are we going to do this?” Xhex asked.
There was a long silence, and as they waited for the king to speak, Ehlena looked around the pretty, French-inspired room to avoid Wrath’s eyes. She didn’t want him to know how anxious she was, and was afraid her face reflected weakness: She was totally out of her element here, sitting before the race’s leader, presenting a plan that involved going into the very heart of an incredibly dark place. But she couldn’t risk his doubting her or excluding her, because no matter how nervous she was, she wasn’t backing down. Fear didn’t mean you turned away from a goal. Hell, if she believed that, her father would be institutionalized right now, and she might well have ended up as her mother had.
Doing the right thing was scary sometimes, but her heart had taken her here to this place and was going to carry her through…whatever came next, and whatever it took to get Rehvenge out.
Ehlena…are you there?
Yes, she sure as hell was.
“Couple of things,” Wrath said as he shifted around with a wince, like he had a fighting injury. “The king up there—he’s not going to like us coming onto his turf and walking off with one of his own.”
“With all due respect,” Xhex cut in, “Rehv’s uncle can go fuck himself.”
Ehlena’s brows popped up. Rehvenge was the nephew of the king?
Wrath shrugged. “I happen to agree, but my point is, there’s going to be conflict. Armed conflict.”
“I’m good with that,” Xhex said evenly, like they were talking about nothing more than what movie to go see. “Very good.”
Ehlena felt the need to interject herself into the conversation. “And so am I.” As the king’s shoulders stiffened, she tried not to be too forceful, because the last thing they needed was to get booted out the door for disrespect. “I mean, I would expect nothing more, and I’m prepared for it.”
“You’re prepared for it? No offense, but a civilian hanger-on is not a good thing if there’s going to be fighting.”
“With all due respect,” she echoed Xhex’s words, “I’m going.”
“Even if it means I pull my men out?”
“Yes.” There was a long inhale, as if the king were thinking of how to shut her down nicely. “You don’t understand, my lord. That’s my…”
“Your what?”
On impulse, to give her position some added weight, she said, “That is my hellren.” In her peripheral vision, she caught Xhex’s head whipping around toward her, but she’d jumped into the pool and couldn’t get any wetter. “That’s my mate and…he fed from me a month ago. If they’ve hidden him, I can find him. Also, if they’ve done what they”—oh, Jesus—“probably have to him, he’s going to need medical attention. And I’m going to give it to him.”
The king played with his dog’s ear, rubbing his thumb on the soft, pale brown flap. The animal clearly liked the way it felt, and leaned into his master’s leg with a sigh.
“We have a medic,” Wrath said. “And a physician.”
“You don’t have Rehvenge’s shellan, though, do you.”
“My brothers,” Wrath called out abruptly. “Getcha asses in here.”
When the study doors opened wide, Ehlena stared over her shoulder, wondering whether she’d pushed it too far and was about to be “escorted” out of the mansion. Sure as hell, any one of the ten tremendous males who came in would be up to the task. She’d seen them all before at the clinic, except for the one with the blond-and-black hair, and she was not at all astonished to find that they were fully armed.
To her relief, they did not perform a cash-and-carry on her, but settled around the dainty, light blue room, filling the place up to the rafters. It seemed a little odd that Xhex did not look at any of them, staying focused on Wrath instead—although maybe that made sense. As hard-core as the Brothers were, the king was the only one whose opinion truly mattered.
Wrath looked around at his warriors, his wraparounds shielding his eyes so that there was no way to tell what he was thinking.
The silence was a killer, and Ehlena’s heart thundered in her ears.
At last, the king spoke. “Gentlemen, these lovely ladies want to make a trip up north. I’m prepared to let them go up there to bring Rehv home to us, but they’re not going in alone.”
The response was immediate from the Brothers.
“I’m in.”
“Sign me up.”
“When do we go.”
“About fucking time.”
“Oh, man, there’s a marathon of Beaches running tomorrow night. Can we