Kaige chimes in, “And that’s not even factoring in Sabrina being used as a blood bank. She can’t be pushing herself this time helping you like she was before.”
Reid scoffs. “Like I didn’t already factor all of that into the equation. We’re on a limited timeframe that we don’t even know what the deadline is. This is only one potential asset to the plan, not what it’s hinging on. It isn’t really worth a surplus of effort, honestly. Still, it’s a better use of our time than sitting around doing nothing while we’re stuck in here waiting for Sabrina to be strong enough to blow everything up.”
Kaige returns with another glass of hot chocolate and I down half the cup, soaking up the sugar rush. “We’re not inventing anything, it’s a case of deleting the pre-set selections and replacing them; super simple and easy. It’s why Slade is color coding the notebook; blue tabs go in one spot, orange in another, and so forth.”
As understanding appears on Bo’s face, he whips his gaze to Reid. “No.”
Grinning at his horror, Reid returns to typing. “We only have two computers, and two of us have been staying awake on guard while the others sleep anyway. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as you think it is, you’ll be fine.”
“But what if I hit the wrong button or some shit and wreck the whole thing!” he objects.
Hunter interjects, “If it’ll keep Sabrina from burning herself out again, then so be it. What else are we doing anyway?” Pulling out the chair on Reid’s other side, he takes a seat, determination replacing his typical annoyance whenever he’s around Reid. “Show me.”
Patting Bo’s arm on my way past, I head for the front door. “I’m going to sit on the porch and enjoy the small bit of sun before the next monsoon hits. Who wants to procrastinate intro to coding first?”
All but Hunter raise their hands, and I pick two at random. Not because I can’t stand the thought of being alone, but I’m practical. Being locked in a cabin with seven guys and no TV is hard enough on the best of days and I’d love nothing more than five minutes of a solitary reprieve, but losing a few bags of blood will have my reaction time delayed. Not only is Ash lurking out there, coming and going between territories as he pleases, but there are also several hundred angsty mountain men with a hell of a lot of testosterone build up to worry about. I may be arguably badass at times, but even I couldn’t have handled the entire Alodia massacre myself, and we not only had the element of surprise on our side, but bombs and a sniper.
There’s no shame in admitting that you can’t take on the entire world by yourself, nor that you have no interest in doing so. Accepting a little help from the people you trust enough to surround yourself with in an otherwise cruel world doesn’t mean you’re not enough on your own, it means you’re lucky enough to have found a reason to stay alive so you can live to fight another day, and that’s ten times harder.
Slade and Boden follow me outside, leaving the others crowded around Reid’s laptop. There aren’t any chairs out here, so Bo takes a seat on the top step with me one below between his spread legs. As he absentmindedly plays with my hair, Slade leans against the porch rail, keeping an eye on our surroundings. Even after signing away his pack and stepping down, some traits are too ingrained in a person’s personality to ever fully snuff out, but that’s not a bad thing.
The problem was never that he didn’twantto protect the people he cared about, the problem was that he didn’t think he deserved the same consideration. I think that he’s finally starting to realize that putting a few boundaries in place doesn’t mean that he’s letting anyone down, or being selfish by making sure his own needs are met before worrying about other people’s. You can’t pour from an empty cup. If all you do is give, eventually, you’ll have nothing lefttogive. It’s just as important to take care of yourself so that you’re in better shape to take care of other people, to take turns letting down your guard.
Reaching a hand behind me to offer Bo a cookie, I stare at Slade’s serene profile. “Can I ask you something?”
He faces me in an instant. “Always, mon soleil.”
That pet name is pretty ironic now, isn’t it?
“How come we haven’t seen any sign ofyourdemon? I’ve been searching for the signs, but you seem so... put together. I know when we all voted on the plan that you cast his answer, but... heisthere, right?”
