It was Otto who answered. "Ravyn's been hurt."
"Then dump him on the street with the rest of the garbage."
Otto let out a tired breath as he grimaced from the weight of Ravyn. "We can't do that, Gareth, and you know it."
Two more of the Were-Hunters appeared out of nowhere to stand behind Gareth. "He's forbidden access to the Serengeti. Permanently."
Those words struck something hard inside her. Damn them for being so cold. Her family had been taken from her and if she could have any of them back for even a minute, she'd take it in a heartbeat and not question it. How could Gareth turn his back on his own child, especially when he was hurt?
It made her burn as she thought about her own father. And that made her focus her suppressed rage on Gareth.
"Hang on a second," Susan said. "This is a sanctuary, right?"
Gareth slid her an angry glare. "Your point, human?"
She crossed her arms over her chest and returned that glare tit for tat. "Then you're not allowed to pick and choose who can stay here. I read in my manual that it was really hard for a place to become a... lemony-"
"Limani," Otto supplied for her.
"Yeah, that. And once you were granted that status, you had to welcome in anyone who needed your help. Anyone. Human, Apollite, Daimon, or Hunter."
She saw respect on Otto's face as he gave Gareth a shit-eating grin. "She's right."
Anger beat a fierce tic in Gareth's jaw. "He violated our laws."
"There was nothing in the book about exceptions. According to the rules, you have to take him in unless someone named Savitar bans him from it. Has this Savitar banned him?"
Gareth raked her with a nasty glare. "What are you? A fucking lawyer?"
"Worse. Reporter."
Gareth growled a sound that was animalistic and raw. "Phoenix!"
Ravyn's brother flashed in instantly. Susan frowned as a strange deep burgundy tattoo appeared on one half of his face before it faded out.
"Yes, Father?"
"Show these people to a room upstairs."
Otto curled his lip in disgust. "He can't be in daylight, Gareth, and you know it. "
If looks could kill, they'd all be nothing but dust. "Fine. Dump him in the basement then. In the holding room."
Well, didn't that sound all warm and cozy? "I guess I was lucky not to have a father, after all, if this is how they act."
No one said anything as Phoenix obeyed his father and led them to a stairway that was off to the right, concealed by a door. But she still half-expected the animals to turn on them as they made their way down to the room.
And it was small. It could barely accommodate the full-sized mattress on the floor. The walls were painted a dull gray and the room held a nice, musty odor to it. Nice... like a moldy piece of bread.
"What do they hold in here?" Susan asked as soon as Otto and Kyl dumped Ravyn on the mattress.
"Problem clients," Otto said, stretching his arm as if he'd pulled it. "If someone or something steps out of line, they have to hold them until they can get a council order to terminate them. "
That didn't sound pleasant. "Order from whom? The Squires' Council?"
Kyl shook his head. "No, the Omegrion. It's the ruling body for the Were-Hunters."
"By the way," Otto said, looking at Phoenix. "Thanks so much for helping us get him down here. "