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Avelyn and Amelia nodded, suddenly losing a bit of their appetite.
“I can’t believe no one has bought her yet!” said Amelia, slightly infuriated. “Claudia is such a wonderful woman. I mean… she’s always been better than any of us.” She looked at Delyse and thought for a moment. “Well, maybe not better than you. You’ve always been so calm and calculated. But definitely better than me and Miss Bitchy here.”
Avelyn stuck her tongue out at Amelia, but didn’t contradict her. Instead, she finished her apple pie and pushed the small plate away so she could place her elbows on the table and eye Amelia and Delyse mysteriously.
“I have a plan for Claudia.”
Delyse cocked an eyebrow and Amelia rolled her eyes when Avelyn paused too long for drama.
“Spill it out already.”
Delyse checked her watch again. “Yeah. Or tell us on our way up to the conference room.”
Avelyn waved them off. “I’m thinking of my brother-in-law, Karl.”
“But he’s a wolf and Claudia is an Ursi bride,” noted Amelia.
“So what? You’re the only one who actually ended up with the shifter faction you were raised for. I was a Vulpes bride and I married a wolf. Delyse was an Aquilae bride, raised as a Lupi bride, and married a dragon. Really, that’s the last thing that matters. Besides, if I convince Karl to buy Claudia, she’ll be part of Clan Blackmane and I can take her under my wing and teach her all she needs to know about werewolves.”
“Did you tell him?” asked Delyse.
“Not yet. I discussed my idea with Max and he told me Karl is kinda’ not looking for a bride.”
“Why not?” Amelia was confused. “Aren’t wolf-shifters all about mates and lots of pups?”
“Yeah… No, this particular wolf-shifter is different. He’s gone through some ugly stuff during the war…” She didn’t want to mention Karl Blackmane had started the madness with Max’s ex-bride. Water under the bridge. She just wished he’d be able to move on like everybody else.
“I have faith in Claudia,” said Amelia as she stood up and smoothed her short, black skirt. “Convince the guy to take her out of Alma Venus, and she’ll take care of his poor, wounded soul.”
Avelyn smiled, but she wasn’t so sure. Max was a complicated man, and she had learned to deal with him, but Karl was even more complicated. Damaged. That was the word. Karl Blackmane was damaged.
“It’s on me.” Amelia took out her credit card and paid. “Next time… lunch in Norway, am I right?”
“Absolutely!” chirped Delyse.
They left the café and headed upstairs. They were late, of course, and everyone was waiting for them in the conference room.
***
Delyse took her seat next to Eric, who glared at her. She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips at him, giving him an expression that was supposed to mean “not my fault”. Just as she had thought, her husband was easily annoyed.
Avelyn sat down between Max and Karl, and Max simply took her hand and kissed it gently. He really didn’t care Avelyn had just made them all wait. He knew it was in her nature, and he had gotten used to her chaotic behavior years ago.
Amelia threw Blake a questioning look, and Blake’s simple nod let her know everything was fine. She took her own seat next to her friend, having the other fox adviser, Jane, at her left. It was weird. Currently, the fox faction was represented by a woman who had pretended all her life to be a man so she could fight her psycho uncles, and said woman councilor had chosen two other women as her advisers. In a world where shape-shifters usually looked down on women, be they humans or shifters, progress was being made. The thought helped Amelia relax in her leather chair and wait on the votes with a light heart.
Councilor Harington had been locked up with his colleagues for the past half hour, and he looked tired. He had explained his reasoning and reinforced his arguments, and all he wanted was for everything to be over already. He had no idea what the result would be. He couldn’t vote for his own project, which left five councilors to decide its fate. He knew Blake Sylfur and Calder Grimmr would vote for, but he couldn’t be sure about Dimitri Voinom, Zachary Willamar, and Christian Kwahu. Voinom was still angry at him and at the Blackmanes, and Willamar had been awfully silent during the closed debate, which was never a good sign in his case. Bear-shifters tended to be grumpy, but Willamar was overdoing it. He was the master of grumpy. Kwahu had worked on his doodles and nodded with a smile every time someone told him something. The eagle-shifter was usually an easy-going guy, but Harington didn’t want to put all his faith in this and end up disappointed. So, he waited impatiently, the tight tie around his neck bothering him to no end.
“All right,” Calder Grimmr broke the silence. “I’ll start. Personally, I’m all for Arthur Harington’s research. His arguments have convinced me, and I truly believe the antidotes will only solidify the bond between our factions.”
Harington smiled and nodded respectfully. It was a good thing the dragon councilor had been the one to speak first. He was ancient and wise. All the others looked up to him even if they refused to admit it.
“I vote in favor of the project,” said Blake, her voice steady and confident.
Christian Kwahu finally put his pencil down and closed his daily planner. “In favor.”
Harington could breathe easier, but not quite. Even though he had the majority, if both Voinom and Willamar decided to vote against, they were such strong and resourceful Alphas that this little victory might not matter at all.
Councilor Voinom looked around the room, then fixed his eyes on Willamar for a second. Finally, he turned to the side of the table occupied by the Blackmanes, who had thought it would be wise to sit as far from him as possible.
