Chapter 77
Chapter Seventy-Seven
SEBASTIAN
“We have searched those tunnels many times over the last couple of weeks.” Pressing my weight on the long table where my hands are bracketing the blueprints of the city’s underground tunnels, I glance at Marcus.
“You personally led the search party just yesterday, did you not? How did we miss them?”
The lead we have on the mages points at a tunnel not far from where April had her safe spot picked out while she was hiding from the Council.
At the time she was human, so she wouldn’t have noticed any discrepancies in the energy around her.
She had no idea that magic existed. But obviously Sara did, and maybe that was the reason they stayed there?
Darting a quick glance at her beautiful face tells me she’s thinking along the same lines, as well.
The hurt simmers in her gaze, and my chest is too tight from noticing it there.
She has suffered so much. First betrayed by her consort, and the cost was her life.
Now betrayed by her only friend, and it may have the same price.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Scrubbing a hand over his face on a sigh, Marcus turns to April, and I have to clench my jaw so I don’t snarl at him. “You know these tunnels better than any of us, April. What are you thinking?”
“Non c’è bisogno di coinvolgerla in questa ricerca.” I glare at him. “Until we are certain where they’re hiding, she will stay here where it’s safe.”
“I don’t need to be involved? Are you ordering me to stay here?” One of April’s eyebrows cocks in question.
I forgot that with remembering who she was, her Italian is as good as mine. She understood when I told Marcus she doesn’t need to be involved. Judging by the glint in her eyes, I have no doubt I’ll be paying later for my words.
“Tesoro …”
“You know what, Sebastian?” Her hand lifts, stopping my words, all the lingering softness in her gaze from my kisses in the hallway gone.
“I’ve heard enough. So, how about you take a seat, Tesoro,” she says the nickname I’ve given her like a joke.
“Or, you can leave and go do something productive. Like not ordering me around, huh?”
“Sei davvero stupido.” Marcus speaks under his breath, shaking his head. He said ‘you really are dumb’, which I agree with but will not say it out aloud. He continues with, “When did that work in your favor even when she was human?”
“Am I the only one here who is using their brain?” Eshe and Marcus have the decency to glance down when I turn my eyes on them. “They want her. So, what are we doing? We are just going to hand her over on a silver platter?”
“Actually, I think they would rather get their hands on you, tough guy.” April smirks.
She has absolutely no care in the world for her life.
“Whoever is in charge of their group is not an idiot, or we would’ve found them by now.
They know they will lose many if they take me, especially since I’m hell bent on ripping all of them limb from limb.
And they were present when the Council fell, so they know what I can do.
You, on the other hand, can be used against me.
I’ve already lost Andrei; I’m not losing you.
” Her penetrating stare turns from me to my second in command. “Or you, Marcus.”
Silence spreads around us as all eyes turn on me.
Marcus gapes like a fish, not expecting her to place him in the same bag as me, and I can’t say that my expression is any better.
After everything, it still catches him by surprise that she will do anything to protect him.
While I’m brainstorming to keep her safe behind these walls, she’s been doing the same.
Warmth blankets my insides that April cares so much for my safety, but this is going to be a problem.
My mouth opens to tell her as much but Eshe beats me to the punch.
“I liked you better when you were pretending to be an asshole, Sebastian.” Gone is the lilting accent I’ve known her by, replaced by modern speech I never would’ve expected from her. “Trust someone that has known her for a long time. She will not hide behind you.”
A muscle is ticking on one side of my jaw, and my nostrils flare as I take a deep breath. I’ll need to think of another way to keep April out of this without provoking her ire.
“How much do we trust the source of this information?” I turn my question to Marcus.
A line forms between his brows as he looks down at the blueprints, leaning forward on the table and matching my stance.
We cleared this room of everything else but the long desk and chairs around it, turning the space into a center of operation.
Two guards stand on the other side of the closed door, trusted males that won’t let anyone near enough to overhear our conversation.
