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Flavio earns the smallest bit of my respect when he says, “I don’t believe so. If the Leaders go alone there can’t be any casualties without essentially challenging the Ruler. If they kill one of the people on his council, it’s an act of war. Heirs, however… they’re a different story.”
Lupa looks at Remus with a pained expression painted on her face. “B-but what if they don’t care?”
“The Leaders won’t be completely alone,” I explain. “They’ll have some of the Ruler’s guards, wearing his crest, so there aren’t any excuses not to know they’re under his protection.”
Murmurs breakout, everyone wanting to add ideas and suggestions. Which is fucking annoying. It’s not like we’re just going to storm a place around the corner, we still have to fly to fucking Greece. Again.
Just once I want to visit the country for a good reason. Not to undergo training, bury my dad, see Cia get married to someone else, or to free her half-sister. I want to fucking walk on the islands, and bathe in the sea without feeling like the world is resting on my shoulders.
Finalizing everything takes more time we don’t really have, and I can’t blame Arthur for impatiently bouncing his leg up and down for fifteen minutes straight.
While Kai explains the flying arrangements, I look across at everyone at the table. When my eyes land on Cia, a sense of foreboding holds my insides in its cold grasp. Under normal circumstances I’m not a betting man, but the odds for all of us making it back alive are too small for my liking.
I don’t need to know the people on the Tribunal to know they’re the worst of the worst. Actions speak louder than words, and the decibel of their actions could start a fucking avalanche.
Cia’s grim expression tells me she’s having similar thoughts. I watch her closely as she furrows her brows like she’s deep in thought. I don’t like that.
“Don’t even think about it,” I growl.
“What?” she shoots back.
I shake my head, silently telling her not to play games right now. “You’re the only one that matters,” I say under my breath.
Her back stiffens, and she arches an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“That’s fucking so.”
Ignoring everyone else in the room she slowly takes mine, Liam’s, and Kai’s hands and places them in her lap. “The problem is that you’re my life. All three of you. So if anything happens to any of you, I’ll follow you to the Underworld.”
Fucking hell, those words move me so much my throat closes up.
“Likewise,” I rasp. “Our lives mean nothing without you.”
Liam smirks. “Then I guess we best make sure we all get out of this alive.”
Chapter 22
Liam
“Ican’tbetheonly one who thinks we should have taken the time to look into the people at Drákon Enterprises,” I grumble for the third time, and to an audience who isn’t listening.
That’s not entirely true. They’re listening, they’ve just chosen not to care.
“Doesn’t matter now, man.”
I want to punch Gus. Not just because of the redundant observation, but because I’m pretty sure it would make me feel better.
Sleeping on the plane and being so heavily medicated I’m beyond numb, fuck, I could probably stab myself without feeling it. If agápi hadn’t threatened to leave my ass behind, there’s no way I would have agreed to all the meds. But of course, she had to turn the tables by using the exact same argument I used when she refused pain relief during her miscarriage. Knowing that it hurts her to see me in pain was enough to make me agreeable.
But it’s made me grumpy as fuck. Maybe it’s because I’m on a fucking raft in the middle of the fucking Mediterranean Sea. Or perhaps it’s because we’ve split into two teams and I’m with Isolde instead of agápi. Tough choice, tough choice. Spoiler alert, it’s the latter.
Yes, I’m aware she made an excellent point when she said if they see us, they’ll expect Cia to be with me. I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, and just for the record, I fucking loathe it. Like wanting to kill it with fire level of hate.
“Look, I get it,” Gus says placatingly. “In an ideal world we would have had more time before fucking storming the Tribunal. But we both know that even if we researched it to death, there’s a big chance we’d never become wiser or more ready.”
Why do people insist on being rational when I couldn’t care less? I’m not questioning the motive, I’m just not onboard with any of it. Period.
I sigh quietly and turn my head towards Gus. “I know you hate it too. Just say it.”
