“The Stratego.” Stefan’s patience was waning. “The term comes from the ancient Greek. Stratego are the most elite of soldiers.”
“And I need to stay under their elite sight until this trial?”
“Indeed.”
I looked at Stefan’s soldiers, who hadn’t so much as blinked an eye during our conversation. On the surface, there were very few similarities in the three. The one on the right was middle aged, like Stefan. He was African American and stood close to seven feet tall. The muscles popping off his upper arms were the size of grapefruits. If I met him on the street I would think he was a retired professional basketball player.
The guy on the other end was younger, maybe early twenties, and equally impressive, but looked more NFL than NBA. His dishwater blond hair hung down to his very square jaw. He wasn’t quite as tall or old as our Michael Jordan doppelganger, but he was just as imposing with his wide shoulders and steel blue eyes.
The man standing between the two was the smallest by a long shot, but not the least dangerous. He was maybe my height, and probably didn’t weight too much more, but he was wiry. His skin was a dusty color and his dark eyes slanted ever so slightly at the corners. He was standing in the exact same Secret Service pose as the others, but with him you got the impression of a coiled snake ready to strike.
Despite their obvious differences, one thing was certain about the three of them as a whole - They were not leaving without taking Talley and me with them. It was in the set of their jaw, the flatness of their stare.
“Where will we be going?” Alex once told me the headquarters for the Alpha Pack was in Romania. While I’ve always longed to see Europe, this wasn’t exactly the trip I envisioned.
“You’re not going anywhere.” My father’s face sported a decidedly red tint. “I think it’s time you leave,” he said to Stefan. “I don’t know who you are, or what authority you think you have here, but you’re going to leave right now and never so much as look at my kids again or I’m going to have a Restraining Order placed on you. Understand?”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Charlie’s stance shift ever so slightly, placing him in a better position to fight. I followed his cue.
“Mr. Donovan, I’m sure you’ve been informed of your son’s status. It is our custom to inform the parents, and as an adopted child myself, I draw no distinction between the parents who created you and those who raise you.”
“I know who and what my children are.”
“Then you understand there are issues pertaining to your children outside your government’s realm.” Stefan picked a piece of imaginary lint off his suit jacket. “When it comes to those issues, I am the government. The laws of our kind are mine to enforce, and I will do all in my power to ensure they are followed to the letter.” He reached out and ran a single finger down one of Angel’s curls. Talley grabbed my wrist to keep me in place. “Such a beautiful child. It would be a tragedy if something was to happen to her. Yet, accidents do happen when the rules are not followed properly.”
Dad’s face transitioned from red to purple. “Listen here, you son of a—”
“I’ll go.” My heart was slamming up against my rib cage and there was an odd buzzing in my ears. “Willingly. You promise that nothing happens to my sister, and I’m yours.”
“I’ll be damned if—”
“No, Dad. I’m going, and you’re going to let me.” I looked at Angel, whose eyes were overflowing with fear and confusion. “This is all a misunderstanding. I’ll be back in two weeks. No big.”
Except, it was a big. A huge. A behemoth. A freaking leviathan. I could feel it in the air that swirled around Stefan and his men. I was as good as severely punished.
Even Angel could feel it.
The munchkin wrenched herself out of Dad’s hold and wrapped her little arms around my thighs. “Don’t go,” she begged. “Please don’t go.”
I knelt down to hug her properly. It put me at a major disadvantage should things go south and I needed to fight, but I didn’t think that was happening. I hadn’t lied. I was going to go with them willingly, and Talley wasn’t the type to resist. Jase and Charlie might try to step in, but they were sworn to obey their Pack Leader, and I was going to order them to stand down.
I cheated Death in May. Now it was time to pay up.
“I have to go,” I said, trying to memorize the smell and feel of her. “It’ll be okay. You’ll take care of the house and Mom and Dad and Jase for me while I’m gone, right?”
I felt a splash of tears hit my collar bone. “You promised, Scout. You pinkie promised.”
“What did I promise, Munchkin?”
“You won’t leave me forever. You promised.”
I blinked against the sting in my eyes. “I’m just going away for a little while. It’ll be okay.” God, I wanted it to be okay.
I held her until she stopped crying. I’m sure Stefan and the three stooges really enjoyed watching our little goodbye, but I wasn’t concerned about what was convenient for them. Once the sniffles subsided I stood up and faced my father.
“I forbid you to go.”
“Dad, I’m adult. You can’t forbid me from leaving.”
His lips tightened to the point it appeared he had none. “You might be eighteen, but I’m still your father.”
“Which is why I’m stubborn enough to do this no matter what.” I stepped into his embrace and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t let Angel play outside or go anywhere by herself until this is over,” I whispered in his ear. “You take care of her, and I’ll take care of me. Deal?”
“I don’t like this,” he muttered.
“That’s because it sucks.” He gave me a Dad look. “I said stinks. You don’t like it because it stinks.”
I turned to say my last goodbye. “Charlie, I’m putting Jase in charge while I’m gone. I want you—”
“I’m going too,” Jase said, meeting my eyes with fierce determination.
“What? No, you’re staying—”
“I’m going.”
“Sorry to interrupt what I’m certain will be a most intelligent verbal exchange,” said Stefan, “but you are not to join us until the new moon.”