His expression softens. “I think this is one of those situations where we fall into the grey territory. It’s not as apparent with some of the others where their demons are polar opposite personalities. With me-” he wavers a hand back and forth in front of him “- I suppose the best way to describe it is we don’t actually feel like separate entities. Gave me a bit of pushback once I met you and was messing things up, but once I was actively trying to remedy things, he was fine. Our interests align so closely, there’s no disconnect. We both want to take care of the people that we love, and that’s really the only thing that’s important to either of us, so we’re on the same page. The only instances that he makes himself known are times like when we found you missing outside of the police station, or when facing the lycans, and as he’s better equipped to handle things when I shift, I let him take the reins. We’re simply... good, I suppose.”
Tilting my head back to peer at Boden’s upside-down face, I toss the same question his way. With a contented smile, he kisses my forehead while simultaneously stealing another cookie from my bag. “Mine’s similar, to a degree. Only real difference is that I can always feel his presence, and when I toss a question in regards to you his way, I don’t get any audible reply, more of a feeling. So I consider him more of a sixth sense than a living entity.”
Facing forward again, I lean against him, soaking up the comforting feeling that comes from being surrounded by him. “Do you think it’s a matter of like they said? Where each generation becomes more of ghosts of who they used to be? If that’s the case, a couple more and they may cease to exist altogether.” My stomach twists into a knot. “But it’s not a watered-down bloodline if we can only reproduce with demon-possessed people. So why would they be fading away?”
“Because they’re tired of fighting the inevitable. There aren’t any more stories being passed down to remind them who and what they are, no hope, and no reason to fight. With such few women being born and the chance of them being free in some aspect becomes little more than a fairytale, they’ve stopped bothering to dream.”
“They lost their purpose to exist.” Closing my eyes, I take a slow breath as I work through my tumultuous thoughts, but can’t voice them aloud; not when anyone could be listening in.
The crunching footsteps across the clearing has my eyelids flying open, a low growl filling my ears from within my own head. Bo and Slade manage to keep their cool as we watch three more men appear, and though I’m sure their first instinct is to shove me back into the cabin and bar the door, they don’t. Within two minutes, the small group comes to a stop a short distance away. With the exception of Adrian leading the band of un-merry men, none appear familiar, and something about that is almost worse. If men that I haven’t had a single interaction with feel bold enough to approach us here, at an alpha’s cabin, then it’s a precursor of what might be coming as the other men grow bolder, sick of milling about on the sidelines.
“Adrian, you’re like a bad penny; can’t get rid of you no matter where I go, can I?”
Adrian’s pitch black, buzzed hair, has started to grow out since the last time I saw him, and it looks like the man hasn’t seen a razor in weeks. All in all, he looks rough as hell, and that alone gives me pause. “Sabrina, a pleasure as always.”
Raising an eyebrow, I keep my attention on him while subtly studying the other three in my peripherals. “No need to lie, we’re all adults here. And gods know we have enough deception to wade through as it is, so how about for a change we cut to the chase and you tell me what you’re doing here?”
With a soft, breathy chuckle, he gestures to those accompanying him. “Apparently Ash is under the assumption your silence these past couple of days means that he may have upset you by selecting mates on your behalf, so he wanted a chance to show that he didn’t come to the decision lightly. And should he be proven wrong, offer his sincere apologies and worthy replacements.”
“Ma’am.” The beta dips his head and I almost snort, imagining him tipping a hat respectfully in my direction before the men folk get down to serious matters.
Resting my arms on my knees, I lean forward, addressing Adrian. “And the real reason?”
He shrugs. “It’s boring out here? Apology, game, or simply a way to kill time until you’re ready to cooperate, does it really matter?” His eyes darken ever so slightly, and he holds my stare even as the door opens behind me and the others join us on the porch. “I swear, your mother’s paranoia rubbed off on you. I can only imagine how incorrigible you’re going to become now that you have the undivided attention of someone like Acheron Wilder.”
A second later, his smirk is firmly back in place, turning to the men he escorted here and gesturing for them to take the floor. “Let’s hope you don’t embarrass yourselves; I’ve got money riding on these fights.”
