“I’m saying it might come to that.”Prophet meets his gaze steadily.“Or we find another way.But we need to be prepared for the possibility.”
The room erupts.
Half the brothers are shouting about honor and the club’s reputation.The other half are arguing pragmatism versus suicide.Fury’s literally steaming, heat waves rising from his skin, while Scout’s wings have manifested in agitation, gossamer and iridescent in the harsh fluorescent light.
Through it all, Blade sits silent.Watching.Waiting.
Finally, he slams his hand on the table, the sound like a gunshot.“Enough.”
Instant silence.
“Here’s what we know,” Blade says, his alpha command making everyone sit up straighter.“We have an ancient monster trying to break free.We have a woman under our protection who’s connected to said monster.We have a VP who’s blood-bound to her.And we have less than a week to figure out how to prevent the apocalypse.”
He stands, planting his hands on the table.
“Here’s what we’re going to do.Prophet, you keep researching.Find every scrap of information you can about the seal and how to reinforce it.Vex, you work with Tessa.Figure out what the bond can do, what her warden powers are, and how we can use them.Everyone else, we fortify.We patrol.We prepare for war.”
“And if it comes down to a choice?”Stash asks quietly.“Between Tessa and everyone else?”
Blade’s eyes find mine.“Then Vex makes the call.She’s his responsibility now.His choice.And whatever he decides, the club backs him.”
The weight of that settles on my shoulders like a physical thing.
Tessa’s life in my hands.The fate of Alaska in my hands.The survival of everyone I care about depending on whether I can keep one woman safe while also figuring out how to reseal an ancient prison.
No pressure indeed.
“Meeting adjourned,” Blade says.“Get to work.”
The brothers file out, some shooting me sympathetic looks, others looking grim.When the room clears, Blade gestures for me to stay.
“How bad is it?”he asks once we’re alone.
“The bond?”I lean against the wall.“Complicated.Powerful.Potentially fatal for her if I’m not careful.”
“And if you are careful?”
“Then maybe we have a weapon the Khorvath didn’t anticipate.”I meet his eyes.“Prophet thinks vampire and warden power combined might be enough to hurt it.Really hurt it.”
“Or it might make her an even bigger target.”
“That too.”
Blade sighs, running a hand through his long hair.“I don’t envy you, brother.Having to choose between love and duty.”
“Who says I’m choosing?”
“Because you will have to.”His voice is gentle but firm.“Eventually, it’ll come down to her or everyone else.And when that moment comes, you need to be ready to make the hard call.”
“And if I can’t?”
“Then I will.”He claps me on the shoulder.“But I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.For all our sakes.”
He leaves, and I stand there in the empty room, the weight of everything pressing down.
Then I feel it through the bond, Tessa’s sudden spike of fear.
I’m moving before conscious thought, racing up the stairs, and I burst into my room to find her sitting on the bed, staring at her hands.
