I laughed at that; I couldn’t help it.“Is that what you told the clans?”
“Yes, and it’s the truth.We made no move against you until you joined the other side in the war.We experimented on a few Weres, but only the ones your clans had already thrown out like garbage.We didn’t go up against your council, didn’t make war on you.Sebastian made war onusby aligning with and helping our enemies, forcing us to act.
“And even then, we worked with those clans who disagreed with him, offering them shelter and sanctuary, and what they want even more—power.The power to choose their own lives, live by their own rules—the old rules that have governed Weres for centuries.And we’re offering you the same.”
He sat back, looking approachable, earnest, and exasperated.Like someone trying to help a stubborn friend who was on the verge of making a bad decision.I was beginning to understand why he was on their council.
“Look,” he told me.“Our Circle wants the clans out of the fight, and today, we’ll achieve that.If Sebastian’s army followed you, they’ll die here.Otherwise, they’ll die defending those compounds they’ve scattered about with their children—”
“What?”I sat up.
He nodded.“Yes, we know about those.I’d like the potion to cut down on our losses, but we’ll win either way.Sebastian will have to come out to defend his creches, and with my mages backing up the clans, his people don’t stand a chance.
“Although why you would care, I can’t imagine.They haven’t exactly been kind to your little group, have they?This might end up being a good thing for you.”
“Good?”It sounded strangled, even to me.I was pretty sure my face was under control, but my voice was betraying me.And my counterpart wasn’t helping.
I could feel her almost overwhelming desire to rip, tear, and lay waste, but for some reason, she was letting me handle this.She wasn’t fighting for control despite her thirst for blood.She wanted Bleddyn, wanted him badly, but she was controlling herself.
I know what it is to lose a mate, drifted through my mind, tightening my skin and clogging my throat.
Cyrus...
“Why not?”the mage said.“You want to remake the Were world, don’t you?Well, there will be a leadership vacancy shortly, probably a number of them.Perhaps you can fill the void.As long as you don’t place yourselves opposite us, we don’t care what you do.We could even work together—”
“And what does your partner think about that?”I broke in harshly.
“My...partner?”
There was no eye flicker that time, and I was looking for it.But the slight hesitation in his voice was enough to let me know I was right.Not that his actions hadn’t been doing that all week if I’d bothered to think about them, which I damned well should have!
“You raised something,” I said flatly.“To help you pit the Weres against each other—something that possessed Bleddyn.That’s your M.O.—work through patsies so they take the risks instead of you.And Bleddyn had a claim to the throne and a right to challenge that nobody could deny, but he wasn’t man enough to use it.
“You needed something to give him added courage, but those chindis you’ve been binding were too limited, weren’t they?So you went after something stronger, but that time, you lost control—”
“I don’t lose control of my creatures!”It was suddenly savage, a completely outsized response to a comment that shouldn’t have bothered him if I was wrong.
“—and I strongly suspect that the reason you want that potion so desperately isn’t just about an army.Your council wants that, sure, but you...”
I let it drag out as I sized him up.If he wasn’t careful, that so forgettable face of his was going to acquire some memorable lines.He already looked like he’d aged a decade since I last saw him.
“You want it for yourself,” I said.“Necromancers used to be stronger, too, didn’t they?In the far distant past?”Jen’s situation had taught me that much, although I didn’t need it.I’d seen a depiction of an ancient necro in Jenkins’ office once, and it had been terrifying.“You’re hoping to up your game, in case this thing you’ve raised turns on you.You’re desperate—”
“I’m no such thing!”
“—to find a way out of this predicament, which is why you’ve been taking outsized chances lately—a lot of them.Like attacking HQ when you failed to squeeze anything out of me.Gambling a lot of your precious, limited supply of Relics—maybe all of them—on a bet you yourself wouldn’t take.You showed up at Dante’s, in Tartarus, and at that grocery store, but HQ?It’s funny, but I don’t remember you there.”
“Be careful!”The muddy eyes flashed.
But it was too late for that.If I didn’t get him on our side, talk him around, make common cause, I was fucked.And possibly everyone I cared about alongside me.
So, no, I wasn’t going to be careful.
“I’m not accusing you of cowardice,” I said evenly.“Your methods have served the Black Circle well for years: work in the shadows, keep your head down, don’t take risks—yet you took a damned big risk there.And the lack of leadership cost the squad you sent in dearly.It was something you must have anticipated, knowing the kind of resistance you’d face, and that we had Relics, too—”
He flinched.It was minute, but it showed that he was very aware of what I was.Yet he had chosen to get this close.
“—yet you didn’t go,” I continued.“Because you knew the odds of getting out of there alive.But you sent your people in—”