I’m tuned in to their heartbeat like it’s my own.
To say that the attack left me paranoid will be the understatement of the ages.
“It’s one of ours. She overheard two humans discussing a rebellion against us.” His eyes flick up to my face. “At first, she thought they were talking about what we did to bring the Council down, but the longer she listened, the more clear it became that they were talking about the mages.”
“And we are sure they didn’t do it on purpose because they knew she was listening?” April asked the question that was on the tip of my tongue. “They could be setting up a trap.”
My heart punches hard against my ribs when she grins at us.
April doesn’t need to share her thoughts with me for me to know what she’s thinking.
She is so bloodthirsty that she’s actually hoping this is a trap.
After living for centuries without a heartbeat and finally having it again, the female will kill me with a heart attack.
“I mean …” Marcus rubs the back of his neck, the frown only deepening on his face. “Unless the information is coming directly from the four of us here, I don’t trust it one-hundred percent. At this point, I’m hoping it’s the break we needed, but I’m preparing for the worst.”
“I like that.” April nods her approval, and the bastard smiles at her.
“No matter what they have planned, as long as we anticipate a magical attack, we should be able to counter it,” Eshe adds, jumping on the revenge wagon way too fast for my liking.
“Do I need to remind all of you what happened when they were prepared for an attack?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them.
April flinches like I just staked her, but it’s too late to backpedal, so I push forward.
“I want to level them to the ground with as few losses as possible.” That last part sucks out all the air in the room.
Very slowly, April turns her head to look at me. “You think I’m willing to have my people be collateral damage just so I can have my revenge?” She speaks softly, but each word is like a dagger sliding between my ribs.
“That’s what I’m worried about Tesoro.” Swallowing my unease, I meet her gaze.
“You will never risk any of us, but you will sacrifice yourself for it.” Her eyes flick over mine, and I take her hand, squeezing her fingers for reassurance.
“We all want them dead. I just want to make sure we are all standing when this is over. You losing your life will not bring Andrei back.”
Eshe and Marcus are staring at the ceiling as if checking for spiderwebs, no doubt wishing to be anywhere but here at the moment.
Power surges around us, prickling my skin, and I have to lock my knees to stay standing.
It demands of me to bow to my matron, the one I owe my life to.
If I obey her power, she will never see me as an equal.
April picked me because she knew I was worthy of her strength, despite the fact that she loves me.
The humanity she clings to places her heart before reason.
But the predator in her will rip the head off my shoulders if I bend my neck.
So I hold her gaze, even when sweat beads around my hairline, while the others in the room tremble as they fight to stay on their feet, Eshe included.
I hear the thump of the guards on the other side of the door when their knees hit the ground.
April searches my eyes for a very long moment before she gives me a sharp nod.
“I know it won’t bring him back. I have no desire to die, Sebastian.” The power she was blasting us with disappears, and the three of us sag, leaning heavily on the table. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you all uncomfortable. I still can’t control how it’ll react when I get overly emotional.”
Her fingers twitch, and I realize I’m still holding her hand. Tugging on her arm, I pull her to my chest and wrap my arms around her shoulders, pressing my nose into her hair. Just breathing her scent in loosens the vise squeezing my chest.
“It’ll be fine, Tesoro.” She allows me to carry her weight when she hugs me back, her cheek leaning on my chest to hear my heartbeat.
She does that occasionally, and every time she burrows deeper into my soul.
It shouldn’t be impossible to love her more than I already do, yet she proves me wrong each day. “They will pay for what they’ve done.”
“Yes.” Tilting her head up, she smiles at me.
It’s a sad curl of her lips, and it hurts to see it on her face.
“Yes, they will.” Pushing away from me, she clears her throat.
“Marcus, we need a small group of five that will follow you coming from this side of the tunnels.” Her finger stabs the blueprints at the east point entrance and my gut clenches.
“Eshe and Sebastian will come with me, and we will meet you from the west side. We are checking this location tonight.”
So much for planning.