Intent on His claim (Beauty and the Beast #3)

Chapter 69

The first thing I noticed as we drove close to the battle site were the shifters watching us from the shadows.

It had dawned as a beautiful day and Dizzy's grandparents had tried to get us to stay another day.

Ryder and I were stuffed from Dorothy's breakfast by the time we left and true to his word, Dizzy used back roads to get us to the battle site in less than two hours.

Dizzy slowed down as we continued to drive down the road that had become little more than a footpath. When I finally noticed the shapeshifters, I was surprised by how they had managed to blend in with the shadows in this dense forest. They were in their panther forms, either sprawled in the grass or draped over tree branches. To any bystander, they looked like a lazy claw simply enjoying the shade. Their eyes followed our car but they didn't move.

"Stop the car," Ryder ordered quietly.

Dizzy complied while Victor took my hand comfortingly. The feeling inside me was intense and I closed my eyes, blowing out a breath to relieve the tension.

Surprisingly, what I felt wasn't fear or dread. Being this close to the end of it all, I was filled with a sense of duty that was amplified by excitement. I couldn't wait to get out there and do my part.

I accepted that my powers really were at the center of victory today. A curious sort of calm came over me and holding my hand palm up, I created a tiny whirlwind above it to test that I was still in control of my power.

"It's always so cool to watch you do that," Victor whispered next to me.  He was gazing down at the little whirlwind in admiration when I glanced at him. "You look ready."

"I feel ready," I smiled back.

"Let's go," Ryder said.

I looked up and there was a shifter standing right in front of the car, clearly waiting for us.

We all stepped out of the car and Ryder let me go ahead of him to meet the shifter. When I got close, the guy fell down on one knee and my brows shot up.

"Greetings, Seer," he said formally.

"Please don't do that," I squeaked.

He stood up again and smiled at me. "Then hi."

"Hi. Um, you are?"

"I'm here to lead you to the battlefield. My name is Clay, I'm in charge of Alpha Axle's team A."

"Wait, what? Did you just call Axle an alpha?"

"May I explain when we get there?" he asked.

I blinked and felt heat creeping up my neck. Clearing my neck, I replied, "Yeah, sure. Okay." When his eyes ran over Victor and Dizzy I quickly added, "They're with me."

The smile never left his face. "We were only expecting one but two's cool too."

I breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't occurred to me until now that other shifters could misunderstand Victor and Dizzy's presence on the battle field. Was I leading them into danger?

Clay turned and raced off ahead of us and I followed right behind him. I noticed that Ryder kept pace with me but Victor and Dizzy hung back, clearly assessing the enemy territory they were entering.

The closer we got to the battlefield, the less shifters we passed. None of them acknowledged us in any way and it took a minute for me to understand that they had spread out, probably forming a perimeter around the immense battle site.

"How long have you guys been here?" I asked curiously.

"We moved to form a perimeter this morning," Clay replied. "We've been keeping an eye on the vampire movement ever since you left Los Gatos."