“I forgive you,” I whisper, and Bennett cries harder. I clutch him tighter as my heart cracks. He’s been carrying this pain for so many years. “The truth about my brother is out there, and so are Zeus, Alden, and their army. There’s no time to waste on being angry.”
Bennett sniffles as he pulls away from me, and though the sting of his betrayal still lingers, I have also done terrible things searching for the truth, like agreeing to get Harborym daemon venom, which was used to poison Janus.
“I doubt the others on the Council will be as forgiving as you,” Bennett says.
“Probably not,” I reply honestly. He winces. “But we’ll deal with that later. Right now, our focus needs to be on the wolves. They have Stellan and my grandmother.”
“You said you have a plan,” Brigid chimes in.
I nod. “I do. Alden has a mate who is now a vampire against her will. He blames Vyvyan for the presence of vampires in Lua. If he believes his mate is gone for good, he will continue to aid his brother and his invasion to get revenge by killing Vyvyan and any other vampire he deems responsible.”
Brigid sucks her teeth. “You lost me. Isn’t she gone for good if she’s a vampire?”
I sigh, then turn to Wilder, who looks at me as if he were miles away rather than by my side. He crosses his arms, nolonger reaching for me, but his love for me lingers in his guarded expression. What I say next may send him over the edge, but I am tired of lying. I don’t want to be as lost and lonely as Bennett.
“Your mom requested the Council’s help to fund her research. She’s been working on a cure for vampirism. Last week, Janus gave the go-ahead, and we gifted Chiara the necessary funds. I plan to infiltrate Alden’s dream, convince him there’s a way to save his mate and that his brother is to blame for her current condition, and then promise him the cure.”
Brigid stares at me, wide-eyed, while Wilder blinks. I fidget under his scrutiny, my skin prickling with heat. He glares at me. I inhale a shaky breath, hardly able to stand it. I want to beg for forgiveness at his feet, but that isn’t me. He knows me better than anyone and knows I have issues, yet he fell in love with me regardless. He pinches the bridge of his nose, asking, “Isn’t it a gamble to promise Alden a cure that is still in development?”
I lift my chin, fighting my smile because he isn’t running from the room, cursing my name. “Have you ever known your mom to fail at anything?”
Wilder’s jaw works, but he doesn’t refute me. My grin broadens.
“What about your grandmother and Stellan?” Brigid asks, gathering her long, dark hair into a thick braid.
“I’m hoping Alden will return my grandmother as part of our deal.”
Brigid laughs. My resolve hardens, and so does my fist, a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by the female Blade, who smirks.
“That doesn’t assure her safety if he says no,” Brigid says.
“Well, it’s not as if we can storm their camp and get her back. We don’t even know where they’re keeping her,” I counter.
“I can pinpoint their location,” Bennett offers quietly.
“How?” I ask.
“Scrying.”
I gape at him. Sea Witches can use water to receive information or messages, and some can even use it as a form of divination to locate lost things. It’s not a skill every Sea Witch possesses.
“You can do that?” I ask.
“Yes.” The word is a declaration, a promise.
“It’s a risk,” Wilder adds as he paces in short spans. I watch him as he continues to war with himself before he says, “I think we should do it. Let’s find the camp. If negotiations go to shit, at least your grandmother will have a fighting chance at survival.”
I say nothing. I am determined to get my grandmother back, but I am unsure if I want to trust Bennett to help me with something so personal so soon.
Wilder gapes at me when I don’t immediately answer, and he sighs, grabbing my wrist. “Can I talk to you?” he asks.
I swallow as he leans in close to whisper, “What he did is fucked up in a million different ways but, Leigh, you’ve given him your forgiveness. Now, can you lend him your trust?”
My gaze meets his. Wilder’s lips press together, but he isn’t tapping his foot or forcing my hand. He is letting it be my decision, even though he wants to work with Bennett. If, after everything, Wilder is willing to trust Bennett, then maybe I can get past the icebergs of hurt bobbing within me and work with him too. I’ll deal with the consequences when Corona’s fate isn’t hanging in the balance.
“What materials do you need?” I ask Bennett.
Bennett rattles off the list of the needed materials, and Brigid takes notes on her phone. I grab Wilder’s hand. There’s so much I want to say. “I’m sorry,” I murmur.
