He was worried, his body so stiff, she feared the answer might shatter him. “Atlas?”
He didn’t glance away from the threat, like he was afraid ifhe looked at her, he would lose his shit. “A trial is just a formality. If you go with him, you will never leave Faerie.”
When the dark fae across from them didn’t deny it, her heart sank. “Why would I go with you if I don’t even get a fair trial?”
“If you were corrupt and immoral, it wouldn’t even be an issue.” He looked off in the distance, squinting, even though the sun was just a hint on the horizon, then he gave a tired sigh, like not being able to kill her outright was a personal annoyance. “But you showed yourself to be honorable, which means you’re worthy of at least a trial.”
Morgan didn’t like his attitude, like he was so much better than her. “A trial? Or an execution?”
He only lifted a cocked brow at her, completely unfazed, and she switched tactics. “Why would I go with you?”
Excitement shimmered in his eyes, his fangs flashing when he smiled, as if eager for a fight. “If you don’t accompany me willingly, your coven will pay the price. Any wolf on the premises will be turned feral. They would spread through the world like a plague.”
Her breath left her in a whoosh, shaken that the fae would go to such an extreme and destroy so many lives to get what they want. “I can’t. The wolves are sick. If I leave, the wolfsbane will kill them.”
“Not if they stay at the coven,” he countered without missing a beat. “Your magic is soaked into the very ground. It might drain the wards a bit, but they will recover over time.”
“You orchestrated this outcome.” It was an accusation, but Morgan knew she was right.
Everything was too calculated.
Choreographed.
“Of course.” He lifted an imperious brow, as if offended she would think he wouldn’t have planned for every contingency.
Ascher grabbed her arm and spun her to face them, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “You’re not going.”
“I don’t think I have a choice.” Morgan spoke softly, tryingto ease the blow, but it did no good. Heat began to radiate from him like a furnace, and she feared he was moments away from bursting into flames.
Feeling helpless, she looked at the others. “Give me options.”
“We could kill him.” Draven shrugged when she glanced at him, not looking the least bit sheepish at plotting murder. “What? It would buy us time. We can’t let them take you.”
“Is that an option?” Kincade glanced at Atlas and Caedmon, but both men remained stoic.
“No,” Atlas replied after a moment, the pale lavender color of his skin fading as the sun began to crest. “The fae will just send more and more reinforcements. There will be no place to hide. If we fight, they won’t just come for Morgan next time, they will come for the whole coven.”
Draven nodded, like he was already plotting different war strategies and tactics, while Ascher cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders, eager for the fight.
“No.” Morgan turned toward Kincade, determined to make him understand. “If the coven is attacked, the Academy will be pulled into a war with the fae. We have to figure out a way to deal with this situation without dragging innocent people into this mess.”
“As much as I don’t want to agree, you’re right.” A scowl crossed Kincade’s face, as if it pained him to let her go. When Ryder looked ready to explode, Kincade lifted up his hand. “At least for now.”
It did little to appease her mates.
Kincade rubbed the back of his neck, then put his hands on his hips. “Do you have a plan?”
Morgan pursed her lips, not liking her choices. “Not a good one.”
His skin took on a slight granite texture as his gargoyle pushed its way to the surface, despite his control. He gave her a grim nod, silently asking her to continue.
“Locate Thanatos.” She grimaced at the thought of relying onanyone but her men, especially a god, but she had to trust that he didn’t want the gods to return any more than they did. “I’ll try to stay alive long enough for him to find me.”
Ryder growled, shoving his way past the rest of her mates, and grabbed her shoulders, his whisky eyes glowing as his wolf took over, and her heart broke for causing him so much grief. He wanted to fight and ravage and defend her, but they had no choice and he knew it.
She threw herself at his chest and hugged him tight, the grumbling from his beast only then fading slightly. “You will watch over the wolves while I’m gone. Help them heal. Retrieve as many ferals as you can. Train those who are willing. Make it so when I come back, no one will ever dare try this again.”
“Fuck, no.” The tips of his claws danced threateningly over her hips, his hulking form looming over her, trying to intimidate her into doing what he wanted. “I’m going with you.”
