Page 57

“Thanks for sparing me,” he said in his incredibly deep, gravely tone. “Appreciate it.”

The chains around his wrists were silver, a metal intended to subdue, irritate, and distract a werewolf.

“And for showing me the truth.” His eyes narrowed. “About Aidan.”

“You’re welcome,” I answered. “We live in strange times.”

The alpha held an imposing presence, which I suppose was a necessity in his position. Much like me. Carved from muscle, he stood at what I presumed to be six-six in height, yet also possessed a warmhearted energy.

“So, I’m Declan Carne,” he said. “Alpha. Former executioner. Newly an Aidan hater.” He cleared his throat, his nostrils flaring. “I worshipped that scumbag. Loved him. But the moment you got him out of my head, everything changed. His rotten lies hit me right in the heart. I feel sick.”

“A terrible truth,” I replied.

He grunted. “Shite.” He shuffled from foot to foot, the chains jangling. “Did you sleep with Paris? He put that in my head, too.”

I decided to stick with honesty. If we were going to be gathering allies, then there should be no secrets.

“Yes. The elf and I have a complicated relationship.”

He nodded slowly. “I see.”

Did you touch the elf?

I ignored the ridiculous inner question, explaining the situation up until this point as best I could. By the end of it, his brow was deeply furrowed, and my poor people all looked terribly exhausted.

“You won’t be staying here,” I addressed. “Medusa will take you to a safe place.”

“He really did all that to Oreflame?” Declan cut in. “Aidan?”

“Yes.”

As he said it, a guard spoke up, holding a techpad. “The guardians and soldiers of the Global Order have locked the city down. They are tackling the fires and making arrests.”

“Thank you,” I said.

I would leave shortly to find the vampires who’d been under Aidan’s influence.

“You will come with us, Declan.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “Thanks.”

Vaughn touched my arm. “Are you sure about this?”

I moved a few steps closer to the werewolf. “I’ll admit that my judgment isn’t always the best, but I think I can trust you. Mainly because you helped Paris, and now see the truth. And because you cannot be reinfected, you are safe from any more attempts from Aidan’s rot.”

My vampires gazed at me in wonderment. They felt Selene, our deity, inside me. They embraced her. They loved her. And she hummed her appreciation through my veins in a constant stream of dulled euphoria.

“Remember who he is, sugar,” Medusa added.

“I know who he is.”

The wolf smacked his lips. “You don’t have any reason to trust me, Your Majesty. In fact, I still hate your guts along with every other vampire in here. Sort of. It’s tempered now, you know? Not really hate as such. Not like it was. I guess that’s all part of the mind rewiring itself to new reality. I hate that wanker, though.”

“Indeed,” I responded. “These things take time.”