by Aileen Erin
For the first time in a long time, I felt like we could actually do this. We could win.
I blinked as my vision cleared. “Holy shit. That was intense.”
He pulled me into his lap. “What did you see?”
I ran my hand through his hair and the soft curls parted, turning into fluffy mess. “I saw a lot of things. You and your parents at a castle?”
Through the bond, I could feel his heart warming as he thought of it. “Not a castle. That’s my house in France.”
House? Nope. “That’s not a house. That’s a fucking castle.”
He gave me one of his Gallic shrugs, but I knew he was laughing on the inside. He loved that castle. “Same thing in this case.”
That was nuts. People in Los Angeles had ridiculous estates, but that monstrosity of a ‘house’ was bigger than anything I’d seen before. It was something out of a fairy tale. “Then you and Mr. Dawson were talking about you sticking around campus. Not bonding with Imogene. Yikes. I’d say you dodged a bullet with that one.”
Another shrug, but this one was filled with regret. “She wanted it to be, but it wasn’t right. She’d make me so angry—push my buttons—and back then, I wasn’t in control of myself. It was scary, for everyone else and for me, too. I didn’t like who I was when I was with her.”
I poked his ribs. “Of course she wasn’t right.” He laughed as I wanted, and the regret he was feeling melted away. “But I’m glad you’re more in control. I mean, throwing that mug? Was that really necessary?”
“I told you it was hard for me before I met you. Before I had you to balance me out. I always had to keep such tight control on myself, and then you came and everything got mixed up again for a bit. And then it got better. So much better.”
“Yeah.” It was half word, half sigh. I didn’t want anything to ruin this, but the vision of the church filled my thoughts.
“We’re not going to let it happen, okay?”
I guessed he was in my head as much as I was in his. “Okay,” I said, even though I knew he couldn’t promise that. Neither of us could.
He squeezed my hand. “We’re a team.”
He’d said that before, but for the first time, it really was true. I was stronger with him. With this bond, I could feel his strength—all the alpha energy he was hiding from everyone pulsed against me—and that made me stronger. I had a partner in all this craziness, and I’d fight to keep him.
I pressed my lips against his, and surrendered.
As his tongue brushed against mine, I could feel his attraction to me, and that made me feel the same for him. The feeling snowballed until I was going crazy—needing to feel him. I ripped at his shirt, and the material parted.
He leaned back for a second. “I need you.”
“Now.”
He nodded, and his nose rubbed against mine with the movement. “Now.”
I didn’t care that we were outside. That night had fallen. I needed him. Something told me that we were safe out here. That he wouldn’t have brought me here if he wasn’t sure of our safety or privacy.
Dastien rolled until I was on my back. His hand brushed my hair aside as he leaned down. His lips brushed against my neck as he peppered kisses up to my lips. The second he deepened the kiss, I got swept away in the moment. In the movement of our bodies.
Waiting for my soul mate—for my mate—was worth it. He knew exactly where to touch and when it was too much. He made me feel like I was flying, and I never wanted to it to end. As his hands ran over my body, I wanted more. I was addicted to his touch. With every movement, he owned me that much more, and I was totally fine with it.
We lay there after, sweating, catching our breath, and I knew I was cherished. Treasured. Even if the worst happened, this moment was worth it. It was worth everything.
Because love was worth it.
Always.
Chapter Sixteen
Dastien’s cell rang, waking me up from the best night of sleep I’d ever had. Whoever that is, it better be important.
“Yeah.” Dastien’s voice, still thick with sleep, held a bit of rasp to it.
“The alphas have come to a decision. We’re meeting in the conference room in ten,” I heard Mr. Dawson through the phone, and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I need both of you there.”
“Okay.” Dastien hung up, and I rolled closer to him—laying half across his body. “We have to get dressed.” He brushed his hand down my back, sending comfort in its wake. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”
I blew out a breath. I sure hoped he was right. Otherwise…
We quickly threw on some clothes and then grabbed a few PowerBars to eat as we walked to the admin building.
Before we stepped inside, Dastien grabbed my hand. “Whatever happens in there—even if it matches up with your vision—know that it’s going to be okay. We might end up in that church, but we know what’s coming now. We can fight it. So don’t freak out.”
I licked my lips as I stared at the door. “I know. Freaking out in a room full of Alphas is probably a bad idea, too.”
“Exactly.”
I stepped through the threshold, tugging him along with me. “Let’s get this over with.”
We heard the group inside the conference room arguing as soon as we entered the hall. I glanced at Dastien, and he shrugged.
The pack had been more stable since we’d gotten rid of the dissenters. More peaceful. No more fighting in the quad. The alphas had all agreed to stay put while we planned our next move. Seeing Weres on the news seemed to have ended that truce.
Dastien knocked twice. Before he could knock again, the door swung open.
Donovan stood in the doorway. “Good. You’re here.”
What is this about? I asked Dastien.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Judging by all the yelling, I should be running in the other direction. Not only was it intimidating, but in my vision, there’d been a lot of yelling.
