“As soon as you get to the Keep, please put together a combat team and send it into North Carolina to find Curran. Keep it quiet. We don’t need a panic.”

Barabas nodded.

“Jim will want to send one, but I want you to oversee it. Use renders, use combat people, the best you can get without leaving us too vulnerable. I don’t care if they have to take the mountains apart rock by rock. They need to find the Beast Lord and they need to do it fast.”

“I understand. What about the Pack Council?”

“They are Jim’s problem. If you can, try to stall them. Delay any decision making until tomorrow. We should be back by morning. If I don’t check in by noon, I am dead and you’re on your own.”

“Understood.”

“Find him, Barabas.”

“Kate, I will. I promise you, I will.”

“Also, please tell Jezebel to take Julie out of the city. She’ll need backup, because Julie is good at escaping. If Hugh takes Atlanta, Julie can’t be here. He will use her and make her into something terrible.”

“He won’t take Atlanta,” Barabas said.

“I know. Please do this for me.”

“Of course. Good luck.”

“Thank you. We’ll need it.”

We went back to the cars. Jim’s face looked grim. “For the record, I’m sick of being left behind,” he said.

“For the record, I’m sick of Hugh being alive.”

The weremongoose was waving at our people. “We’re moving out.”

Jim paused. “Don’t get yourself killed and don’t make me come and rescue your ass.”

“Thanks, Mom. I love you, too.”

Jim growled under his breath and went to the Jeep.

“Jim!” I called, too loud.

He turned.

I waited a second to make sure I had everyone’s attention. “If I’m not back by tomorrow evening and the Beast Lord is still gone, you have my blessing.”

Jim blinked. His mouth opened. “Understood, Alpha.”

Someone would have to run the Pack. He had done it before and if I didn’t come back, he would do it again, and now I had a dozen witnesses who would support his right to do it.

Jennifer shook her head. She and her bodyguards got into their vehicle. The dark-haired man who had cut Desandra’s back open lingered. Desandra stepped close to him. “Go with our alpha. When you get to the Keep, send someone to Orhan and Fatima. And if Jennifer tries to do something stupid, delay her as much as you can. Get George to help you.”

So she had gone to see the retired alpha couple.

The man nodded and took off.

We turned and trotted down the bridge, hidden from the vampires’ view by the cars. The shapeshifters began to chant, cajoling the Jeeps’ enchanted water engines into life.

“Orhan and Fatima?” Robert asked.