“In fact, Ido.”
“Because you made your deal with them.” I sounded as stunned as I felt with that realization. “Without eventalkingto me.That’swhy you don’t want to redraw names for my trial! YouwantRobert Taylor on thetribunal.”
He shrugged. “They called me and made an offer. They’re using you to get to me—to get me to cooperate—and theywillvote to execute you if I don’t give them what they want. I’m trying to save your life,Justus.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that! Kaci’salreadymarried. To me. And I’m not leavingher.”
“You have to. That’s part ofthe—.”
“I’m not taking your deal.” My jaw ached, as if my teeth no longer fit in my mouth. I stood, and the urge to rip into something—todestroysomething—was so strong it was all I could think about. My fingers cramped. They curled up, as if they were grasping forsomething.
I knew what was happening. The rage storming through me was familiar enough by then that I understood exactly what my inner cat wanted. As far as feline-me was concerned, I would be with Kaci, or I wouldrip the world to shreds to get to her. There were no otheroptions.
Kaci, or the utter destruction of everything and everyone who came betweenus.
“Justus…” Titus stood. “Yourhands.”
I looked down and discovered that I had claws. I ran my tongue over my teeth, and one of my incisors drewblood.
“Walk it back,” he ordered, his voice low and calm. “Reverse the shift. You cannotlose control inhere.”
“I’m not losing control.” Kaci had said the partial shift was normal. Useful, even. I didn’t have to worry unless my skin started to itch or my bones started to ache, which would indicate that my entire body was about to shift. “What do they want, Titus?” I demanded. “What is this deal you made? What is so important that you’re willing to tell a girl who loves me that she has to be with someone else. Someone who thinks she’s a monster. Who will only ever use her for the children hecan—”
My bones started to ache at the thought of someone else touching her. Someone who might not recognize the vulnerability in her eyes when she took her clothes off. Someone who might not recognize the responsibility and the fucking honor that went alongwith—
I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw shut to keep my teeth in check. To keep the bones of my face from reforming—though it was actually the willpower behind the act that made that possible. And when I was sure I had it under control, I opened my eyes. I pinned my brother with mygaze.
“What on earth could be worth that, Titus? What do they want fromyou?”
“Myvote.”
“What vote? You don’t have avote.”
“But I will. Blackwell was the last holdout on officially hearing my petition. On setting a date. Now that he’s gone, the Taylors are willing to push it through. Immediately. And they’ve agreed vote in my favor and in yours—to accept the Mississippi Valley Pride and to find you innocent—if I vote to help them oust Rick Wade as councilchair.”
“What?Why?”
Titus shrugged. “All the usual reasons, I suspect. Power, mostly. They’re working on an alliance, and they know that as a swing vote, I’d be against them on most issues. So they want the chair position as a concession. To maintain the balance of power. We have the majority on most issues, but they’d have the tiebreaker on anythingclose.”
“That’s bullshit. That’s not how a democracyworks.”
“This isn’t a democracy, Justus! It never was. Deals are made before the votes are ever cast. No one comes to the table until all that is worked out beforehand. That’s just the way itgoes.”
“This isn’t for me. It’s foryou,” I growled. “This is for your fuckingPride.”
His gaze looked sad, but firm. “That’s not true. I gave up the Pride to protectyou.”
“And now that you have it back, you’re trying to make me give up Kaci to protect yourPride.”
“No. The Taylors came to me. They told me they’d vote to convict—toexecute—unless I vote for Ed as councilchair.”
“That’s why they took Kaci. They were trying to lure me into the territory so they’d have me in custody when Ed Taylor calledyou.”
“Sounds about right. They’re calling an emergency meeting, and when they have my vote, they’ll move to drop the murder charge against you. Then, when you’re out of the country, they’ll drop the infection charge. Tit for tat. Once piece at a time, until everyone has what theywant.”
“Everyone except Rick Wade. And Kaci andme.”
“Yes. Rick is collateral damage. But he’ll accept that like Vic evidently accepted the broken arm you gave him—it’s an occupationalhazard.”
