Out of breath, he took her back into the water, rinsing off his need from her alabaster skin. She was perfect, and he left her in his bed asleep rather reluctantly. He had duties to his pack, and a plan had to be hatched for the trap to ambush coming. With everything else aside, Calum knew that Ali might have just saved all their lives. The vampire mob was getting bigger as the night went on.
* * *
He madeit to the meeting hall not long after leaving his own house. Cal felt better in all ways, and though he would listen to all ideas cast, he already knew what was going to happen next. The blood feud that had been going on his whole lifetime was finally going to end. He was going to finish it.
Everyone that wasn’t already gathered started to stroll in seeing Cal arrive. There were nervous faces all around him, and it wasn’t going to be as easy as he wanted it to be. Calum knew that he had to get everyone on board.
“By now you must all have heard about the attack planned for tomorrow.”
“How are we to know that she’s telling the truth? She’s one of them now. Her stench is all over the village.”
Cal turned to Abott and sent him a look that would wither one that had any scruples. But his older brother didn’t. Calum hadn’t forgotten about his brother’s betrayal. After it was all done, Cal had a surprise for him. Proof would be found, and justice would be swift.
He grinned at the opposing words and shrugged. “I think that preparing for the ambush makes a lot more sense than pretending that it isn’t going to happen. To be at the ready more at one time than another depletes nothing from our defenses. It would be a bad idea to ignore it.”
Calum was doing his best not to get excited. He didn’t want to be a man that couldn’t control himself, no matter what sort of temptations that he had. Calum had to hold it together if he was ever going to make it work. He needed everyone behind him.
Several murmured their agreement with his assessment and Cal was glad that he had tried the calm approach. It was what had to happen.
“So, has anyone come up with an idea of how we end this for good with Trenton and his coven or are we stuck on the validity part?”
Abott spoke up again, and this time Cal had to hold back more than before. Now he wanted to attack him.
“I think that girl needs to be locked up in the dungeon. We don’t know if she’s going to help them when they arrive or not.”
Cal was losing his cool, and it was the elder Michael that stepped up and agreed. Before Calum could start in on them both, Michael tried to make it reasonable.
“She will be safest there. You know that nothing can get in or out of there. She will have the key and will only let in who she wants and let herself out when she’s done. It’s not about distrust.”
Calum didn’t like it, and he said as much, but the time was growing short, and if she had the only key, that would be the safest thing for her.
“I don’t want her held captive any longer than she has to be.”
“You can’t be captive when you hold the key.”
He read into his words, but Cal still didn’t like it. The choice was made, and after the meeting, he was going to have to go back and tell her about the pack’s plans. She was not going to be happy about it.
