“Do you hear yourself?” Ryder countered as Lucien got to his feet. “You sound like a Midnight.”
Marita flinched. “How dare you? I have no racial prejudice against other species, but no society, natural or supernatural, can survive without class order. My sister, a witch of noble lineage, should not have had to die for five common lykans.”
A growl erupted from Lucien’s chest so abruptly, he was just as taken aback as the insane witch in front of him. “Your sister was a hero. She upheld her place within your ‘noble lineage’ as you call it. You … have shit all over it. And you can bet when you travel to the Underworld, the dead won’t be as understanding as the idiots in this Center pandering to your lunacy.”
Marita made no comment but Lucien was satisfied by the pallor of her skin. She narrowed her eyes and straightened her shoulders, pretending his words hadn’t affected her. “I just came to warn you that your time is nearly up. I will be executing the Council in a few days and with them … I will be executing you. By then I hope to have found your precious mate so she can witness your death. Before I send her to her own.”
She couldn’t catch her breath. She could feel the others hovering outside the bedroom door, their worry and grief adding to the thick claustrophobia she felt clawing at her throat. How could Marion be dead?
A sob caught in the back of her throat, but she refused to let the tears spill. They all thought she was in here crying her heart out, but in truth, she was trying to plug the hole the death had made in it. She was trying to force her brain to switch off, to pretend that Marion was alive, that she hadn’t died protecting the children Caia had left alone down in that lab. Oh goddess, it was like losing Sebastian all over again.
No, she snarled at herself, shaking her head as if she could empty the thoughts right out of her ears.
“Caia,” Reuben’s cool voice filtered through the door.
She took a deep breath. She could do this. She had no other choice but to do this. Slowly, she made her way to the door and peeled it open, unsurprised by the four anxious faces staring back at her. Caia frowned. “Where is Saffron?”
Jaeden’s lip trembled a little. “She’s gone back to look after the children. She’s keeping them safe while we …” She stopped, her huge blue eyes glimmering with pity. “Caia, are you going to be okay
?”
She shouldered past them, quite a feat considering how small she was compared to the three of them acting as a wall. “I don’t want to discuss it.”
“But Cy—”
“I said I don’t want to discuss it.” She whirled on them, completely unaware of how much she looked and sounded like a young queen commanding her army to obey. Jaeden stiffened a little but nodded, clamping her mouth shut. Reuben stared at Caia in admiration (unnerving, to say the least) while Vil looked uncomfortable. Laila, however, slowly moved toward her and Caia braced herself. If the girl said anything comforting, she knew she was going to fall apart. But the Midnight merely placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and said, “We should go to the Council members’ families at once, Caia.”
At her touch, an almost medicinal peace flowed through Caia, and the lump at the back of her throat eased, her lungs opening to allow the air to flow freely.
“You’re right.” She nodded, feeling far more confident she could continue on with the plan, despite her grief.
Jaeden strode forward, the pity gone from her face to be replaced with a far more familiar determination and mulishness. “We aren’t going anywhere until we rescue the pack.”
“Jaeden—” Reuben began to warn her, but Caia help up a hand to quiet him. She took a brief moment to enjoy the little power she had over the formidable vampyre.
“She’s right.” Caia nodded. “We’re taking the pack back first.”
“That gives us less time to gather the families of the Council and the MacLachlan pack.”
“How so?” Jae glared at him.
“Because Marita must be checking in with her guards that surround the pack. What happens when she checks in and she gets no answer?”
Jae curled her lip sardonically. “What … you can’t muddle their trace with that masking trick of yours so that she thinks everything is alright?”
“Uh …” Reuben stopped and scowled at her. “Yes. I can do that.”
Jaeden chortled at her little victory. “Not so much with the smarts, are you?”
“I’ve just been given very trying news. Marion was a good person and a portentous ally. Forgive me if I’m not thinking straight.”
At the mention of the witch, they all tensed, waiting for Caia to react. She glared at the vampyre. “The big bad vampyre, who would sacrifice his own children for this war, actually feels grief?”