Page 32 of Hybrid Heroics

“You and Vaughn scoot the sofa closer to the center of the room.”

The vampire grinned. “Are we redecorating? Is it bugging you that bad, Mage?”

“No, Novak. Help me move this one.”

“What are you doing?” York asked, stepping out of our way.

I shook my head, refusing to say anything else until I knew no one could hear us.

Once we had Sloane closer to the center of the room, I waved my hand in an arch. A deep orange dome appeared over us, making my ears buzz with the absolute silence.

“Someone is being paranoid,” Novak teased.

“I am,” I acknowledged. “But everything feels wrong right now.”

“So talk us through your mental breakdown,” Briggs suggested.

Vaughn snorted, then covered his mouth to hide his smile. “Maybe we can help you.”

“It’s Alric,” I said. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

“What about him?” the druid inquired slowly, watching me pace the edge of the dome.

“Everything is Alric,” I told them.

Stone nodded, stalking my movements like I was a wild animal. “Yes. We’ve established that.”

“No. I mean... Everything. Not just the drug and the rogues. Or the missing shifters and mages and vampires,” I elaborated. “He was behind the issues with the council, the rebellion in the Underworld, the shifters losing trust in Charlie—”

“Kadence’s attempt to take over and out the vampires,” Novak added.

I stopped to stare at them with wide eyes. “Yes. The camp and who knows how many power farms. Everything with Vaughn’s family. The death of Stone’s parents. The death of Briggs’—”

“My dad’s death, sure,” Brigg cut in. “Annette had plenty to say about it. But not my mom. She did that on her own.”

“She wouldn’t have killed herself if she hadn’t lost her mate,” I argued. “Annette’s mate is the new alpha in that pack, for now, but that power had to come from somewhere... And what’s not to say Alric didn’t already know all of this was going to happen?”

“All of what?” Stone asked, sitting up straighter as he listened.

York narrowed his gaze on me. “You sound crazy.”

“I might be,” I murmured. “But hear me out. Let’s say that Alric was using another angel’s powers before he captured Raguel... He could have seen visions so far into the future that he changed his course of action to keep them from happening. We already know that he changed something, and because of that, he kicked the prophecy into gear before it was time.”

Briggs threw his hands in the air. “When did we learn that?”

“We’ve talked about it. Stay with me.” I began pacing again. “This isn’t me speculating. I know him well enough to know that he doesn’t do anything without a plan B. If he started the rebellion in the Underworld, then he had a fallback in case it went south. That’s not up for discussion. That’s just the way he thinks.

“The issue, or maybe it’s the knowledge we need to get a few steps ahead, is that he and Sloane think similarly. But he doesn’t know that. She’s all chaos to his organized planning... The bottom line, however, is still the same.”

Vaughn held his index finger up, mouth parted like he didn’t know what to say. “What?”

“She goes left. He goes right.” Novak shrugged. “They end up at the same destination.”

“Exactly.” I pointed at the ground. “And this is the destination.”

“My aunt and uncle’s house?” York surmised.

The vampire rolled his eyes. “No. The druids’ realm.”