Lanie


    We navigated our way up several floors to the meeting room where Charlotte had told us to meet her. My mind and heart both


    raced with everything she’d told us, and | couldn’t but be angry... at the High Council.


    At the world. We''d finally found a ce where it seemed as though we could settle in and have a breather, and here we were


    again, facing a fresh set of dangers.


    “We will get through this, like we’ve gotten through everything else,” Mason thought to me right outside the door to the meeting


    room.


    | paused long enough to give him a grateful kiss.


    Then one for Xander and another for Zane. The four of us hugged in a circle for a few seconds, gathering strength from each


    other. | lifted my chin and pushed open the door, ready to hear what Charlotte had to tell


    US.


    | was not ready to see Braden.


    My jaw dropped, and | let out a startled squeal.


    “Braden?”


    He got to his feet at once when | spoke. His wide grin weed me, and | was across the room before | even knew it. | hugged


    him hard.


    Braden had been a friend to me when | truly needed one. He’d saved my life. I''d saved his.


    “| should’ve known you''d be here,” | told him with another strong hug before pulling away s good look at him. Something about


    him seemed a little different, but | guessed he probably co


    same about me.


    | heard a throat clearing behind me and turned to see Xander glowering. | rolled my eyes at hi came around the edge of the


    enormous wooden table to hug me fiercely, which surprised me. | let he Our Luna energies pulsed and swirled, until finally a few


    secondster, she released me.


    geta


    Her expression was dark. All these years, I’ve been so careful, and within days of meeting you, everyth


    catches on fire”


    | frowned, taken aback, but then she shook her head and continued.


    “I''m not ming you, Lanie If anything, it proves to the even more that the Moon Goddess has something in mind for you,


    something special and necessary


    Something we’ve all been waiting for, perhaps without even knowing it, for ages.” She managed a smile that looked thin and


    tired.


    “With great changees great upheaval.” This came from Mchi, at the far end of the table. Melina and her husband sat


    close to him. He gestured to us all.


    “Come in. Sit. I''ve arranged for refreshments. You wolves prefer your meat rare, yes?”


    As he spoke, two carved wooden doors at the room’s other end swung open to reveal a few staff carrying tters of thinly cut


    steak. My stomach rumbled as | scented the meat. Goddess, how long had it been since


    I''dst eaten?


    “Not so long ago he was calling us dogs, Zane murmured through our group link. “I guess this is an upgrade.”


    We all took our seats at the long table. | used the few minutes as the food was being served to look around and take it all in. The


    room was grand, with high ceilings covered in more wooden carvings. Matching. floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined the walls,


    except where there were doors. The table in the center of the room was so big, twenty carved wooden chairs with velvet


    upholstery fit around it. Several lit candbras lined the center. We all clustered at one end.


    “Let''s just get right to it, Mason said. “Do we need to go on the run again?”Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Xander pulled the te in front of him closer to stab into a slice of steak. He tucked it into his mouth and chewed slowly, his


    eyebrows rising. | could feel his satisfaction at the meat’s tender vor rolling through us all via the link. | dug into my own te.


    “We need to know everything.” Xander said, his mouth full. No more of this keeping secrets bu Ils hit.”


    “The good news is that nobody seems to know where you are, much less that you''re here,” Charlotte said quickly.


    “| thought you said nobody knew about Brightsky.”


    Zane shot a look at Mchi.


    “| said that nobody knows where Brightsky is,” my grandfather corrected him. “Many know of its existence and could guess that


    you might be here.”


    “ording to our sources,” Charlotte said, “they do not even suspect you are.”


    “If they''re using Lanie of being part vampire-”


    Xander began, but Mchi raised a hand to cut him off.


    “It is not an usation. It is the truth. She is part vampire,” he said in a cold tone.


    Xander frowned but didn’t argue. “If they’re revealing to everyone else that Lanie is part vampire, why wouldn’t they assume


    she''d seek refuge in the vampire enve?”


    “| think | can answer that,” Braden said. “Since I’m the source Charlotte was talking about.”