Chapter 15 #2
“Now, let’s look at this logically. What my granddaughter said is all true.
There can be no moving, no lab jobs, and no ability for any of you to return to your normal jobs and homes.
And how long can you realistically remain away from your work?
I know Fiona. She won’t be able to remain cooped up in the house for long without working.
“I don’t want her placed in a dangerous situation, either.
But the world we live in is dangerous, growing more so with the threat of Pytho and his Knights.
Add this other danger to it, and I fear for us all.
We have to find and put a stop to what is happening here and elsewhere.
If we don’t, it’ll keep spreading. Fiona’s idea has merit. I believe we should consider it.”
When Granddad finished, I saw how Keir stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. He blinked a couple of times as he gathered his words. Then, he looked at Gal.
“Do you agree that your sister should be used as bait?”
“No, I don’t. There has to be another way,” Gal immediately answered.
“What about you, Gun? Do you think we should allow this?”
Gunnar hesitated a moment before replying.
“I’m on the fence, Keir. I see all the reasons why you say no.
If she were my mate, I’d probably be where you are.
But I can also see how it might make a difference.
Whoever is behind this wouldn’t ever guess that a bonded mate would do this.
If we have a majority of the Sentinels here, we can protect her and capture the enemy.
We wouldn’t spend weeks or months waiting around for the optimal conditions to exist.”
Keir didn’t say anything before he laid his eyes on Nico. He hiked up an eyebrow. “Well, what are your thoughts?” Keir asked.
“You’re not gonna like it, but I agree with her.
Sure, there’s always a degree of danger, no matter how tightly we hem her in.
But that can be true of any of us, and I believe it’s less than you imagine.
If we pick the location, lay out a plan with input from all, have no one going off on their own, and remove as much emotion as we can, it’s got a good chance of succeeding.
“Wait, let me finish before you blast me. I don’t have a mate, but I can see that even though she’s yours, all this talk about what you’ll allow isn’t sitting well with her.
And when people get pissed, they do stupid shit.
Let’s get the whole team’s input, and then if they say let’s do it, we plan it out and get this shit done.
“No offense to you, Arizonans, but my ass is missing my home. I miss my paramedic job and my partner, though no one better tell his ass I said it. And Fiona is smart and resourceful,” Nico finished.
“I know she’s resourceful and smart, but it doesn’t mean she can’t be horribly hurt or killed. How would we feel if she were? How do you think I’d handle it if she were?” Keir snapped.
This caused an eruption. The three Sentinels and my brother all began yelling at once.
They wanted to be heard and to express their opinions.
I wasn’t able to get my voice loud enough to drown them out.
But I knew who could. Letting her rise, I gave control of my voice to Danu.
Her roar was deafening and silenced all conversation.
All five pairs of eyes landed on me. I stood up.
“Thank you. I thought that I should have the floor again to address various points that have been made. However, it seems overall, I’m supposed to sit here, pretend to be stupid, look pretty, and do whatever I’m told.
If that’s what I’m supposed to do, then maybe I should let whoever sent the letters take me.
I’ll probably end up a vessel with no say in her life, so what’s the difference? ” I said.
“Fiona, what the hell has gotten into you? Why would you fucking say that?” Keir asked.
“Why the fuck would you treat me like you own me and I’m not permitted to have a mind of my own or to make decisions for myself? If you believed this was the best move and that only you would be at risk, you wouldn’t allow me to dictate to you. So why do you get to do it to me?”
I shot back. My temper was rising.
“Piscín, I don’t own you or believe you have no mind of your own. I just want to protect you. You’re my mate. I can’t help that I feel that way,” Keir stated.
“You call me kitten, but you forget, I’m a leopard. I’ve got claws, a temper, and I won’t be caged by anyone, not even you, Keir. The surest way to break our bond is to take away my rights. And what about you?”
“What about me?” he asked.
“I don't like that you put yourself at risk. You could be killed doing the work you do as a Sentinel. I think it’s too dangerous. You should quit.”
His mouth dropped open, and he gave me a flabbergasted look.
It took him a few moments to speak. “Y-you can’t ask that of me.
I have a duty to our community. I’ve been protecting shifters for centuries.
It’s what I do. I’m trained. My friends and I each know how the other works, and we have individual strengths that we bring to the team. ”
“So what you’re saying is, if I demand that you quit, you won’t,” I countered.
“I’d talk to you about it, help allay your fears, and help you to see where I’m coming from. Why the risk, while present in everything, is tiny in comparison to the big picture. I have great guys who have my back,” he added.
“Exactly. Then I have to ask, why can’t you grant me the same courtesy? If I forbade you from doing things, you’d hate our bond. Is that what you want from me? To hate being with you so much, I walk away?”
Keir’s face went from red to white and then somewhere in between.
“No, I don’t want any of that. I’m terrified something will go wrong, and I’ll end up losing you, Fiona.
If that happened to you, I’d go insane. I’m so deeply under your spell, I can’t think of going on without you,” he confessed softly.
I walked over to him. I straddled his lap, and he didn’t fight it. I cupped his strong jaw between my hands as I stared deeply into his eyes.
“And I’m the same way about you, but we can’t let our feelings turn us into cowards. Or selfish. No matter how much I love you, I still have to be me,” I told him.
“You love me?”
“I do, though right now, I think I need my head examined, and I’d rather take a cast-iron skillet to your head.”
A tiny chuckle escaped, then he gave me a sexy smile as he said, “It’s a good thing we’re together because I love you, too. Beyond reason, it seems.”
I growled before I captured his mouth. Lips pressed together over and over. Our tongues wrapped around each other. And then his hands landed on my ass, squeezing my cheeks as my hands slid under the bottom of his shirt. I traced them over his hot, muscular skin.
“Alright, cool it. We have a child among us. He needs no further corruption. Shame on you. He’s turned into a tomato,” Nico quipped, pointing to my blushing brother.
“It’s not corruption, it’s a matter of eww. No one wants to see their sister macking down on some dude’s mouth and getting all handsy, or to see him do the same. I feel nauseous,” Gal muttered.
And though he pretended to gag, I noticed the tiny smirk teasing at his lips.
I turned back to Keir. “I hear all your concerns, but they’re no different than if the roles were reversed, or if you ask another shifter family to do it.
It’s being selfish. And no insult intended.
I know you all do your job as Sentinels with integrity, but if it’s one of your mates in danger, you’ll be twice as careful and plan even better,” I declared.
Keir closed his eyes. His expression showed the turmoil he felt. But after several heartbeats, he opened them.
“Let’s get the others on the line. We need to ask them what they think. See if they might have a different way to do this,” he said hoarsely.
As I placed a gentle, soothing kiss on his lips, Nico was the one to take out his phone and place the call.