Luna of Rogues

Part 40 - Here and Gone

Warning: This chapter contains parental advice which should not, under any circumstances, be construed as wisdom. Please dismiss this content (or, really, anything Rhodric ever says) as utter bullshit. I cannot be held liable for the consequences of heeding such advice.

Speechlessness. It was something I encountered rarely. And never to this extent. So many questions — what, why, how? I must have stood there, staring and scowling for a good minute before managing to ask, "Dad?"

"No, I'm Matilda the Unicorn and my only children are rainbows," Rhodric Llewellyn muttered. Then, louder, "Come on, kid — stop gawking and move your ass. I didn't raise you to be sentimental."

Defiance — the kind that always ended in trouble — stirred within me. "Sentimental? I'm angry, you bastard."

"Now, now, there's no need to be nasty. My parents were happily married at the time of my conception, I'll have you know," Rhodric said nonchalantly. He didn't deign to address my anger — unsurprising. He crouched beside his injured son with nothing but amusement in his eyes. "What a perfect mess you've made. Couldn't have done it better myself."

He proceeded to toss a battered rucksack to my mate, then haul Rhys up and sling him across his shoulders, somehow making it look effortless. I snapped out of my frozen, shocked state and trailed behind as he set off in a seemingly random direction. We followed the fringe of the forest instead of entering it, treading on pre-trampled snow. And somehow Rhodric was managing to walk faster than me, despite the extra seventy-five kilos of weight. He led while Leo, Tally and I tried our damned best to keep up.

"Um," Tally whispered too loudly, "can I just ask who the frick this guy is?"

Leo must have answered through the mind-link because soon her mouth was unhinged and she was openly gawking. I rolled my eyes. "Thanks. As if his ego needed any more fuel."

"It's self-awareness, not ego, you cheeky little shit," Rhodric corrected. He was teasing. Probably. "Talia Everton, formerly Shadowless Pack, right? I hope Kyle's being a gentleman."

I fumed silently. He shouldn't be allowed to know more about her than I did. It wasn't fair. Rhodric noticed my resentment and winked ... which only annoyed me more.

The next half hour of our trek passed uneventfully. Rhys didn't stir at all, and I began to pray he hadn't cracked his skull in the fall, or worse. His father didn't show any such concern. He whistled 'The Grand Old Duke of York' and 'King of the Castle' as he walked and never once stopped grinning.

As we scaled a particularly treacherous slope covered in grass slick from snowmelt, Tally sidled up to me, her face miserable. "I'm shit at linking. I tried, honestly I did, but they're too far and too freaked out. Could you...?"

She meant the others, of course — the eight rogues we had left at the police station, her mate included. Surprised they hadn't already caught up, I nodded. "Course. Two ticks."

I closed my eyes, letting my arm rest against Leo's for guidance, and reached out with the mind-link. Eleven years with Fion had taught me a lot, but I didn't have her range. Even locating the rogues in the town was effort. Especially because they weren't in the town anymore. No, they were miles clear. In the wrong direction.

There was nothing but ruckus and noise which didn't explain anything. Sure, I caught the odd word. Blood and shot and danger and scent and chased and where? So the general vibe wasn't optimistic.

Then one panicked snatch of communication burst through all the rest. It sounded like Aaron to me, and he was giving some sort of warning. A warning that had the word run bleeding into everyone else's thoughts.