Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
It was not hard to believe that the bears could have met many times with regard to Drow without any of the wolves being aware. The wolves had a lot of developing powers among them, but none that made them omniscient.
Surge continued, “No offense, but bears are a superior species compared to wolves. We’re larger, we’ve existed longer, and we have the ability to communicate telepathically.”
Amber felt Isaac nod as several others did. Surge was simply sharing facts.
“Moving into this area probably caused the few among us who don’t like the idea of coexisting in harmony with wolf shifters to snap. Hopefully that doesn’t extend past Firat and Drow, which leaves just Drow. If there are others among our ranks who also feel a need to break the peace between our species, we are not aware of it.”
Rylee glanced at Amber as she responded. “I’m not fully aware of every aspect of my own gifts, but I think it’s safe to say that if any of your people meant us harm, I would scent it.”
Surge nodded. “I wish that were the strangest thing I’ve heard recently. I believe you, Little one.”
“So, what are you thinking?” Isaac prompted.
“I’m thinking that lions are walking among us. I’m concerned that they have abilities far superior to ours, and they’re masking, hiding in plain sight.”
There was a collective gasp.
Thorn continued, “The threat of a superior being in the area might be enough to cause unrest among our people. It doesn’t have to be tangible to affect us. There’s a shimmer in the air. Something none of us can put our fingers on. It’s growing, humming, building. It’s making us look over our shoulders. We think it’s the presence of the lions.”
Amber stiffened. This was huge.
Hayes growled. “You think they were testing us that night two months ago? Feeling out your people to see if they could be detected and then slinking over to do the same to our people?”
Surge nodded. “That’s my concern. I know your mate scented the lion outside, but how many lions were lurking that night? How many homes were being stalked? What if they were collecting data?”
Amber shuddered. “They might have gotten exactly what they’d come for,” she murmured.
Isaac gripped her shoulder. “You’re right, Little one. They might have found out Rylee could scent them but no one else. If they were watching every home, they gathered that Khloe knew they were out there, too. They don’t know why or how she knew, but that’s not important. What’s important is that they found out it was possible for them to be detected.”
Damon spoke next. “They could be regrouping as we speak.”
Olivia stared blindly around the circle. “They could be hovering nearby, masking and laughing at our inadequacies.”
“I can’t see them or anyone else for miles,” Amber stated.
“I can’t hear them, either,” Molly said, “and Rylee can’t scent them. If they’re able to block us from those senses, maybe they’re able to block all the senses, including sight.”
Amber stared off into the distance. It was hard to imagine that even though she could see a squirrel nibbling away at an acorn miles away, she could not see a single hint of lions or their human counterparts.
She jerked her attention back to the group as she had a thought. “I can’t see their homes, either. It’s not just an entire species of shifters I’m not able to discern. It’s everything they own, too.”
Suzette sniffled and turned toward her mate, wrapping her arms around him.
Brock picked her up and held her closer, rubbing her back as she buried her face in his neck. “We haven’t had a chance to share another development with everyone yet.”
Amber swallowed. Could things get any stranger?
“We have no idea what it might mean, but Suzette seems to be developing an odd connection with nature. We noticed it yesterday when we were outside. She stopped to sit on a log near the house, but the moment she touched it with her hand, she went into her head. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’m not sure I would believe it. Her experiences must be similar to what happens to Khloe when she has a vision.”
“What did she sense?” Thorn asked.
“Not sense exactly. She described it as more like knowing who else had also touched that log. Flashes of others having sat there or brushed against it.”
There was a collective silence. Amber wasn’t the only one processing this new information.
Brock continued to comfort his mate, patting her shoulder. “Like I said, we haven’t had a chance to examine the skill enough to know how it might be useful. She touched several other things and had a similar experience with two other items. She doesn’t know when the flashes might have occurred, but she can see who was there before her.”