Predatory
52: No Pressure

DRAKE POV

“How ya holdin’ up there, Drake?” Commander Baryshnikov asks from the other side of his bullet train as it hurtles through its tunnel, supposedly towards my parents’ underground hideout beneath the mountains of Maine.

“I…don’t know,” I reply. My fingers tighten around the tablet that’s supposed to give me a view of what’s going on with Sasha. Static gave way to a visual of what must be her new office at WASP HQ just a couple minutes ago, which was a huge relief. I don’t like the looks on her fae assistants’ faces, though. Why wouldn’t they just let me go with her?!

“Let ’im be,” Callum says behind me. “All of us been havin’ a rough time, and some of us ain’t sure we’s doin’ the right thing.”

“Will you come off it?” Xander demands. “The Elders are on board now. Even if we’d stayed home in Maine and been sensible this whole time, we would’ve ended up dragged into this revolution whenever and however it was set into motion. Just cuz Drake’s got a personal stake in it and you don’t like her—”

“Even if we factor out all the lies and manipulation and bullshit she put us all through, fact remains she’s been borderline suicidal since she offed Anselm, and I just ain’t sure that puttin’ our faith in someone who ain’t sure she wants to survive this revolution is the best course of action.”

“We’s all worried about that, t’ some extent,” Commander Baryshnikov cuts in. “But she’s the one top brass wants to see, an’ she’s the one we got with the skills an’ convictions necessary to survive meetin’ with top brass at all.”

“What you mean? You still ain’t told us what she’s up against, what the top brass is like.”

“An’ what would knowin’ help ya? Y’all got enough to worry about, an’ knowin’ what Sasha’s up against won’t help you or her t’accomplish the tasks before ya. An’ besides, this here’s our stop.”

Sure enough, the bullet train is slowing down. I gather my things, heart in my throat. On the tablet, Sasha’s still talking with the fae and Rika and Zoe. So far, everything’s fine, and more or less on the schedule we’ve been planning from.

Which is good, because we just don’t have wiggle room in the plan for surprises. Or mistakes.

Another thing Callum’s not thrilled about, but with all the pieces of the plan and all the information Commander Baryshnikov was willing to share with us, he couldn’t come up with anything better.

I wish Commander Baryshnikov would be more open about the plan, but I understand why he won’t. Best that none of us know everything, so that if something goes sideways and any of us get captured, the others have a chance of carrying out their portion of the plans. If even one branch of this multi-pronged plan succeeds, we cripple HQ, as I understand it.

The train hisses to a stop, and the doors glide open. On the other side are my mom and dad, and several other members of the pack.

“Drake!” Mom cries before engulfing me in a hug as I step off the train.

“Hi, Mom. We just talked a couple days ago, if that,” I laugh, trying to extricate myself from her iron grip. I can’t see my tablet with her squeezing me so tight.

“Welcome home, son,” Elder Eric says. A hint of a smile graces his face. “Even if it’s only for a few moments.”

“Don’t talk like that. Let’s cherish the time we have,” Mom chides.

“Serena, this plan requires—”

“Drake!” my sister Mina’s high-pitched squeal assaults my ears, and then she’s wrapped around me, all long legs and long hair and tightly wound energy. “Oh my gosh I’ve missed you so much! And Mom showed me pictures of your mate and she’s SO PRETTY!”

“Elder Eric, good t’ see ya in person again,” Commander Baryshnikov greets my father. More might have been said, but Mina’s still chattering in my ear.

“I didn’t understand why you wanted a cat but once I saw her I got it and she’s gonna be the most gorgeous bride once you get her out of WASP! Do you know her dress size? I’ve got the wedding all planned—”

“Goodness gracious, Mina, let your brother breathe,” Mom laughs. She pulls my excitable sixteen year old sister away, but that doesn’t stop Mina’s chatter about wedding plans. Putting that cart in a different county from the horse, Mina, but there’s no sense telling her that.

“If Sasha catches wind of that, we’re not getting her out of HQ alive,” Xander mutters behind me, voicing my fears.

“Heyyyyyyy, brother. Welcome back,” Logan smiles as he approaches and initiates our secret handshake. Looking at him is almost like looking in a mirror, or back in time at my past self.

“Good to see you, too. You involved in this mission?” I ask. I hope not. Stay home. Stay safe.

“Absolutely. I’ve been training with Dad’s stealth corps for years now. You know that. I’m leading the charge.”

My heart sinks. The Logan in front of me is twenty-one, muscular and completely self-assured, but in my head he’s still my little brother, playing with Legos and tumbling through the meadow near the pack house with the other pups.

“He wouldn’t hear of doing anything else, once he heard what this mission means to you,” Elder Eric tells me. His stern expression feels like nails driving into my chest. No pressure. Don’t fuck this up. “Of course, you’ll be going with the stealth corps into HQ. And Mina’s driving you in.”

“That’s right!” Mina chirps. “This amphibious submarine is the coolest thing EVER!”

“You’ve been doing vehicles training?” I ask. I don’t remember that from before Xander, Callum, and I left.

“Top of her class in it,” Mom brags. “That system we started, of having every adolescent try a stint in a different area of expertise every few weeks, has really worked wonders. Everyone’s so much happier, and things run so smoothly now.”

Silence overtakes us for a moment. That change to pack education was one of Uncle Stephen’s last suggestions for pack management, before WASP murdered him.

“Right, then. This is for everyone we’ve needlessly lost to WASP’s paranoia an’ mismanagement,” Commander Baryshnikov reminds us. “My full corps o’ shock troops is unloadin’. Which way to your airfield?”

“Stairs and elevators over there,” Elder Eric points. “Logan, Mina, gather the stealth corps and take Drake, Callum, and Xander with you to load up.”

“Are you coming?” I ask him.

“I’m running mission control from well behind the front lines, and holding back several units of warriors, some of our fastest scouts, and all but the most skilled healers. The most skilled ones are, of course, traveling with you, in case this cat of yours gets herself in trouble again. But we want to make sure we sustain as few casualties as possible.”

“Never known you to hold yourself back from the action when there’s a battle to fight.”

“It’s not my fight, son. This one’s yours.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve wanted to take WASP down for—”

“My whole life. Which is long enough to know that you don’t start a fight of this magnitude without a backup plan, an emergency ‘oh shit’ button.” He stares hard at me, and then at Baryshnikov. “This group I’m holding back and I are your ‘oh shit’ button. You give the signal and we’ll be right there.”

My tablet buzzes in my hands, breaking my attention away from Elder Eric’s intense glare. Sasha’s at her office door, talking to someone new.

“They’ve come to call her in to talk with the top brass. We gotta go,” I say. Panic creeps into my voice despite my best efforts to keep it at bay.

“Copy that. All troops, to your departure stations on the double!” Elder Eric orders.

“Come on, Drake! Wait ’til you see this submarine. I’m calling it the TURBO FROG!” Mina grins, dragging me after her.

“Don’t worry, brother. We’ll get her out of there,” Logan assures me, jogging alongside Mina and me with Callum and Xander close behind.

I wish I shared his confidence, and that my family was going to be safely far away from WASP HQ. I was a lot less worried about this revolution before I knew everyone I care about would be fighting in it.

“I know what it’s like to lose everyone I care about at once,” Sasha’s voice from our goodbye echoes in my head. “I don’t want to inflict that on anyone when my time inevitably comes.”

All the more reason we just can’t lose.

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