Page 85 of Rising Reign

“Did you see us fighting them?” I pressed.

Rhys shook his head. “No. Just them coming onto pack territory.”

An alert, unlike anything I’d ever heard before, came from behind me. I whirled to find Locke fumbling with his phone and silencing the alarm. His fingers flew across the screen as his eyes went wide. “My power grid. It’s completely down.”

“How?” Kingston ground out. “Those lines run deep under our property.”

Locke shook his head, but his gaze stayed focused on his phone. “It has to be by magical means, not human ones.”

A pit formed in my stomach as dread bloomed. Magical means. It had to be the dark mages or Red River. The only question was, which one?

“What about the solar-powered cameras?” Brix demanded.

Locke’s head shot up, his brows pulling together. “I might be able to tap into their network from the satellite.” His fingers flew again and then stilled. “The mages. Northwest corner. They’re through the electric field and working on lowering the wards.”

Hera and I shared a look. We knew the wards were already struggling to stay up with all the animosity hitting them. It wouldn’t be long before they gave out altogether.

Kingston’s gaze swept the group. “We all know our roles and groupings.”

I swallowed hard as I reached for Ender’s hand. He squeezed my fingers in answer, saying everything we didn’t have time for.

“Clyde and Dina, you’re in the watch room. Locke will patch you into auxiliary power and the satellite for internet. You’re our eyes and ears.”

They instantly headed for the house and Locke’s lair.

“Ender and Franco, the sniper’s nest.”

They nodded, and Franco held out his fist to Ender. “Let’s lock and load.”

Ender tapped his knuckles to Franco’s, and then they were off.

“Puck, Locke, and Juan, you’re on the ground with Rhys. Hera, you’re with the enforcers and Clara. Brix and Wren, you’re with me,” King instructed.

My mouth had gone dry as I thought about how the people I loved most were here. If we lost, everyone I loved would be wiped from this Earth.

Rhys met my gaze. “Remember your training.”

“I’m not even sure how the hell I’ll use it,” I said, panic setting it.

Rhys gripped my shoulders. “You’ll know when the moment is right. Trust yourself. Trust your wolf.”

I thought about everything I’d learned from the men and women around me. At the heart of it was trust—in each other and ourselves.

I pulled air in through my nose and let it out through my mouth. I could do this.

Weapons clattered to the table, spilling out as Ender and Franco emptied duffel bags full of all types of gear. Ender looked around. “Bullets will do nothing to the mages. They need to be ended by blades. Try to decapitate or get a direct hit to the heart.”

A muscle along Franco’s jaw fluttered. “I’m ready for a little payback.”

I was sure he was. The dark mages had nearly cost him his soul. Everyone kitted up, and I checked that Kingston’s blade was still tucked into my waistband. I added a sword to my other side and a gun at my back, just in case.

As everyone readied themselves, I felt a wave of something pass through me. My gaze snapped to Hera. “The wards. They’re down.”

“Gods be with us,” she whispered.

“We move now. Follow the paths we discussed,” King ordered.

I felt voices in my head then, sweet caresses that had my eyes stinging.