Winter shook his head. “I can’t. It’s far too draining, and I would need to do this for an extended period of time. It’s easy enough for me to manage alone, but not with you there. Plus, what if I can manage to kidnap her? I know I can’t hold the three of us there.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Rafe declared.
“It’s more dangerous if we don’t strike against this prophecy and witch while we can,” Winter countered. “If I go alone and succeed, it will leave them scrambling and confused. If all of the Variks go, we’re declaring war.”
“Damon has already declared war on the Variks!”
Aiden was shaking his head. “Not yet. There have been zero attacks on our clan, and I’m hoping to stretch that period for as long as possible. Winter’s suggestion helps to remove one more advantage from their arsenal. And if Damon’s allies know of this prophecy and we steal away the witch…”
“He could lose allies,” Marcus finished.
“Winter has to go,” Bel added, sounding haunted by the idea.
He tried to smile at his brother, wishing he could ease the scientist’s fears. “Just a quick in and out, Bel. I’ve done this more times than I can even count. Damon and his men will never know I was there.”
“What about the witch? What if she doesn’t know anything about this prophecy? What if she doesn’t mean us any harm? Is it right to end her life?” Ethan demanded. His wide eyes darted around the room as he grabbed a throw pillow and clutched it tight against his chest. “I mean, I obviously don’t want any of the Variks to be hurt, or our allies, but what if this isn’t her fault either?”
No one seemed capable of meeting Ethan’s eyes. Frowning, Winter looked directly at his new brother. “I’ll do what I can to determine the innocence of the witch. If she means to hurt us, I won’t hesitate.”
Ethan nodded, and Winter didn’t comment about what he’d do if the witch was innocent. He’d been careful in his long life. He didn’t believe he’d ever killed a person who was truly innocent. All the blood on his hands had come from people who meant to harm his family.
But this witch might prove to be the one exception.
“When will you go?” Rafe asked.
“Soon. I need to strike before Damon figures out we know about the prophecy.”
Conversation largely died off after Winter’s announcement. There was nothing more to discuss. They made plans on how to strengthen their own defenses and what resources they could pull on for information. Winter watched his brothers draw into themselves with worry.
The Variks had spent their entire lives protecting each other, always there for their siblings. But in those early years, the threat had largely come from Julianna. It had been easier to band together.
This time, Winter was leaving his brothers on the outside, and they all hurt for it.
Chapter 4
The meeting ended not long after his brothers reluctantly accepted that Winter would be sneaking into Damon’s lair. But he was deeply touched by the fact that each of them pulled him aside and offered any kind of assistance he might need, whether it was a getaway driver or a possible distraction. Bel offered to cook up some tranquilizer darts that were effective on vampires.
Winter turned them all down, but he was warmed by their offers. He was loved. When he approached Damon’s compound, he wasn’t going to feel alone. His brothers’ love and support would be going with him.
As his brothers and their mates drifted out of the room, Winter found himself alone with his father, who was watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. That was strange in and of itself. Winter had gotten quite good at reading Aiden’s expressive gold eyes over the years. Of all the family, he’d probably spent the most time with Aiden, though Winter doubted any of them were aware of it. The man had thick brown hair and a hard, square jaw. He appeared to be in his early to midtwenties, barely older than Winter, but they’d learned recently that Aiden was considerably older than they’d all known. But by appearance, Marcus looked older than their father.
A small smile finally formed on Aiden’s lips, and he pushed to his feet. “Take a walk with me. The weather is still nice.”
Winter nodded and rose as well, following Aiden through the house to a set of double doors that led to a broad stone patio. They