What’s the problem?”

Why would he call so suddenly? Did someone know something about my activities? Had they told him? Who was it?

My mind was spinning out of control, and I recognized this. I closed my eyes and forced myself to take a deep breath.

“We have a trespasser.”

I wasn’t certain whether I ought to be worried by this or relieved. “Who? Where were they found?” And why did he feel the need to call me about it?

“A woman, just outside the woods. She attacked Ainsley, Isla, and Dallas.”

“Are they all right?”

“They seem to be fine—but you understand the concern, naturally.”

“Naturally. How could…”

“How could a human woman fight off three of us at once,” he finished in a tight voice. “Easily, when she bears the mark of a Blood Moon Priestess.”

My stomach dropped. There was a name I hadn’t heard in centuries. “You’re certain of this?”

“Positive. Dallas held her still while Ainsley checked for the mark.”

“What brought it to mind after all this time? I can’t say I would’ve thought to look.”

“I asked the same question,” he replied. “And she said she wasn’t certain what inspired her to check. Only that her instincts told her no normal human woman could’ve done what she did. Especially when she saw them inflight. Humans aren’t able to do that. And, of course, she managed to get the better of them.”

“Aye, indeed. I’m glad to know they’re well after such a fight.” If there was a single group I would never have wished to tangle with—aside from the mercenaries who’d attacked us using automatic weapons—it would be the Priestesses. Witches, to be sure, who used their powers as witches typically did, but they had also been fierce warriors. “What would one of the Priestesses be doing there? It’s been how long since we last had sigh of any of them?”

“Several centuries. Ever since the matter between Diana and Gavin.”

“Mhm. That much, I remember clearly.” How could I forget? We’d worked alongside the Blood Moon Priestesses for as long as I could remember, likely since before I came to be. They’d assisted in hiding our identities, keeping the clan protected.

Until a rift formed within their circle. A rift which Gavin had refused to help mend, leading to a war which he’d refused to take part in. He’d insisted that any assistance would be tantamount to meddling in another group’s affairs and wanted nothing to do with it.

I’d understood at the time and understood still. He’d never been one to stretch his neck out when it came to anyone but a member of his own clan. The world had been changing by then, rapidly. Villages turning into towns, some not far from the borders of our territory. The threat of humans was ever looming.

Yes, the protection of the Blood Moon Priestesses had been crucial to our safety, but if they were warring amongst themselves, what good could they do us?

And what if we’d chosen to back the losing side?

He’d decided instead to cut ties with the witches and turn his focus inward, to securing us using our own strength. Diana’s fury was the stuff of legend. They’d protected us for millennia and what did they receive in return?

There was no love lost between our clan and the Priestesses, then. Even so… “I thought they dissolved, broke up,” I muttered, pacing in front of the window for lack of anything better to do.

“We all thought it. But she bears the mark. All three of them saw it.”

“Has she said anything?”

“She hasn’t been questioned. We have her in one of the cells.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly uncomfortable. “I mean no offense, believe me, but… Why are you telling me this? Why go out of your way to call me?”

He snorted. “One of my clansmen is out in the human world while this is going on and you don’t think I at least want to make certain he’s someplace safe? What if the Priestesses had overtaken you upon leaving our territory?”

“I don’t know. What do these Priestesses look like?”

He chuckled, but cleared his throat in an attempt to cover it up. “This is serious. This woman meant business. If she could injure three of us at once, imagine what might have happened if it had only been you. Alone.”

“Thank you for all the faith you have in me.”

“Enough.”

I sighed. “All right. No more joking.”

“Thank you.” He drew a deep breath. “I’m sure you know what this means.”

“I’m sure I don’t,” I said, suddenly dreading whatever it was he had in mind. If it was what I had the feeling it was, my trip was about to be cut short, before it even started. Either that, or I’d have no choice but to make him very unhappy.

“I cannot have you away from the mountain at this time. You need to return.”

I closed my eyes. It was inevitable, wasn’t it? He was bound to tell me to return after something, so out-of-the-ordinary had taken place. Hell, I would’ve done the same if I were in his shoes.

But he wasn’t in my shoes. He didn’t know what was at stake for me. His mistake was the same as Gavin’s: assuming we all were not just willing, but eager to always put ourselves second to the clan.

I’d been doing just that my entire life, and where had it gotten us? We’d still been kidnapped. We’d still lost half our numbers in the most horrific ways.

“I don’t know about that.” I looked down at the ticket I’d just purchased.

Silence. For much longer than I would’ve expected. Long enough that I thought for a moment, I’d dropped the call.

Before I could pull the phone from my ear to check whether we were connected, he spoke.

“What is it about my request that has confused you, Tamhas?”

He wasn’t happy. I’d expected that, naturally.

“If you want to know the truth? The fact that it wasn’t a request at all, but rather an order.”

“And what would you prefer, then? An engraved invitation? A car to pick you up and bring you back?”

“No. Simply the illusion that I have a choice in the matter.”

“Your safety is important to me,” he snarled. “Important to the clan as a whole. I’ve enough to keep me busy here without having to wonder where you are and whether you’re safe.”

“I’ll check in with you, if that’s your fear.”

“Why are you making this so difficult?”

“Because, this is important to me. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t put up roadblocks.”

He was quiet for a long time.

So was I.

One of us might say something we’d end up regretting if we didn’t control our tempers first.

“I’d prefer it if you returned. I would also appreciate it.”

My free hand curled into a fist. He was fighting to remain calm and civil, and I had to do the same—no matter how I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought about his preferences just then. “I understand. However, there’s something I must do for myself. I will return once I’m finished.”

“What could be so important?”

I sighed, unable to answer. “What if I promise to think about postponing my trip? Would that smooth things over for the time being?”

His laugh sounded more like a bark. “Yes, but only if you vow to actually think it over and not simply tell me you will to get me off the phone.”

“Would I do a thing like that?” I tried to lighten to mood by chuckling, but it didn’t help.

“Tell me you will.”

I rolled my eyes but suppressed an audible sigh. It would only make things worse if I voiced my disdain. “I promise. I’ll think it over.”

He ended the call. It was the right thing to do. One of us would say something we couldn’t take back if we kept talking in circles.

I threw the phone onto the bed before flinging myself onto it, staring at the ceiling. Damn him for speaking to me like I was nothing but a child, or some underling for him to command. Leadership had gone to his head. I hadn’t wanted to admit the thought to myself while I was there, under the mountain. It would be traitorous to think along those lines and would undoubtedly color my interactions with Alan and the rest of the clan. I couldn’t risk that.

While I was away? On my own for the first time in as long as I could remember? That was a far different situation.