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I stared from him, to the phone. I could order him to give it back. Ultimately, I was in charge of how we handled this. He could try and challenge me for lead again, but there was no guarantee there, and a challenge like the one he’d made—it wasn’t good for a pack.
We both knew we had to keep this together for her.
But… I believed him.
Before I could open my mouth, though, he spoke, something tense in his expression. “You are… emotional about this—”
“She’s—”
“Just, wait!” He cut me off. “You were right, earlier when you said… What's the point if we destroy her? She needs… she needs more from us.” It looked hard for him to say. “We don’t know how this is going to play out. We don’t know what they’re going to ask for or how careful they’ll be—even in negotiations. I want every option on the table when it comes to freeing her, and that…” He scowled, looking uncomfortable for a moment. “That also means her.”
“What?”
“She is the last line of defence,” Ebony said quietly. “That’s what they did to us, isn’t it? Sent her in like a trojan horse? She lived in our home,” he said. “Got close to us.”
“And?” I asked, unsure where he was going with that.
“This didn’t let her into theirhome, Love, they let her into their pack bond. That gives her power, whether or not she knows it—whether or nottheyknow it.”
I stared at him, mind working through what that could possibly mean. “Let me deal with this. You don’t have to be a part of it.” He lifted the phone. “I’ll have the copy back before she’s even awake. You need to convince her to fight for us.”
He stepped away, tucking the phone in his pocket as he made his way back to his room.
I spoke before he could turn the corner. “You have to try, too,” I said. “You’re her mate just like we are.”
He looked back at me for a brief second, and I felt him through the bond in answer, which was a white flag from Ebony even on a good day. What I felt from him surprised me. He wasn’t reluctant, like I was expecting. He was… unsure.
Then he turned the corner and he was gone.
ELEVEN
DRAKE
I awoke to my worst nightmare.
My arms were empty.
Vex was gone.
Panic constricted my chest as I staggered from the bed. Through the curtains, I could see only the faintest traces of morning light outside.
“Vex?” I asked, staring around the dim room.
When I turned the lights on, I still couldn’t see her anywhere. The bathroom door was open, and there was no one inside.
Had she left?
Maybe her commands had told her to leave right after she arrived, and this was all just a taunt. My mind flashed back to the last time.
I’d stumbled into her room, terrified of the fight between Love and Ebony downstairs. Only when I’d entered the room, she was gone.
It was a moment I’d never forget.
The worst moment of my life.
After one last sweep of the room and bathroom, I made for the door. I had to tell the others.
When I slammed the door of her room open, however, I almost tripped over something solid. I looked down to see Love seated on the floor, back against the wall, staring up at me.
