“Well, he is my true mate, so it would only make sense.” The more I interacted with the ass, the more I disliked him.
“Such a waste,” Nate grumbled.
“Yeah, you’re a waste of good air so now why don’t you run along.” Cole’s cold demeanor appeared in full force.
“Listen here, Bloodsucker.” Nate took a step toward Cole and snarled. “If anyone wastes air, it’s this little group of yours. You should be sticking to your kind.”
“I do stick with my kind.” Cole used his vampire speed and pushed Nate in the chest hard. “That’s why I have my family right here around me.”
“You’re going to regret that.” Nate reared back and threw a punch. Right before it was about to hit, Cole grabbed his hand and gripped it hard.
“Ow!” Nate cried as his bones began to pop.
“That’s right. Cry like the little bitch you are.” Cole chuckled as he released Nate’s hand.
“Let me guess, you’re going to say some version of you’re going to regret that.” Damien’s bored voice intervened. “Why don’t you cut the shit and leave us alone?”
“It is kind of strange how you obsess over us.” Jess shrugged her shoulders.
“I promise it’s not …”
“Shush, Nate.” Jordan walked over with Madison following behind. “Leave them alone. You have somewhere else you’re supposed to be anyways.”
To say I was shocked when he didn’t argue would be an understatement.
“Fine.” He grumbled and glared back at Cole once more before he strode off.
“Hey, Raven.” Jordan smiled her fake smile and motioned toward her. “Can we have a second?”
“Oh, sure.” I was assuming this had something to do with The Elites. I glanced at Jess whose eyes were wide with surprise. “I’ll be right back.”
Jordan and I moved to the side. Madison started to make her way toward us.
“No, stay there.” Jordan pointed to some benches several yards away.
Madison’s mouth dropped open, and she stopped right in her tracks. “But …”
“It’ll only be a second.” Jordan grabbed my arm and hurried me over to the other side of the courtyard near the woods where no one was near. “We have another target tonight.”
“Target?” When she said it that way, it didn’t sound like we were helping anyone.
“Yeah, before she has time to implode.” Jordan’s annoyance was clear in her tone. “So, meet us at the skating rink so we can pick her up. It’s called Airline. It’ll be similar to the way Dave and Busters went down, but this girl is even younger. All we need to do is get her into the car so we can take her to the safe zone.”
“Will we get to go to the safe area this time?” Ever since that day, it bothered me that I had lied to that guy since they wouldn’t let me follow them. I had no clue where they took him.
“No, you are still proving yourself.” Jordan giggled and patted my arm. “If you don’t mess up, maybe you’ll get a higher position. We’ll meet you and Rage there tonight at six.”
“Okay.” Except this time, I wasn’t okay with being left behind. I was going to follow them. It was time to see the team we were supporting. We just couldn’t get caught.
Chapter Nineteen
Rage and I marched up to the entrance of the skating rink. The outside wasn’t like any building near Clarksville. It was all brick but painted in Coca-Cola red with their standard emblem. Cole had to joke that he bet they didn’t even serve Coke products there when he dropped us off several blocks away.
Tonight, we were going to find out the truth about the society or at least try. Even though we were technically forbidden, Rage and I told the rest of the pack about what we knew of the society and how we’d been helping them locate the hybrids.
Even though I wanted to rat out Jess and Cole to Damien, it wasn’t my story to tell so I focused on the truth I wanted to know. Where was this secret location, and what happened to the hybrids there? Theoretically, I understood they took them somewhere safe, but I needed to see the Elite’s definition of safe.
The others had been hurt that we hadn’t told them right away, but what could Jess and Cole say. They had kept a secret from us just as much as we had with them. Both were protective measures, but I was beginning to see that it just created distance among our group.
Cole’s car was parked far enough away for them not to notice but close enough that he could watch for when he needed to grab us.
“You ready for this?” Rage took my hand and squeezed.
“Yes.” I’d told Rage earlier that I had a feeling something was off. He said there was only one way to find out and here we were. The fact that he trusted my gut spoke volumes.
Rage opened the door, and I walked in. The inside was typical of any skating rink. Neon colors appeared to be splashed everywhere, and the odor of feet hung in the air. Times like these, I wished that my nose wasn’t so sensitive.
The front desk had a glass window, and a young kid stood there working the register. He had the standard human boy haircut. So long that it covered his eyes and he had to flip his hair back every few minutes so he could see. “Two for skating?”
There was no way in hell I was going to put my feet into something so smelly. “Uh, no. We’re here to play the arcade games.”
These were the times when I missed being part of a pack. It would have been nice if Rage and I could have spoken telepathically while in human form.
“Yeah. Okay. Whatever.” He shrugged and rang something up on the cash register. “It’ll be ten for you two.”
“Here you go.” Rage pulled out his wallet and handed over the money.
“Alright, you guys can go on in.” The kid motioned to the door that was partially ajar, loud music was blaring from within.
My entire life, I had purposely avoided these types of places. It was so rough on my senses. Why would a supernatural purposely put themselves in here? She must not be a shifter.
As we stepped through the door, Jordan hollered at us. Her fake smile was solidly pasted in place. Her long black hair was in a ponytail, which bobbed with every step that she took. She looked awkward in her jeans and a light sweater. Every time I saw her, she wore designer things, so this was a new look.
I forced a smile on my face. I guessed it was time to play my part. “Hey.”
“It took you long enough.” Her eyes glowed even brighter with the blacklight on.
“We’re here, so get on with it.” Rage’s voice was laced with his alpha wolf. “Otherwise, we’ll get going.”
“And you wonder why you haven’t earned a better place in our group.” Jordan rolled her eyes but continued the act of being friendly.
“Maybe we’d feel better about it all if we knew more.” The superior tone she was using with us grated on my nerves.
“That’s not my call.” Jordan turned and scanned the area. “Do you smell her?”
I’d be damned if I admitted defeat to the likes of Jordan. She was testing us. I focused past the smell of feet and sweat, looking for something to hold on to. There was a sweetness in the air but also a hint of salt. No, it couldn’t be. “She’s half mermaid and vampire?”