by Aileen Erin
I paused to catch my breath. Everyone was listening to me quietly, and I figured that was as good as it was going to get with this bunch.
“The truth is that the seal that separated our plane from the next is broken. That means that in a matter of days, we could have demons taking over world. Everyone will die and we won’t be able to stop it. Unless we fix the seal. Even if we somehow managed to defeat Astaroth another way, there’s always going to be another bad guy. There’s blood in the water, and the sharks? They’re coming for us. For all of us. It’s time to make a change. So, I’m doing something new and permanent. I have no doubt that a few in this room are going to be mad. This is going to change everything. I—”
“Excuse me.” Lisette’s voice had my teeth grinding in frustration. “You’re being very bold in the way you’re saying this, but everything that you’re saying leads me to believe even more firmly that we must reinstate the Seven.”
Of course it was Lisette who interrupted me. “It is my understanding that you need the fey courts as well as a lunar eclipse to re-make the Seven. Is that not correct?”
“No. That’s correct, but—”
“And do you have a way to get around the eclipse and also have fey queens come out from hiding for us?”
Little lines formed around her mouth and she slowly shook her head.
“You don’t. No one does. It’s over, and it’s best if we all just let the idea of the Seven go right now. Okay?”
The room was so quiet I could only hear my own breathing.
“Great. So, now when I say I’m going to form something new, something entirely different, I hope each of you will understand why we have to do this.” I walked around the table, stopping to look at each Were sitting. “We can’t keep holding on to something that’s broken and hope that it’ll magically save the day. Because it won’t. This is a new day, and that means a new chance—a new opportunity—to build something lasting. So here’s what I know.”
I started explaining my plan to form a bond that included Weres, fey, witches, and myself, but as soon as I mentioned that there were going to be only three spots for Alphas, they all started bickering about who would be on it.
I sat back, letting them fight it out, because when it came time, I was going to have to the final say and I had some ideas of my own.
Me.
Three fey: Cosette and whoever she could get. I couldn’t be picky there.
Three witches: Claudia was in for sure. It couldn’t be Raphael. He never loved the witch stuff, and that had only gotten worse. Plus, I was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to stick around once all of this was done.
Three werewolves: Dastien was a given, because I wasn’t doing it without him. Lucas was too, because I was sure Claudia was going to feel the same way about her mate being a part of this. Which left one spot, and for some reason, I really thought Chris should have it. Chris wasn’t very alpha, but even if he wasn’t as strong as the other werewolves in the room, I couldn’t deny his link to the fey. I didn’t know what the link was exactly, but he’d gotten Cosette to show up when no one else could.
But if I picked Chris, then the rest of the Alphas in the room were going to be pissed because I’d left room for exactly zero former members of the Council of Seven.
Even knowing all of that, I still had a lot of empty slots to fill.
Cosette showed up, but she was alone. Could she even get two others to agree to my whackadoodle plan? And if she could, would the queens let two other fey out of hiding?
What other witches did we know and trust? Could I convince Shane to come back? Would that seriously piss off Adrian? Did Adrian’s feelings really matter when we were talking about such high stakes?
Just about everyone I wanted in the spell straddled the line between supernaturals. Claudia was a witch, but she was mated to a Were. I was witch and Were and Dastien was mated to me. Cosette had been living with the witches when we met, and she was a part of the Lunar court, which was tied to the Weres.
So the fact that Chris had a tie to the fey—even if I didn’t know what it was? That was huge. He was in. The more I thought it through, the more right it felt.
Which meant this room was about to be filled with a bunch of pissed off werewolves.
When should I tell them? I asked Dastien.
There’s no sense in waiting if you’ve already made your choices. And I think you have. So, might as well get it over with.
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
Maybe not. But this isn’t a time for procrastination.
Albert was currently telling the room that he should be in on the new Seven and Sebastian was shaking his head.
I agreed with Sebastian one hundred percent. Not a chance. I hadn’t been around for long, but even I knew a power-hungry Were was an extremely dangerous creature.
Say something.
I turned to my mate. Now? They’re all fighting.
We don’t have much time. The sun is setting. We have to wrap this up and be prepared for whatever might come.
I checked the time and gasped. Jesus. This conference room is in a time warp. I hadn’t realized how late it’d gotten. Just knowing it was night again had my heart racing, but I didn’t want to be the one to stop the meeting. To tell everyone exactly what they didn’t want to hear.
That’s what being the Alpha is. Doing the hard things to protect everyone in your pack.
I sighed. Fine. But when this goes to shit, I get to say I told you so.
He smiled, dimples denting his cheeks. Deal.
I cleared my throat. “This isn’t going to work…” No one stopped talking. They kept on arguing. I turned to Dastien. Do I get up on the table again? Because I was kind of hoping that was a one-time thing.
Be rude.
I raised an eyebrow at him. Really? Because Lucas hated it. As I thought of him, I glanced his way. Apparently he’d noticed that I was trying to get their attention, because he was watching me.
I shrugged. “I’m going to do it again,” I said quietly, but Lucas was paying attention. I knew he’d hear me just fine.
