Chapter 5 #2
“The important thing is no one got hurt.” He rubbed my shoulders. “Things could have been much worse if you and Sloane hadn’t been so quick to act. The fact you remembered to save samples of the food and drinks for Burdock to test gave us even more information we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
A jolt zinged through me at how out of it I must have been to not recall doing that much. “Does that mean we’re at a dead end?”
“Too soon to tell.”
“Do you think Becca will remember anything helpful?”
“Hard to say.” He cut his head to the left when an enforcer checked in. “We should get back in there.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? My plan?”
“It’s not a choice I can make for you. I’ve told you before that I won’t clip your wings.” His lips twitched, tugging on his scar. “You’re stepping into the role of magna as if you were born for it.”
“Thanks to our mothers, I was born for it, right?”
“They wished for us to be mates, but they couldn’t design you from top to bottom. No magic is that powerful. We could have been a terrible match, or you could have refused to leave your pack for the clan. There are infinite ways a wish can go wrong, and theirs almost did.”
His conviction soothed something in me I hadn’t noticed prickling.
“Hey. Magna? I almost missed that.” I rubbed my hands together. “Does it mean I get a title too?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “Like the sound of that, do you?”
“Packs tend to have alpha couples, but the power is rarely distributed equally. Most of the time, the male in the couple has the real influence.” I considered Fayne and the respect she garnered from the clan.
“Though something tells me the Walshes have other ideas about women’s roles within clan management. ”
“You would be right.” He cut his eyes back to the enforcer. “Your influence will be equal to mine.”
“That’s a terrifying thought.” I swallowed hard. “Good thing you’re the one holding the reins.”
“For now.”
A tremor shook me that was one part excitement and two parts anxiety, but I reminded myself, “All in.”
“All in,” he repeated softly, his expression gentling as the words sank in.
“Stop flirting,” Sloane called out. “Or at least do it in here so we have some entertainment.”
“And snacks.” Liam stood in the doorway behind her. “Really, I would prefer just the snacks.”
Shaking my head, I led the way back into the living room, praying the others hadn’t gotten an eyeful too.
As I passed him, Liam said hopefully, “Snacks?”
“The reason we’re here—” Rían ignored his cousin’s whining, “—is to discuss how to use Ana’s bond to Sartori to apprehend him.”
The announcement sent a ripple of shock through the room, and two of the enforcers rocked forward on reflex like they would bundle one or both of us up and make a run for it.
“It was my idea.” I wasn’t sure if they were more worried for me or for him. “I want to do this.”
Yeah. That didn’t make them blink. They were too locked in on Rían. Not that I could blame them. They had seen firsthand what the prospect of losing me had done to him. They would want to avoid a repeat at all costs. Especially since this time would be for real.
“Prior to her death, Mindy intended to return to Sartori. He’s either gathering those who are still loyal to him, or he’s tying up loose ends.
We can’t wait around to find out his intentions.
He’s no less of a threat, even without the strength of his pack behind him.
Anyone who stayed with him has proven they’re willing to sacrifice everything to remain in his service.
That makes them more dangerous than ever.
They have nothing to lose, and that means they’ll take greater risks. That gives them an advantage over us.”
“Sir…” One of the men rubbed his nape. “Are you sure it’s wise to risk Ms. Ana?”
As his subordinates, that was as close as they would get to outright reminding Rían about his breakdown without throwing it smack dab in his face. Hard as it was for him to support my choices, as afraid for me as he was, I wouldn’t put him on the spot to defend them.
“I was told my whole life that I was latent. That meant I had no place in my pack. I existed on the fringes. I would have been okay with that, for the most part, except I was also the alpha’s daughter.
I believed that was the reason why my peers challenged me, despite my not having a wolf spirit of my own.
I thought it was that feral soul driving them to subjugate me and prove their worth, to rise in the ranks. ”
Agony gathered in the corners of Rían’s eyes. “Ana…”
“But now I know that Carmichael put them up to it. He encouraged it. He isolated me so I wouldn’t know my situation wasn’t normal, that my life wasn’t normal.
