Chapter 86

The thought terrified me. How much time did I have before they showed up? Maybe I didn’t have nearly as much time as I needed to figure out where Francium was and where Claire was. Francia didn’t seem nefarious, but how much of that was a stall tactic.

I would have never thought Francium was capable of killing anyone, let alone Claire, but I’d heard it, and I was here trying to track him down to find her.

I still wasn’t entirely sure what that vampire wanted from me or wanted to do with me. Did he want to turn me the way Francium had turned Claire, or did he just want to kill me. Maybe it was related to my mother.

I had no idea and I wasn’t ready to find out today. I was still recuperating to some degree.

I almost regretted this ploy to make Candido jealous. It seemed like it was turning back on me quickly.

I pushed that thought away. How could I know that Francium’s mom was probably in league with the vampires that were out to destroy everything that werewolves had built.

I had to get through this meeting as soon as possible. I had to get out of this town, if possible, just in case I was in danger. I considered turning on my safety beacon, but I refrained from doing it. I glanced back out the window.

My phone rang and I pulled it out, hearing the automated voice of the Moon Shadow warning system telling me that I was outside of the tracking area and Moon Shadow operatives were heading towards my last known coordinate.

There wasn’t an estimated time of arrival, but it meant that they should be coming.

At least, I hoped so. It was odd that I had cell service on the Moon Shadow phone but not GPS. As I checked my other phone, I frowned. There was neither. The last call I’d gotten from Candido had to have been as I was hiking up the mountain. I put both of my phones away and turned toward the open doorway.

I braced myself before entering the other room and sitting at the table. I set the bags of snacks on the table and listened to Francia busying herself in the kitchen.

“I… brought snacks,” I said awkwardly. “Though I wasn’t sure what Francium would like. “

“Francium is more of a black hole than a werewolf, dear,” she chuckled. “He’ll eat anything, so I’m sure he’ll be grateful for it either way. Thanks for thinking of him!”

She flitted back into the kitchen, bringing out a full tea set and smiling. She offered me a bunch of tea bags and hot water, and I picked just one of them to be polite. My stomach turned as she poured hot water over it and made her own tea. It was odd to know that she’d drunk what I was sure was blood, but she was also drinking blood. Could vampires eat regular food?

Or was she special because she was a New Moon Werewolf, whatever that meant.

“Thank you so much for looking after Francium at school. He was so… sad before he met you. It’s been so great to hear him being happy. Between you and Claire, he’s been happier than ever.”

I nodded. “It was the right thing to do… Is Francium around? Is he going to be coming for dinner? His roommate said he was visiting.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she contemplated her tea. “His roommate?”

I nodded. “He gave me directions here. He didn’t mention the crazy path leading here… I could have dealt with a better set of directions.”

She pursed her lip, and something in her eyes glinted, but I couldn’t say exactly what it was. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again.

“Did Gregory send you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Or are you here on behalf of Candido?”

Gregory was Francium’s father, but it was odd that she didn’t call him that. More than that, it was odd that he didn’t address Candido as the king. It made me think she was a traitor, but I couldn’t say that was the whole issue. Many people in the werewolf world had issues with Candido and the way that he ruled. They were convinced that until he’d done something for them and their problems that there was no point in calling him their king. I met her gaze and waited, opening my bag of snacks and popping one of them in my mouth.

“I’m here on behalf of Claire.”

The defensiveness vanished. She looked almost guilty, but she nodded. I was on edge. Watching her trying to figure out what she was going to and how this conversation was going to move forward. I sipped my tea. It was clear that she knew who Claire was and who she was to Francium, but I got the sense that she not only did she know where Claire was, but she’d seen her recently.

How recently, I couldn’t say, but I bet it was around the time of that photo or maybe a little before that.

Francium had rushed here after he’d killed Claire.

At the least, she’d definitely seen Francium recently and that was really more important to me at the moment.

My phone chimed. I pulled my phone out and she grew stiff as I checked the screen. At the front of the house, there had been no service and no GPS. Now, there was both. Was there some sort of jamming signal in the front of the house that didn’t extend to the back or were we just in a weird place for service?

It chimed and chimed again with messages that were just now coming in.

“Is it… normal for the service to go in and out like that?”

“Yes,” she said. “In certain spots. It’s due to the metal in the caves.”

My heart lurched. Was that a warning? Did that mean there were caves that led to the other cave systems here?

Candido had sent several texts, but the last one that just appeared, had a time stamp of almost five minutes ago.

Where are you? Team Gamma-2 says you’ve disappeared into the woods.

Hedy answer me.

Please just answer me.

Are you hurt?

Team Gamma-2 says they still haven’t found you.

I can’t trace your phone. Please just answer me.

Hedy, if you’re doing this to get a rise out of me, you win. Please, sweetheart, just answer the phone. Please.

There were phone calls dotted in between the text messages and calls from the team as well.

“Do you mind?” I asked, glancing up at her.

“Go ahead,” Francia said. “I’m sure your alpha is worried about you.”

I paused and lifted the phone to my ear. “Mine?”

“Do you not love him?”

My face burned as Candido answered before the first ring had even completed.

“Hedy! What—”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I made it just fine. I’m safe. There wasn’t any service. Sorry.”

I heard his breathing growing labored then he let out a sigh that sounded more calming than he had likely meant it.

“You’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“… are you with a man?”

“At the moment, no,” I said smirking. “Concerned I was a bit too involved in adult festivities?”

“… I’d prosecute him within an inch of his life.”

“Now, now,” I said. “A month away? It wouldn’t even go through unless you were going to try it personally.”

He growled. “Are you testing me? You did that on purpose.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “I’m not testing you at all. I’m doing what you asked: following the path the Moon Goddess has left for me.”

I hung up with a smile. Francia chuckled.

“Oh, dear. You two are fighting and it’s adorable,” Francia said with a giggle. “Has he angered you that much? I thought you had him wrapped around your finger.”

I frowned. “Why would you say that?”

“Well, it’s not every day that a woman can storm a wedding and actually walk out with the groom.”

My face burned as I tucked my buzzing phone in my pocket. “Well, that was something different.”

She leaned on her hand and smiled. “Is it really? I saw the news coverage. Quite a vision you made in that dress… Claire thought so.”

I narrowed my eyes at her as the Moon Shadow phone went off. I slid it out to glance at the screen. It was notification that the GPS location had been restored and they were converging on my location. They’d be on us in an hour. I tucked the phone back into my pocket.

An hour wasn’t a long time.

I looked at Francia. “I think we can stop playing at knowing why I’m here.”

“Oh, dear, no one was playing,” she smiled kindly. “Though telling me you were here to see Francium was a bit of a stretch. I know now what you’re after… more or less.”

“Do you know where Claire is?”