Beckham took a step forward, like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Then he lifted his gaze over Jodie’s head. Reyna could see the monster warring within him. How before he would have simply ended all obstacles.
“I can’t…I can’t let you do it,” Jodie said, choking on unshed tears. “Innocents should not be the casualty of war.”
“Beckham,” Reyna said softly. “Please.”
His gaze found hers and she could see him hesitate. How easy it would be to do this. How easy it would be to force people to do what he wanted.
But he had broken down to her in that bathroom after their escape. He had laid himself bare. He was not the same person who had been the prodigy nor the vampire sadist. He was something different. Something more. She knew he could be.
“Let them go,” Beckham said.
“What?” Katarina asked.
“You heard me.”
Philippé grunted and pulled the woman backward out of the house. Gerard shot his boss a confused look before following. As if his circle had never known him to show mercy. As if the thought of him showing mercy was abhorrent to them.
“Thank you,” Reyna whispered.
He nodded. His gaze swept to Jodie. “Only volunteers.”
Tears tracked down her cheeks and she swiped at them. “That’s right. That’s the right thing to do.”
“The right thing to do,” he said under his breath.
She wanted to open herself to him. To feel what he was feeling in that moment, but she wondered if he even knew. If all of this was so new as to be befuddling to who he was as a person. A crisis of character in fact. He’d changed when he came to Elle, but at his heart, he had still been the brutal overlord who got things done when it was necessary. This was something differentaltogether. And she loved it even more for it.
“I’m going to…” He gestured as his men and then disappeared.
Jodie fell into Meghan’s arms as she continued to cry.
Reyna was glad for the change of heart. But she did wonder if they would lose the war because of this.
A few months ago, she wouldn’t have even stopped to think about this, but now she had to be a leader. She had to win this war. And they had drawn a line in the sand for what they would endure. She needed a new way to find volunteers and they needed it quick. Or getting the vial in the first place would be for nothing.
Reyna pushed past Tye and Gabe as she went up the stairs. She should go back to Beckham’s room and pass out. She hadn’t gotten enough sleep and her emotions felt as if they’d gone through a blender, but that felt too accepting. As if she could just stay up a little longer then she could figure out this problem.
Her feet carried her the opposite direction until she was standing outside of Brian’s room. Reyna took a deep breath and then entered.
Genevieve had ceased reading her book and was looking down at the words absentmindedly. Brian stared directly at Reyna. He was lucid, sharp, intelligent. It was clear that this much time feeding had helped. Yet he still appeared ominous. Not quite approachable. It was eerie.
“Reyna, now might not be the best time,” Genevieve muttered.
“I want to speak to my brother. Alone.”
“I said I didn’t want to see you,” Brian snarled.
“Doesn’t look like I care what you want right now.”
Brian snarled but Reyna held her ground. What the hell could he do to her? He was chained to that chair.
“Five minutes. I’ll come back if I hear anything out of the ordinary,” Genevieve said. She looked once more at Brian. “Behave.”
He flashed his fangs at her in warning. She chuckled in response and then closed the door behind her.
Reyna grabbed Genevieve’s abandoned chair and moved it so it faced backward across from Brian with enough distance to make her feel safe. She sat down and placed her arms on the back of the chair.
“Hey,” she said.
