“No demons,” Granny Wolfe said.
Rossi grunted and I couldn’t tell if it was an agreement or disagreement.
Death sighed, disappointed.
I was honestly a little impressed with Myra’s thinking-outside-the-box. Of course it might also land us in dying-outside-the-box, which was usually the outcome when one summoned anything from the down below to the up above.
“We’ll table demons for now.” I glanced at Rossi, then at Granny. “We could use dark magic and this bite to find Lavius. Take the precautions available to us, then kill Lavius. What are the chances we’ll find Ben if we kill Lavius first?”
“None.” That rang out like a funeral bell from Rossi.
Granny grunted. She didn’t want to agree, but I didn’t think she knew more about dark magic or Lavius than Rossi. I hadn’t expected Rossi to have some kind of book that could destroy the world, but if he said it was going to blow up in our face, I believed him.
“So our plan is first, find Ben,” Myra said. “Second, kill Lavius. It’s possible just finding Ben will put us in the right place and right time to take Lavius down. We will proceed quickly, and cautiously and stay in contact with information.”
I spoke. “I want your word, Travail and Granny, that you’ll give Myra, Jean, and I…”
Ryder cleared his throat.
“…and Ryder,” I added, “until midnight to gather information for finding Ben. You will guarantee me that you will not fight our decisions, argue our actions, or kill each other. We’ll find him. Without dark magic. Without demons. If we come up with nothing, we’ll make a new plan with dark magic and demons and anything else we need.”
“I will not stand in your way. Until midnight.” Rossi’s words carried the weight of a vow.
Granny sucked air through her teeth, then nodded once. “We want him back.”
“That happens only if we work together. All of us. Promise me that.”
“You have it,” Granny said.
“Yes,” Rossi agreed.
Myra took over. “I want to know how far outside of Ordinary you’ve searched. I don’t want to waste time going over ground you’ve covered. Appoint someone in your clan and pack to stay in direct contact with me.”
“Me,” Rossi said. No surprise. He was a control freak under all that peace-and-love stuff.
“And me,” Jame said.
That was a surprise.
“I don’t think—”
But Granny cut me off. “You are wounded.”
Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.
“I will be there when he is found. I will be the first thing he sees. I will fight anyone who tells me otherwise.”
The weres squirmed. Jame was hurt. If any of them wanted to take Jame down, now while he was vulnerable would be the time. But behind his pain was a rage, a kind of crazed focus that would have him fighting long after his body, or the body of his challenger, was broken.
He was a man who had nothing to lose.
“Jame,” I said.
“No,” Granny said. “He will be with you.” Her lift of chin, her narrow gaze told me she expected me to take care of him, look after him.
Holy crap. Just what I needed, a wounded, heart-broken, claw-happy werewolf on my team.
“Yes,” I said without a second of hesitation. “He’ll be with me.”
