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“How the hell did he find us?” Cole questions. “I thought you guys warded the place.”
“We did. My father is immensely powerful, both due to his bloodline and alterations he made to himself when I was growing up.”
“What does that mean? Alterations?”
Swallowing hard, I glance at Drex. “My father was a member of the Immortal Council. He was one of the highest you could possibly be. In addition to that, he liked to experiment on himself to see if he could enhance his magic with certain tonics and spell work.”
“So he was basically a supernatural Dr. Frankenstein?” the young hunter asks.
Unable to help myself, I chuckle. “As far as I know, he didn’t piece anyone together and reanimate their corpse.”
“No, that’s just something you do.” Rainey winks at me, referencing the dead walkers I sent toward my house to distract the witches from Tarnley and us breaking the wards.
“My father used a tracking spell to find me,” I say. They don’t need the rest of the details; those will be given only to those I’m closest to.
“And just what is his reason for this familial visit?” Fearghas questions.
“He says he wants to help us.”
Rainey arches an eyebrow. “You believe him?”
I really want to answer that with a yes. Really want to believe that everything he said to me is true and he has no ulterior motives for his visit. But in an attempt to see treachery before it stabs me in the back, I shake my head. “Not completely. I think his arrival is far too coincidental, and it would be foolish of us—of me—to believe him simply because of who he is to me.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t kill him the moment you laid eyes on him.” Rainey shakes her head. “I’m not sure I would have afforded him the same moment to talk.”
“You are willing to shoot anyone who breathes on you wrong.”
She glares at Fearghas. “Not true. I just don’t give people a chance to burn me twice. There’s no point. People don’t change.”
“Excuse the hell out of me,” the fae says, as he straightens in his seat. “I like to believe I was quite an arrogant bastard when we met, and I have since altered my ways. Changed, if you will.”
“You’re still an arrogant bastard,” Rainey deadpans.
“Yes. But a much more tolerable, arrogant bastard.”
“They will go all day. Please continue,” Delaney says, gesturing toward me.
I fight my grin, more than grateful the hunter and the fae are offering a bit of comedic relief. We more than need it these days. “Other things were said. We can discuss those later, but for now, all we need to know is that our knowledge needs to be kept between those of us here. I want to keep him close, but if any of you smell anything off, anything at all, I need you to tell me so we can deal with it.”
“Works for me,” Rainey offers.
“Same,” Delaney adds.
Around the room, everyone offers curt nods, easing some of my tension. If they’re all watching him, then he won’t ever get the chance to betray us. And what is it they say about keeping your enemies close? Clarance Walsh is going to be right in my face until the day he shows his true colors and I put him down for good.
“Now that the curious case of Bronywyn’s dad is solved, what are our plans moving forward?” Paloma asks. “We going to start going after the council? Or wait to see if we’re able to get help?”
“The safe bet is to assume the council has a plan,” Rainey offers. “They will more than likely attempt to anticipate any moves we throw their way, which means we need to plan on them having ignored our warning.”
“You don’t think they ran?” I ask.
“I don’t want to count on it,” she replies. “I want to make sure we’re prepared for a home front attack should one come, which means we don’t make a move until Ridley gets back. With or without fae help.”
“I’d count on a without,” Fearghas adds. “Rafferty is a good man, but he is fighting his own war right now. His people are dying, and he’s not going to risk any more than he has to.”
“Understandable, even if it pisses me off.” Rainey glances back at Elijah. “Did you find anything in any of the old Astor texts?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing that spells out any legal way out of the mess we’re in. While we know the truth about the addition of the inter-faction relationship clause, the council technically has the right to execute every single one of us beneath the umbrella of The Accords.”
