4. Cato #2
Sovran shuts his eyes and draws a deep breath, and I wonder how his sight works. Does it play like a movie in front of his face, or is it like a memory he’s trying to pull from his head?
“I have spent the past century searching for another solution,” he says, “waiting to be shown there is another way. Every other path ends in destruction, but not this one. You have felt my hand guiding you along it, even if you didn’t know it.”
“Guiding us?” Cameron asks.
Sovran nods in his direction. “Do you ever stop to wonder why you waited at the camp, Cameron, when you have always moved on at the first sign of danger? You should’ve never been there when the military attacked, but I made it so.
” His eyes move to Ronan. “The day Cameron was brought in, you were supposed to be on patrol, were you not?”
Ronan’s brows flick together. “Yes, but…” He trails off, exchanging a long glance with Elas before saying, “There was a problem with the vehicle I was supposed to take. I was given prisoner duty instead.”
Sovran’s chin lifts, moving his eyes to Reyes. “You have questioned yourself for years, wondering why you stayed hidden when your camp was attacked, but I needed you here… just like I needed Nyx to still be here when you came.”
Nyx’s eyes are damp as he stares at Sovran. “The flower.”
“Yes,” Sovran says softly. “The flower that appeared to you when you needed it most.”
“All of this was you?” Ronan demands.
“Most of my powers are gone, but I’ve done everything to bring you all together.
If your bond with Cameron had never formed, Elas would’ve never been sent to find August. Xeni would’ve never returned to Atlanta to find Bash.
Nyx would’ve never been freed. Can’t you see?
Everything had to happen precisely as it did. ”
The group falls quiet under the weight of the confession. “And now we have to go?” Ronan whispers.
Rocks crunch under Cameron’s shoes as he steps forward and kneels beside Ronan.
“It’ll be okay, big guy,” he soothes. Ronan lets himself be pulled into his mate’s arms, unguarded in a way that feels too intimate for this setting.
“You can’t tell me all those stories about home and then deny me the chance to see it.
That would honestly be kind of rude, don’t you think? ”
Ronan lifts his head and studies Cameron for a long moment before turning back to Sovran. “How many of us need to go?”
“At least two sets of mates are needed to activate the rift,” Sovran explains, much gentler now.
Bash and Xeni exchange a glance beside me. “We could go,” Xeni offers. “Between my power and medical training and Bash’s knowledge of the rifts, we would be an asset.”
“You cannot,” Sovran says with a shake of his head. “The hatred for your father has only grown. The risk is too great that you would be discovered as his heir.”
“But I’m not like him—”
“You cannot go,” Sovran repeats, firmer this time.
Xeni huffs but eventually nods and sinks back into Bash’s arms.
Elas clears his throat, but Ronan bares his teeth before he can speak. “Someone has to be here to protect our people. If it can’t be me, you are the only one I trust.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Xeni mutters.
“Lillith and I could go,” Taryn says from the back of the circle, drawing a few surprised glances. “She could protect any of us, and August has been giving me medical training for months now.”
Sovran considers it, tilting his head side to side before shooting a questioning glance at Ronan and then Aryn. When both of them nod, Sovran dips his chin. “So be it.”
Ronan glances at the group, unconvinced. “Will the five of us be enough? Lillith and Aryn can provide defense, and Taryn is capable—”
“Why do I feel deliberately left out of that sentiment?” Cameron mumbles.
“—but we don’t know what we’re up against. Matuk can fight, but his leg isn’t fully healed, and the village needs protection. We can’t just take every warrior for ourselves.”
Chatter builds around the circle, but a ringing in my ears turns to a high-pitched squeal that drowns most of it out.
For a lifetime, I’ve chased every thrill I could get my hands on.
Petty theft as a kid, mercenary work once I got big enough to protect myself.
Even breaking into that military stronghold in Atlanta to rescue Xeni felt like an adventure, even if I bitched the whole time about being dragged along.
Adrenaline feeds the deeper shit I’ve kept locked away since the day I buried it.
Out here in the middle of the forest, that kind of rush is hard to come by.
There’s only so much brawling and training a guy can do.
Splitting firewood and chopping trees might get me sweating, but it doesn’t touch the baser need.
The conversation fast-forwards around me until I snap back in. They’re arguing about who can fight and who’s a liability.
“I’ll go,” I hear myself say.
“What?” Bash hisses beside me. Heads whip around to stare, and Ego openly gawks.
I force a swallow and slide a confident smirk into place. “You’re looking for a fighter? You’ve fucking found one. I’ve been in the business a long time.”
“Cato, what the fuck are you doing?” Sakane asks, leaning over Ego to punch my biceps.
“Worried about me, babycakes?” I ask with a wink.
Sakane doesn’t buy the distraction. “This is reckless.”
“More reckless than standing around waiting for the world to burn with us in it?” I counter. “No thanks. Hard pass on a front-row seat to the apocalypse.”
“It’s… not a bad idea,” Ronan says slowly, glancing at Cameron as Lillith nods in agreement.
“Yes, it is a bad idea,” Sakane argues. “It’s a very bad idea.”
Aryn blinks at me, head tilted like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. “You can fight?”
“Of course I can fight,” I snap. “I might not have fancy tails or shiny teeth, but I could take any one of you down.”
“Unlikely,” Elas snorts from across the circle.
“Says the guy who just got his ass handed to him by a monster half his size,” I retort. Elas glares but can’t deny it. I turn back to Aryn, expecting to find him gloating over his win. Instead, he’s still watching me with that irritatingly thoughtful expression.
“Do you have a problem with that?” I challenge.
His eyes flick down my frame before he settles back, arms crossed. “No problem.”
“Are you going to be a wildcard, human?” Ronan demands.
“Always,” I snap back with a sharp smile. “But I’m a wildcard you’ll be happy to have watching your six.”