Chapter 16 #2
Marigold closed her mouth, trembling with frustration, but Gavin saw the sheen of fear beneath it. She knew as well as he did what Petunia would do if she got her claws on her again. Claudia spoke, her voice soft but sure.
“Much as it pains me to say it, I think Marigold needs to be there, with the outside team, causing the distraction.”
Gavin felt his beast rise in protest, and others around the room seemed to feel the same. A few scoffed. Sam’s eyes went flinty.
“She’s under our protection,” Sam told Claudia in a cold voice.
“Be that as it may, I think she needs to be there to prevent greater harm,” Claudia insisted.
“But she can’t leave this building. They’ll know where she is the minute she comes out from under its protections,” Gavin protested.
“Actually, they won’t. That talisman I gave her will mask her presence. They won’t know where she is until she reveals herself,” Claudia insisted.
“Seriously?” Marigold asked, her hand clutching at the talisman around her neck.
Claudia nodded. “Seriously. That thing will hide you inside this building or out. I intended it to give you a little freedom from those who might try to scry for your location.”
Marigold’s eyes filled with tears, but she was smiling faintly and looking at Claudia with something close to adoration, so Gavin’s nerves settled a bit. Though he still felt strongly about bringing her into such a dangerous situation.
“So you want us to just deliver her to her enemies?” Gavin couldn’t keep the sarcasm and disgust out of his voice.
“No. I want her to be the cause of the distraction. If Petty Rollins is focused on her niece, that will allow the infiltration team to get Katy out safely,” Claudia said with quiet dignity.
Silence greeted her words as everyone in the room considered the plan. Gavin didn’t like it at all, but even he could see the potential merit in the idea.
The silence pressed in on the room. Gavin could feel the weight of every gaze shift toward Sam, waiting for the Alpha’s ruling.
“No,” Gavin said before Sam could speak, his voice low and absolute. “I won’t use her as bait. Not after what she’s been through. Not when she’s only just beginning to believe she’s free.”
Marigold flinched at his words, but she didn’t look away. Her fingers tightened once more over the talisman at her throat, and he saw the spark of courage in her eyes that impressed him, even as it threatened to break him.
Sam’s cool gaze swept between them, then landed on Claudia. “Explain.”
Claudia straightened, unruffled by the Alpha’s scrutiny.
“Petunia doesn’t want an all-out war with the Kinkaids.
She wants Marigold. If Marigold steps into the open, Petty will put every ounce of attention into getting her back.
That gives your inside team precious minutes to breach the basement without detection.
Once Katy is safe, we pull Marigold back, and the entire trap collapses. ”
Gavin’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “You’re talking about dangling her in front of the woman who tortured her.
You can be sure Petunia Rollins will have surprises up her sleeves.
We can’t trust her not to call in an army of mercenaries or get the whole family of mages onto her land to deal with us.
It won’t be as easy as you think to withdraw once she’s seen Marigold.
Your plan—if you can even call it a plan—is downright reckless. ”
Claudia’s gaze didn’t waver. “It’s also the fastest way to get the child back alive. You know I’m right.”
Gavin turned to Sam, fury burning in his chest. “There has to be an alternative.”
Sam’s expression was carved from stone, but his eyes softened slightly when they flicked to Marigold.
“You’re under my protection, Marigold. I can’t ask you to risk yourself, but I am duty bound to give you a choice.
You are not our prisoner. You are free to do what you will. What do you want to do?”
Marigold startled, clearly not expecting the question. Her gaze darted from Sam to Claudia, then finally to Gavin. For a moment, her lips trembled with words unsaid. Then she drew in a breath and whispered, “If I can help save her…if I can do something good, then I should.”
“Goldie—” Gavin began, but she cut him off with a tiny shake of her head.
“I don’t really want to be bait, Gavin. But if I can distract Aunt Petty long enough to save that little girl, then it’ll be worth it.
” She swallowed hard, clutching the talisman.
“At least this time, I have a choice. Thank you all for allowing me that freedom.” Her gaze went around the room, and she nodded at Sam before returning to Gavin.
Her words sliced him open, because they were true. She’d never had a choice before. Now she did, and she was choosing to risk herself for someone else. The pureness of her heart, even after all she’d been through, humbled him even as it broke his heart a little.
Sam leaned back in his chair, his verdict final in the set of his shoulders. “We’ll vet the plan and scout Petunia’s house as best we can without triggering any of her wards. But Claudia’s right. This may be our best shot.”
Gavin wanted to roar in protest, but he forced himself to nod stiffly. He would fight this plan with every breath he had, but if it went forward, then by the Goddess, he’d make sure Marigold walked out of it alive. Even if it meant burning Petty Rollins’s house to the ground.