The Newbreeder

Chapter 31

Amaya

Leaving through the barrier into the human world made it easier to drive straight where we needed to go. Seeing a place that wasn't the capital was refreshing—like nostalgia.

"Missing the lesser life?" Jordan asked from the back seat. We had split into four cars: two headed northwest with me, and two headed south.

"Reminiscing," I said, thinking of the family that raised me and the friends I had made—only for them to forget who I am.

"Well, look how far you've come," Jordan said, moving closer and putting his hand on my shoulder. "Not only were you a princess, but the kingdom was led to think you were dead, and you're also a commander after only a few months of training. I think you have better things to think about." He was right; I had broken out of the shell I was in even before my shifting. I had to celebrate that.

"You're right. Thanks," I said, turning over my shoulder.
"Anytime. And you should say that more often," Jordan said, leaning back into his seat.
"Say what?"
"That I'm right." I chuckled and looked back at the road.

We went through the portal in Las Vegas, Nevada, and headed toward the woods where rogues were known to travel and find shelter. We parked the car and started walking, looking for any signs they were in the area: prints in the ground, unusual scents, dead animals left behind—anything that would lead us to them. The quicker we found one to question, the faster we could leave this part of the kingdom.

"Do you think we can find a gas station and pick something up out here?" Jordan joked as we continued walking.
"We just drove through a major city and stopped multiple times," I said, slightly turning toward him.
"Yeah, but I didn't think I'd get hungry now." Just as I was about to answer him, a scream caught our attention. We ran toward it and entered a small clearing. Our team slowly surrounded a rogue standing on top of one of the warriors; the warrior had an open gash on his neck and lay in a pool of blood, not moving. The rogue's black fur looked filthy and disheveled; blood dripped from his mouth as he bared his teeth. He looked like any other shifter except for his smell—despair and something rotten, a scent that put everyone on high alert.

"Everyone back away and stand down," I said in as calm a voice as I could muster. Everyone turned to me and looked as if I had sentenced them to death. "Now," I said sternly. Jordan and the other warriors backed away slowly. The rogue saw an opening and ran. As he fled, I recited a tracking spell I had learned with Anna.

"Why did you let him go?" a warrior yelled, walking up to me. I'd never had a conversation with him before, but I knew he was a great fighter. "That menace killed Ryan, and you just let it go!" He took a few more steps toward me, but Jordan stepped in front of me.

"I didn't just let him go," I said, stepping into his line of sight. "I put a tracker on him; wherever he goes, there have to be more of them. I am truly sorry about Ryan, but we will get the rogue and find their hiding ground." I looked into the warrior's eyes and saw he knew I was right. Killing one would not solve the larger problem.

I took a deep breath before turning to the rest of the team. "Call in the other unit. I'll send coordinates." Everyone started heading back to the cars as I took out my phone.

"How are you going to get the coordinates?" Jordan asked, glancing at my phone. I opened a map of our location and repeated the spell I'd cast on the rogue. A glowing dot appeared on the map, moving in the same direction the rogue was headed.

"Where this dot stops is where the hideout is. I just hope I'm right," I sighed, staring at the screen. Jordan put his hand on my shoulder and brought my eyes to his.