Page 104 of Escape from the Green

"This is Sal. And Smoky. I've told you about them."

"And you just brought it upon yourself to bring them here without permission?" Foren asked, grouchy, tone sharp.

"I'm sorry if I am not thinking straight because my woman has been fucking kidnapped!" I roared, the sound ear-piercing even when it bounced back at us off the empty walls.

"You are understandably upset," Aurelia's voice consoled, holding a hand out. "But we need you to try to remain calm. Not doing so is only going to drag this out. What did you come here for?"

"Help," I snapped. "Reinforcements."

"You can't possibly think we would allow you to take our men and women to the Dark Court," Borena said, rolling her eyes at the very idea.

"Actually, that is exactly what he thinks," Smoky snapped. "And if you dusty old fucks would get your head out of your own asses for two minutes and see what spineless shits you are being, maybe you would nut-up and help."

To my other side, Sal snorted.

But in front of me, Foren and Borena went almost purple with outrage as Aurelia ducked her head, embarrassed.

It was Drayven who held Smoky's gaze for a long moment before turning it to me.

"This is a member of our clan," he said, voice strong. "We are obligated to hear out his plan before we put it to a vote."

So they heard me out.

And they forced us out of the building, wasting precious fucking time debating things when we should have been storming out of there, getting Amy out before something happened to her.

"Breathe, Drake," my mother demanded, always having the uncanny ability to be calm in chaos. "You won't help the situation by passing out from lack of oxygen. I am sure the elders will make the smart decision."

Judging by the raised voices I could hear even from outside, I wasn't quite as confident as she was.

Above all of them I could hear Kieran's roar of rage, determined, it seemed, not to be outvoted again, not to keep the tribe in their stubborn old ways.

"I'm not saying to force anyone, but if some of us want to volunteer, that should be our right!" Kieran's voice was still roaring what seemed like hours later, the owls already nestled silently in trees, suggesting morning was almost upon us.

"Damn straight," Smoky agreed, pacing back and forth in front of me, oblivious, it seemed, to the way everyone was staring at her, wondering about her.

Sal was easy.

Sal was something they understood.

But this wild woman who screamed at the elders and had weapons strapped to her thigh, she was a mystery. And if there was one thing that was fascinating to those used to the same old thing day in and day out, it was a mystery.

"What?" she snapped, clearly having enough of being looked at - this woman who always wanted to be left alone.

"It's nice to see a new face," Tsar told her, shrugging, leaning back against the side of one of the houses, unabashedly raking his eyes over her.

"Keep eye-fucking me like that and I'll rip them out of your skull," she shot back with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Are you seriously going to stand here gawking at me when Drake's woman is stuck in the Dark court having fuck-knows-what done to her? That's the kind of men you are?" she asked, directing her anger at Tsar simply because he had been the one speaking to her.

"There are rules," he shot back, but lost some of his usual bravado.

"Rules," she snorted, pacing a few feet, mumbling to herself like a madwoman. "Rules. You're fucking fire-breathing hell beasts of lore, but you are being held back by some antiquated rules set up by some noodle-spined elders?"

"Easy," Drayven's voice called, loud and close. He'd managed to sneak up on us.

They all had, I realized as I turned to find them standing there, all various forms of angry or embarrassed.

"Easy? Now is hardly the time to be easy, elder-man," Smoky shot back.

I felt my lips tip up humorlessly, glad that she was on my side rather than against me.