Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,37

some breakfast, and call a tow truck for the car,” he stood up, heading toward the kitchen.

“What happened to taking me to the hospital?” she grumbled.

“Do you really need it?”

She paused and pressed her lips together. “What do you think?”

“Hmmm… I think I’ll keep that to myself,” he teased.

“Just get the breakfast, Griff,” she mumbled, lying back on the couch and closing her eyes. Immediately her mind turned to Alex and everything that had just happened. Ellie hoped Griffin wasn’t listening. She was just too worn out to try to block his telepathy.

Ellie and Griffin spent the rest of the day hanging out at home. They discussed the wolves several times. It still wasn’t clear if the Vyusher were involved or not. But if they were, Ellie and Griffin worried about when to expect the attack…the question was when, not if it was coming. It felt too much like the last time.

Chapter 19

Later that night Ellie and Griffin agreed to split the patrols so they could get some rest between watches.

Ellie took the first shift, having recovered sufficiently from her accident that morning. “I’ll wake you up when I get back,” she said as she walked out the back door.

“You sure? How’s the head?”

“I’ll survive,” she replied stoically.

She quickly made for the woods. One of the things she and Griffin had decided today was not to go in and out of the house in their falcon forms. If Alex was suspicious, he might be watching. And if anyone was watching, even if it wasn’t Alex, a large bird shooting in and out would be too obvious to ignore. So Ellie headed into the cover of the trees, and once she felt safe, she transformed into a falcon and swiftly took flight.

Nighttime had already descended, and despite concentrating on looking for the wolves and watching over the Jenners and Pierces, Ellie was still able to revel in the feeling of soaring through the air. As a falcon she could dive and reach speeds faster than any other creature on the planet, the wind almost a physical presence holding her, moving with her, supporting her. And then, in the same breath, she could flare her wings and hover over the earth, the wind still her constant companion, and the sights surrounding her so incredible that words could never do them justice. Men risked their lives climbing mountains and jumping out of planes to have just a momentary glimpse of what Ellie could see any time she chose. The sight was truly stunning, and she never got over the simple enjoyment of this miraculous gift.

The Jenners and Pierces lived in two houses built side-by-side, well outside of town and far away from anyone else. Like her and Griffin, Lila, Adelaide, and Nate didn’t need much sleep to function and often spent much of the night together, frequently moving back and forth between the houses and sometimes wandering in the woods. This routine was one of the things that worried Ellie the most. The Vyusher had to be aware of this nightly activity… a habit she felt the pack would likely exploit.

It didn’t take much waiting before Ellie saw her three friends crossing the woods between their houses. They took their time, stopping to sit on the grass in a small clearing, and appeared to be practicing their powers. Nate, ultra strong and fast, was picking Adelaide up and lifting her effortlessly above his head. Ellie couldn’t tell what the girls were doing.

Ellie found a perch on top of a high tree from which to keep watch over them. She tried hard not to spy, although she enjoyed observing them as they practiced their powers on each other. She remembered her own adolescence and honing her skills with Griffin and with her friends. However, she didn’t want to intrude on these three. Besides, what she was watching for was not their activities, but for any kind of threat to them. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was coming soon. And with that gut feeling overwhelming her, she settled in and scanned the woods around them constantly.

Three hours later, it was almost time to go trade shifts with Griffin. With one last look, she took off and started to fly for home. In the middle of a swooping turn, a movement in the trees caught her attention. Focusing her highly-sensitive falcon’s vision, she made out a shape in the forest moving swiftly and silently toward the clearing where her three friends were