“Probation, ideally. Or supervised training. Or even house-restriction, if it’s in friendlyquarters.”
“And how do we make thathappen?”
Michael sighed. “You two need to understand that none of this is a guarantee. In fact, it’s all a long shot. Deep down, several members of the council believe that strays are inherently more violent and less prone to civilizing influences than natural-born cats, and that’s what they’re going to see when they look at Justus. No matter how he answers their questions. They’re going to view this as further proof of the beliefs they cling to, because they can’t think of themselves as the ‘good’ guys unless they have some other portion of society to point out as ‘bad.’”
“But Taylor claims he doesn’t believe that,” I told Michael. “He said he thinks that accepting strays as citizens isinevitable.”
“That’s not exactly the same as saying that’s how he thinks itshouldbe. You’re going to have to hold his feet to the fire. Remind him of his responsibility to vote his conscience, then give him no excuse notto.”
“Okay.” But I wasn’t quite sure how to do that yet. “Thanks,Michael.”
“You’re welcome. AndKaci?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t tell you to come home. You broke the law, and the longer you run, the worse thatlooks.”
“Are they going to charge her with anything?” Justus’s forehead furrowed with concern forme.
“They have grounds to charge her with trespassing and theft, but I haven’t caught wind of any actual plans to do that. Though, I’m not on the council, so I probably wouldn’t hear about that unless someone asks for legaladvice.”
“Okay. Thanks, againMichael.”
“Wait, before you go, may I ask what your plansare?”
“Umm…” I took him off speaker and held the phone to my ear. Not that Justus couldn’t hear him like that. The conversation just felt more personal that way. “We’re still discussing it.” I stood and began stuffing my pajamas into my backpack. “Faythe said she thinks that if he runs, they’ll let him go. But if I go with him, they’ll chase us. Do youagree?”
“Yes. Look, I know this isn’t what you two want to hear, but the best thing you can do is go home, wait for the trial, and take whatever you have coming for trespassing. That’s not a capital offense. It could just be a slap on thewrist.”
“Okay. Thanks for the advice. I gottago.”
“I know. Love you,kiddo.”
“I’m not a kid. But I love you too.” I hung up my phone and slid it into my back pocket, and when I looked up, I found Justus staring at me. “What?”
“Did Faythe really saythat?”
“Yeah.” I sank onto the end of the unmade bed, careful not to step on the raspberry carpet stain. “I wouldn’t blame you if you still want to go. But that’s why I can’t go withyou.”
“You’re coming with me, or I’m not going. I’m never leaving you again, Kaci.” He took my hand and pulled me up until I stood wrapped in his arms. My head on his shoulder. Breathing him in. My heart felt…swollen. Too big for my body. “Maybe we should take our time today. We’re still eight hours from Denver. That gives us most of the day to figure out what to do before we have to make adecision.”
“Well, we only have two choices,” I said into his shirt. “Fly out of Denver—we’ll be in the free zone until right before we cross the city limits,remember?”
He nodded, and the stubble on his chin caught in myhair.
“Or head south through the free zone and cross directly into the South-Central territory. If we’re caught there, they’ll take us back to the ranch. If we’re caught in any other territory, they don’t have to turn us over to Faythe and Marc. At least, not without some negotiating. Crossing shifter territorial boundaries isn’t like crossing from one state into another. Alphas are an absolute authority, as long as they don’t violate the council’s rules. Tensions can runthick.”
“So I hear. Okay, let’s get out ofhere.”
“Wait.” I stepped out of his embrace. “I want to call Ed Taylor again, after what Michael toldus.”
Justus looked skeptical. “Okay. I’ll finish up inhere.”
While I called Taylor, he checked the bathroom, to make sure we weren’t leaving anything behind. This time, the phone only rangonce.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mr. Taylor, it’s meagain.”
