“No.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
Lexi’s eyes darted around the immortals and mortals gathered within the room. She spotted Johnny at a table with some refugees who once resided beneath her manor. Jayden and Nessie sat beside him, and the three of them waved when they looked her way.
She beamed as she waved back. The mortals may not be living the most carefree life on this dark rock of an outer realm, but they were alive, fed, and relatively happy. And this was better than being trapped in her tunnels; at least they had more space to move around and go outside. Yes, some immortal or the Lord’s men might stumble across them here, but that could have happened with the tunnels.
“Kitten?” Orin prompted her in a chiding tone.
Lexi scowled at him as he leaned closer. “I’m not going to discuss it here, you idiot.”
“Meow.” Orin hooked his fingers into claws as he swiped at the air. “Did someone give Kitten a bath she didn’t want?”
There were times when it tookeverything she had not to punch him in the face. This was one of those times as her hands fisted on the table.
“That’s enough,” her dad said.
Orin stared at her as he sat back on the chair. Lexi pretended not to notice as Cole returned and set a tray in front of her. He glared at Orin until his brother vacated the chair. Cole set his tray beside her and turned the chair around.
“Thank you,” she said to Cole.
He kissed her temple before sitting. She picked up her spoon and dipped it into the steaming bowl of stew. The most delicious aroma of meat and veggies wafted up, and her stomach rumbled in response.
This place did have some perks; one of them was the gnome who ran the kitchen with an iron fist. She was a tyrant who wouldn’t allow anyone else to cook, but she combined a bare assortment of ingredients into something delicious for every meal.
They ate as the others settled around them while her father and Brokk sipped blood. When they finished eating, they retreated to one of the many barren rooms in the prison. They often got together to talk in this one, and it had become their meeting place when they needed to speak privately.
There, Lexi told them what they learned in the light fae realm. She leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the ground when she finished. She was so tired, but they still had so much to do.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
“So now what do we do?”Orin inquired.
“Now we head to Verdan,” Lexi said while Cole said, “Now, she’s going to rest.”
“I will later,” Lexi said. “We have more recruiting to do.”
“I’ll go; you can stay here and rest,” Kaylia said. “The witches will listen to me.”
“No, we all agreed I should help with gathering the army. They have to seemeif they’re going to help us. Ihaveto be there.”
“You’re exhausted,” Cole retorted.
“We all are,” she said. “Everyonein the realms is, even those on the Lord’s side. We’ve all done nothing but walk on eggshells for years, and it won’t end untilweend it. I have to go to Verdan, Cole. We can sleep when the Lord’s dead.”
Cole’s jaw clenched, and a muscle twitched in his cheek as his gaze went from her to the wall. The shadows in the room shifted but didn’t move toward him.
He wasn’t drawing them in, but they reacted to his mood and prepared to do as he commanded. No matter how in control of himself and the shadows he was, they scared the shit out of her.
“I’m still coming with you,” Kaylia said. “They might be more cooperative if I’m there.”
“Circe also worked with us on the coalition,” Cole said. “She wants to take down the Lord and will probably help try to convince the witches to do so.”
“Do you think my presence there could help?” Sahira inquired.
While Kaylia wasn’t as hostile toward her aunt, dad, and Brokk as she used to be, she hesitated as she pondered this. She may not still consider them lowly vampires, but most witches would, even if Brokk and Sahira were only half vamp.
“No, they won’t want a vampire in Verdan,” Kaylia said.
