Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

S erath and I arrived in the forest to find Orix and Levi waiting. Curi, Shar, and Derek joined us a few minutes later.

"Did anyone see you?" Orix asked.

"No," Derek said. "I checked."

"Are we sure it's safe to talk here?" Curi asked.

"I doubt the forest is bugged," Levi replied, looking up into the canopy around us.

The clearing was gray and damp this close to dawn. The sun would be up shortly. We didn't have much time before the cover of night was taken from us. "We should be quick."

"What are we going to do?" Shar asked.

"We tell Ivor and Lionel," Derek said. "I can do it."

"Lionel could be under watch," Orix said. "But yes, we should tell Ivor."

"This is our chance to turn the tables," Serath said. "To capture a faction member or even take down their base."

"What are you thinking?" Orix asked.

"I'm thinking that Cameron and I go in alone as requested, then you bust us out, coming in hot with a team of guardians."

"I can contact Jana at Outpost Ten."

"Yes, do that."

"Surely they would have considered we might try that," Shar said.

"Of course they would have," Orix replied. "Which is why we'll be split into two teams," he went on. "An infiltration team and a decoy team."

Serath smiled thinly. "Exactly."

The two males shared a look that spoke of kinship that came from working together for a long time.

"It's what Selas would suggest," Orix said to the rest of us.

"Why not ask Ivor and his graynites to come with us?" Curi said, then he shook his head. "Too conspicuous. Best for us to nab a faction member and get the location of their main base before we call in the big guns."

"I'll go and see Ivor now," Derek said.

"What do we tell the others?" Levi asked.

Serath answered. "If the place is bugged, then they'd have heard us speculating that it's bugged, so the best course of action is to say nothing. They'll expect us to be silent and cagey. But I'll make a note to pass to the others, letting them know what we're up to."

I couldn't imagine Touron and the twins sitting back and doing nothing. "They'll insist on being a part of it."

"I know, but this is a guardian and elite level job," Orix said. "They'll have to accept that."

"Then it's settled," Serath said. "Tomorrow, we go into the lion's den."

We waited in the forest for Derek to deliver the message to Ivor and return. He was gone less than ten minutes. Sharniza released a relieved breath when he materialized. Was she still afraid that he'd be pulled back to the wilds despite their bond?

"You spoke to Ivor?" Serath asked Derek.

"Yes. He said to bring the traitors to these coordinates, and his graynites would take them back to their base for interrogation." He handed Orix a piece of paper.

"Yes, that's a good idea. We can't trust the council to hold them."

"Melanie is with Ivor," Derek said to me. "She wanted you to know that she has stored energy to help us in our battle against the faction."

My mother was with Ivor? They were finally together. It warmed my heart to know it, and I wished I could be with them too.

Soon. Once this was all over. Once we were all safe. "Thanks, Derek. We should get back to the tower and get some rest. We're going to need it."

We left as we'd come, making sure to leave a few minutes between each group.

"We'll be all right," Serath said as we exited the forest. "I won't let any harm come to you."

"And I won't let any harm come to you."

He put his arm around my shoulder and tucked me against his side. "How tired are you?"

I smiled coyly. "Never too tired."

Our desire sated, we pulled on PJs and made sure not to sleep entwined. It wasn't fair to Ubron to wake up pressed to me, but it was surprisingly hard to fall asleep without Serath playing big spoon. Considering we'd only been sleeping together for a few days, it was strange how attuned my body had become to his.

He fell asleep first, a deliberate plan to allow me a chance to clue Ubron in. We'd written a note for him filling him in on everything."

Luckily, he surfaced quickly.

There was no denying the tug in my solar plexus when he fixed his gaze on me.

"Cameron, what is happening? I heard pieces of conversation and felt Serath's distress."

I propped myself on my elbow and pressed a finger to my lips before handing him the note. He read it quickly and then got out of bed. "I can't sleep. I'm going to get some air." He gave me a pointed look and then left the room.

I followed him outside. We walked a little way from the tower before he spoke.

"You and Serath will not be entering the faction's trap alone."

"If the tower is bugged, then the faction knows about you." We'd interrogated him in the kitchen, after all.

"Yes, I suppose they do. There is nothing we can do about that. All we can do is be prepared. The decoy extraction team idea is a sound one. They will expect you to send help. How will you hide the true extraction team?"

"Orix checked the coordinates on the map. There's an old waste plant close by. There are pipes that run adjacent to the building they've asked Serath and me to go to. A team of guardians will pass through there. Orix will head up the decoy team because they'll expect him to be there."

He slowed his pace, stopping on the intersection not too far from the tower. "And you trust these guardians to do their job?"

"I trust Orix's and Serath's judgment. Derek will be with the extraction team too. He should be able to sense me and find me if need be."

He considered my words for several beats. "Are you afraid?"

He was the first person to ask me that, and the question threw me. "I…I guess I am. Yes. I'm afraid."

"Good," he said. "Fear will keep you alert." He lifted his chin toward the tower. "You should go get some rest."

"You're not coming back to bed?"

"Not yet. I think I'll go to the observatory for a little while. The sun is beautiful as it rises slowly from the horizon."

"Would you…would you like some company?" I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't be willingly spending time with him, and I was about to take back my offer when the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that wiped away my doubt.

"Yes, yes, I would like that very much."