“It won’t be enough,” Lee whispered, shaking his head.“I won’t be, not like this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Everything is so...big...anymore.The battles, the war, the politics.I don’t even know what they’re talking about most of the time, in those meetings they have, but it’s going to decide our lives.”
“Not mine,” Jace said calmly.
“Yes, yours!”Lee looked up angrily.
“Nope.”
“And why are you so special?”
“I’m not.But it’s just...I realized something the other day, after Lia came for me.After
she invaded a Black Circle operation and fought one of their leaders for me.And yeah, she went alone, and she kicked his ass!
“And I realized—I don’t give a shit what the Council does.I don’t care about their stupid politics or their mind games or their rules.I care about our clan, about Cyrus and Lia and all of you.And that’s it.
“They can say I’m legal, they can say I’m illegal—I could give a crap.They never cared about me anyway.Only my clan did.Only Fireborn.”
Lee looked at him, and even in his transformed state, I could see the hunger in his eyes.“And if they declare us illegal again?If they say we aren’t a real clan and we’re all justvargulfsto be killed on sight?”
Jace grinned.And then he thought better of it and laughed.And laughed and laughed, until he collapsed against the wall.
Lee frowned.“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.I was just thinking about...some dumb ass council member...coming to the house to get us...and what Cyrus would do!”
“Or Lia,” Chayton said.“She scares me more than he does, sometimes.”
“Oh, God!”Jace said, and then he was off again, his yipping laughs echoing down the tunnel.
“You’re both crazy,” Lee said, but it was softer now, and he mussed Jace’s fur, which was droopy over his eyes.
“Not the hair, man,” Jace said softly, and Lee stopped, both thinking about the absent Jayden.
And then they continued down the hall.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Iwoke up when Cyrus came into the bedroom with breakfast.“Everything all right?”he asked, probably because I’d jerked awake and abruptly sat up.
For a moment, images of dank underground tunnels, illuminated only by a dim flashlight beam and then nothing at all, were superimposed over the morning sun streaming through the curtains.I stared around, unsure where I was for a second, until the bedroom brightened and swallowed the other scene.And I lay back against my pillow, feeling dizzy and unwell.
“Lia?”
“Fine,” I croaked, and cleared my throat.“I’m fine.”
Cyrus shot me a look and put the tray on the bedside table.I wasn’t remotely hungry, as I hadn’t done a damned thing but eat, sleep, have weird dreams, and be helped to the bathroom by my long-suffering fiancé in days.But the apple juice looked good, and I was thirsty.
I started to sit up, only for my body to protest.Get over it already, I thought impatiently, and completed the motion.And drank half of the juice before looking up to see Cyrus smiling slightly.
Weres like it when the clan eats well.
“How’s Noah?”I asked.I hadn’t seen him since HQ, because he couldn’t walk, and neither could I.Cyrus had brought over his new RV and had the boys staying in it for the moment, as the clan liked being together in difficulty.So I assumed he was out there.
“Pissed as all hell.His leg is healing slower than he’d like—”