“I think you should,” he said just as quietly. I watched his mouth move so I could be sure I was hearing him correctly. “Show them what you really are.”
That was a bit deep. What was I really? Who was I? I wasn’t sure yet. I was still way too young to have all the answers. Or any answers if I was being honest. But I shoved that all aside, and I let my wolf rise, feeling her tingle along my skin. Power built until I felt like I was going to burst at the seams. “Stop.” I pushed power, making my voice heard over all the chatter. “Everyone shut up.”
The room quieted at an instant. I sneaked a look at Albert, who was turning red, but remained silent.
“About damned time,” Cosette said. “I was beginning to wonder why I came all this way.”
“What the hell was that?” Blaze said.
Blaze been perfectly nice, and I didn’t take any joy in pissing him off. “We’re running out of time tonight,” I said as calmly as I could manage. “I don’t know what we’re in store for, but Astaroth is close. He nearly came through the open circle in what’s left of Luciana’s house a few hours ago in daylight, and I know he’ll come tonight if he can. She did magic here and I’m just not certain…” I didn’t need to get into all of that. “We don’t have time to do the spell to form the new ruling bond now—I don’t even know if we have all the ingredients yet—which means we have to be prepared to run any minute now.” I was praying that was an extreme exaggeration.
“And who made you boss?” Albert said.
I shrugged, trying to ignore his shitty tone. “Dastien bit me a few months ago, so you could blame him? Or you could say that since I was supposed to rule the Texas coven, you could blame my grandmother? Or you could really go for the big one and blame God?” Cosette laughed, and I barely held in my own snicker. “As soon as we’ve figured out everything we need, I’m going to have to cast a circle to do the s
pell. Any way I cut it, it has to happen because I’m going to be the link between the supernaturals. When I do, Astaroth is going to come through. He’ll be pissed and want to stop us. I’m going to need you guys to fight while the rest of us form the bond.”
“Who’s fighting and who’s forming the bond?” Blaze said. “Just to be clear.”
I blew out a breath. “We need three of each—witch, fey, and Were. And then me, because I’m a mix. I’m thinking—”
“May I make a suggestion?” Blaze interrupted.
“Sure.” I was open to suggestions, within reason.
“How about four each? That makes twelve. One more—you—makes thirteen.”
“Isn’t thirteen bad luck?” I asked him.
“The number thirteen is a lot of things to a lot of different cultures and religions. It can be good or bad luck, depending on the purpose, but most everyone agrees that it’s a powerful number. I hope that for your purposes the added power boost would be worth the risk.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted any more risk than I was already taking, but if the result was more power? That was too good to pas up. “So, that changes things. For witches, I’d been thinking Claudia, Shane—if I can convince him—and I’m not sure who else. Cosette, can you get three others?”
She sighed. “I can get one for sure. I’ve an idea for another, but I’ll do my best.”
“And the queens?” Meredith said. “Will they be okay with this?”
Cosette laughed and it sounded like bells. “My mother didn’t want me coming, but she agreed to it. Three more, not a chance. But I have some leverage I’m can try to use. We can’t stand by when our leaving helped cause some of this death and destruction.” She sighed. “She’ll agree if I can be convincing enough.”
I blew out a breath. It wasn’t a firm this-is-happening, but it was about as close to that as I could hope for.
Donovan leaned closer to the camera, nearly filling up the whole screen. “Who’re ya thinkin’ for the Weres?” His eyes glittered as he grinned. “I’m out of the running—I’ve enough on my hands here—but I’m curious what this lot is going to do when you tell ‘em.”
“How do you know it’s going to piss them off?” It was. For sure. But how did Donovan know?
“Because you’re friends with my mate, and I know who she’d pick.”
“Who would you pick, Meredith?” Sebastian asked. His chair creaked as he leaned back in it. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was enjoying this as much as Donovan was.
Being far away gave Meredith a bit of an advantage. She could say what she thought without feeling the wrath in the room. The way she rubbed her hands together as she thought almost made me laugh. “Dastien is a must. You can’t have Tessa doing something magical at all without her mate. They’re stronger as a pair.” Exactly. “Lucas because of Claudia, same reason. Chris for sure. He’ll balance them. And that leaves one spot.”
“Who’re you likin’ for it?” The t on his ‘it’ was heavy with his Irish accent. Donovan was having fun.
Meredith did an eenie-meanie-miney-mo. “Blaze.”
Blaze shook his head. “No. If it’s a new group, then I should be out, too. I was just as big of a problem as the rest of them.”
“That’s exactly why she should pick you. I’ve met you a few times over the years, and you’re kind, generous, and powerful. It’s a good combo,” Meredith said. “Plus, you’re admitting that you did something wrong. That counts for a lot. Experience makes up for the difference.”
If I was not mistaken, the Alpha was blushing. “It’s kind of you to say.”
“And that’s such a Blaze thing to say,” Meredith said as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
Donovan laughed, but the rest of the room turned to me.
“How correct was she?” Sebastian asked.
