“What are you doing here, Consort?” Keelan asked, petting Cuddles.
“I should be asking you that question. Why are you sneaking into the Farm? Are you trying to start a war?”
The shapeshifter with the bucket hid it behind him.
“What’s in the bucket?” I asked.
“Umm,” Keelan said.
Keelan had come to us a few months after our trip to the Mediterranean. He had been looking for something to do with his life, and once he’d heard the story of the Beast Lord and his glorious quest to obtain panacea for his pack, he decided to check us out. The moment he had seen Curran in a warrior form, Keelan decided he had found his purpose for living. Somehow my husband was the answer to everything Keelan was searching for. Curran, recognizing talent, had admitted him to the Pack on the condition he would give us 10 years.
And then Curran and I walked away from the Pack. Curran was Keelan’s favorite person, and I was his second favorite person, because I taught him how to use his claymore and because I was Curran’s mate. Keelan tried to separate with us, but Jim wouldn’t let him go until his contract was up. He counted on Keelan to counterbalance Desandra, the alpha of Clan Wolf. Except Keelan wanted nothing to do with being an alpha of the wolves. One time Desandra lost her patience and straight out asked him if he would ever make a bid for her spot, and he told her that only an idiot would want that job, because life was far too short for that kind of bullshit. Both Jim and Desandra tried to pull him to their respective sides, but Keelan proceeded to half-ass every task they had given him and was insufferably apathetic about werewolfing in general and following their orders in particular.
Although headquartered in Atlanta, the Pack claimed a good chunk of the southern Atlantic seaboard as their territory. Wilmington, close to that territory’s northern border, was one of the most dangerous areas because of Barrett and the Farm. The Pack maintained a minimal presence here, less than 20 people total, but all of them were highly skilled combat shapeshifters. Almost every promising render did a tour here if they wanted to move up, so when the alpha in charge of the Wilmington sub-pack had gotten herself killed, Desandra nominated Keelan as her replacement to get him out of her hair, and Jim, who’d given up on Keelan by that point, shipped him off.
And now he was sneaking onto the Farm with a bucket.
“What’s in the bucket?” I repeated.
Keelan fluttered his eyelashes at me. “The thing is…”
The cow. The cow coming out of the arena with a big-ass paw print on its butt. “Is that paint?”
Keelan surrendered to his fate. “Yes.”
“Please tell me that you aren’t tagging Barrett’s cows with your paws. Tell me you are not doing it.”
“I’m not doing it.” Keelan nodded. “He is.”
The guy with the bucket gave me a small, hesitant wave.
“It’s tradition,” Keelan said. “When new people come here from Atlanta, they tag the cows. Just to remind them we’re watching. It keeps the navigators on their toes.”
“I just saw a tagged cow,” I growled. “Why are you still here?”
“That was Selina yesterday. Today it’s Hakeem’s turn. We got two new people this time.” Keelan held up two fingers in case I couldn’t count.
My face must’ve been terrible, because Keelan raised his hands up. “It’s perfectly safe. I’m going to grab a cow and run with it to the left and Andre is going to grab another cow and run right. While they are chasing us, Hakeem will tag what’s left. They’re not expecting us for a second night in a row.”
At times like this I wished I was still the Consort because I could just order them to leave, and they would. A bloodbath would be avoided.
“Tonight is not the night. I just pissed Barrett off, and there is an undead trailing us.”
Keelan’s eyes flashed green. “Do you need us to…？”
“I have no right to tell you what I need. I’m not part of the Pack. But I would appreciate an escort off the Farm.”
“Oh, we would be delighted.” Keelan’s voice came out as a guttural snarl. “Protect the Consort.”
The shapeshifters formed up around us, with Keelan by my side and the two others bringing up the rear in a triangular formation. We started down the road.
“So what brings you to the Farm, Consort?” Keelan asked.
How could I put this to keep consequences to a minimum…
“She’s helping me find my son,” Thomas said.
“So sorry he’s missing,” Keelan said. “How do you two know each other?”
Mayday, mayday…
“We—” I started, trying to make something up.
“My brother is remodeling their home,” Thomas said. “They bought Fort Kure.”
Damn it.
Keelan’s eyes blazed. “Does that mean the Beast Lord is here?”
There was no point in lying. “Yes.”
“Here in Wilmington?”
“Yes.”
Keelan nodded. “And this house this man’s brother is remodeling, will it be a permanent residence?”
“Yes.”
Keelan hopped in place and darted into the corn. We kept riding.
Thomas looked at me.
“He needs a moment,” I told him. “Please let me answer the questions next time.”
“You didn’t tell me you were the Consort.”
“I’m not the Consort,” I growled. “I haven’t been the Consort for 9 years.”
“I didn’t think you were a shapeshifter, but now I see it,” Thomas said. “You sound like one.”
Behind me Andre made a strangled noise that sounded a lot like an aborted snicker.
Keelan jumped out from the corn and trotted over to his spot by Cuddles. “Why is the Beast Lord not with you?”
“Go ahead, tell him,” I told Thomas.
“The Red Horn gang is going to attack Fort Kure tonight,” Mr. Loose Lips said.
Keelan smiled. The moon slipped out from behind the clouds and filled his eyes with its light.
“Thomas’ family is hiding at Fort Kure,” I said. “If you help us across the river and take Thomas back to the fort, you might get there in time for some action.”
Keelan smiled, showing me all of his teeth. “It will be an honor.”
Yep, I totally passed the buck to Curran. Nope, I didn’t feel any guilt about it.
“I thought we agreed I would come with you,” Thomas said.
“Things changed. Onyx was a trafficker, but he was also Barrett’s journeyman. He was good enough to be part of the Farm’s cadre, his permanent staff. Onyx understood power because he witnessed it daily. When he told me about Aaron, there was reverence in his voice. That man may or may not be a god, but he must be packing some serious magic power. If you come with me, I will have two targets to protect, you and Darin. You’re going to have to trust me.”
Thomas’ mouth turned into a hard, flat line.
“I’ve seen her kill a dragon,” Keelan told him in a confidential tone.
Thomas jerked, startled.
“Oh, it was glorious.” The werewolf raised his hand, drawing a wide arc across the sky. “The world was smoke and fire. The dragon spat flames like a jet of napalm to and fro. People died where they stood, and their bodies turned to ash. And she ran up its head and thrust two swords into the dragon’s eyes while her husband tore out its throat.”