Shadow’s chest rose and fell behind me, his grip unyielding, and I started to mentally urge the others out of the lair. Were they moving in slow motion?

Just when we were almost clear of witnesses, Lucien turned back toward us. Shadow’s chest rumbled, but I elbowed him. We could wait a few more minutes, since the vampire looked like he had a lot on his mind.

Some of Shadow’s tension eased as he focused on his friend. “What is it, Lucien?” he asked, sounding like he actually gave a shit. I mean, he did care about his friends, but he was also rocking dick-brain and if I knew anything about that condition, it made it difficult to focus.

“Is Simone okay?” The question was directed at me, and I blinked. I hadn’t expected that; I should have expected it, but I hadn’t.

Patting my pockets, I wiggled until Shadow put me down. “Hang on. Let me check.”

I finally found the parchment, but of course I had no pen on me. “Use your magic,” Shadow murmured, close behind.

“Right, right,” I murmured before I placed my fingers on the ancient parchment, willing words to appear.

Simone, are you okay, girl? We found Angel and will head to the realm tomorrow.

Lucien remained quiet, even though I felt tension emanating from him. The parchment lit up, and I held it tighter watching as the words I’d written faded away.

“What does that mean?” I asked, tilting my head to see Shadow.

“She read it,” he replied shortly.

Okay, excellent. That was excellent news.

All good here. Words glowed on the page, and I followed as she wrote them. Torin is acting weird and confused, so the pack is a bit of a mess, but that’s an improvement. You stay safe. You hear me? I love you, Meers.

My hands shook for a beat, and as soon as I read her last word, it disappeared off the parchment, which I placed back in my pocket.

“She’s safe,” I told Lucien. “Back in Torma. Earth is the securest place for her to be.”

His eyes flashed, the green darkening. “That pack is trash,” he said bluntly. “They need to be wiped from the face of the Earth.”

He was upset, and I really fucking needed to talk to Simone. Where had all of this tension between my friends come from? Maybe I was finally noticing because my own tension with Shadow was somewhat resolved.

“She has the power to protect herself now,” Shadow said bluntly. I wasn’t surprised when his next words were, “Is there anything else, Luce?”

My mate was nothing if not an impatient bastard. Lucien finally seemed to register the position Shadow and I were in, especially the way he held me against his body. A ghost of a smile appeared on the vampire’s face. “Nothing else for now. As long as she’s safe, my responsibility is over.”