Chapter 18
Jessie
“Ah, come on, really?” I asked softly, sagging in the front seat of the Porsche that Tristan had essentially claimed at this point. “This many?”
He had a front-row parking space in the large field we were using for challenges. People stood around the various squares sectioned off with cones, watching, waiting for their turn, or in charge of breaking up the fights. Gargoyles hovered overhead and basajaunak lounged off to the sides.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Tristan asked as he shut off the car.
After I’d left Austin’s office—we hadn’t had much time; he’d had to head here to start monitoring challenges—I’d chatted with Calvin for a moment, reaffirming that we’d host his pack at dinner if he needed a safe and quiet place to unwind.
I was supposed to meet with Kingsley and Aljoe’s sisters and the other generational convocation shifters, but I’d met them before.
They’d be talking politics and organizational structure.
Or maybe alpha gossip. I didn’t want to say that Calvin was a great excuse to get out of it… but he really was.
I’d then met everyone for flying training, showing the new shifters what gargoyles could do in the air. It wasn’t as taxing as normal because I didn’t have to do much magic. I just had to follow along, essentially, grabbed here and there by a gargoyle to pick up speed.
And now here we were, another duty I didn’t much care to bother with. It looked good for me to be here, though. Just like it looked good when Austin joined the gargoyle raids. Didn’t mean I liked it.
And now I wondered if he secretly hated helping with the raids.
In all that time, I hadn’t said two words to Tristan. I was a little put off by what had happened earlier.
I entwined my fingers in my lap. “I’m not sure what there is to say.”
“Try.”
You don’t tell me when to try, I wanted to snap back. I kinda also wanted to blast him from the car. A part of me wanted to cry in frustration. If only a vacation was something I had time for. The stress was starting to get to me. So was the necessity of being an adult.
“Who do you answer to?” I asked.
He went still. “Most of the time, Austin.”
“Well, then. Now we know where we stand.” I moved to get out of the car.
“Wait, wait.” He put his hand on my forearm. “Wait. Stop. Talk to me.”
I sighed. “Austin needed you, Tristan. No one in the bar could call me because of what was going on—though Sue should’ve when he stepped out.
He defaulted into the shifter culture, like Austin did.
Still, both of you should’ve called me. When Austin gets in trouble, when he is backed against the wall, I need to help him.
If Armendale had gone for him, I would’ve lost my true love, Tristan, and that terrifies me. ”
Emotion bubbled up. I hadn’t thoroughly processed that information. Hopefully, Austin was right and Armendale was just bringing out his beast. That he didn’t plan to kill Austin right then.
But Armendale had also helped orchestrate a death to make Austin and me look bad. That was mage behavior, and mages did not at all care about rules. If Armendale wanted Austin gone, he and his boys would probably do it and only later come up with a reason why it was justified. Any reason would do.
Austin hadn’t kicked him out yet. He’d debate with the generational alphas tonight about the best way to handle it. Which meant Armendale was still roaming around this place. And now he was pissed.
I then explained to Tristan what I’d explained to Austin. The horror of not knowing someone had been killed. How callous bystanders must’ve thought I was. How I’d been distanced from the pack I was supposed to be leading.
“And none of this addresses the state of the territory when I finally got out there. We still don’t know if someone unwanted slipped in during the turmoil because no one was at their post. No one was doing their job.
That’s so incredibly dangerous. It puts everyone at risk.
We have children here, Tristan. Elderly.
They need us to do our best. Their wellbeing—their lives—depends on it. ”
He let out a slow, deep breath. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I had to spell it out.” I turned to push the door.
“Wait, wait. Jessie, please. Wait.” He kept his hand in the air for a moment and then put it to his heart.
“Man, that hits me right here.” He paused for a moment.
“It was a shifter face-off, and the way Sue was acting, things were about ready to explode. Maybe…I should’ve gone in, too.
Keeping the gargoyles away certainly wasn’t doing much good.
I apologize. I was swept up in everything.
I was trying to get my bearings within the shifter world.
I wasn’t thinking. I should know better.
I should’ve trusted you with what was going on, and I didn’t. ”
I put my face in my hands, relieved to hear him say that. “This is all so much.”
“It is. It feels like we’re juggling a lot of balls here. But if we can manage, we’ll bring it all together.”
I nodded slowly. He had a point when it came to shifter matters.
I usually handled my team and Austin handled shifters.
In this instance, my team wasn’t needed in the way they usually were.
