It was enough to get everyone into motion.
“Erik, write to him setting up the meeting. It’ll be best coming from you or Malachi. Someone who isn’t an instigator,” Dionne said, following Erik out of the room.
“I resent that!” Flynn called out. “I’m not an instigator.”
I moved to follow them, but was rooted to the spot by the aura around my waist. As the room emptied, I was left with Gray.
“Have you lost your mind?” he asked, stopping in front of me. “Offering yourself up as bait. Over my dead body are you putting yourself on the line. Do you understand?”
“Do you understand you don’t get to tell me what to do? We need to stop all of this, Gray, and as soon as we can. If that means I have to put myself in front of Hunter again, then I will.”
“You will not.” The black of his aura was slowly filling the room until we were surrounded by darkness. “You will stay here while the rest of us do what we need to.”
“This might come as a blow to your ego, but he’s not interested in any of you. Hunter wants to win. I’d bet everything I have that he’s been trying to get Gods with useful gifts on his side so that he can stack all their gifts together. He’s using Mabel as a scapegoat. When this all ends, he’ll throw her under the bus and say she was growing something illegal here.”
“He won’t live long enough for anyone to hear his excuses.”
“That’s what we all have to hope. And I will be there,” I told him, my tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re not the only one who is full of vengeance, Gray. You’re not the only one he has wronged.”
Gray looked terrifying, surrounded by his aura and face twisted with fury. “You will stay with me at all times.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he ploughed on.
“You will not even think about doing anything that hasn’t been discussed. Understood? You want your pound of flesh, I will allow you to have it, but your life will not be put at risk. There is no room for argument and no room for discussion. Those are the terms.”
My heart beat so violently in my chest that I could feel the blood pounding in my head and the sound of it filled my ears. Gray’s tone left no room for argument and hammered home just how dangerous this could be. I was relying on my gift to see us through, but I didn’t know if people would continue to pray long enough to amplify it or if we would be left struggling against Hunter and whatever machinations he’d dreamed up.
“I don’t mean to interrupt.” I turned my head to see Erik in the doorway. He was on his own, observing us. “Hunter replied to the letter. He said he’ll meet us tomorrow at midday in the square.”
Gray’s eyes narrowed. “Midday? He’s definitely planning to bring an army with him.”
“That’s what we all thought, but it’s our best chance at getting him out of the house and in front of us.”
“Okay.” Gray made no move towards his brother. He stood in front of me as a divine shield. “Leave the oleander here and I will deal with it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t want anyone else’s hands to be dirty,” he explained. “If it doesn’t go our way, then they’ll only have me to blame.”
“Gray…”
“Go home, Erik. Spend time with your children. Tell them all to go home.”
“I don’t think…” I started.
“We will all meet in the square tomorrow as planned. I’ll bring the pencil—a fucking pencil, of all things. We’re using a pocketknife, and we will try to bring an end to all this.”
Erik nodded slowly. “Take care, brother.”
“You too.”
Erik left and Gray shifted all his attention to me. “You should get some rest,” he told me. “I need to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow.”
“I can help.”
“It’s hardly a two-person job,” he said. “And you need to figure out how you’ll swallow your pride and allow us to resume our engagement after we’re done with all this mess.”
I bit the insides of my cheeks, half frustrated that he was such a dick and half grateful that he was willing to give me the space I needed.
