We all look at Elle, who shrugs, her eyes wide. “How would I know?”
“You spend the most time with wolves,” Kayode says.
“Yeah, not asking questions,” she shoots back. She frowns, shaking her head. “I mean, I could ask. Lucien would know, and he wouldn’t bite my head off over it.”
“If you feel comfortable doing so,” I say. She already said she can’t be unbiased about Quinn. I don’t want to put her in a position she’s trying to avoid.
“You know he won’t mind. He’ll know why I’m asking.”
He will. I miss Lucien’s presence almost as much as I miss Vasile’s, when it comes down to it. He was a chieftain for a while before he met Kieran and always level-headed—almost to a fault. He will do what he can to make peace here.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” Briar says, and her posture is hesitant when I look at her.
“Which is?”
“Why are the Hunters’ Council even entertaining this? They made their decision already. And Augustine isn’t part of our clan. If they wanted to, they could just tell him to leave—unlessweforced the issue, they could run him out of the city.”
“They don’t want to cause more tension,” Kayode says as I mull it over. “It has only been eight months since we were all at each other’s throats.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. That’s not strictly true. Vasile, Deacon, Moreau… They all knew who the true enemy was.
“I already played our hand by hearing Augustine out in the first place,” I say, “and they don’t want to undermine my authority so publicly. Not yet. I fear I am in a precarious position.”
“How?” Elle asks, scowling. “None of us would take your place.”
I believe none of them would, even if I think they should. Afsaneh smiles when I look at her like she knows just what I’m thinking.
“No, but the Council has undoubtedly had discussions about the treaty and how well it holds. It gives us our independence, our own governance, but Tamesis’ appearance and attack threatened that. I have no doubt they considered dissolving the entire thing.”
Grim faces all round, and any surprise is only a flicker. I know that Vasile left the clan because he wants to be with Deacon and also because he was tired of his role here, but I cannot help but wonder if it was also because of this. New leadership gives us a new lease on what we have. They are watching me. Assessing us. But perhaps it is more time than we would have had if Vasile had stayed.
“They don’t have the right,” Kayode says, his voice a low growl.
I meet his dark gaze. “They haveeveryright. The Council’s one job is to protect humans. How many died in December because of what happened?”
He shakes his head. I understand where he is coming from, but I have to look at it from their side, too, or I will never be able to anticipate what to do next.
“So,” Afsaneh says, “what do we do now?”
“I need to find out where Augustine is and what he’s doing.” I raise a hand when Briar protests. “If he were one of our vampires, I would be more cautious, but then I would also expect them not to be plotting to kill a wolf and potentially destroy our relationship with our allies. Not only that; if he attacks Kieran’s pack, I think he’s more likely to end up dead than they will.”
Elle nods. “Yeah, that tracks.”
“Do any of you know any vampires who can help?”
“There is a couple in my district,” Briar says lowly after a moment. “Literally, a couple. Vampire and human. I can’tsaythey ever do anything illegal, but… I think they can handle it.”
“Good. Brief them. I’m sure we can get a photo of Augustine from somewhere—he was standing outside the clan house the other night. They’ll have to find him first, but if he’s in London, he’s either in vampire or neutral territory.”
Briar nods. “I’ll speak to them tonight, crai.”
“If they discover any plotting, anything that might endanger the clan…”
“I’ll have him brought straight to you.”
“We are not assisting his petition, then?” Kayode asks.
“I have done what I can. I would hope some kind of challenge would sate him, but he is fighting hard to face Quinn one-on-one, and that appears to be out of the question. And aside from that…” I sigh. “Augustine wants to kill him. Quinn has already been judged for what he did, and his circumstances were taken into account. Augustine does not get to overrule that.”
