‘You can.’ He kisses me, a sweet press of his lips. ‘You can.’
I shake my head, tears flying. It’s as though a hand is crushing my chest, as though all the air and warmth is being squeezed from me. ‘I can’t lose you again.’
‘You won’t. I’ll never stop loving you.’
‘I’ll never stop loving you, either. No matter what.’ I sob. I can’t leave him. I think it will break me, if I do.
‘Cass, have a heart.’ Flynn’s voice is faint in the background. ‘Can’t you see that?—’
‘What’s going on here?’
There’s a shocked weight to the silence that falls, my sniffling the only sound.
‘General.’ Cass sounds stressed. ‘To what do we owe the pleasure?’
General?
I lift my head, wiping my eyes. A huge figure stands in the doorway, dressed in black. He winks at me, then lowers his brows over his icy gaze as he surveys the room. Every vampire snaps to attention, including Cass.
Ira stalks into the room, pulling the cuffs of his jacket as he inspects every vampire in turn. I cling to Michael.
‘Ira is a general?’ I whisper.
‘Commander, actually,’ Ira says. ‘Of the Southern Reaper Cells.’
ChapterForty-Seven
BACK TO REALITY
What in darkness?
Ira raises a scarred eyebrow as he continues to inspect the vampires. ‘A little casual for being on call, don’t you think?’ He pauses in front of Flynn, looking him up and down.
‘Uh, I’m off-duty tonight, sir. Just visiting.’
‘Hmm.’ Ira nods. He continues to Cass. ‘Report, Captain.’
‘Sir?’
‘Your report. I would very much like to know why the heir to Raven is in tears in your living room.’
‘Sir! She came here under false pretences?—’
‘I did not!’
Ira holds up his hand. I stop talking.
‘She says they came here by accident, even though she’s with Michael. And now they want to leave. I agreed to let her go. But Michael stays.’
Ira turns his attention to me. ‘Is this true, Emelia?’
‘Yes. I was looking for a friend in the Safe Zone when I … we got pushed into a van. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ I say. ‘I’ll keep your secrets; I just want to work with you! I’ve tried explaining this, but Cass wants to keep Michael as collateral. I can’t leave him here, though.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he’s my lieutenant. He has a role to play in my coronation. And beyond that, for all the changes I want to make.’
‘When you say you want to work with us, what do you mean?’
