Tracked: A Valkyrie Saga Book 2

Chapter 7 - Photographic Proof and Pranks

I knew that Clan Leader Greer had chosen me because after the Berg twins had moved away from the clan, I was the only one of the right age within the Blade Clan, but God was I thankful. At first, just the idea of trying to seduce a female Valkyrie turned my stomach because I had grown up with Regina and she literally made my skin crawl. But Greer and my Dad had promised that if I did this, then they would allow me to go and try out that clan in Denver I was interested in. I would cut off my own hand to get away from both the Royal and Blade Clan, so comparatively, a little flirting was a small price to pay. I figured pretending to be interested in a female Val would be easy considering I have had a lifetime to practice hiding the emotions tearing through my soul.

What I hadn't been counting on was that I wouldn't be able to read her. It's like I have been drowning my entire life and can only get small gulps of air when I am completely alone. But when I am with Ray, it is blissfully easy to breathe. Now, something that had felt like a chore is quickly becoming my favorite thing to do.

"Report," Clan Leader Greer demanded the moment I walked into the main clan house. He was feeling angry, inadequate, frustrated, and scared. First, I once again tried to wall off my own feelings from his so that I didn't completely lose myself in his toxic emotions. Then I told him every detail that I had witnessed between Ray and the Olsen Clan. I even told him how strong of a fighter Ray was and that she was expanding her Cloaking ability to protect others from Telepaths and Empaths. Greer was not happy with my news and his anger grew. 

I lost the fight and disappeared into the red haze of his rage.

--Jonas Pope

It didn't take long to pack up my meager belongings. The only things worth moving to the rent house were my clothes, my school things, and my secret stash. There was an old shoebox filled with old, undeveloped film canisters that I had hidden in the void and almost had forgotten about. Seeing it caused the little hairs on my arms to stand on end as if the damn thing actually contained the ghost of my father. I stared at it for a full two minutes before deciding that it was one piece of baggage that I wasn't quite ready to part with yet, and I stuffed it into the bag with my dirty laundry.

When I had everything packed up, the guys insisted on carrying my sad-looking bags to Blake's truck, and together we drove back over to the nice neighborhood that was still within Oakland's city limits where the rental house was located. I couldn't stand the tense silence within the truck, so I asked how their morning went.

"We went back to the factory in Castro Valley. Technically Elijah and Derik are the only ones that are part of the investigation, but they allowed us to tag along as a sort of training exercise. Now that we know that moondust is indeed a supernatural drug, there is going to be a huge investigation. Moondust usage and reports of unusual displays of aggression and violence are occurring up and down the coast. Hunters and detectives from at least six different clans were all there to try to understand how this had happened right under our nose," Blake explained with an excited enthusiasm in his voice.

"The operation that we found at the factory was too small to be producing the amount of moondust we are seeing, so the top dogs all agree that there must be more cook labs. Some sort of network that allows the drug to be produced locally, thus cutting down on the risk and cost of transportation. Plus, when one lab goes down all of the other ones can remain functional. It really is a smart business plan and according to the Blade Hunters, it means that we aren't dealing with your run of the mill criminal. Instead, we are looking for some sort of mastermind that either knows about the supernatural world or is a supe himself."

"The boy from the other night said something about a witching line taking out the hunters. Also, those crystals that kept the Valkyries from using their Gifts and Logan from shifting back were clearly made by a witch. So maybe this mastermind is a witch," I suggested.