Artim explodes.“But not even that will work if Wulf Ifan’s son is still on the prowl!We know enough about the outside world by now to understand that Luna is right.”
I finish the sentence for him because I was the one who told the club.“If a tourist dies on Landslide, and if some fucking lowdown lawyer gets to hear about it, the crew’s at risk of being sued.”
That shuts us up for a beat.The Sons have always hated having to wrap our Arctic brains around such a modern concept.
“Let ‘em try,” Jaecar snarls.“I will slay every bloodsucking lawyer and the client as they come.”
“Heh, nice choice of words.”I try lightening everyone’s mood with a joke, but I’m not Luna so I have misjudged the black despair we are all feeling.“However, I don’t want to go to war with the modern world just yet.Our strength lies in anonymity.”
As president of the crew, my word is law.It has always been so, and not only because we needed a leader to unite us against the world.I was chosen to head the Midnight Riders as a way of honoring Heikkinen’s sacrifice.As his closest blood relative, I carry his legacy.
Without my brother, none of us would have escaped the Blood Queen’s deadly embrace.
Jaecar lifts his hand to show he wants to speak.Sighing, I stomp into the adjoining room and hold the door open for the others to pass through.“If we’re going to treat this like a meeting, we might as well go to church.”
The room contains a long wooden table with one chair at the head and three chairs on either side.Banging a reindeer horn hammer on the table, Jaecar calls the meeting to order.None of us write that well, and we don’t understand laptop keyboards, either, so we don’t take notes.
“When the woman awakes, her job is to start brewing.Are we all in agreement on that?”Jaecar makes a rune notch in the table to mark the topic of conversation.
They all look at me.For the first time in my life, I feel uncomfortable.
She’s not “the woman,” you ignorant fuckers.She is my queen, my bloody heart, my bonded soulmate!
Damn, but the jealous sensation of needing to possess Luna is nearly overwhelming me.I must not let my love for her jeopardize the rest of the crew.That might just be a one-way ticket to having my presidential power challenged.
I never knew it was so unbalanced to fall in love like this.Part jealousy, part ecstasy, completely confusing, but it gives me a warm glow in my gut.The sensation reminds me of how it used to feel when I was a small child, waking up on a feast day, with no chores to do and the scent of roasting meat in the air.
Somehow, I manage to unball my reflexed fists and close my mouth over my fangs, but it is an effort.
Every Rider raises his hand in the air.They look at me and wait.
“Fine.”The word bursts out from behind my teeth like a hiss.Ffffine.“But after we go offer our condolences to Mickey for the death of his sister, we rake this island with a fine-toothed comb for the half-breed.Wulf is close.I can feel it.And that worries me.”
With one slanting eyebrow lifted, Rundas asks, “Wouldn’t it be better for us to guard the woman?”
“Luna walks in sunshine, brother.We cannot.She will only be safe once Wulf is gone.”
The chair legs shriek as we push them back to stand.
“The dead must ride fast tonight.We have a lot of ground to cover.And go burn that fucking pool table right now.”
ChapterTwenty-Five
Luna
It’s hard to open my eyes when I hear the noise, but I force myself awake.
The rustling sound of creased fabric, the faint squeak of leather; this tells me that I am no longer alone in the pitch black.
But I am not afraid, because I can smell Shadow close by.I adore how his clothes and skin create a strange perfume that stimulates my memory.One sniff and I can turn back time.
I am a small child, lying on the carpet in my bedroom surrounded by my favorite toys.And when I press my face against the soft cotton fur and breathe in, I get a sense of calm and happiness.
Old, musky, slightly dirty and dusty—the smell of every childhood dream as the beloved toy lies tightly hugged in my arms.
The big bottle of Bovril tea is empty.Shadow moves it to the floor as he crawls onto the bed beside me.
“Mornin’, sweetheart.How do you feel?”
