“He tried to kill her tonight,” Vi said angrily. “He would have done it if Audra hadn’t shown up.”
I tore my gaze from the box in Ness’s hand so I could look at Vi. “Audra?”
“Our boss,” Ness murmured sleepily.
In my arms, Ness was quickly passing out. A bit of my fear fell away as I ran my hand up her back. Knowing she was here, within my grasp, comforted me a little. So long as I could keep her close, I could keep her safe.
My beast agreed. Cloud gathered and thunder rolled.
“Audra Miura owns Bad Moon Café.” Vi leaned back against her Jeep. “No one really knows what she is, but she showed Alvin who is the big dog around here tonight.”
Employees. I realized that the person who’d called me earlier had to be Audra Miura. She’d asked me to protect her employees. In exchange, she would help me break the pact with Beryl. If Audra was as powerful as Vi made her sound, then maybe there was a chance I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone at all.
All I had to do was keep these girls safe. That was a challenge all by itself. Ness didn’t know how to stay out of trouble. Vi was a walking firestarter. The others were nearly defenseless if caught without any tools at their disposal.
How did I find myself in charge of a small pack? They weren’t all shifters, but this seemed like a pack, nonetheless. This community somehow found the means to pull me deeper and deeper. I didn’t know if I could escape at this point.
Should I give up and stay? The thought made my beast happy. The dragon loved the summer storms that raged in a moment’s notice. Here, the dragon could enjoy the clouds and the small hound that they followed.
That raised another question, though. How would I deal with my brother, then? How did I face him knowing that there was too much at stake here? I couldn’t let Morgan destroy Lakesedge in his fury. Not even an inch of it—unless it was Beryl’s court.
“Go home,” I told Vi. I gave Addie a pointed look because she’d been sitting in her car this whole time.
Vi glanced back and chuckled when she noticed Addie. “Yeah, I guess it’s time to call it a night.”
I left the two of them and took Ness inside.