I shoot him an uneasy grin. “Let’s hope in a good way.”
The park stretches long on either side of where we are, but it doesn’t take Hunter long to get his bearings. “There,” he says, craning his neck and nodding in the direction of the intersection to our east. “That’s it—that big brown one with the clock tower.”
We step out from under the shadows to get a better look, and lo and behold, there it is. It looks like it could have come out of a storybook, an enormous, imposing building that might once have housed royalty. Landon whistles through his teeth. “It’s not exactly under the radar.”
“There’s something smart to that, though,” Silas points out. “Theo’s clearly strategizing. If there are as many shifters in the area as Hazel says, it might make them think twice if we’re headquartered somewhere so obvious. It sends a message.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see if it sends the right one,” Shade says, his expression darkening. I move to ask him what the problem is, but he’s already moving past me, the look on his face uncharacteristically stormy.
“What’s gotten into him?” Landon asks, falling into step beside me as we cross the grass, rejoin the sidewalk, and make a beeline for the hotel. Nothing suspicious is standing out, but the possibility that this could be a trap has crossed my mind. We’re too far in it now to backtrack, though, that’s for sure.
“I don’t know,” I reply honestly. “Silas just mentioned Theo, and he got all…” I shrug, searching for the right word.
“Possessive?” Landon quirks an eyebrow at me and then bursts out laughing when he sees my expression. “You know, maybe I ought to give that whole ‘dark and brooding’ thing a try. It’s a nice aesthetic.”
“You know I can hear you, Thyme,” Shade calls over his shoulder to us.
“So am I right, then?” Landon demands. “Don’t tell me Theo has you all in a twist. Jealousy is unbecoming.”
“It’s not jealousy,” Shade replies, a little too quickly, and I can see the tension in his back and shoulders. “It’s suspicion. Can you blame me for not tripping over myself to trust the guy?”
“He’s taken good care of us so far,” Silas points out, “and he clearly cares about shifter wellbeing. I mean, look at Millie: he practically took her under his wing.”
“I know,” Shade growls. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“We just have something in common,” I insist, catching up to the wolf shifter. “You know how rare hybrids are, Shade.” Still, there’s a twinge of doubt, but I push it away. It’s obviously just projection.
“Damn right, you are,” Hunter says, grinning. “And with this new… boost, or whatever you want to call it, you’ll wipe the floor with Hawthorne. He’ll never even see it coming.”
My shoulders slump and I look down at the ground, lost in thought. Shade, seeming to sense my unease, drops a bit of his glumness and glances at me. “Look, Boots, I didn’t mean-”
“It’s not that,” I say with a sigh. “It’s these new powers. It’s like I’m back, and I’m me, but… Something’s different. And I’m not sure if it’s in a good way or not.”
“Why? Because you’re so much more powerful now?” asks Silas.
I nod. “I mean, you saw what happened to Edith. To your parents.” It’s a low blow to bring it up so soon, but if there were ever a time to make my feelings known, it’s now, before we charge straight back into the fire. “What if they somehow get to me? You saw what I did back at Josie’s, and that was after being rusty for who knows how long. If they turned me, who knows what I would be capable of?” I look to the others for an opinion, but their silence tells me everything I need to know: they’ve considered the same thing, and it worries them too, even if they don’t say it. Sighing, I shake my head. “All this time trying to get my powers back, and now I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve just stayed human.”
To my surprise, Hunter is the first one to speak up. “Don’t talk like that.” His ocean blue eyes meet mine, and I see nothing but empathy and affection reflected back at me. “This is who you are, Boots. It’s who you’re meant to be. And we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe - to keep us all safe.”
He looks around at the others, and they nod their agreement. “We’re with you, Boots,” Silas says finally, effectively ending the discussion and putting my mind at ease. “No matter what.”
The interior of the hotel is just as lavish as the exterior: everything seems to be gilded, with live palm trees, gold trim, and balconies visible all the way to the upper floors. Not for the first time, it crosses my mind just how lucky I am to have come from basically nothing to staying in places like this. It’s a little melancholic to know that I’ll never get to appreciate it for what it is; it’s a means to an end for us, nothing more.
I’m expecting some kind of security, or at least some sort of grouchy bouncer like there was at Theo’s last base, but to my surprise, the doorman ushers us in without a second thought. Another shifter, perhaps?’
Almost as soon as the concierge sees me, her face lights up. “You must be Millie Brix,” she says, reaching across the desk to give me an enthusiastic handshake. “And your… friends?” she adds, nodding in the direction of the guys.
I nod. “We’re—” Then, thinking better of it, I lean forward. “We’re here for Theo.”
“Indeed.” The woman hurries out from behind the desk. “He gave us explicit instructions to look for someone of your description. Honestly, he’s visited quite a few times, and I’ve never seen him all bent out of shape like this.” Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial tone, she adds, “I take it you’re… one of them, then? A shifter?”
“Er… yes,” I reply after a moment’s hesitation. “And yourself?” We might as well be talking about our favorite foods!
“Me? Oh, no, no,” the concierge replies. “I’m just a normie, myself.”
I can sense Silas’ hackles go up. “Then how do you know-”
She holds a hand up. “It’s all right. We at the Balmoral have been hosting your kind for more than a hundred years. It’s a bit of a trade secret. We’ve never had one shifter rent out the entire place before, though. You guys having a party or something?”
“Something like that,” I reply evasively. “Do you know where I can find Theo?”
The concierge blinks, her smile faltering just a little. “Why don’t I show you to your rooms first, and then I would be happy to lead you to him.”
“Oh.” I shuffle my feet. “I was hoping I could talk to him now. It’s… kind of time sensitive.”
“In that case,” she replies, after a moment’s pause, “shall I take the gentlemen up?”
“Oh, no, no,” Landon says, laughing. “We know better than that by now. We go where she goes.”
The concierge looks suddenly uncomfortable, glancing over her shoulder for a moment before explaining, “The thing is, Ms. Brix, Theo is in recovery right now. He had a bit of a nasty accident before he came here and doesn’t have the energy for too many visitors. He requested that when you arrived, I bring you to speak with him—alone.”