Chapter 34
Will
“I don’t understand,” Charisma murmured from the couch in Tobias’ office where she sat sandwiched between Dominic and Aaron.
Before Will could respond, Dominic growled under a breath. “He wants to use you as bait, that’s what’s happening. I knew getting involved with these guys was a bad idea.”
Aaron heaved a great sigh and made eye contact with Will. “We wouldn’t have survived the winter without them. Now, without our help, none of us will survive this. Am I right?”
Will pressed both lips together and hung his head a little. “I can’t say what will happen, but we’ll all have a much better chance if we follow this plan.”
“So, we’ve gone from definitely being screwed, to probably being screwed.” Dominic slammed a fist down on the coffee table and winced at the pain it caused.
“I know this is all scary,” Will began.
“Scary? It’s fucking terrifying. How am I supposed to keep my female and my kids safe?”
“You know I get it, right?” Will said quietly. He rubbed at the back of his neck and sat down on Tobias’ desk.
“Of course,” Charisma said. “You’re trying to keep Vixen and your baby safe too.”
“Then why can’t she be the bait?” Dominic asked acidly.
“For this to work, it has to be someone carrying twins, as I said.” Will felt like he was going around in circles.
“Of course it does…” Dominic covered his face with both hands.
“It’s not about any one person being more valuable than another,” Will said carefully. “This is like a huge jigsaw puzzle and all the pieces have to be in exactly the right places. Vixen doesn’t fit into this part of the plan.”
“Maybe it’s not as dangerous as we think,” Aaron mused. “I mean, if the eighth lord thinks she’s carrying his kids, he’s not going to hurt her, right?”
“I can’t believe you’re even considering this!” Dominic glared at him.
“This is an impossible situation!” Aaron shouted. “Besides, it’s not up to you or me. It’s up to Char.”
Charisma turned to look at Will. “I’m scared.”
“It’s okay to be scared. This is a terrifying situation.” Will reached for her hand. Dominic glared at him, but made no move to intervene.
“I don’t know what to do.”
She brushed away tears and dipped her face, as though it might hide them. She wasn’t fooling anyone, but Will let her have this moment. Choice was everything, and he wouldn’t take it from her, not even if the fate of the entire In-Between depended on it.
Rion
He listened outside the office door, uncertain whether or not to enter. Will’s compassion and mercy were in full swing; this is what the angel had been made for. What could he hope to say that would be better? Everything was in such a precarious state. Rion didn’t know if his sanity could stand it.
On one hand, everything in him silently begged Charisma to say yes. It was the only plan they had and none of them could afford to falter at the last hurdle.
On the other hand, every physical trauma, every verbally abusive attack he’d ever experienced was right at the fringe of his consciousness. No mortal would survive the things he’d endured. How could he ask this of Charisma? If they failed, if his father somehow got the upper hand…
“Join us.” Will’s voice appeared in his head.
Rion’s eyes grew glassy for a moment. Had he accidentally projected? No, I would know if I had done that. Is our Trinity bond so complete that we can sense each other’s physical proximity?
Will’s presence was still in his mind. “C’mon, Le Roux. No sense standing in the hall.”
Rion closed both eyes and forced himself to breathe. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why was he having an anxiety attack? I am better than this! It had been a long time since he’d been this incapacitated by his father. Why now? Damn it!
He placed a palm to the wall to steady himself. The soft ridges and swirls of the wallpaper felt like knives against his skin. A painful itch took hold as his body rejected the texture, but he stood there regardless. If he moved, it was likely he’d end up on the carpet.
The next thing he knew, Will had materialized in front of him.
“Fuck, Rion. I had no idea what you were grappling with.” Will wrapped both arms around him in a hug tight enough it was hard to draw a breath.
Rion could not speak. Why had his memories betrayed him now?
Why couldn’t they have stayed buried where they fucking belonged?
He tried to remind himself of everything he’d already overcome.
The strength within had not failed him before, could he fool himself into believing victory was possible?
