I blink between them. There was a chance they would gripe about my departure, but I didn’t think they would outright refute it.“Soter, you’re in charge,” I announce.
Isolde balks. “Are you kidding?”
I groan. “Soter is Domna.”
She shakes her head, her blue hair catching in the morning sun. “I refuse to answer tohim.”
“Excuse you, I have a name!” Soter yells.
Isolde laughs. “Yeah,Satan.”
“Is that so?” Soter grins. “Well, honey, if this is Hell, I am dragging you down with me.”
I trail a hand down my face. Neither of them has that little voice inside their head—the one that keeps people from saying things they shouldn’t. I’m too tired for them both to have a tantrum.
“I learned my lesson the first time. I’m not going anywhere with you, ever,” Isolde growls.
Soter rises to his feet, fingers clawing at the table. “I happen to remember it being more than onc?—”
“Shut up! Both of you! You are Blades. Start acting like professionals, or get the fuck out of my precinct,” I yell. They both fall silent, gaping at me.
Isolde yanks out a chair to sit. “We’re up to our necks in shit here, and you’re just going to take off?”
“Look, I know the timing sucks, but I volunteered to go. We need the power back online, and someone needs to talk to Stellan. I know Aurora. My friends are there, and I know the power station’s owner. I can make a difference and help ease the situation.”
Soter raises an eyebrow. “Friends? Wilder, when did you last speak to anyone in Aurora?”
I brush off his question. It’s been months since I responded to texts and emails, but they know I am overworked. They’ll understand. “Soter, I need you to contact Commander Eddo to arrange my arrival with the Aurora precinct.”
Soter nods, his jaw tight. “I’ll take care of it. But, Wilder, are you sure?—”
The door to the debrief room bursts open, and Jaxson stumbles in with an exhausted expression.
“Janus is safe,” he shares before collapsing into the chair beside me. “But she’s not talking. She says she can’t tell anyone where she’s been. Has anyone made coffee?”
A knot tightens in my gut. “Janus is the president, Jaxson. She can’t just disappear and then refuse to explain herself.”
“Coffee’s brewing, but you can have this.” Isolde slides a power bar toward Jax.
Jaxson tears the wrapper, saying, “I tried to get her to talk. But she says it’s classified. I can’t exactly force her.”
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. Leigh is going to think the worst about Janus. Fucking perfect.
Jax clears his throat. When I turn to him, his expression is uneasy. “There’s something else, Wilder. Pallas and I spoke on my way here. He mentioned that Prince Alden Lupas is visiting Leigh the day you leave for Aurora. Leigh invited him to stay at the palace.”
During Nyx’s trial, Pallas has been bunking with me at Desiree’s old loft. He testified last week, ensuring Chironremains a permanent resident in his little cell beneath the sea. The trial has been hard on him, but now that it’s over, I guess I have my answer to what he will do to keep busy.
“I know that Alden is coming to discuss an alliance with Leigh, but how the hell does Pallas know that?” Alden coming to stay with Leigh while I am away doesn’t sit well with me. I trust her, but his reputation precedes him. He’s about as moral as an alley cat.
I hold up a hand when Jaxson opens his mouth. “Don’t tell me because then I will have to do something about it.”
“Wilder, I think you should reconsider Aurora. With Alden visiting and Janus going silent, Leigh needs trustworthy people. She needs you,” Isolde says.
“And what about Marlowe?” Soter asks.
A chill spreads over me at the thought of leaving when issues keep piling up. But at the same time, I know I can’t turn my back on Aurora; everything happening there affects us here.
“I hear you both.” I sigh. “But, Soter, I trust you’ll keep an eye out for Marlowe and run the show.” My attention moves to Isolde. “You’re right. Leigh needs trustworthy people around her, so I’m sending you to the palace to keep an eye on her.”
