Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page A

the wolf was at the very least a frenemy.
    Sundown leaned the gun against the wall. “What are you doing here?”
    “Zarek sent me in, just in case.”
    Sundown scratched at the whiskers on his jaw. “’Cause shit rolls downhill.”
    “Yeah, and what upsets Z gets my ass kicked. Have I ever told you how much it chafes me that Astrid gave that psycho bastard god powers? I swear I go to bed every night with the one desire to rip out his throat, and I don’t even live with them anymore. Sad, isn’t it?”
    Sundown bristled as if the wolf had struck a nerve. “Now, that’s my boy you’re talking about, and I don’t want to get crossed up with you, Sasha. But you keep that tone and attitude about him, and we will.”
    Sasha held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. I forget you and Ash are weird enough to actually like him. No accounting for taste.” He turned that penetrating stare toward her. “And you must be the cause of this disaster.”
    Abigail was offended. What? Was there some cosmic social media feed somewhere with her photo on it, announcing her as the cause of the apocalypse? “I didn’t do anything.”
    Sundown grinned. “She’s in denial.”
    “Cool. We can feed her to the coyotes then, and I can go back to Sanctuary and continue scoping out this amazing brunette who keeps coming in with her friends.”
    She wasn’t amused by that.
    At all.
    Sundown ignored her ire. “Speaking of friends  … why did our new coyote buddies run from you?”
    Sasha swaggered like a strutting peacock. “I’m that badass.”
    Sundown snorted. “Seriously.”
    “O ye of little faith. You doubt my rep? My skills?”
    “And your brains.”
    Sasha tsked. “Fine. I’ll be honest. … Absolutely no idea. They had me outnumbered. I should have been easy for them to rip into. Not that I wanted to be their early morning snack, but — ”
    “The wolf has always been a most natural enemy to the coyote. Wolves are one of the few predators known to hunt them when the season is right. And because of this, the coyote are wary of them by nature. Especially one from an unknown pantheon whose powers they can only guess at. No doubt, they thought retreat was the best course of action. As Sun Tzu would say, ‘If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.’”
    Abigail turned at the voice of what sounded like an ancient Englishman standing behind them.
    He wasn’t English. Or anything like what she’d expected from his proper, thickly accented speech.
    Barely taller than her, he wore a tan suede jacket with fringed sleeves and heavy Native American beadwork and carved bone all over it. His silver hair was parted into two braids that framed his withered face. However age hadn’t dulled the sharpness of his hazel gold eyes, which stared at her with an accusation that cut her all the way to her soul.
    She had a sudden desire to take a step back, but she refused to be a coward. So she stood her ground and put on the bravest face she could manage.
    Sundown inclined his head respectfully to the man. “Choo Co La Tah, what are you doing here?”
    Choo Co La Tah turned that frightening gaze from her to Sundown. “The Unfolding has started, and so I knew I couldn’t wait, no matter Ren’s protestations. As the Dineh would say, Coyote is always out there waiting, and Coyote is always hungry. I knew they would be after the woman as soon as they caught her scent. If they kill her before we reach the Valley, there will be no one to stop them. Hence my appearance here and now. The two of you must be protected, no matter what happens.” He opened his jacket to show a crow that had been resting under his right arm. He pulled it out and, with a grace and dexterity that contradicted his apparent age, set it on the floor.
    Letting out a caw, the bird flapped its wings, then manifested into a man. This one appeared to be in his early twenties with jet hair and eyes. Dressed all in black, he was stunningly