Chloe ignored him, but I noticed her leaning into him just the slightest bit.
Oliver smirked and repeated exactly what Deshawn said: “Hungry or not, you need to eat.”
“Okay, since you insist.” She took the plate and began eating.
Deshawn laughed, “Ignore me all you want, Firefly. I’m not going anywhere.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, “She’s hardheaded like that.”
Zane held his knuckles up to me for a fist bump, “Hell yes, she is. Our little booger can be a handful.”
“Booger?” Oliver and Deshawn repeated simultaneously.
Chloe’s face turned an alarming shade of red, and I knew that an explosion was imminent.
Before she could kill my brother, and by the look on her face, I thought his death was a real possibility, Oren stopped his pacing and yelled, “I’ve got it!”
“What do you have?” Nathan asked, sinking back onto the couch, his clothes covered in dried blood and who knows what else.
“The reason the council wanted a change.” Oren walked over to the sink and splashed cold water on his face.
Jet stood and leaned against the counter next to Oren. “And just what would their reason be?”
The man was huge. After Reverie was taken, his focus was solely on searching for her and working out. Now his muscles had muscles. If he kept it up, his head would be swallowed up by his pecks… I wasn’t dumb enough to tell him that, though.
“I believe it’s power. They’re scared that with a foot in both worlds, your power will surpass theirs. And that is something they’ll never allow.” Oren leaned back against the sink, staring into space.
“I don’t care about power; I just want to find a way to bring Reverie back.” Jet rubbed his face, visibly frustrated with the political obstacles we had to deal with.
“We have a lead on that,” I spoke up, realizing we hadn’t let him in on the information Nathan and Zane had collected.
Oren straightened, giving me his full attention. “What would that be? And I’m going to need someone to explain why that wasn’t the first fucking thing I was told as soon as I got here.”
“Maybe, because you busted in here with something else we needed to deal with,” Zane said, clearly having a death wish. He was on a roll today.
Jet glowered at him. “Reverie is more important thananythingelse.” He turned that anger toward me. “Tell me exactly what you found out.”
I ignored his anger because I understood it. “They’re going to attack Copper Creek.”
He slowly grinned. “Jesse’s plan worked.” He started pacing, then stopped suddenly. “When?”
“In two weeks.” Nathan strolled back into the kitchen. “We need to have a foolproof plan for commandeering their portal. I can’t take being away from her much longer.”
“None of us can.” I scowled at him. I could feel my Draxon growing irritated with my Faction brother. Nathan’s human upbringing sometimes hindered his ability to remember that he wasn’t in this alone.
I took deep breaths, trying to calm him.
Not long after Reverie was taken, mine and Zane’s creatures revealed themselves. We hadn’t shifted yet, but I knew that it was only a matter of time. We used our flames and frost, respectively, and our beasts made their opinions known all day, every day. It was a lot to manage, especially when we needed to keep them hidden.
“We’ll make sure we’re prepared for all scenarios. I’ve already informed the Hawthornes of the information we collected, and they want to meet tonight to finalize our plans. They’ll want input, especially since Adelaide is the bait.” Oren headed for his office. “In the meantime, I’ll work on what to do about the council.”
Jet frowned, impatient to start planning, but he kept his mouth shut. Oren had a lot on his plate, and we all knew it. Without his knowledge and contacts, we would be fucked.
Reverie’s parents would play a big part in the success of our plans, so waiting for their input was the right move.
Chapter 2
Reverie
