the sky?”
“I don’t know, but he does,” Talakai said. “Unless you want to argue with him, too?”
Movement from the clearing’s other side caught my attention—Sebastian, speaking quietly with Maddy. The dark-haired Dire sent his owl into the night sky, and the four Dires melted into the bushes. As one. Already a team.
Matt had pulled Talakai off to one side and leaned close to say something to him. The Dragon’s mouth straightened and his gaze moved to me, before he nodded.
I frowned at him, glanced at the rest of my team, and bit my lip. Nothing about this was going to go well. But I was determined to give it my best. It was all I could do.
And I had to stay calm while doing it. Or things might get out of control in a hurry.
41
Anna
Team Phoenix moved along the trail and paused at a spot where it divided into three branches.
Upon their return, Valkyrie had outlined everything from the best paths to take, to the ideal way to access the building once we got there. It was a thorough and surprisingly professional debriefing for a team as new to this as they were.
I had little faith that Darius would listen to any of it.
The alpha had lead position, with Aaron right behind him. Both Darius and his beta had completed partials on their faces—their jaws and noses were partly extended to give them greater scenting ability.
Our esteemed team leader had assigned Matt to the rear, and two miles into our trek, I could hear him breathing.
Darius could, too. “So much for being Aussie fit,” he leaned past Aaron to sneer at us. “Big bad wolf can barely keep up.” His gaze fastened on me. “Maybe we should dump him—you could come with us. We could show you a good time.” He licked his lips.
Matt growled, and I glared at the alpha. “We’re fine, thank you. Keep your mind on the mission.” But my hostility hid how desperately worried I was. Matt hadn’t yet recovered from what I’d done to him.
I could only hope that he would bounce back. That my touch hadn’t caused permanent damage.
“Yous all goods down there?” Talakai’s voice came through my ear comm. The Dragon soared far above us, his sharp eyes tracking the path of the guards.
Surprisingly, Matt answered him. “We’re good so far.”
It was like he was checking in with just Matt and me. Was this about Darius? I shot Matt a look, but his gaze skittered away.
“You’re alls clears alongs the centers path,” the Dragon continued.
Darius raised his hand to his ear, activating the comm. “But that isn’t the direct route.”