I could see how it would be confusing, especially when the guy who should know shifters best told everyone to get away.
“When it comes to danger, please just keep me in the loop,” I finally said. “I can’t lose him, Tristan. I can’t lose any of you. I’d never forgive myself if something should happen to you while I’m having a lovely lie-in within a quiet house.”
“I bet you’re rested now, though.”
I scoffed. “If only.”
“You know, I thought I was pretty hardcore in the air. Strong, fast. I fly you around, I see what you can do, but in the back of my mind, I thought I wouldn’t be as affected. Magic slides off me to some degree. I thought I was stronger than most.”
“You are.”
“Yeah. Except you blasted me out of your way without breaking a sweat.”
“Well, yeah. You can shrug off magic, but I affected the air. When you have wings, you don’t have a lot of choice in how things go when the air currents get wonky.”
“Yes. Something I was humbled to learn earlier today.”
I laughed softly. “I’m sorry I hung up on you. And ignored your attempts at chatter before training. And your attempts after training. And during the car ride.”
“I don’t hear an apology for humbling me.”
“Correct.”
He laughed and put his hand on the door handle. Before he got out, he sobered. “Please keep me in the loop, too, Jessie. I’m still learning. I still need guidance. I need to know when something isn’t working.”
“I know. We’re all still learning, I think.”
“Are you going to give Sue the disappointment spiel?”
“Maybe he’ll get my anger instead.”
“Lucky bastard.”
I nearly bumped into a shifter as I got out of the car. He stared me down. Power swirled all around him.
“Oh my God, please spare me the posturing.” I rolled my eyes at him. “You guys are exhausting.”
He gave me a funny look as I shut the door. I met Tristan at the front bumper.
“And now I should probably sequester myself away from people. I’m getting a little too blunt.”
“It’s good for them.”
“Right. So, am I reffing or just watching?”
“Reffing for Aljoe—”
“Someone challenged Aljoe? Are they out of their mind?”
“Mindzzz, plural. Two shifters who don’t believe Aljoe is what they’ve heard. Three gargoyles. He decided to take them all on.” He paused. “At the same time.”
“What? No. Are you serious?”
“Yeah. He’s incredibly blasé about it. He even agreed not to mess with the gargoyles’ wings. You’ll need to pull people out as they tap out. Sue will be helping. Aurora says that once Aljoe’s beast takes hold, he’s…wild. She used a lot of expletives.”
“Who else?” I asked.
“Sue, a bit later on. He’s got another alpha challenging him. Pissing match, I think. Me.” He preened. “I finally got challenged.”
“Do you get to fly?”
“Of course I get to fly. He can go for my wings, though.”
“Is he powerful?”
“He’s a beta, but it’s something.”
I chuckled.
“Cyra,” Tristan said.
“No.” I looked at him with wide eyes.
He stopped at the edge of the field and motioned me right to walk around. “Yeah. One of the alphas. Everyone says he’s half mad. If they can’t talk him out of it, you’re going to earn your keep with that one. Getting her to stop, I mean.”
“Damn. She’ll probably come after me, too. I hate fighting her. She seems so sweet and clueless and then she tries to burn your eyes out.”
“Sebastian.”
I half stopped and grabbed his arm.
He nodded at me. “One of Armendale’s people.”
“It was bound to happen. And someone wants to challenge me, I presume.”
“Yes, but not a shifter.”
“What, a gargoyle wants to tango with me?”
“No.”
“Then who…” Cold ran through my body.
His expression was grim. “The Elder. You intrigued her. I guess, after you got the basajaunak active, she took a post by the bar door. They travel fast, as you know. No one tried to shoo her away. She heard a lot of what you were saying to Armendale.”
“And so she’s challenging me?”
“Yes. Dave said that’s a good thing.”
“I fail to see how.”
“Me either, but here we are. She has asked for the challenge to happen tomorrow when you’re free. And for it to take place in a specific clearing in the woods.”
“Anything else? How about I go blindfolded, too? Maybe with my hands tied, would that be to her liking?”
“You don’t have to accept.”
“Austin won’t want me to.”
“And you’ll do it anyway.”
I rubbed my face. “Obviously. Hopefully, I don’t get drop-kicked.”
He grimaced as we got to the far corner of the field. This had the most spectators. Clearly, it was the people high in power who needed more help being separated.
“Please tell me that’s all,” I said.
“And…a few for Austin, but only one today. It’s an important one. It’ll set the tone. He doesn’t need your help, though. Aljoe and Sue can handle it.”