No, because we cannot win on strength alone…
Fine threads of power swirled around them both. The pure white energy of a miracle fought to embed itself in Rion’s soul. His immortal core tried to reject it, his soul felt broken, and his heart insisted he was not worthy of this help. Savior have mercy, I am a complete mess…
The angelic power intensified, as Will increased his efforts, weaving utter perfection on an unprecedented scale. Encased in this Holy armor, the tightness in Rion’s chest finally began to ease off. Panic receded, and he could breathe again.
Will smelled like an expensive blend of rich cardamom, smoky oud wood, and sandalwood. The scent wrapped itself around Rion like a familiar and comforting blanket.
Rion’s brows pinched. “Are you wearing my cologne?”
The angel’s lips drew into a smirk. “Welcome back.”
“Indeed.” Rion forced space between them, and regarded Will with intrigue. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, get in there, will you? I could use a bit of support with this.”
“Very well.” Rion reached for the door handle.
“You’re a badass mofo, and you’ve got this, yeah?”
“Excuse me?” Rion’s brows shot skyward.
“You’re a million times the male your father will ever be. You deserve a happily ever after, Yanno?”
“This is not a fairytale, Jones.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
Will laughed and flashed out. By the time Rion had opened the door, he was already sitting on the desk, as though he’d never left. A moment later, a bottle of cognac appeared in his hand, then a couple of glasses in the other.
“You guys want anything?” Will asked the mortals.
Once everyone was seated with something to drink, the discussion resumed.
“If you agree to this,” Rion said, “You will not be alone. I will be with you.”
“So will I,” Will added. “Tobias and the original kings can manage whatever battle unfolds. Plus, the real Lyla. As long as she doesn’t use her power, she can fight in disguise. We’ve got so many allies on our side.”
“Your safety matters more than you can comprehend,” Rion sipped his cognac, but did not break eye contact with Charisma. “Despite how this must feel, you are not expendable, I promise you.”
“Who is actually going to do it?” Aaron asked.
“Do what?” Charisma threw back at once.
“Kill the bastard,” Dominic chipped in. “Right? Who will do it? If he’s as powerful as you say, how could we possibly succeed? Even if you defeat whatever army he brings, someone actually has to end him. It seems crazy.”
“It will be me,” Rion said quietly. “I have the power. Providing we succeed in outsmarting him, I truly believe this to be our best chance.”
“Agreed,” Will nodded. He jerked a thumb in Rion’s direction. “You have no idea what this guy is capable of.”
Aaron smiled, just a little. “I guess nobody is going to know him better than his own son, right?”
“Could you really kill your own dad?” Dominic seemed skeptical.
“He’s already ended two of his brothers…” Will shrugged casually, as if this wasn’t in any way horrific.
“Damn…” Aaron breathed.
“And you’re sure Tobias can pull off the glamour? I can’t wrap my head around it…” Dominic picked at a loose thread in the stitching of his jeans, clearly more on edge than he was willing to let on.
All three of them reeked of desperation and fear, but Rion couldn’t blame them for that.
Especially not after his episode in the hallway.
“Tobias fooled me,” he told them. “He glamoured three people to look like Lyla. I could tell which one was Vixen because she is pregnant. I could not tell which person the real Lyla was. She is a mother to me, and I failed to correctly identify her.”
A brief silence followed as the mortals digested his words. He locked gazes with Will, who didn’t appear to be concerned at all. Was the angel really this complacent? Or had he grown better at masking his emotions?
Covering his own emotions with a thick mask, Rion continued. “Even if you believe nothing else, believe this. My father would never harm a female while she carried his offspring.”
“I’m still as scared as fuck,” said Charisma.
“But I owe you guys everything. I want us all to be safe. If you think this is our best chance, if you believe Mr. Martelli – I mean Tobias – is really skilled enough to pull this off, I’m willing to do my best to cooperate.
I still don’t fully understand everything.
Can you go through the plan again for me? ”