Chapter 119

Mira

My arrival within the traveling medical team was met with mixed reviews.

No one showed any negativity, but the confusion and skepticism were evident on their faces. I had made the drive with both Betas, Lucas and Wyatt, finding a unit in their safe house not far from us.

The car was quiet, the night darkening outside the windows. There was a tension that I couldn’t fully name, whether it was the situation or the fact that Wyatt was keeping a secret from Lucas or that I was just fully paranoid by the conspiracy theories in my mind. I was grateful it was not a long drive.

I was suppressing my guilt, focusing on the task set before me, and reminding myself that things with Dominic could still turn out right in the end. Even if, however painful it was, I needed to be away from him right now.

“We should be on the road again within an hour, if we can help it,” Lucas said as he parked in front of the nondescript house mostly hidden among trees. “Driving too late at night feels unwise, given the circumstances.”

We all looked at the house, sullen in the fading grey light that hangs in the air just before the night turns blue. I decided not to tell him just yet, that I would not be going back tonight.

“Right,” Wyatt said, looking between us, “shall we?”

A woman opened the door on the first knock, so they must’ve had surveillance that picked up our arrival. I recognized her as one of the EMTs who responded to the attack. She was probably in her forties, grey hair peppering her temples and her eyes deep with knowing.

“Welcome,” she said, her demeanor warm but stern. “I’m Aubrey, please come in.”

I led the way, flanked by the Betas, and entered what turned out to be beautiful old Victorian-style. The interior woodwork was dark and ornate, and I was impressed to see how well-kept it seemed for being a house for transient medical workers.

“This place is beautiful,” I said as we walked, garnering a small smile from Aubrey. “It must be nice to stay here, even if it’s temporary.”

“Yes, we are lucky in that regard,” her eyebrows creased a bit as she thought of the ways they were unlucky. “Each property has a caretaker, as well as a few other means to keep it clean and safe. And hidden, from most eyes.”

I shuffled my step as she said that, looking more sharply at her. “Hidden?”

“Yes,” Aubrey said as we entered a sitting room in the back of the house. “Admittance is by invitation only— without it, it’s nearly impossible to find this place.”

Her eyes, crinkling when she squinted, scanned the room like she was looking for a crack in a façade.

“How is that possible?” Lucas asked the question without judgment, but I knew that his rational brain was not convinced.

Aubrey turned to look at him, her gaze somehow soft and piercing at the same time.

“We have help, from a friend,” she said, no cheek behind it. “A local property-owner, even if she is an outsider among us. Beatrice is an ally to many and a nightmare to the few that cross her.”

My mouth fell open, bringing Aubrey’s gaze back to me. “Beatrice, from the tavern?”

“You know her?” Aubrey seemed pleased by this, it seemed to give me more clout.

“We responded to the attack on her establishment,” Lucas said bluntly.

“I see,” Aubrey said, nodding. “It sounds like the witch owes you a favor.”

Our host then turned and gestured for us to sit down among the couches and chairs in the corner of the room. There was a small fire going, in spite of the warm spring evening outside. I found myself wondering what else about the house might be enchanted, if our local witch had her hand in its maintenance.

“I’ll bring her down,” Aubrey said as she left the room.

In the minutes we were left alone, the three of us did not speak. Lucas stared at the fire, Wyatt was on his phone, and I took in the room around me. A small bar stood in one corner, next to a door that I imagined led to a kitchen or pantry. There was a games table, some bookshelves, and tasteful floral oil paintings on the walls.

I found myself wondering what it would be like to live this lifestyle, jumping from one glorious home to the next while facing grave danger in between. Thrilling, the comfort and the danger so close to one another.

Footsteps at the door roused us, and I stood as Aubrey returned with a woman about my age in a wheelchair. One leg was propped up and most of the left side of her body was heavily bandaged.

Her face was mostly visible, with only her left ear and neck covered by gauze. Her eyes were hazy but determined.

“This is Sasha,” Aubrey said as she pushed her over. “She was in the passenger seat.”

“Sasha, my name is Mira,” I told her, trying to be soothing without sounding condescending. “These are my Betas, Luca and Wyatt. We were at the scene after the attack.”

“I remember you,” she said, eyes focused on me. “You helped me.”

“I did, yes,” I said, sitting back down on the couch. “I wasn’t sure if you would remember. I’m so sorry we had to meet that way.”

Sasha shrugged, her left eye twitching as an ache went through her.

“Are you feeling okay enough to talk about it? It’s not an issue at all if it isn’t, we aren’t here to pressure you. You went through Hell.”

Her head shook. “No, I’m okay,” she said, setting her jaw. “they need to pay for what they did.”

I nodded, letting her choose the pace of the conversation.

“It came out of nowhere, we didn’t even see an approaching car or motorcycle or anything,” said Sasha, eyes bright with the memory. “And then, the back door of the truck was blown to shit. Two of us were in the back, Jaxon and Kay…”

She trailed off, and I reached out to put my hand on hers next to me. She looked at it, and a small tear rolled down her cheek.

“Take your time,” I told her.

Sasha’s head shook side to side. “I don’t remember much after the… I woke up on the ground. My ears were ringing, but I could hear voices, shouting. My left side was…well, you can see. At least I had covered my face with my arm, survival tactics.”

She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I listened.

“There were four, I think,” Sasha continued. “Three huge, one small, and they were loading bags with supplies. It didn’t look like much, like they were really there just to make a statement. I hated them, and I couldn’t do anything to stop them.”

The anger was rising in her throat, her voice constricted. I took a deep breath, encouraging her to do the same.

“Did they say anything? Did they know you were alive?” I asked softly.

“The small one, he looked at me,” she said, her eyes widening as her body remembered the traumatic event. “The others were loud, but he was so…still. Like a bird, a raptor, sitting atop a tree, waiting to attack…”

I looked up at Wyatt and Lucas, both rapt in the story. They both nodded at me, confirming my theory.

“He came over to me, it was like a dream,” Sasha added, closing her eyes. “He spoke, high-pitched but almost kind. He said… ‘Tell them I came from the future.’”