Page 85 of Bitter Discord

“You’ll be dead, but you’ll be dead with honor. Not much of a consolation prize, I’ll admit, but it will help your family in the long run. Then again, there’s a reason the werewolves will be there. That’s a trump card, and I don’t know what sort of ripples it will cause, but it could go many ways. A smart werecat who presented herself alone, giving the others a chance, but has allies the enemy should have accounted for that she didn’t use immediately. They are werewolves, and they might expect you to leave them behind for appearances. Who knows?”

I sighed. For all the maneuvering I had done with all three factions, Zuri still knew werecats better than I ever would. I needed to catch up so one day, I could see these nuances on my own.

I’m working on catching up. That was the entire point of this.

I didn’t think I would ever be the perfect politician she was, but I could at least stop giving her more work to do.

Heath and Landon arrived in Heath’s truck.

“I’ll ride with you if something happens,” Landon said to Zuri. “But I want to be here in case Teagan and Kody forget to send you word. This is off the plan, and they don’t know you the way they know Jacky. It wouldn’t feel normal for them, and they could honestly forget. If I’m here, you’ll get word, and so will the rest of the pack.”

“So long as you understand the danger of being here, I have no problem with that,” Zuri said, nodding politely.

“I don’t fear any of the werecats here,” Landon said, his face blank. I could once again see a side of Landon I had been forced to deal with for nearly two years after meeting him. This was the Landon who scared people, but that was before he let loose and showed everyone how bloodthirsty he could really be.

“Really?”

Landon’s responding snarl made Zuri take a step back.

“I see,” she said quickly. “Oh… Isee…”

“What?” I’d heard that growl before and knew it was more bark than bite, at least for me. I also knew Landon wouldn’t hurt my sister. I had full faith he was just proving his point.

“We’ll talk later,” she said, shaking her head a little.

“I know what he is.”

“So do I, but…” She waved a hand. “Landon, come inside and let’s tell the werecats you’re here, so no one is spooked. Jacky, Heath… good luck. Keep me informed if you can.”

“Thank you. Landon, stay out of trouble and don’t kill anyone unless you feel it’s absolutely necessary to defend your life, Zuri’s life, or the life of someone in the pack.”

“Of course, Father.” Landon followed Zuri inside the mansion.

I looked at Heath, seeing those worry lines were back.

“I know you don’t like this.” I was hoping he didn’t pick now to try to convince me not to do this again. I needed his full support. I needed to know he would wait for a signal that I was in danger before rushing in, and come dawn, he could forgive me for this risk.

“There are a lot of things we’ve done together I haven’t liked. I’ll just add this one to the list.” He walked to his truck and leaned on it while I fished my keys out of my pocket. “While I was getting the pack up to speed, I had time to think about it. You didn’t have to do everything you did in April. You probably want to say you did, but the reality is, you didn’t. I respected the choices you made, and you put your life on the line for werewolves you mostly had never met and never would. You fought witches who had access to powers you and I can barely fathom. I can and will do everything necessary to make sure this goes right. It’s the least I can do since my argument to stop it failed. You’re in charge here.”

“That must irk you,” I teased, hoping it made him chuckle or smile. Anything. Instead, I got the stormy expression I knew well.

“It doesn’t irk me that you’re in charge. I asked you to marry me because we’repartners, and I meant that. I don’t want to be in charge of you. I’ll remind you of that every day if I have to. I know you understand the risks we’re taking at every turn, even when they terrify the hell out of both of us. Even understanding the risks, you charge in and act. You don’t like being idle. I know all of this about you. I know one day the danger could kill you. Sometimes, I wonder if Carey will make it to eighteen without losing one of us.

“I still asked you to marry me,”—he leaned in—“and you said yes. Partners, Jacky. It doesn’t irk me that you’re in charge. I’m terrified our luck is going to run out, and I’ll either lose you, or I’ll lose a boy who deserved nothing that’s happened to him.”

I kissed him. I didn’t really know what else to say or do, so I grabbed his shirt, pushed myself onto my toes, and kissed him. His arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the ground. He wasn’t much taller, only a few inches, but he made me feel light and even a bit girly when he lifted me.

“If I see Arlo, I’ll get him back,” I promised.

“If you see Arlo, I’ll be there in seconds,” he growled. He put me down and ran a hand through his messy black hair. “These fucking werecats are going to realize I’m not the Alpha to toy with. I wish I could do this myself, but I know why I can’t.”

“How close will Fenris be?”

“As close as he needs so he can report to me what’s happening,” Heath answered. “It puts him at risk. If things go south, he’ll be the first in the building. You’ve fought with him and against him. He’ll buy you the time to get out, so you can regain your bearings.”

“Who’s on our team?”

“Shamus, Roselyn, Carlos, and Jenny. That leaves Zuri with Landon, Piper, and Stacy. If they meet trouble, Zuri and Landon can handle most of the trouble. Piper and Stacy will support them and handle injuries. They both have triage skills. Anything else you want to know?”

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