She couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Caia, great things are about to happen, and you need to be at the center of that,” Jae predicted.
To Caia’s surprise, her words were greeted with nods of agreement as the pack lounged in the dining hall of the Center. “Really?” She looked to Lucien.
He grinned at her, looking healthier these days. “We need to stick around, sweetheart.”
“So you guys don’t mind staying here for a while?”
“Are you kidding?” Alexa snorted. “We’re in Paris. I’m going shopping first chance I get. Oh, that reminds me.” She smiled sweetly at Lucien. “Can I borrow four hundred euros?”
“Where are you going shopping?” Jae asked dryly. “Chanel?”
“Duh, of course not … you’d be lucky to get a scarf for four hundred euros from Chanel.”
They were all surprised when Lucien agreed to part with the money. All except Caia. Alexa had been through a lot, and she’d fought like a wildcat in the battle. She deserved to feel young again for a day. But only one day. Otherwise, she’d bankrupt the pack.
Caia strolled into Alfred’s suite with more ease than she’d felt in the last year. The war was almost over, but there was much to do … yet she couldn’t help the pure happiness that thrummed in her veins every morning she woke up.
She greeted the Council who all shot to their feet in deference, all wearing wide smiles. She tried to cover her laugh at their expressions. Caia wished she’d seen what they had seen her do on the battlefield. People at the Center were acting a little crazy. It had somehow convinced them that Caia was the purest child of Gaia in their existence. They actually believed Caia herself was godlike.
Some blanched when they saw her coming down the corridor and pressed themselves against the wall to let her pass. She tried to smile softly to ease their anxiety, but it never worked. Others were different … they bounded up to her with enthusiasm and hero-worship, which was equally exhausting. The Council were over-the-top polite, and Caia unhappily noticed the twinge of fear in some of their eyes. She didn’t want to frighten people, for Gaia’s sake!
Caia was glad to see Marion and Vanne in the room with Reuben and Saffron. The four of them treated her as they always had.
Caia grinned at Marion. A few days before, she’d had a few quiet moments with her mentor for the first in a long time. She asked how Marion was coping with the loss of her sister and her position at the Center. It was difficult, she’d said, but not impossible. And Vanne was helping, she’d admitted with a blush. Caia had laughed. Marion was usually so cool and together but Vanne had reduced her to a swooning teenager.
She told Caia how she’d been crushed at first when Vanne stopped courting her to court her sister, how, over the years, she felt their connection hadn’t died, how she’d felt guilty for feeling that way. Marion didn’t know Vanne was still in love with her, however, or the real reason he’d left her for Marita. So, they were trying out a relationship … a very tentative attempt. It was strange for them both with Marita between them. But Caia thought they should turn that into a positive. No one else could understand the helplessness that comes from a betrayal by someone so close.
Reuben grinned wickedly at Caia, making a face at the way the Council deferred to her. Caia rolled her eyes. For an old guy, he could be quite petty and immature. She threw a quick smile at Saffron. As for those two … Caia didn’t know what was going on. Maybe they were both too old to have any kind of meaningful relationship. But there were feelings there, and Caia couldn’t wait to watch that particular show unfold.
Not that she didn’t have anything better to do.
Laughing at herself, Caia took a seat before them all. “You wished to see me?” she asked politely.
Alfred cleared his throat and nodded. “We wanted you to be the first to know that peace negotiations with a community of Midnight magiks in Paris are going well.”
Exuberant elation shot through her. “Really?” She gasped.
Penelope smiled sweetly at her excitement. “Really.”
“What next, then?”
The Council shared wary glances. “The negotiations are complex. As you might understand, the Midnights are not happy to exist peacefully with us if we have a controlling council in power.”
She frowned. “You mean you guys?”
“Exactly.”
Fair enough, she nodded thoughtfully. They would just have to come up with a solution.
“We should begin negotiations with other Midnights and see if that’s going to be a recurring theme,” Caia suggested.
The Council nodded, but Reuben sighed. “It’s not that easy, Caia. This could take awhile.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “I can be patient.”