Midnight Truth (Shifter Island #4) - Leia Stone Page 0,12

fire teacher.

She waved me off as if she knew I’d have a million more questions. “And as for the henchmen, Bruno and Max got them, so thanks for your concern.”

“Sorry—”

“I know it’s not really your fault. Still, whenever they catch one of those bastards, it makes me paranoid, so I stayed up roaming the halls to make sure no one else got in.”

I gulped. “Who are Bruno and Max?”

She grinned—a fierce and wild look that made me draw back. “Magicked-Dobermans. Meanest suckers in the entire realm. Remind me to introduce you and the black furball to them so they know you’re friendly. It’d be bad news if they killed you, thinking you were an intruder.”

Honor peeled back his lips and snarled.

“Are you serious?” I asked as my eyes narrowed. “Or do you have a really sick sense of humor?”

“Both,” Reyna said and took another long drink of her coffee before she stood. “The summons said to be in the quad at 6 o’clock. You’ve got twenty minutes to eat, shower, and be ready to rock and roll.”

Summons? Twenty minutes!

I burst from the couch and ran to the kitchenette, only to see she’d brewed an entire pot of coffee. Scrambled eggs and buttered toast sat in a skillet on the hotplate as well, enough to feed at least three of me, and I furrowed my brow as I tried to figure out the second eldest alpha heir from Harvest Clan.

“May I have this?” I wouldn’t touch it if it was her breakfast—even though I wanted to.

She nodded. “I made extra.”

A smile pulled at my lips. “That was sweet. Reminds me of Kaja.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “I put some of my battle clothes on the counter in the bathroom.” She shooed me. “Now, hurry up and get ready. I’ll meet you outside.”

Then she left the office and shut the door.

Did she say battle clothes?

Hah. Gramps was right. Reyna was a total sweetie with a hard exterior. Well, maybe not total sweetie, but I liked her.

I shoveled eggs and toast into my mouth in between gulps of the lukewarm black coffee. It all tasted meh, but I was beyond caring right now. This initiation was the only thing standing in the way of me getting to see Rage, and I needed to make sure he understood why I left.

After setting the mostly-full skillet on the ground for Honor, I jumped into the shower.

Reyna had left me stretchy black pants that looked and felt like leggings, as well as a long sleeve cotton shirt. Both the top and pants had leather pieces sewn into the fabric placed strategically on the elbows, forearms, upper arms, chest, thighs, knees, and shins. There were even pads built into the clothes. Geeze. What kinds of things were involved in this “initiation?”

I guess there was only one way to find out.

Once I was ready, Reyna escorted me back to Grandpa’s castle at a full-on sprint.

“If you’re so much as a minute late, you can bet your ass Kian’s going to pull a stunt,” she said.

Was a day off from life-threatening danger too much to ask? Or maybe even twelve hours? Apparently, for me, the answer was yes.

“Kian’s going to pull a stunt no matter what time I show up,” I said, pulling to a stop when my side twinged. “If I don’t slow down, there’s a good chance I’ll throw up my breakfast.”

She reluctantly slowed.

“How’s Gramps?” I asked, keeping a brisk pace.

She swallowed hard. “Still asleep—or he was when I left. He gave strict instructions to not be disturbed until it’s his turn for your initiation.” We stepped into the night-darkened foyer of the castle to find my aunt pacing and muttering to herself as she wrung her hands.

“If she’s not here soon…” Sariah said as she reached the end of the room and spun, her gaze brightening as soon as she saw me. “There you are!” Sariah raced over to me, tugging me close for a tight hug.

The scent of freesia and cocoa powder clung to her, and she patted her hand down my back, almost like she was assuring herself that I was all in one piece.

“I wanted to come say hi to you when I got home but knew you needed your rest.” She pulled back and studied me. “You look so much like your mother.”

Her words gave me sentimental whiplash, and emotion clogged my throat. I was so happy to see her again.

“So do you,” I told her, taking in her silvery hair and