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Marshall growled, “It’s a trap and you know it. He is just trying to draw us out of our protection.”
Sabine laughed, “Are you saying that you are unable to protect yourself and your pack members? Are you so weak that you cannot survive outside of your borders for an hour?”
Aiden took an aggressive step toward the witch, but Kenzie grabbed his arm to hold him back,“Don’t! She’s goading us.”
He stopped moving but she could feel the tension coiled in his muscles. Everyone was so on edge; it would take very little to break the tentative calm. She knew the consequences for attacking a council member involved a death sentence. She refused to let an argument escalate.
She studied the witch for a moment. Aiden told Kenzie she was usually reasonable, but so far, she had seen only aggression toward them.
Marshall looked as close to bursting as Aiden was, so she decided to try and calm things down, “Of course we can protect ourselves and our pack. However, Andre has shown that he is willing to go to great lengths to try and kidnap us for whatever reason. Whether we believe the prophecy or not, he does. We need to be prepared.”
Sabine studied her for a moment, then smiled. It was not a sweet smile, it was more like the smile a cobra would give a mouse before it struck, “We are always prepared. Both Colin and I will be there, of course. And I am assuming by her presence here, Raven will also be joining us, and our two guards. So that is five witches, and whatever magic you and Marshall have. I assume Marshall has arranged for his guards to come as well. That should be plenty sufficient to protect us all from the wiles of Andre Beaumont.”
“As for the prophecy.” Colin stepped close to her and leaned down so his face was only inches from hers, “Aster Dandridge was bat shit crazy. We don’t believe it. So, the Goddess blessed you with a little magic. Congratulations. But I don’t see any fireworks going off, no miracles. You can barely move a rock without help. I don’t see you destroying the world anytime soon. Whatever Andre is planning, he’s just using the false prophecy to sow fear.”
Sabine nodded, “Exactly. We will not allow him to manipulate us.”
Raven snorted a laugh. She was leaning against the door, a smirk on her face, “What if you are wrong? What if he is planning to use them to destroy the world? What if that is the whole reason he wants them, and you are playing right into his hands?”
Nikolai folded himself into one of the chairs in front of Marshall’s desk which he turned to face the room, then sighed as he looked around at everyone, “This is foolish. Why don’t we just kill the alpha and his troublemaker sister and be done with it? They can’t destroy anything if they are dead.”
Arabella placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder but said nothing. Kenzie wasn’t sure if she was telling him to shut up or offering him support.
This time she couldn’t hold Aiden back as he stepped up next to Marshall. The two formed quite a fierce picture. One dark, one light. Their faces were set in stone, neither giving away the anger she knew was burning strong in them. She could feel it almost pulsing in the air even with her walls in place.
“That will never happen. You have no right to touch my children.” Chris came around the desk to stand next to his son. The three men were ready to fight to the death if necessary. She could feel their determination. They have been a unit all their lives, and they would stand as one.
Thankfully, William broke the tension by stepping between the werewolves and the vampires, “Enough of that. We are not going to kill them. Are you trying to start a war Nikolai?”
Nikolai did not answer but Arabella smiled, “Of course not William. He was just throwing out an alternative option. Afterall, which is more important? Two lives, or saving the world? We must have our priorities.”
Marshall crossed his arms, “Well, the witches seem to believe the prophecy is a lie. So, I guess it won’t be a problem.”
Arabella made a humming sound as if in agreement, that smile still in place, but said nothing else.
“Alright,” William gave Chris a look that she couldn’t decipher as he gestured toward Corine, “Shall we focus on the initial reason that we are here? Perhaps Corine can shed some light on our situation.”
Nikolai straightened his cufflinks as he stood, “By all means. I assume you have a more suitable room for this.”
Marshall walked over to the panel in his office wall that led down to the cells and gestured for them to go ahead of him, “Do watch your step on the way down. We wouldn’t want you to fall and break your neck.”
Aiden smirked as everyone started down the stairs. Nikolai apparently chose not to respond, and instead gave Marshall a sharp glare as he walked past.
Kenzie watched as the witches floated Corine along behind them. It was the weirdest thing she’d ever seen, and that’s saying a lot these days. She wondered if Corine was in pain.
For a moment, she felt a bit of sympathy for the woman. She didn’t like her, and she was mad at her for betraying them, but no one should be caged in their own body like that.
Raven and Chris followed behind the council members, both pausing to say something to Marshall.
Once they disappeared down the stairs, Marshall turned to them. He placed a figure over his lips to indicate for them to be quiet,“We can’t trust them. None of them care what happens to us. William cares, but he is just as worried about our powers and what they could mean. He even thought about what Nikolai said for a moment. We will only be able to rely on ourselves out there.”
“You read that in their minds?”She hadn’t even thought about trying to see their auras. Just like she hadn’t thought about using her powers to protect them after the accident. Magic was still not instinctual to her. Her first reactions were still werewolf, to shift or use her strength.
If she was going to be able to help them, she would need to work on that.
He nodded,“Yes. The witches really do believe the prophecy is bullshit, but they also don’t want to take any chances. It’s the usual fear of the unknown. But we are a large pack, and they also fear starting a war they may not be able to win.”
“So, we really are on our own then.”Aiden placed a hand on her back and glanced down at her. As she looked into his eyes, she could see his concern, but also his strength. No matter what, he would protect them. She had no doubts.
