Their End

Chapter 18 | Ready or Not

SAM

“Sam, please,” Gentry begged.

“No,” I repeated for the hundredth time. I continued to search through my work desk, opening drawer after drawer. Now that Grayson was off with Pip for the day, I had to focus on our dragonborn problem. Fifi’s brother had to be coming for me. I was the one who created the disturbance that brought her here in the first place. I got the sneaking suspicion that Fifi wasn’t supposed to eat the flames and ember while leaving me alive for this long. The way Fifi avoided talking about her home or flippantly brushed them off as boring made me think she was a little more forgiving than her fellow dragonborn.

“Sam, I need you to be reasonable here,” Gentry argued.

“I said no, Gen. It is a reasonable response,” I informed him. I cursed under my breath as I slammed another drawer shut.

“Sam!” Gentry shouted.

I snapped my head up. Instead of finding him seething with anger, I only saw fear on his face. My resolve softened a little. “Gen,” I said more gently, “magic got us into this. Magic can get us out. I found some things a few months back when I was looking into the Everlasting Frost. Maybe with fresh eyes, we can find a way to get the ember, and then Fifi can return with her brother.”

“You know we don’t have time for that. You’ve been working on this ember problem on and off for years now,” he reasoned. “You need to go. You need to hide somewhere while we prepare for Fifi’s brother.” His tone was almost pleading at this point.

Since Fifi’s announcement, we had done nothing but fight. Thankfully, the fighting ceased in front of Grayson and our friends, but it picked right back up when we were alone. He was adamant that I needed to run to head off whatever threat was headed our way. He even mentioned taking Grayson with me in case anything bad happened.

Clearly, we didn’t have the same position on this.

“Whether there is time or not, I need to try,” I shook my head.

“You don’t have to be the one that saves the realm,” Gentry said. “As soon as Calder and Cullen are done with Council nonsense, we’re back to planning for this. The whole pack is on guard since Fifi won’t tell us exactly what we should expect.”

“And you all will be stronger with my magic supporting you,” I said, bracing myself against the desk. I hated fighting with him. Detested it. I knew it was his nature to be protective, but it was my nature to be headstrong. My bloodline was made of Coven Mothers, witches who had to be stronger and more ruthless than their sisters to keep the coven thriving. It wasn’t in my nature to back down and submit to my mate like female werewolves.

“No one is talking about beating Fifi’s brother,” Gentry continued. “We don’t need to be stronger. We need to be smarter.”

“And turning her shed scales into transformative armor for you and the twins isn’t smarter? Whose idea was that? Whose magic made it happen? Oh yeah, mine.”

“No one doubts your capability here, Sam. I am long past doubting you. What I want is to give you the best shot at survival,” Gentry pleaded. “Fifi’s brother could come here and take you out on the spot. If you’re in hiding, he at least has to look for you, which gives us time to do something about it.”

“I’m not running away scared. We handled Fifi; we can handle her brother,” I denied him.

“We got lucky with Fifi!” he almost shouted. His exasperation was growing again. “Fifi is not some fearsome legendary warrior here to level the realm until the magical balance is restored! She’s a hypersexual lesbian with the enthusiasm and self-control of a child!”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Gentry, I’m not going to hide and let you all solve my problems. I helped make this mess. I will help clean it up.”

He threw his hands up in the air. “Are you ever going to stop throwing yourself on the sword? Are you intent on leaving me and Grayson alone?”

Before I could argue with him, my office door burst open. Gentry and I both turned to an out-of-breath Pip. “I… need… help…” she panted. She held Caysen in her arms, but he was squirming uncomfortably.

“What’s going on?” Gentry asked.

“Where are the kids?” I said at the same time.

“I don’t know!” she cried. Gentry and I looked at each other. Even without our bond, the energy in the room almost exploded at our immediate panic. “They were playing with Fifi, and I turned around for just a second. I left Caysen’s diapers by the backdoor, and he exploded out of his diaper. I had poop on my hands, and I thought they would be fine for a minute while I got us both cleaned up, and then…”

“And then what?” Gentry growled.

“They were just gone. All of them. No sign of Fifi or the kids when I got back,” she said. Tears were forming in her eyes. I knew she felt bad, but there was no time to console her.

“Where are Calder and Cullen?” I questioned Gentry as I rounded my desk.

“Still in the Elder Council meeting. They haven’t contacted me,” he answered. “I’m getting Ryker outside now.”

I pushed past Amanda. Fifi and the kids got into mischief sometimes, but they never disappeared. Fifi might act childish, but she understood our worries about their safety. She never did anything she knew would intentionally harm them or worry us. She wouldn’t let them run off, let alone disappear herself with them. Something wasn’t right, and my sinking gut told me we were out of time.

“I’m sorry. Caysen just… I thought they would be okay for a second…” She trailed behind Gentry and me as we rushed toward the Council room, spewing a litany of half apologies and excuses.

“Pip, take Caysen to his nursery and stay there,” Gentry growled. His frustration with me had morphed into anger fueled by fear. Fifi disappearing with no trace didn’t bode well with the current threat over our heads.

Gentry didn’t even bother knocking. He threw open the heavy doors to the Council room and stormed in.

“What is the meaning of this?” someone shouted. I hadn’t bothered to learn any of the names in the room except for Calder and Cullen’s father. They all hated me anyway.

“The kids are gone,” Gentry started.

“Fifi, too,” I added as Remi sprang to her feet. Calder and Cullen followed her quickly.

“How?” Cullen snapped.

“Pip had to change a blowout. She said she left them alone for barely a minute, and they were just gone,” I told Remi. Her eyes swam in tears, tears born from fear. It was bad enough that I invited problems into our life, but to put our children at risk? Remi had to live with her children being both cherished among the pack and an easy target for someone looking to hurt the Alpha family, even now that the curse business was behind her.

“This meeting is adjourned,” Calder said coldly.

“Where?” Cullen demanded. He and Gentry took the lead, hurrying from the room. Cullen’s entire body looked primed for a fight as he shed his suit jacket on the move.

Remi grabbed my arm. “Is he here?” she asked, her voice raspy.

“I have a feeling he might be,” I told her.