“Yeah, me neither,” Sophie says.
“I do!” Tish complains.
I narrow my eyes. “Then you can stay.”
The cat grumbles. “Fine. Can we go now?”
“No. I want a Red Guard escort.”
“Isn’t that a bit of overkill?” Aurora argues. “We’ll draw less attention as a small group.”
I grind my teeth. The refusal is on the tip of my tongue, but in the end, I can see she’s right. “Fine.”
Saxon turns to her. “Wait. Are you coming too?”
“Of course. Do you think finding these ingredients will be easy? They’re rare, and some vendors will lie about having them.”
Saxon looks confused, and I’m with him. “Why would they gatekeep the ingredients? Don’t they like money?”
Aurora shrugs. “Yes, but they also like to play games. It’s a power-play move.”
“I need to stop by the weapons room first. If we’re expecting trouble, I ought to be prepared.” Saxon veers for the door out of the living room. “Come on, Vaughn.”
“What about Igor? He should be armed too.”
Saxon grimaces. “There’s no chance I’m giving him a weapon.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got my weapons right here.” Igor lifts his fists. “Chuck and Norris.”
“Oh my God. You did not say that. You’re such a weirdo,” Tish blurts out.
“Who are Chuck and Norris?” Sophie asks Vaughn.
He kisses her cheek. “Another one for the list.”
Done with this lot, I take Vivi’s hand and steer her to the office for a private conversation. Once the door is closed behind us, she asks, “What’s going on?”
I run my fingers through my hair. “Dean and Connor paid me a visit earlier. My uncle had another episode and almost escaped.”
“Oh, Luc. I’m so sorry.” She touches my arm.
“It’s happening more frequently now, and the episodes are getting more intense. If we can’t find a cure…” A lump forms in my throat, and I can’t finish my sentence.
Vivi rubs my back. “You want me to donate my blood, don’t you?”
I nod. “Yes, and Rikkon’s. Maybe that combined with your brother’s healing powers can revert the progress of the disease.”
“Of course. I’ll do anything to help your uncle. I know Rik will too.”
I reach for her face, cupping her cheek. “Thank you, Vivi. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“Do you want to walk the wind to your uncle’s house?”
I grimace. “No offense, sweetheart, but I hate walking the wind.”
She chuckles. “Maybe you’ll get used to it someday.”
I doubt it, but I smile and I say, “Maybe.”
