I didn't need a strike three.

Val saw me standing next to Ren, and her expression relaxed. Stepping around David, she hurried to where I stood. Without saying a word, she found my hand and squeezed, and I returned the gesture.

Aware that Ren was watching us closely, I turned my attention to David. Weariness clung to every step he took as he walked to the middle of the room and placed his hands on his hips. In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, he hung his head.

"We lost Trent tonight," he said, and my mouth dropped open in shock. David lifted his head, his shoulders tensing as he surveyed the room. "He was found just outside of St. Louis Cemetery No 1."

That was the last name I was expecting to hear. Obviously, Trent and I weren't on friendly terms, but he was one hell of a strong guy, and he had a ton of experience. I could not fathom a normal fae getting an upper hand on him.

"How?" Rachel Adams asked. In her late thirties, she was a tall and slender woman who'd been in the city for the last year.

"His neck was broken." David's gaze drifted over the group, stopping and lingering on me for what felt like a second too long before moving on. "But that wasn't all. His arms and legs were also broken, as were his ribs."

"He was tortured," Ren said, his stance tensing, and I immediately thought of the gates. The knowledge of their location would definitely be something the fae would torture for. Val and I exchanged a look.

David nodded. "Appears to be that way."

"He's the fourth to die in what? Five months?" said Dylan. I didn't know his last name, but I was sure it was something French sounding. He was born and raised in New Orleans, and like Val, could track his roots way back. "We suffer losses every year, but this close together?"

Something occurred to me as I watched David. "Were the others like Trent? Were they tortured also?" It had never been said that they were.

As David turned back to me, someone in the back of the group muttered "Crazy" under their breath, and I felt Ren turn, searching out the source, but I ignored it.

"No," David answered.

Standing by the door, Harris rubbed his hand down his face, and instantly, I didn't believe David. I couldn't explain it, but I didn't believe him.

"I'm implementing some changes effective immediately," David continued, pacing. "From now until further notified, you all will be working in groups of two. No one hunts alone."

There were some grumbles from the loners, those who didn't play well with others, but they were quickly silenced by David. He began to team people up. Val was paired with Dylan, and I was left with Ren, which I was sort of expecting. There was a pall over the group as the meeting wrapped up, a heavy somberness that I knew from past experience—too many experiences—would linger for days. It didn't matter how close any of us were to each other. We were family nonetheless, and any loss was a shattering blow, a painful reminder that tomorrow was never promised.

I started to walk out with Val, Ren and Dylan behind us, when David called out my name. "I'll meet you guys outside, okay?"

I headed over to where David stood with another Order member—Miles Daily. Miles was virtually second in command. Though it wasn't entirely official, if something happened to David, Miles would take over until meetings could be held and another leader voted in to cover the sect.

I didn't know Miles very well. He was older than me, possibly in his mid-thirties, and he was quiet, almost aloof. While David looked angry half the time, Miles' expressions were always unreadable. As I approached the men, he looked bored to the untrained eye, but his gaze was sharp. The man missed nothing.

I thought about what we'd seen today behind the club called Flux. I knew I was required to report it to David, but something held me back. It was more than just his dismissal of what I'd experienced last week. Ren hadn't asked me to keep our activities tonight quiet, so it was my choice. I wasn't ready to say anything until I had enough evidence to back me up.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked as they both simply stared at me like they hadn't called me over.

David handed the phone he was holding over to Miles. "Where were you tonight?"

The question was unexpected. "I was out hunting with Ren."

"Where?" Miles asked.

My brows knitted as I shook my head. "We started out by Jackson Square, and then when we didn't see any fae, we headed over to the business district." That wasn't entirely a lie. "We ran into three fae. They had a human male. Ren called an ambulance for him as we—"

"So you weren't in the Quarter tonight, except for the beginning of your shift?" David interrupted.

"No." My gaze darted between them. Hardly anyone was left in the room except for Rachel, who was by the TVs hung on the wall which were showing video feed from the surveillance cameras randomly placed throughout the Quarter, and two more members who spoke privately by the door. I had no idea if they were paying attention to this conversation or not. "Why are you asking me this?"

A damn good question, especially since I hadn't seen them ask anyone else.

"Just checking." Miles glanced up from the phone. I saw that the screen was cracked.

"That's all," David said, dismissing me. When I turned, in a daze from my mind turning their question over and over, he stopped me once more. "Wait. How is your wound?"

I blinked. "Yeah, I barely even notice it." Not exactly true. Since I went toe to toe with a garbage can and lost, it had been throbbing quite steadily.