He used latency as an excuse for how the others treated me.
” I wet my lips. “He knew I was a dragon, but he didn’t understand I had to fledge.
When I failed to manifest at puberty, he saw his ambitions going down the drain and decided to let kids my own age beat the dragon out of me to avoid getting his hands dirty. ”
Because if he had done it himself, I would have hated him, and his plans hinged on me loving him enough to forgive his lies and do as he asked me. Even when his wishes weren’t ones that should be granted, it chilled me to acknowledge I might not have cared if it earned me his approval at long last.
“That’s enough,” Rían rasped, his fingers clinching at his sides. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I shared this with you all, not to win your support or your sympathy, but so that you understand when I tell you that Carmichael Sartori can’t be allowed to gather his power base or regroup.
Not if we want a hope in hell of stopping him.
” I jerked my chin higher. “You’re worried for Rían, and I respect that.
I’m aware of his past struggles, the same as he knows mine, and I will do my best to protect him.
That’s why you’re here. To help me find a way to use my bond to Carmichael to our advantage so we can end this before more innocent blood is shed. ”
Murmurs drifted through the gathered enforcers, and Rían pressed a kiss to my temple.
“And if you’re too afraid to go against Carmichael, I get it.” Sloane mirrored Rían’s posture, even going so far as to kiss my other temple. The weirdo. Guess I was lucky she hadn’t peed on my leg to mark her territory. “We’re asking for your help, not your permission.”
“That was a bit harsh,” I whispered out of the side of my mouth.
“Half of them aren’t even looking at you. They’re homed in on him.” She didn’t bother lowering her voice. “They don’t know you yet, so they’re not showing you the respect you’re owed.”
“I’m not Carmichael.” I cut her a frown.
“Respect is earned, and I, well, respect that. But you’re also right.
” I panned the gathering. “We don’t have time to waste.
Carmichael has never expected much from me, so he won’t anticipate this.
We need to get the ball rolling, and if you don’t have momentum to lend the situation, I understand.
” I picked at my thumbnail, peering up at Rían from beneath my lashes.
“Can I borrow you and Liam for a bit? Maybe Fayne too? I’m sure between the five of us, we’ll—”
“Count me in, lass.” Seamus walked in from where he must have been standing guard in the yard. I hadn’t noticed the door was ajar, but he had to have heard everything to be wearing that expression. “I would be proud to lend a hand to our future magna.” He bowed to me. “It would be my honor.”
“Thank you, Seamus.” I beamed at him as the fissure in my heart began mending. “I appreciate it.”
“My son was at the party last night. If that man had poisoned the food, and I shared a bite of my meal with my boy as I often do… Ron wouldn’t have survived dragonsbane.
You caught what the rest of us missed. You and Sloane.
” He crossed to her and ruffled her hair, earning himself a death glare as she finger combed it back to neatness.
“What kind of instructor would I be if I didn’t nurture talent where I find it? ”
“Count me in.” An enforcer stepped forward. “I want to help.”
“Me too.”
“If Pete’s in—” the third enforcer nodded to the first volunteer, “—then I’m in.”
“Let’s do this.”
As confirmations swept through the others, I was grateful all over again for Seamus’s support.
The others respected Rían. There was no doubt of that.
But they feared for him too. To the point they came close to questioning his judgment calls where I was concerned, which was valid.
The clan had endured a lot to get this far, and they were still on shaky ground as threats continued to pummel us from all sides.
The fact I was the bullseye painted on the Walsh clan made it understandable that they would be more cautious than usual, but they couldn’t place me in a bubble and expect me not to suffocate. I had lived that life, and I wanted no part of it. Rían didn’t want that for me either.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here grinding his jaw but determined to let me step up and pitch in, to give myself a sense of worth. He had never asked me to prove myself. No. This was all on me. And I welcomed the challenge.