The Lycan Collapse (The Flux Age Book 2) by Steven J Shelley Page A

there’s no question I can trust you now,” Florence said with a smile.
    Julian couldn’t help but smile back. Florence was an experienced warrior and was used to a little levity after battle. He had to admit it worked, and took his mind off the horror he’d just seen. Plus, he was certain Florence was only half-joking. He never wanted to lose his old friends, and the thought of going against his people, his species , made him feel sick, but at least Florence would have no problem trusting him now. As soon as the Masquerade Ball turned into a bloodbath, Julian knew he would need to explain himself to her.
    “Can you fly?” Florence asked urgently. “The city isn’t safe anymore.”
    Julian eyed the tawny werewolf. She’d made no effort to shift back into human form.
    “You don’t want to see what’s happening at your Chapter House?”
    Florence gave Julian a strange look. “Do you know anything about Hector’s plans?”
    Julian glanced at the dead aquilans. “I would’ve told you already.”
    Florence nodded. “That’s true,” she said thoughtfully. “I very much doubt Hector would look to hit us here at the Ball and leave the chapter house alone. As much as it pains me to say it, there’s no point going back there… yet.”
    “We should go to ground for forty-eight hours,” Julian suggested. “Any suggestions? All the aquilan safehouses I know are obviously no good.”
    Florence furrowed her brow in thought. “I know a place,” she said eventually.
    “Then hop on,” Julian said with trepidation. He wasn’t sure if the painful wing wound would affect his flying. As soon as Florence was secure he launched carefully, rising to around twenty yards in elevation before veering sharply to the right. The pair careened off an office building and ended up tumbling across the street.
    Florence was the first to rise, offering Julian her arm. All he could do was turn away as he blinked back tears. He felt broken and humiliated. What good was an aquilan if he couldn’t fly? This night was fast becoming his worst nightmare.
    “I’ll help you recover, Julian,” Florence said. “That I can promise you.”
    Julian nodded, filled with fresh hope. There was something reassuring about these lycans, that was for sure.
    “What now?” he asked.
    “We do it old school,” Florence said. “Besides, Hector probably has plenty of birds in the sky running a perimeter.”
    Florence and Julian took to the streets, careful not to arouse too much attention. Florence located a ‘thread drop’ in one of the local post office boxes. These boxes were routinely filled with clothing so lycans could shift back into human form without drawing attention to themselves. Julian stood guard while Florence shifted and changed into jeans and a sweater. Their next stop was the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Julian said nothing as Florence purchased tickets to Madison, New Hampshire.
    The pair had bad coffee and old danishes as they waited for the service to begin. There was no sign of pursuit by the aquilans. Julian couldn’t get the image of those gunmen at the Ball out of his head. How could the aquilans have committed such atrocities? And, more importantly, why was Julian kept out of it? Did Hector think he was soft or just plain unreliable? These were questions he hoped Hector himself could answer one day. When Julian got the opportunity to bring him to justice. For now, sleep beckoned.
    Once the bus arrived Florence and the aquilan wasted no time in commandeering the back seat for some much needed rest. His mind filled with troubled thoughts, Julian snatched a few hours sleep as dawn flirted with the eastern sky.
     
    Madison, USA
     
    When he finally opened his eyes fully and sat up the bus was cruising through fields of green. Dairy country. Florence stirred, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was easy for Julian to forget that she had lost everything also. Except