Silver - By Kailin Gow Page 0,16
way out, and Briony knew it, but if it was the only way to be able to stay in the same room as her own brother, it was the one she was going to take.
Not that there would have been time to ask him anyway. No sooner had Briony arrived in the werewolves’
living room than Josh started to speak, addressing a rag tag crowd of his people who fil ed most of the space.
“One of us managed to creep close to the spot where we now know the vampires have their lair,” he said.
“They managed to get close enough to see a number of survivors of the battle being taken inside. My sister Carol was among them.”
That got no response beyond a ready silence.
Everyone in the room clearly knew what their king was going to say next.
“We cannot just leave them there. Any of them. We wil be leaving for their lair as soon as possible.”
“Why so soon?” Kevin asked.
Josh stared at him. “You think I am going to leave my sister in there one minute longer than necessary?”
“What I mean is shouldn’t we be coming up with a plan?”
“That is why you and the hunter are here.” Josh turned his gaze to Briony. “You have been inside the lair, correct?”
Briony nodded. She stil didn’t trust what she would say if she tried to speak to Josh right then.
“Then you wil guide us inside. Once there, we wil retrieve our people and escape.”
“What about the vampires?” It was Jake who asked.
“He’s right,” Briony said. “There wil be a lot of them inside, particularly if they have prisoners.”
Josh shrugged. “There aren’t enough of us for an al -
out battle now, so we’l try to avoid them. If we can’t… wel , we wil see how good with that silver blade of yours you are, won’t we?”
Briony nodded, and that seemed to settle it, though it al seemed to be moving far too quickly for her liking. So soon after losing a major battle, and they were already planning to attack the vampires’ home?
“You don’t have to go, you know,” Kevin said softly as the others rushed about, trying to get ready. “I know the way to their lair just as wel as you do. Better, probably.”
Briony shook her head. “Do you real y think Josh would leave me here on my own? Besides, Jake is rushing around with the rest of them, and I’m not going to let my little brother run into something when I won’t.”
“Your incredibly tough, half-vampire little brother.”
“Yes.”
Something of the tension Briony felt at being reminded of what Jake was again must have seeped through, because Kevin put a hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
“I saw the wolves feeding outside.”
“Not much in the way of table manners, were there?”
Briony didn’t dare explain about what had happened inside, not at a time like this, so she forced a smile. “No, not real y. I suppose I’d better ask Josh for my sword back now, if we’re going to get going.”
The werewolf king gave it back to her without any problems. In fact, there wasn’t so much as a hint of what had gone before. He gave her the weapon, and then walked off casual y to talk to Jake. Even Brian seemed calm enough about the whole thing, though Briony noticed that he was quick to suggest that Briony should ride on his back to the vampires’ house.
Briony shook her head. “Thanks for offering, but Kevin wil take me.”
It seemed like the quickest way to make it clear where Brian stood. Besides, Briony already knew what Kevin would say if she suggested that someone else carry her.
It didn’t take long to get ready. In fact, within fifteen minutes, they were speeding back through the forest. The wolves ran as one coordinated pack, a furry wedge with Josh’s powerful form at the front. Jake rode one of the others, not daring to transform until he needed to. For her part, Briony just did her best to cling onto Kevin as the werewolf ate up ground with frightening speed. There was something exhilarating about being caught up in the moving flow of so many creatures like this, something primal. It was almost enough to make Briony forget about what she had seen of the pack’s other side.
Eventual y, they slowed, and a few of the werewolves changed back. Josh looked untroubled by the thought of what lay ahead, even in clothes that were ragged from the transformation. Kevin stayed