Destined for Harmony by Leia Shaw Page B

he wasn’t stumbling and his eyes were clear.
    “Sit down. Let Rafe check you out,” Sorin commanded.
    He shook his head. “I’m not hurt.”
    Paul wasn’t prideful enough to lie about needing help so Sorin nodded and pulled out the nearest chair for him. “Tell us what happened.”
    He plopped down on the chair and someone tossed him a bottle of water.
    After taking a big swig, he spoke. “ I was doing a final sweep of the northern border, up by the ravine, and I came across a blood trail. A vampire feeding. Young thing. Very careless.”
    “Did you dispose of it?”
    He nodded grimly. “He must’ve been high for days. He didn’t cover his tracks. I followed it straight to the coven’s doorstep just over the Montana border. That’s what all this is.” He gestured down his body. “A disguise to mask my scent.”
    “Smart,” Mathias said.
    Sorin grunted. “You should’ve called for back-up.”
    “I didn’t want to lose the trail. Or another vampire to realize the mess the boy had made. But I know where they are and approximately how many.”
    “I’ll get a map,” someone behind him said then left the room to rummage through drawers in the attached office.
    “How many?” Sorin asked. The prospect of clearing out this coven was tempting but he wouldn’t risk lives unless he was sure they could win.
    “From what I could tell, not more than a dozen,” he answered.
    “A dozen? That’s fucking easy.” Too easy?
    “I saw a few com e and go. Most of them are young. I doubt they’ll put up much of a fight. Though if they’re high, they’ll be stronger.”
    Anger rose from his belly at the thought of the countless innocent wolves under h is protection, being killed for a quick high. A growl escaped him but no one said a word. They knew strongly he felt about this.
    Max came back with the map and spread it open on the table. Paul, Sorin, and Mathias hovered over it.
    “There.” Paul pointed to small town just over the border. “It’s a ghost town. No more than a few houses nearby.”
    That made things easier. No witnesses to the bloodshed.
    “Let’s assemble a team of twenty,” Sorin said. “We’ll leave in two days.” He looked up at his head military strategist. “Tomas, what do you th –”
    Every muscle froze. Fear. Harmony. He could feel it in his bones, like there was a string attached from her heart to his. And hers was beating hard and fast.
    “Something wrong, Sorin?”
    Mathias ’ voice snapped him back to attention. “Something’s wrong with Harmony.”
    “Go,” he said. “We’ll manage.”
    He nodded then pointed to Tomas. “Start a plan. I’ll check back later.” Fear nudged at him more and more each second. In a panic, he left the room and ran to Harmony’s cabin. If anyone dared harm her…
    He swung open her cabin door.
    “Sorin!” She gasped and spun around, giving him her back. Her bare back. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
    Darla and Monica giggled from where they sat on one of the beds.
    “You were afraid,” he explained. “I could feel it.”
    She huffed as she pulled on her cotton t-shirt then turned to face him. Glaring, she put a sweatshirt over the tee, cutti ng off his view of her hardened nipples. If she thought she was safe in that…
    He gave his head a shake. Safety. He was here to check on her, not check her out.
    “I wasn’t afraid. I was just…” her gaze shifted around the room, “a little nervous.”
    “She felt a presence,” Darla said. “Outside the cabin.”
    “Again?” he asked Harmony.
    She nodded.
    He looked at the other two girls. “Did you feel it too?”
    Monica and Darla eyed each other, hesitating as if they didn’t want to tell the full truth. Finally, Monica shrugged. “A little.”
    “It was probably nothing,” Harmony chirped. “We’re fine.”
    Sorin was shaking his head before she even finished. “I’m not taking risks with you. You’re coming back to my cabin. Get your stuff for the night.”
    Her