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“The council will be called into a special meeting once Judah returns.”
Cael sucked in a hard, agitated breath. “For what purpose? To investigate the assassination attempt on his life? He will learn nothing. There is no trail leading back to me.”
“Claude told me that we, the council members, must band together with Judah to stop the renegade factions within the Ansara clan. Judah truly believes we are not ready to fight the Raintree.” She looked directly into Cael’s eyes. “Are you sure we are ready, that we can win if we go to war on the day of this year’s summer solstice?”
Snarling, Cael tightened his hold at the back of her neck. “There is nothing Judah can do to stop us. Not now. There are warriors in place, ready to strike. Even if Judah managed to stop Greynell, he cannot stop the others. Even he cannot be in two places at once.”
“Just what do you have up your sleeve?” Alexandria’s heartbeat accelerated. Cael sensed her excitement.
“Tabby is in Wilmington taking care of Echo Raintree. And then, on my command, she will eliminate Gideon.”
“Tabby is a wild card. What if you can’t control her? She takes perverse pleasure in killing. She could easily draw attention to herself.”
“Tabby knows what I will do to her if she fails me.”
“Our success might well depend upon removing the Raintree royal siblings before the great battle, yet all three are still alive and well.”
“But not for long.” Cael grinned. “Dante is in for quite a surprise tonight. And once Judah returns to Terrebonne and is consumed with other matters, I will send another warrior to take care of Mercy.”
Sidonia heard the car drive up and park. She had taken Eve back to her room and tucked her in for a second time, warning the little imp to stay put, but she doubted the child was asleep. Eve was concerned about Mercy, just as she herself was.
Pausing at the front door, Sidonia, peered through the left sidelight and gasped when she saw a large, dark man walking toward the veranda, an unconscious Mercy in his arms. The only vehicle in sight was Mercy’s Escalade, so who was this stranger and why was he with Mercy?
Closing her eyes, Sidonia called for her animal helpers to awaken and come to her. Within minutes, by the time the stranger set foot on the veranda, Magnus and Rufus, her fiercely faithful Rottweilers, appeared in the yard, one on the right, the other on the left, flanking the veranda.
Sidonia opened the front door, took one step over the threshold and faced the stranger. He paused as if he’d been expecting her, and his gaze connected with hers. He was not Raintree. His eyes were steel gray. Hard and cold, with no sign of emotion.
“I’ve brought your mistress home, old woman,” the man told her, his voice a deep, commanding baritone.
No, he was not Raintree, but neither was he a mere mortal.
A tremor of unease jangled Sidonia’s nerves. If he was not Raintree and he was not human, that meant…
“You assume correctly,” he said. “I am Ansara.”
Sensing Sidonia’s fear, Magnus and Rufus growled.
The man—the Ansara man—stared first at Rufus and then at Magnus. They quieted instantly. Sidonia hazarded quick glances to her right and left. Both large animals stood frozen like marble statues.
“What have you done to—”
“They’re unharmed. In an hour, they will be as they were and return to their sleep.”
“What are you doing with Mercy? Did you harm her? If you have, the wrath of the Raintree will—”
“Be quiet, old woman, and show me where to place your mistress so she can rest and recover from her ordeal. She healed a dying woman tonight.”
Confused by this Ansara’s concern for Mercy, Sidonia hesitated, then backed up to allow him entrance. He was a handsome devil. Wide shouldered, at least six-two, with flowing black hair that hung in a single braid down his back, and chiseled features that made him look as if he’d been cut from stone.
“Her room is upstairs, but I think it best if you—”
Ignoring Sidonia, the man headed for the staircase.
“Wait!”
He did not wait; instead, he took the stairs two at a time, Sidonia following as quickly as her old legs would carry her. By the time she reached the second floor, he already had the door to Mercy’s bedroom open, apparently being guided by his instinct.
Scurrying down the hall, Sidonia came up behind the Ansara just as he laid Mercy on her bed. From the doorway, she watched him as he stared at Mercy for a full minute, then turned and walked toward the door.
