Cataclysm by Karice Bolton Page B

interactions caused alarm. Spinning around to figure who might have called, I was relieved to find a man with eyes that showed a gentle green glow.
    Matilda had no use for me any longer and went off to finish what was on her mind, so I walked over to the man. He was dressed in dark jeans and a light beige shirt.
    “Yes?” I asked.
    “I’ve come from the east coast. We’ve been hearing of the plans you have to battle Azazel, and we all want to help. No matter what it takes to defeat him, we are in.”
    My heart started pounding. So many were placing so much hope on me, and I wasn’t sure I was up for the challenge.
    “Have you been one of the ones in contact with Arie?” I inquired.
    “Yes, Ma’am. She’s actually the one who asked me to come here about this time to meet her.” He looked at his watch, tapping it.
    “Aww,” I groaned. “There’ve been some difficulties she’s encountered, so she hasn’t mentioned that you were coming. I’m so sorry. What’s your name?”
    “Noah. And it’s not a problem. I’ve got a place I’m staying, and once you’re ready, call me. We’ve been able to get a lot of intelligence. I think you’ll both be pleasantly surprised,” he said, handing me his number.
    The old me would’ve just invited him back to the room to hear what he had to say, but with everything going on now, I was beyond cautious. It was a sad commentary that I couldn’t even trust my own kind. Seeing his name on the paper, I hoped the information he had come to deliver would be as valuable as Arie seemed to bet it was.
    “Noah, I’m glad I ran into to you. Things work out for a reason,” I said, a smile genuinely appearing on my lips. “We’ll reach out very soon. Tonight, probably…”
    Shaking his hand, I watched as he turned around and walked down the street, with only the streetlights showing the path he was following back to his hotel.
    Arie had been through a lot, so I don’t blame her for not remembering to tell me this, but I wondered what else she might not have filled me in on.
    “Come on, Matilda,” I called. She did her best to run over so I could hook her back up the leash. “Let’s go find out what else Arie might have planned that we have no clue about.”
    “Hey, forgetful!” I hollered, as I opened the door to the hotel room.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” She retorted from the direction of her bedroom.
    “Well, I ran into someone who you apparently invited to Seattle before your little mishap. Ring a bell? Has information for us, I guess.” I made my way to the bedroom, hoping to catch the look on her face.
    Arie’s hand went up to her mouth, as things seemed to slowly re-enter her brain.
    “Oh no!” she uttered. “He wasn’t the only one!”
    “Oh, you’re kidding,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Are there people all over Seattle attempting to meet with us?”
    “Over the next few days, yeah!”
    Shaking my head, I reached for the piece of paper I had shoved in my pocket.
    “Well, he seemed very nice and really understanding. His name was Noah. Kind of cute, actually.”
    “Oh, gosh. Yes, he’s very nice.” Her cheeks were flushed, and I could tell she was extremely embarrassed. “I reached out to several people, globally, hoping that our plan would work, and I would end up here in Seattle. I figured in my spare time, I could meet with some of our own over the next while and not waste a minute.”
    “Should we call him?” I asked.
    “Might as well.” She nodded.
    “I’m gonna give Athen a buzz first, so he knows what’s up, and that I might be home pretty late tonight.”
    “If at all,” Arie offered up, hope filling her voice.
    “Nice try, Arie. I think Cy would get a little suspicious if I suddenly stopped coming around the home at night.” I was unable to hide my smirk.
    There was no way of knowing what all Arie had planned or forgotten right before her attack. All we could do was hope everything would fall into place. I was