27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

C ourage

My eyes snap open, instinct yanking me out of a sound sleep. The alarm on my phone hasn't gone off yet, but some primal part of me knows it's time to get moving, to meet my packmate at the airport.

Candy stirs beside me, her pink hair adorably mussed. "Is it Fury time already?" she mumbles, nuzzling deeper into my shoulder pelt.

"‘Fraid so, rock star." I press a kiss to her temple, savoring her sleepy hum of contentment. "I gotta go play fetch."

She cracks one eye open, her green gaze still hazy with dreams. "Fetch, huh? Can't he just Uber to the hotel? It's ass o'clock in the morning."

I flash her a fanged grin. "It was a risk for me to quit wearing my hoodie, but I thought I might be safe because I have a prominent human at my side. There are still Purists out there, people who don't like Others. Fury's got no protection. Let's not tempt fate."

Her eyes widen as understanding dawns. "Oh shit. Yeah. I've gotten complacent."

We arrive at the airport just as the sun crests the horizon, cutting through the gloom. Fury is waiting for us outside baggage claim. His hooded head is dipped forward to hide his face. If I wasn't looking for it, I'd never see his tail crammed into his right pant leg. His gleaming silver eyes catch mine, a brief flare of recognition and relief.

I stow his duffel in the rear as he slides into the back seat.

"You must be Candy." His voice is a low, gravelly rumble as he blatantly assesses her. "Heard a lot about you."

Candy arches a brow. "All good, I hope?"

A hint of a smirk tugs at Fury's mouth. "Mostly."

As I'm escaping the cluster fuck that is passenger pickup, Candy's phone chimes with an incoming message. My hands tighten on the steering wheel as I wait for her to say something, then my face pales as she reads it aloud.

"‘Tick-tock, Candy girl. Clock's running out. You really want to play this game with the big boys? Because we're done playing nice. You won't like the consequences if you don't call Broken Starlets and tell them to destroy the recording."

A growl builds in my chest, echoed by Fury's low snarl. A depth charge explodes deep in my belly as the reality hits—they know Candy did the interview.

"We need a plan," I mutter, mind already racing. "We need to tighten security, cover our bases."

Fury nods grimly. "I've got some ideas. Protocols we can put in place. I talked with Stealth before I left."

I explain to Candy, "He's our tech guy."

"He had some very specific suggestions," Fury adds. "He sent me with gear."

Candy is quiet, mindlessly staring out the windshield, clearly deep in thought. I reach over, lacing my fingers with hers. "We're going to get through this. I promise."

Her gaze meets mine, fear and determination warring in her eyes. She shakes her head, as though she can dislodge all her fears. "As Maury would say, ‘From your mouth to God's ear'."

"Or Goddess's ear, as the case may be."

Although our terrible jokes are an attempt to lighten the mood, a sense of grim resolve settles over us. The game has changed, the stakes raised. But we'll face it together, as a pack.

And Goddess help anyone foolish enough to stand in our way.