It was all done via video conference, so who knows?”
“The Tribunal really trusts this guy that much?”
“Kaliya, he’s a half-brother to the fae King and a Tribunal member,” Cassius said in a hushed, angry whisper. “It’s not about trust, it’s about implicating the most powerful fae’s family in something devious. None of them were going to press the issue of an oath and risk offending—”
“Either of your uncles,” I finished. It wasn’t what Cassius intended to say, but it was the truth. “You’re also related to the Mygi CEO. He’s also a fae Clan founder if he’s a half-brother to the King and has like two dozen fucking half siblings. Does this one really matter more than the others?” Fae families were fucking complicated.
“I’ve never met him before,” he snapped. “I’m on your side, but I have to stick my neck out on this. They know you’re uncontrollable, but I have a reputation.”
“Are you flying in or not?” I asked, tired suddenly. “Why do you keep your house so damn cold?”
“I’m used to the north,” he answered softly. “And it makes you relax, which I don’t think you do often enough.”
Something about that was very sweet. It annoyed the hell out of me, but it was very sweet.
“And here I thought we hated each other,” I mumbled.
“Oh, I do hate you most of the time, but there’s a certain charm to you as well,” he said with a chuckle I despised—husky and romantic. Fae could be pretty things, perfect things, depending on the type of fae. Cassius knew what he was doing. He was trying to sweeten me up, so there wasn’t any more bitchiness over the phone. He was playing me, and I was allowing it. “I also bet you’re coming down from adrenaline.”
“Most likely,” I said softly, leaning onto the counter. “Get here, Cassius. I’ll talk to one of the bosses about tonight’s developments and get Sinclair officially on the kill list. Who’s the best choice?”
“The obvious choices would be Callahan or Corissa. Being werewolves, they both hate him. Alvina, the current fae Queen, is an easy choice as well because she’s never much cared for any of her half siblings. Don’t go to my uncle. He doesn’t want to hear from you since you’re trying to go after a half-brother he likes. I wouldn’t recommend the vampires either. Mygi is making progress on the synthetic blood project, and the vampires don’t want to see the company under any sort of fire until it’s done. You know the politics. If you didn’t hate them so much, you could also try the witches, who could probably be swayed in your favor.” Cassius gave a thoughtful hum. “You can also get Hasan. Have you ever spoken to him before?”
“No, he went on his sabbatical before I got the job,” I answered, yawning. “Fuck. Leith, turn up the heat. Please.”
“Of course, Madam Sahni,” the butler replied as he put a cup of tea in front of me.
“Well, Hasan is…well, he’s enigmatic. He’s the oldest member of the Tribunal by far, so don’t toy with him.”
“He’s a werecat. I’m not stupid enough to consider toying with him,” I snapped. “What do you take me for?”
“Do you really want to know?” he asked dryly.
“Ah, the sweetness has ended already.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to keep up that act with you sometimes,” he said. “Kaliya, why don’t you just write a report and send it to all of them? That way, it goes live, and they can all bicker about it.”
“That’s an amazing idea…and it would keep me from having to call any of them.”
“Exactly, which means you won’t, as the humans say, shove your foot in your mouth.”
“Yes. I’ll do that while you’re flying here. Right?”
“I’m standing over my suitcase.” He didn’t sound excited. “I’ll talk to you when I get off the plane. Stay with your charge in my home until I arrive. Don’t go out looking for trouble.”
“I won’t,” I promised. I had no intention of going anywhere until I had some real backup. “Before you go…Sinclair had his people torture Paden. That’s how he found out where I lived. Just thought you should know. I’ll have Leith call in the rest of your staff here for safety. Once Sinclair knows you're coming into town, he’ll target them if he thinks he can get his way.”
“Thank you for letting me know.” Cassius sounded genuinely grateful. “Talk to you soon.”
“Yup.” I hung up and sighed, exhaustion and relief threatening to pull me into sleep