“You’re the representative from Antarctica?” Louis asked him.
The others wouldn’t have been able to leave. That prison required constant power renewal to stay active, and there were too many dangerous criminals in there to take the risk.
Lochlan crossed his arms, the cloak hiding them from view. “Yes, I relayed the vote back to them and the magic recognized that I was speaking for each of our leaders there.”
There was a pause, and then he added, “We all voted no. Even before the compelling display from your mate.”
His eyes met mine, and it was uncomfortable being locked in his gaze. Not only was he filled with power, but there was so much age and experience in those dark brown eyes, and it made me feel things I wasn’t quite ready to deal with.
As if he could sense my discomfort, Louis cleared his throat to bring Lochlan’s attention back to him. “I’ll be heading straight to the ley line there,” Louis said to him. “Please warn the council. I don’t want them to lose it like last time.”
Lochlan actually chuckled, a raspy sound. “Trust me, Louis, when someone of your power gets close to us and we have no reason to expect it, it’s definitely time to worry. We hold the fate of the world in our hands, just like you do, young mage.”
Louis didn’t argue, he just returned his smile.
Lochlan bade us farewell then, and just like Louis he could circumvent the securities in the sanctuary; he took a step-through back to his prison. Anyone else would have had to leave the walls of this sanctuary to be able to perform magic like that.
No wonder they were good friends.
“We should go now,” Louis said, breaking through the silence. “Every minute we wait is another minute I have to go back along the timelines.”
Which was why he’d been so angry about them delaying this vote.
Everyone moved forward, and he shook his head. “There’s no reason for all of us to freeze our asses off. Braxton and Tee are stuck with me for now, but the rest of you are more than welcome to wait here.”
Jessa wasn’t the only one glaring, but she was the only one arguing. “No way in this world are you going there without me,” she snarled. “I’m going.”
Maximus spoke up. “And I’ll be there, of course, because Braxton might need the strength of the quad bond. Not to mention, we’re all dragons too.”
“Right,” Tyson and Jacob said at the same time.
Grace’s voice was quiet but firm. “Where Tyson goes, I go.”
“You all know I’ll be there,” Mischa added softly. “Max and I are a team.”
Louis almost looked like he was going to argue, but he just let out a low breath. “I should have expected that.” He turned to the only one who hadn’t spoken: Justice.
She was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “Honestly, I don’t have anywhere else to be. My jeweled land … well, let’s just say I didn’t take to it as quickly as Cam and Gretley took to theirs. They never want to leave. They’re already delving into the life and politics and learning their roles. I’m … at a crossroads.”
“It could be dangerous,” Jacob warned her, his expression unreadable. He was wearing the fey mask, that perfect shell that hid everything he was really feeling.
I waited for Justice’s snap back, because Jacob seemed to rub her the wrong way no matter what he did. Instead, she swallowed hard. “I’m not scared of danger. There are worse things in the world than death. At least that’s final, and there’s no more suffering to be had. Besides, going out saving the world doesn’t sound like a bad way to finish this life.”
Jacob’s mask finally cracked, just for a split second, but I saw it then, a fury so pure that it was almost scary in its intensity. Flames danced in his eyes, and wind howled across the land. He shut it down almost as quickly, but we’d all seen the loss of control. “You’ll come with us,” he said coldly. “I need to keep a fucking eye on you, because I don’t like your headspace.”
Justice flipped him off. “You can get fucked, Jacob. You don’t get to worry about my headspace.”
He moved so fast that another gust of wind whipped around us, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from the pair. Holy hell. The intensity was off the charts. Despite Justice’s height, Jacob still towered over her, making her look small. “Getting fucked is definitely a priority of mine,” he whispered, leaning even closer to her. Justice sucked in a deep breath, but I heard the small whimper she made. “Even more important is making sure that my pack stays safe. You’re part of it now. You will keep yourself a-fucking-live or I will not be held responsible for my actions.”
He turned away, releasing her from whatever hold he’d had over her in that moment. She started to frantically suck air in, her eyes wide and unfocused. I felt amusement through our bond and knew Louis and I were thinking the same thing. There was too much tension between those two. Their attraction was intense, and I had no doubt that Jacob and Justice were going to find themselves in a tangle of naked limbs soon. Here was hoping they both survived the encounter.
Everyone gathered close, and I laughed as Justice moved to stand near Grace, putting a wide space between Jacob and her. It didn’t matter though; Jacob never took his eyes off the sapphire princess, his expression heated.
“All right, I will open the step-through again. I need you all to move faster than you ever have. The sanctuary immediately tries to shut me down as soon as I start, and I can’t be wasting power. Not now.”
“What about Quale?” Jessa asked, her expression guarded. “Should we tell him what’s happening?”
Louis shook his head. “He already knows. He can’t leave because he’s the last mystic in the sanctuary. He’s needed here to keep everything running smoothly.”