“Aside from Blaze, exactly right.”
“And who did you like instead of Blaze?” Lisette asked.
I shrugged. “I wasn’t sure. I had that spot empty. I figured there was going to be a fight, so I was going to leave that up to you.”
“Ah. I see,” Sebastian said.
I waited for the outburst, but it didn’t come. I wasn’t sure why, until I saw Cosette rise from her chair. “Blaze is acceptable to the fey,” she said, effectively ending the argument. “I’ll be back soon with the others.”
She was leaving? No. She couldn’t. Not now. She’d just gotten here. “When are you coming back?” I shouted at her as she strode to the door, hoping I didn’t sound too desperate.
“Soon.” She looked over her shoulder and her gaze met mine. “I won’t leave you hanging.” The door closed, but I wanted to ask her who she was bringing back and what the hell soon meant exactly.
I chased after her, but as I stepped into the hallway, she was gone.
I jogged to the front entrance, but she wasn’t there either. Night had fallen on St. Ailbe’s but as far as I could see, there was no one out there.
I knew she couldn’t do that whole teleporting thing without Van, but I hadn’t seen him. So, how did she leave?
The sound of angry voices built as I walked back to the conference room. The reaction I’d been expecting was there. It’d just been delayed.
Shit. I didn’t want to go back in the conference room. The sun had already set, which meant we were running out of time. I could feel Astaroth’s fingers wrapping around my neck as the time slipped away.
Come back. We’ll wrap this up and leave, Dastien said through the bond.
You feel it, too? I asked him.
No. But you do, and ever since this afternoon…I don’t want to fight something I can’t win.
So what do we do?
We need off this land tonight.
So we run? That’s what I thought we should do, but would running send Astaroth the wrong message?
He already knows we’re afraid and that we’re not prepared. But we will be. Part of being a leader is to know when to retreat.
We’re going to have to clear out the entire campus. Surrender it completely. I wasn’t about to leave people behind. Not a single kitchen hand. Not the strongest Alpha. That was a hard pass for me.
So now I was going to have to make them agree not only to my new spell that would wrench ruling power from the claws, but also run like scared little sheep?
I stepped into the conference room again. It was like war had broken out at the UN. I couldn’t understand anything that was being said, and not just because it was too loud to hear myself think. Lisette was leaning over the table, shouting in French at Blaze, who was sitting there as calm as I’d every seen anyone. Every bit of piss and vinegar she was spewing at him was blowing right past him.
Albert joined in with Lisette, clearly as pissed as she was. Sebastian and Jackson were arguing in German. Donovan and Meredith were sitting back in their chairs in Ireland, looking pleased as punch not to be here in person.
But my friends were calmly taking all of this in. At least we were being levelheaded. Fighting together a few times had really solidified our group. We trusted each other. It was the older generation that was going to have an issue.
Chris gave me a wink, and I almost felt bad that I hadn’t asked him about being involved like this. Are you mad? I mouthed to him, gesturing in a circle in case he didn’t catch what I said.
His eyes widened. No. Honored, he mouthed back to me.
That was a relief. I sat down in my chair, waiting for a pause in the talking, but that wasn’t going to happen. I was going to have to jump in. Again. This was starting to get—
You’re mine. His voice echoed in my head.
My skin went ice cold. We were too late. Astaroth was here. I grabbed Dastien’s hand, squeezing it tightly. We have to run.
My gaze found Claudia’s as she slowly stood from her chair.
Raphael burst into the room.
But no one except my friends noticed. The “adults” were still arguing.
My lungs burned and I realized I’d stopped breathing. I exhaled and inhaled again, quickly. Too fast. “He’s here,” I said too quiet, but those two words silenced the room.
All eyes were on me.
“We have to run,” I said it aloud this time. “Now!” I didn’t look to see who followed me as I raced out the door. The ones that trusted me would come. The rest could fuck themselves, because I wasn’t waiting. Not one millisecond.
Eighteen
The floor rumbled under my feet.
A crash sounded from the library and I froze.
No. No. Wrong.
I was going the wrong way.
I turned and threw open the closest door—the one to Mr. Dawson’s office. The doorknob broke off in my hand as I twisted it.
Not caring about anything other than getting away, I threw the knob off to the side, grabbed one of the chairs in front of his desk, and hurled it through the window. The crash was sure to draw Astaroth, but that didn’t matter. He was here. The fear was making my bones shake, but I kept moving. Because he was here.
He was here and we were so screwed.
Panic clawed its way up my spine.
I leaped through the shards. We have to get everyone away from here, I said to Dastien. I hit the ground outside and kept running. There were soft thuds behind me and I knew that everyone had taken my cue. Thank God.
A siren broke through the early night. I didn’t know who had tripped the alarms, but I hoped that lit a fire under everyone’s ass. Anyone who was still on this campus needed to leave. Now.
Running was our only option.
There is no running, the words seeped into my head, dripping doubt and hopelessness into every nook and cranny of my soul. I started to trip on my own feet, but Dastien caught me, lifting me into his arms without breaking his stride.