I wiped my sweating palms on my jeans and stepped into the packed room. A long, oval table took up most of the space. I quickly scanned the room. Mr. Dawson, Donovan, Lucas, and Sebastian were the big alphas I knew at the table. Claudia sat next to Lucas, their hands twined together.
There were two other people that had a lot of power at the table that I didn’t know. A blonde lady and a man with ebony skin. The leader of the Cazadores—Keeney—sat on the far left side of the table. He wore all black, his head shaved totally bald. Today he’d added a black blazer to his usual all-black attire. He gave me a little nod.
Meredith sat next to Donovan, but none of my other Were friends had been invited to the war council. Cosette sat on Meredith’s other side, and the relief that she hadn’t disappeared for good was tangible. She was the only one leaning back her chair, looking relaxed as she twirled her hair around a finger, but the dark circles under her eyes told a different story.
Three other alphas sat at the table, but they weren’t as strong as the members of the Seven.
Dastien said something to one of them in French, and he answered in kind.
Who’s that?
The French pack’s Alpha.
Two seats were still open next to Mr. Dawson. Dastien rolled one chair back and waited for me to sit before settling down next to me.
My knee bounced under the table as my nerves took hold. This was looking eerily similar to my vision.
Donovan stood at the head of the table, commanding the room. “Thank you for coming, Tessa. You know most of us here. Though you’ve not met Lisabetta or Jackson.” He motioned to the two unknowns. “They’re two more of the Seven. We have Blaze and Muraco on the conference line as well.”
“Hola, chica,” Muraco’s voice came through the black speaker in the center of the table.
“Hi, Muraco,” I said, hoping that I didn’t sound too nervous, but that was a pipe dream at this point.
“The others here are the alphas of the Canadian, French, and Eastern E
uropean packs.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, wondering when the shoe was going to drop. The last time I’d been in front of this many alphas, I’d been on trial.
“We’ve got quite the situation on our hands.” Donovan moved to the TV and my gaze shifted to the images behind him. Someone at the station had had way too much fun picking the worst possible images out of the police footage, and they scrolled past in a terrible montage.
The wolves looked terrifying on screen. Teeth out. Faces frozen mid-growl. Circling and slashing with their claws.
Then Cosette flashed on screen. They’d slowed down the moment her sword materialized and the freeze-frames showed her gracefully lunging through the air, glowing a pearly white shade that wasn’t anything close to human.
Finally my face appeared. My hands were full of glass vials and my skin looked pale. Afraid. Probably because I had been.
I’d seen the footage yesterday, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch now.
“We can’t undo what’s been seen. We’ve been discussing what our next step should be for the last twenty-four hours, and Cosette advised us to bring in a human element before we come to a final decision. As someone who was once human, but is now of our world, we’re hoping you can provide some insight.”
Everyone was shouting at once. The room got so loud, I couldn’t distinguish one voice from another. It was as if the air was suddenly thick and hot to breathe in. I reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, but noticed my hands were shaking and hid them under the table. This was part of the vision. It’s happening… I said to Dastien.
Even if this part is happening, it doesn’t mean the rest will. I haven’t had an Orangina or broken any kind of bottle, right? So the visions aren’t necessarily connected.
That made me feel a little better, but not much. I’d rather have nothing from the visions happen.
“Some of those here want to go back.” Donovan’s commanding voice brought me back to the discussion. “They want to pretend this didn’t happen. Cover it up.”
Everyone looked at me like I had some magic answer. I pressed my hands against my thighs as I thought. “I don’t think that will work. I mean, humans aren’t stupid. The video speaks for itself.”
“I still think we could play it off as a hoax.” The Canadian pack leader—Joseph’s dad—spoke up. “My son is a huge movie fan, and the effects they have these days are amazing.”
“What do you think?” Donovan said. “Can we make this disappear? Will humans believe it’s some sort of a stunt?”
I looked back at the news. The footage was a little grainy, but not that grainy. “This is just my opinion…” I wasn’t sure why it mattered what I thought, but I guessed I was the only human—or former human—they had access to.
“Go ahead, chica,” Muraco’s voice came through the speaker. “They need to hear what you think. That is why you’re here.”
I cleared my throat. “I think it’s too big. The cops had families. I guess Cosette could wipe their minds and whatnot, but it’s too much. So many people saw it on TV or knew people who were personally affected by it. It’s already too late too get rid of the video. Once it’s online, it lives forever. And you want to come out to the humans eventually, right?”
“Aye,” Donovan said.
“So say you somehow manage to cover it all up. You find every human that saw the witches drop dead at the movies and the Whataburger, and every person that was in contact with the cops. The rest of the humans buy the story that this was just a well-constructed hoax. It becomes a legend. And then, five years down the line? Ten years? You decide you want to go public. This will come back. They’ll realize you lied to them. That you tricked them. Why should they trust you then?”
“But would you not say this already looks bad?” Lisabetta’s accent gave her words a pleasant sing-song sound, even with the hard subject matter. “We burned many homes and disposed of bodies. It is bad, no?”
I couldn’t deny that. “It’s bad.”
“See?” She threw her hands in the air. “You see? This is why we must cover it up. She agrees.”
