A sword?

Eli frowned.

“Please tell me one of those classes is today,” Noah said, excitement audible in his voice.

“Eleven am sharp,” Katie said.

Noah put two plates in front of them, and a bowl with the mixed berries and cream.

“There’s enough for everyone,” Noah said. “Do you think the guys will want any?”

“I think they’d kill each other for a plate,” Katie confirmed. “I’ll run up and tell them.”

“It’s okay, I can go.” Noah offered. “They won’t be annoyed at me waking them, will they?”

“They’re awake, trust me. Just pretending not to be.”

Noah left, leaving Eli there spinning his fork between his fingers, too uneasy to take a bite. Katie heaped up her pancakes with the berries. She took one bite and groaned. “He has a girlfriend, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the biggest shame of the century,” Katie said, stuffing a forkful of pancake and berries into her mouth. “oh my god, no offence but I hope Matthew takes his time catching that rogue. This is amazing.”

Eli was confused. He’d been expecting people like Matthew. But Katie seemed like a normal girl. Not even just a normal girl, but one that wasn’t half bad.

Eli had a few bites down when he heard the door in the front hall opening.

“That’ll be Harry,” Katie told him. “Just wait, he’s going to blow a fuse when he sees what we’re eating.” She sounded delighted.

Eli noticed it was two sets of footsteps heading toward them, one set walked to the stairs, only to pause, and change direction toward the kitchen. The second person was trailing after them from a safe distance. He put down his fork, his nerves telling him to be on guard.

“Harry, check—” Katie cut herself off as the two figures came in.

One was a shifter. The bigger one. The one who came in first, that caught Katie unawares. Eli stared hard, but his vision wasn’t good enough to identify him. At least he could tell it wasn’t the rogue.

“Harry,” Katie questioned. “What’s going on?” Her hand moved over, the fingernail chinking against her butter knife.

“Eli,” The shifter spoke, and Eli recognised his voice. Alpha Quint. “Are you alright?”

Eli’s heart was beating hard. He nodded. Quint was here. What did that mean for Eli? That Cameron was nearby?

“He’s in our custody,” Harry said.

“You have no right to any shifter, no matter what you claim.” Quint looked right at Harry. “He’s coming with me, one way or another.”

Eli tensed.

Harry stepped aside, moving so that he was between Quint and Katie.

“Eli,” Quint called for him.

Eli was off the stool in a heartbeat, and trotting to Quint’s side before anyone had the chance to stop him. Because here was an escape option that came with protection.

“Noah’s upstairs,” Eli said to Quint when he reached his side.

“You have no right to bring the other boy with you,” Harry said. “That part isn’t debatable.”

Quint gave Harry a long look, “You shouldn’t have brought Eli here in the first place.”

“We were hired to protect him.”

“Isn’t it against your rules, Harry?” Quint’s voice was cool, but there was the threat in his body language. Eli didn’t have to see him clearly to feel that Quint was prepared to fight, if it came to that. “Taking shifter’s away from their packs?”

“I’m not stopping you from taking him,” Harry replied, his voice icy. “But the other boy is staying here.”

Quint put his hand onto Eli’s shoulder, guiding him to the doorway. As soon as they were out of earshot. “I should at least tell Noah that I’m leaving,” he said in a low tone.

“We’ll contact him later,” Quint replied back. He was looking around them as they walked, clearly on edge. “I’ve timed it well enough with just Harry here, he won’t fight when his students are nearby. But if anyone else comes back they won’t have the same hesitation, we need to go now.”

Quint had come in to get Eli even though it could lead to a fight?

“Is it okay to leave Noah here?” Eli asked, feet dragging.

“He’ll be fine.” Quint promised. “But your situation is different, staying here is not an option.”

Eli shivered. “Okay.”

Quint had a car parked just outside the building. He guided Eli quickly into the passenger seat and in seconds they were driving through the entrance gate that had been left wide open. Eli gripped his seatbelt tightly.

“Are you sure Noah’s going to be fine?”

“Yes. Your dad is going to wake up any moment, so it’s unlikely Noah will be there much longer.”

“You’ve seen my dad?”

Quint nodded. “I know someone at the hospital and I’ve asked them to keep me updated on him and Jenny. They’re both in recovery.”

Eli let out a breath of relief. Hearing that they were okay from someone other than Matthew felt more believable.

“How did you find me?” Eli asked.

“Sinclair showed up at the boarding house to tell Cameron you’d been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?”

“The text you sent her,” Quint elaborated. “She said you’d clearly written it under duress.”

Eli was going to give Sinclair the biggest hug when he saw her next, and possibly bow down to her while he was at it.

“Thanks to her we were able to find you this fast.” Quint looked sideways at Eli. “How bad are your injuries?”

“I’m actually okay,” Eli said. He rubbed his shoulder, the mark once more making its presence known. “Are we going to the boarding house? Is Cameron there?”

“We’re going to nearby pack. Until your dad wakes up to act as a buffer, you’re in more danger from the hunters than anything else.” Quint explained. “When I told them your situation a nearby pack offered you protection. My own territory is the first place the hunters would look for you.”

“Cameron,” Eli squeezed the mark, praying that the pressure would do something to alleviate the ache spreading into his blood.

“He’s already there,” Quint said. “You’ll see him soon.”

Thank god. Eli couldn’t take much more of this.

“Did they inject you with anything? Or draw any blood?”

“No,” Eli said. Even if he’d slept through Matthew coming into the room, he was sure he’d have woken up if a needle had been stuck into his arm. Quint let out a breath of relief.

Eli felt as though his fears about going to a hunter academy were validated all at once. Quint’s responses and questions were very telling.

“What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“They won’t stop glowing.”

“That’s it?”

“Glowing silver.” Eli emphasised. “Noah doesn’t know about shifters and all of this, so I had to keep them covered.”

“Can you take off the bandages? It’s okay, the windows are tinted. Nobody will see you.” Quint had them driving down a motorway, heading the opposite direction of home.

Eli tugged the bandages up, not bothering to unwrap them. He blinked against the intensity of the light as his eyes adjusted. He first looked in Quint’s direction. Quint was dressed simple enough, in army-green trousers and a blue shirt. Not at all the attire Eli was expecting for someone who’d stormed the hunter facilities all alone. Quint’s grey eyes flashed off the road to Eli, taking him in.

“How long were they silver for?”

“Since the car accident,” Eli said. He pulled down the visor on his side to look at his reflection. Blue eyes stared back. He startled. “They’re back to normal.” Was it because he’d left the facility, and didn’t feel like he was in any immediate danger anymore?

They had the road to themselves for the most part during the early morning. Once midday hit the sun was out, scorching down, turning the car into a hot box. Eli was messing with the air conditioning, losing his mind over the temperature in his surroundings and from his own body.

“Just hold on for a little while longer, we’re almost there.” Quint reassured him.

He seemed to be well aware that Eli was in agony, and that getting to see Cameron would solve it. They stopped at a drive through for lunch, and kept driving well into the evening. Quint kept telling Eli they were almost there whenever he got antsy. Eli bit himself back from calling Quint a liar.

After what felt like an eon, they started taking turns off the motorways and the main roads. They passed through a quaint little town, and drove straight into a nature reserve with forest and shrubbery imposing in on them from all sides. Almost thirty minutes later of bumping down the dirt path, they came to an enormous log cabin. Eli looked around; there were no roads leading anywhere but the house.

Eli was out of the car before Quint was, but had to wait, bouncing on the balls of his feet for Quint to lead the way in. Quint started off toward the cabin, and Eli was practically stepping on his heels, urging him to go faster.

His body was humming, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron.