Page 27 of Protecting His Treasure

Chapter Six

An Elder was waiting for him.

At the forest’s edge, Kaede shifted from his dragon form to his skin form. He noticed a hooded figure standing near a tree. Elder Thompson, a wolf shifter, strode forward and handed him a pair of clothes and shoes. Kaede dressed quickly. This had become his normal routine as of late, so the Elders were prepared.

“We sensed you were coming,” Thompson told him. “Let’s get to the cabin. Elder Rankin has prepared some tea.”

Kaede followed the Elder through the dark forest. Green icicles hung from the tree limbs like leaves. In truth, no leaves grew on the trees in the Frozen Forest. Neither did grass. From afar, the forest looked like a lush and thriving jungle. Really, it was barren. Once up close, you could see that what looked like green foliage was just ice.

Even the Elders didn’t know why the ice was green. It never melted. Unlike regular icicles, these couldn’t be easily broken. Even now, as they walked through the meadow of icicles, none of them shattered underneath their feet. They bent, twisted, and turned but remained intact.

“We apologize for not being able to see you earlier,” the Elder told him.

“No need to apologize. It was my fault for barging in at the wrong time.”

“Usually our doors are always open. Except for during our meditation hour.”

“I understand, Elder.”

“The full moon is drawing closer. Have you been feeling worse?”

Do not tell him about tonight with our mate.

“We don’t have time to be embarrassed. Sin’s life is on the line.”

To the Elder, Kaede said, “Yes, things have gotten worse.”

Elder Thompson nodded. “Tell us about it when we reach the cabin.”

They continue on until they reached the log cabin in the center of the Frozen Forest. The Elder cabin where Elder Thompson, Elder Rankin, Elder Silas, and Elder Henry resided. The four Elders represented the four major factions of creatures who lived in the compound. Thompson was a wolf shifter.

Rankin was a warlock. Silas was a vampire. And Henry was a hybrid panther mixed with warlock. They represented the shifters, vampires, magic users, hybrids who resided in the compound and the outer villages. They were in charge of settling disputes that the leader of the compound couldn’t settle.

They resided deep within the forest, away from the others, so that they wouldn’t be swayed by personal connections and ties. Whenever members of the compound needed advice or counseling, they came to the Elders. Kaede didn’t know how old each male was, but none of them looked older than fifty.

However, they’d been at the compound since the first day it was turned into a haven. They were part of the original crew. Which meant they’d been in the Frostlands for a long ass time. When they reached the cabin, Elder Thompson opened the door for Kaede them stepped aside, making room for him to enter.

Upon entering the large cabin, he saw three hooded figures seated at the table in the center room. The Elders looked up when Elder Thompson closed the door. They lowered their hoods and stared at Kaede. Though the light in the room was dim, he could make out the expressions on each of their faces.

Worry. It was an easy look to recognize. He was seeing it on everyone’s faces these days. Even the chef looked worried when she saw him. And underneath their worried expressions were another look he hated. Pity. The combination of the two always felt like a punch to the gut. It made him feel weak. And that angered him.

“Come,” Elder Rankin motioned for him to join them at the table.

Elder Thompson rushed forward and pulled out a chair for him. Kaede sat down and Thompson sat in the chair next to him. Kaede stared around the table.

“You all know why I’m here. I’ve been coming here for the same reason for the past few days. I’d hoped things would get better. But they seem to be getting worse.”

“Do you still think about harming your mate?” Elder Silas asked.

The vampire’s question made Kaede think of Rhen.

Don’t tell them the truth.

“What’s the point of coming to them for help if we’re not going to be honest?”

Kaede nodded. “I do. But, it’s not the kind of harm you’re thinking.”

“We know,” Silas assured him.