Of course, they were supposed to have already gone—back to their clans, where they could torment their own people and give the rest of us a break for another year.But they couldn’t disband with the sword of Damocles hanging over all our heads, and needed to be in regular consultation with Sebastian.So they were extending their stay.
That included more interminable meetings, which were sometimes useful, and parties, dinners, and events, which were not.Including yet another banquet tonight, with bad food and worse conversation.We were at war, yet they were spending their time drinking watered-down cocktails and eating what passed for steaks around this joint, which I strongly suspected had never seen a cow.
And to make matters worse, Cyrus and I were expected to show up, looking strong and unaffected by the metric ton of crap that had gone down recently, even though half of the room would have liked to see us dead.
And I wasn’t talking about Rand.
According to Laura, who’d been at the afternoon meeting and had overheard a few conversations afterward, some on the council seemed to think that Cyrus and I were the real problem.It had been Cyrus’s idea to push forvargulfrehabilitation, Cyrus who had killed Whirlwind and thereby provoked Bleddyn, and me who had just added a ridiculous number of outcasts to our abomination of a clan.If we were out of the way, maybe the problems would disappear, too.
Of course, that ignored the fact that thevargulfsituation had been approaching critical mass for a while, and Cyrus was just the first to come up with a workable solution.Or that Whirlwind had challenged Sebastian’s right to lead, and Cyrus had merely stood for his injured brother in the fight.Or that the people I had absorbed into our clan would be in training for use in the war against us if I hadn’t.
In other words, the council was being stupid, which was why I was in no mood to see them tonight, as I might tell them that.Not my wolf,me.I’d had enough.
But when you’re as good as married to the brother of the currentbardric, you don’t get to decide that kind of thing.And although I could have pleaded injury to get out of it, I was damned if I’d let them think me hurt, think me weak, think me unable to defend my own!They made a move against my clan, so much as a single side-eye, and I swore to God—
“Lia?”Cyrus was looking a little concerned when our eyes met in the glass.Sophie had given me exaggerated silver eye makeup tonight, as she was still in her teen girl experimental phase, and had had to be restrained from adding a bunch of face gems.But I still currently rivaled Liz Taylor inCleopatra,although I didn’t think that was what was wigging out my partner.
“I’m fine,” I told him shortly.
“You sure?You don’t have to go tonight.Nobody will think the worse of you.”
“They’ll think me weak, and I’m not weak!”
“After the last few days, I don’t think anybody is going to think that,” he said dryly.“And most people won’t even expect you to be there, not after just having been in battle.”
“I’mfine,” I repeated.“The healer cleared me.”
“I know that.”
“But?”I said, because his tone made it clear there was one.
Sober brown eyes met mine in the mirror.“It doesn’t bother you that you’re healing so quickly, even for one of us?Perhaps it’s part of this inherited ability, aÚlfhe´dinntrait, but it never showed up before—”
“I was only dosed by that bastard Jenkins a month ago,” I reminded him.“The trait was dormant before that, assuming that’s even what this is.I’m a Were; we heal fast—”
“Not this fast,” Cyrus said flatly.“And while I’m grateful for it—”
“You’re worried,” I finished for him, trying to get a stray curl to behave.“You’re a worrier.”
“And you’re spoiling for a fight.You’re even dressed for it—”
“The girls bought me this—”
“—and you’ve been gearing up for it all afternoon.I can feel it.”His hand hovered over the skin of my shoulder, not quite touching, but close enough that our energies met and merged.“I just don’t know why.”
“You don’t know why?”I began putting on a pair of dangly silver earrings—another no-no—that Sophie had bought along with the dress because the girl knew how to accessorize.“You heard what Laura said.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?Is that all you have to say?The council wants usdead.”
She’d come by after the meeting and spilled the beans, which hadn’t seemed to hit Cyrus as much as me.Sure, the council hadn’t actually exploded over the issue in the basement—surprisingly—but things had gotten heated.And that was just what they had said out loud.
Who knew what they were thinking?
Or plotting.
“Some of them,” Cyrus agreed.“But most are smarter than that.They know the war isn’t going to go away just because we do.”
