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The look Zuzanna gave him let me know that this was a debate they’d had a hundred times before. “We can’t all walk between worlds like you two, Atlan. You’re more likely to leave them splattered across the Great Wall than you are to get them back here safely.”
Kiran shrugged at the accusation, mirroring his brother’s posture with a disturbing amount of accuracy.
“We’re not that desperate yet,” Auren intervened before the argument could really take off.
Kiyomasa chuckled. “On to the next portion of our agenda, then?”
The conversation from there mainly revolved around the state of some of their smaller encampments. At one point, Atlan and Zuzanna gpt so heated that the older hybrid dropped his glamor completely, and Reese turned an interesting shade of white. Her discomfort ruffled Neo’s feathers enough that he barked at the other man to get it together, and all four of them got told to walk it off by Auren.
Seeing my baby brother barking orders was its own kind of headfuck; he bossed around people thousands of years older than him like it was nothing notable, and what was even weirder was that theylistened—even the monstrous-looking variety, with their wolfish features and extra eyes, that looked like they could swallow him whole.
Atlan apologized to everyone when he returned, followed by a pink-cheeked Zuzanna, who didn’t seem nearly as repentant. Then, the conversation shifted to the reports they’d gotten on the war. Kiyomasa let us know that there was nothing new to tell; the Free Kingdom was still destroying the prisons housing most of their living allies, and the Upper Council was on the defense despite having picked the fight in the first place.
“Azazel is plotting,” Auren mused, fingers tapping out a tune on the table before he nodded for his father figure to continue.
It was a long morning, in summary.
Getting to walk out of the war room several hours later was a relief, and I wasn’t the only one feeling that way, judging by the slump of Marilyn’s shoulders as Johnny threw an arm around her.
“What do you think Azazel’s up to?” my old friend asked, seeming thoughtful. “Auren seems pretty confident that this whole situation is something he concocted, but….”
But it sounded insane.
I didn’t know if I agreed with my brother’s theory that Azazel was using their failing war efforts for something. Sure, the pressures would be almost overwhelming, but could he really plot that far ahead anymore? The man hadn’t shown a single hint that he was sane enough to plan anything that intricate. What would he even be using all the destruction for?
“I have no idea,” I settled on.
Johnny gave me a skeptical look before shrugging and saying his goodbyes.
Aria had been silent throughout most of the meeting and didn’t speak up until now. “I don’t think it’s far-fetched that he’d be using the war as a way to scare people into doing what he wants,” she admitted softly, interlacing our fingers.
“He doesn’t need to scare them, though,” I argued, my angel’s contentment with her proximity making it hard to focus on the potential issues my father was going to cause. “Most people love him and trust the Upper Council, so what would be the point?”
Her brow furrowed, and I could hear the half-made thoughts circling her head. It wasn’t that I would put it past Azazel to take advantage of the situation, I just couldn’t see how this one was advantageous to him.
Do you think Mikey is really okay?she asked, and I squeezed her hand.
Honestly? I believed that, outside of being locked in a cell, my brother was probably over the moon. Considering how attached he was to Lucia and the fact that she seemed equally invested in him, they’re probably more than happy to have more time to get to know one another, baby hanging over their head or not.
But it’s probably best not to mention that to my melancholy mate.
I think he knew what would happen when he stayed,I said. It had occurred to me even before the meeting that he had to have known what his fate would be.
Aria nodded, frowning a bit as she took in our surroundings.
With little else to do, the two of us had walked most of this compound. It was more militaristic than the one we’d been in initially, with curfews—albeit late ones—enforced and fewer children running around. The few who were here seemed to be in training. While the idea of child soldiers didn’t sit well with me, I wasn’t completely ignorant of the need for it.
After all, according to Kiyomasa, most of the kids here were hybrids. If they’re ever thrown out into the world, the ability to defend themselves would be invaluable.
We watched the trainer demonstrate, and the grim-faced children paid more attention than I could ever recall seeing in a classroom.
What they’ve done here is amazing, isn’t it?she asked.
Of course, it’s nothing like the Free Kingdom, where hybrids were more or less free to roam and live without fear, but it was definitely better than what my mate and I had gone through.
Hopefully, they won’t need to use anything they learn.I grimaced as we eyed the class moving through the motions of their training. It’s take-downs today, and since most of them were preteens, they’d been paired off with adults for a more realistic scenario.
Yeah, but if they do, they’ll at least have a chance.
