Page 211 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

“They left before us.” Rosemary opened her door and climbed out. “That’s actually not a good sign.”

Damn it,I hate to admit it, but she’s right, Griffin complained as he got out of the car.What if they don’t show up? They'll say the wolves are siding with me because I’m their alpha.

I tried to smile like I wasn’t concerned, but the trepidation through my bond spoke volumes. It had been a shit night, and the vampires unnerved me. They weren’t known for being helpful, and they hadn’t asked for anything in return.

Rosemary marched to the front door, with Griffin and me following close behind. The city’s ever-changing colors were more muted in the darkness. They didn’t demand my attention quite like they did during the day and almost reminded me of lightning bugs in the fields in summer.

The front door opened, revealing Yelahiah. Her gaze landed on Rosemary and then me, and her body relaxed. “Ever since I learned you all were under attack, I’ve been so worried. But we couldn’t chance leaving with Azbogah being the only angel in charge, so we mentioned the war to Alex and Matthew. Are any of you harmed?”

“No, we’re good,” Rosemary answered quickly. “I got hurt, but I’m fine now.”

She glossed over her injury like it was nothing, which I found intriguing.

Now’s my chance to get her back.Griffin smirked as he opened his mouth to rat Rosemary out, but I intervened.

If Rosemary didn’t want to go into detail over her injury with her mom, then we didn’t need to waste time. “Saga was the one coordinating the attacks. We had to kill her, and Alex and Matthew are bringing Luna here.”

“They aren’t here yet, and they have the one girl that can prove your innocence?” A muscle in Yelahiah's jaw twitched. “Azbogah is trying to paint you two as the culprits behind Dick’s death and the attacks tonight, saying you’re the common denominator. If you can prove that Luna and Saga were involved, that should satisfy the other council members who would side with you.”

Great, we were back on trial. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Azbogah would do anything in his power to get in a position to kill me and the others of my kind.

The door to the council room opened, and Pahaliah poked his head out. “Are you ready?” He gave his wife a sideways glance. “They’re waiting for Griffin, Sterlyn, Alex, and Matthew.”

Yelahiah replied sweetly, “We’re on our way.”

“Good.” He gave Rosemary a solemn gaze before closing the door once more.

“Uh…what did I just miss?” I asked. Pahaliah’s visuals had been a clue of some kind, but I wasn’t sure what.

The older angel straightened her shoulders. “Azbogah has already begun working the room. That’s one reason you all needed to get here as soon as possible. The longer he has to sway people, the harder it’ll be to keep those in your favor.”

I took a deep breath. I was so tired of having to prove ourselves, but there wasn’t a better alternative. The only other option was letting Azbogah weave more control through the council. I wouldn’t give the jackass the satisfaction.

“You two go first, since I’m not officially on the council.” Rosemary motioned in front of her. “Let’s get in there before the others get here.” She nodded in the direction of the parking lot.

She’s right.Griffin placed a hand at the small of my back and led me toward the council doors.Who knows what those two vampire idiots will say? Let’s at least say our piece first.

I had a feeling that if the vampires sided with Azbogah, it wouldn’t matter, but this was our best shot. We had to take it.

The four of us entered the council room. Everyone sat in the same seats as before, but each one glowered at us, clearly not happy to be there at this late hour. Ezra’s hair was messy from either sleep or stress, but the witches and vampires were all made up, proving they enjoyed the nighttime.

Is Ezra okay?In all the commotion, I hadn’t even considered the other council representative.

Griffin blew out a breath.I don’t know. When we were attacked, I couldn’t get ahold of him. Maybe he was asleep. I had to coordinate the guards, which was one reason I needed to stay close to the house and be there when they came.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the shifter.

“Thereare the troublemakers,” Azbogah spat as he stood and pulled at his oddly crumpled button-down shirt. “It’s odd that you all blamed Dick for your troubles, and yet, within weeksof his death, another deadly battle occurs with you two at the center. Maybe you were behind all of these supposed attacks and set the whole thing up for Dick and Saga to take the fall.”

Hell, he jumped right to the point, making his assumptions sound like facts. No wonder Yelahiah wanted us to get here so quickly.

“We are innocent.” Griffin tensed, his anger already bleeding through.

We needed to hold ourselves together, not come off as unhinged or easily upset. That would make us look guilty even if our words and actions rang true. We had to remain calm and purposeful. I looped my arm through his, showing our solidarity as we walked closer to the council.

Erin slammed her hands on the table, making her breasts bounce under a low-cut shirt that left little to the imagination. She leaned over the table, and I wasn’t sure how they didn’t spill out of the top. “That’s what everyone says. Now let’s vote that these two are the problem so I can get back to my date.”

Yeah,datehad to be a far stretch of the word, but I forced my lips to stay shut. The woman already hated me enough. “Well, at least two of the vampire representatives are missing, so shouldn’t we wait for them?” This was a risky move, but there had to be something we could find to prove that we hadn’t been the people involved.

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