“She didn’t say that,” Jackson said.
“You think we should cover it up, no?” Lisabetta’s command brushed against my skin, but I shook it off.
What do I do? I asked Dastien. She’s doesn’t want my real opinion. She wants me to agree with her.
Tell the truth. That’s all you can do.
Yeah, but the truth was going to get one of the Seven pissed at me. “I don’t know.”
She growled.
Dastien reached over to hold my shaking hand. Lisabetta was making me nervous. More so than any other member of the Seven I’d met. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but you could make the case either way. The only fact I know is that this mess—” I waved to the TV. “Humans won’t forget this. Maybe we can outlive them, but you’d need to wait at least another… I don’t know fifty, seventy years, maybe more before coming out. And with today’s technology, it’ll only be a matter of time before another video crops up. What then? Another cover up?” I paused. “I’m not sure what your plans were, but you’d have to wait a long time and make sure nothing else happens between now and then, or else this cover-up will come back to bite us. And it won’t be pretty.”
“She is biased.” Lisabetta wrinkled her face with a look of disgust. “Her father has spoken with her.”
What was she talking about?
“Tessa,” Donovan said. “Have you spoken to your father in the last day?”
“No.” I winced. I probably should’ve checked in with him. “Not since we left the compound.”
“See. She doesn’t smell like a lie,” Mr. Dawson said. “And before you say that she could be hiding her scent, she doesn’t know how. She’s too new.”
At this, everyone started talking at once again. The voices rose until Donovan slammed his hand on the table. “Enough. We’ve delayed too long already. What we need is someone to talk to the press. It can’t be me or Michael. We shifted on camera, makin’ us one of the monsters. But we have to make a statement—one way or the other—and we have to decide on that right now. The crowd at the gates is growing restless, and I’m not sure how much longer we can peaceably hold them off before they break in.” He paused. “So we vote. Those in favor of not covering up this incident, say aye.”
A chorus of ayes answered. Only three of the alphas—the Canadian, French, and Eastern European ones—and Lisabetta stayed silent.
“Right. That settles it. Thank you, for your thoughts, Tessa. We’d been evenly divided until now.”
Wow. I’d actually helped? “Of course.” This hadn’t been so bad.
“Now, we just need to decide which of us is going to speak to the press.”
“I will do it,” Lisabetta said.
“No,” Muraco’s voice fuzzed through the speaker. “You were against this. You’ll paint us in a bad light.”
She growled. “I would not. I am insulted that you would say such a thing, Muraco. After all this time?” She tilted her chin up in the air. “Not only am I one of the Seven, but since I do not agree with this plan, I’m the only one who would say what was necessary and no more.”
Yikes. That seems like a bad idea.
Agreed. But I’m not going to be the one to tell her.
Me neither. You think if we keep quiet, they’ll forget we’re here. Or better yet—do you think we could sneak out?
I wish. We’d better stay until we’re dismissed.
So, I settled back in my chair and waited. The voices rose, and once again it was too much. I couldn’t pick out the voices when everyone was so loud. I tried to focus on what was going on, but after a few minutes I gave up.
And then someone kicked me.
I glanced around the table, and Cosette motioned to me, nodding her head to the side.
What, I mouthed the word.
She nodded her head to the side twice. More sharply t
his time.
I don’t understand, I mouthed. What the hell was the side nod about?
The room stopped.
Mr. Dawson’s voice cut above the din. “Yes, Tessa. Do you have something to add?”
My heart sped up. Nope. This was from my vision. And I definitely had nothing to add.
I shook my head, keeping my mouth firmly shut.
Cosette kicked me again. Harder this time. She nodded her head, and it was then that I realized she was motioning toward the TV.
I sat up.
You do it, she mouthed at me. She kicked me again, and pain radiated up my leg. If she kicked me one more time, she was going to get a taste of her own medicine.
She pointed at me again, and before I could think, words were rolling out of my mouth. “I could do it?”
I froze. Suddenly everyone was staring.
Motherfucker! I screamed through our bond. I didn’t actually suggest that, did I?
His heart was racing. You did. I can’t believe you just offered that up. There was more than a hint of growl to his voice, and I didn’t need to be able to feel his emotions to know he was pissed off.
It was Cosette’s fault! She kicked me and then her nodding. And then she pointed… And everyone was looking at me. I can get out of this, right?
“I think that’s a fine idea,” Donovan said with a big grin. The glint in his eye made me think I’d just been royally played. They’d set me up. He’d wanted me to volunteer all along.
A chorus of “I agree” and “yes” and “seconded” rang through the room.
All except the three alphas and Lisabetta.
I sighed. What had I gotten myself into?
Donovan crossed his arms. “I know this isn’t your cuppa, but you’re the only one of ours who maintained a human shape in the video. People have been calling and asking about you. You’ve got a human record, and they might have no reason to trust you yet, but they’ll hear you out.”
Someone knocked on the door just before it opened. Dad stepped through, wearing one of his ubiquitous suits. His hair was still damp, but combed into place. “It got quiet in here. Have you made a decision?”