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Dex spread his hands wide to take in the room, empty except for us. "I won't tell him if you don't."
Backed into a corner, I sighed. "Would the Vault in your hands mean a great deal of change? Your leadership is as much law here as that of the Alpha. Assuming anyone who staged a coup let you live."
Dex perched on the corner of the desk and supported his chin with his finger and thumb. "A big assumption," he agreed.
"However," I continued, "if you became Alpha, you would still need an heir."
"Yes, I would," Dex agreed. "And quickly. I could name you."
I jerked. "Me?"
"You think that would be a bad thing?" Dex asked.
"Someone not related to a very long line of shifters?" I asked. "It would set a dangerous precedent. It might even cause the kind of unrest the witches and other factions have been waiting for. The Covener would rub his hand together at the idea."
"You're assuming he too would be allowed to live," Dex remarked.
"It sounds as though you've given this a lot of thought." As soon as I spoke the words, I realised. Of course Dex had. He would have thought about every move and countermove that might come about. Hades only knew how many moves ahead he was of everyone else.
"That's why this bothers you." I tapped the paper in front of me. "You didn't foresee this."
"The priests of Hades speaking out against the Alpha?" Dex frowned. "No. They usually stay in their temples and carry out their rituals. Hades has kept his nose out of the affairs of the Vault for who knows how long."
"First treason, now sacrilege," I said. I crossed my arms over my chest. "Perhaps I should send word to the Alpha after all."
Dex chuckled. "I suspect the priests are aware their influence is waning. Fewer young people are choosing to join the temple. In a generation, the Vault might have forgotten Hades altogether."
"That makes them dangerous," I concluded.
"It does indeed," Dex agreed. He rose from the desk and moved to sit in his seat. He rested his elbows on the desk and pressed steepled fingers to his lips. "The question is, what do we do about it?"
I sat back and considered before answering slowly, "We either shut them up by force—"
"Which would upset the believers," Dex interjected.
"We let them continue to spread dissent—"
"Which would anger the Alpha and potentially cause civil war."
"Or you become a priest and show the Alpha your undying dedication to Hades," my words and expression were deadpan.
Dex looked surprised for a moment, before he burst out laughing. "Nothing so extreme," he said after his gales died down to chuckles. "Perhaps a generous donation. I'll speak to my advisors and settle on an amount. Eye-watering, no doubt. I'll need you to escort the donation to the temple."
I nodded. "Okay. Although, can I make a suggestion?"
Dex nodded.
8
Viva
I waitedfor either Dex or Bain to come and find me. Her nerves grew. By the third hour, I considered trying to run before they had me killed. Or worse, sent back to the Council.
I touched my throat lightly. I liked it uncut and unbroken.
"Hades." I paced across my room. "Should I pack my shit and run?"
Wherewould I go? Fleeing across the desert alone would be a death sentence, a slow one. I joked about swimming away, but I had no idea which direction to go. I might travel along the coast for a while, but what would I do if I hit a wall? I'd be trapped there until they came and found me, and they would. I could kill a few before they killed me, but I didn't like that idea much. Way too messy and I still wound up dead.
