Page 9 of No Honor Amongst Shifters
That was easier said than done, unfortunately.
“They will,” Elijah told Jerome.“I think I did a good job making them see that our clan wouldn’t be the only casualty in this war if no one helped.I’m the leader, though, so they’re looking at me for guidance.”
Jerome snorted.“More like as a scapegoat.They want to make sure you’ll be the one to pay if something goes wrong.”
Elijah seemed amused.“I suppose you’re right.I’ll pay anyway if something goes wrong, though, so I don’t mind.”
“What’s next for us, then?Because I have to say that I hate being stuck in this house waiting for something to happen.”
Roslin felt the same way, and he could only imagine how much worse it was for Jerome since he was a dragon shifter.Roslin wasn’t stupid enough to think that he could go out there and win a fight against a mage or a cockatrice.He couldn’t shift into anything.He could talk to ghosts and sometimes use them to his advantage, but that didn’t mean he could beat anyone in a fight.Knowing that didn’t make it any less frustrating.
Elijah leaned back in his chair and looked around the table.Almost everyone was there today.Sometimes, Roslin wondered how he’d ended up being one of the people Elijah trusted the most.It had started because Elijah trusted Victor, but Roslin and the rest of his brothers were here, too.Even Olsen was present, and he wasn’t a psychic or a shifter.
“We know from Alcott that tempers are running high between the mages and the cockatrices,” Elijah said.“Most of the cockatrices are unhappy with the way the coven is treating them.”
“Like they’re expendable,” Olsen said.
“It’s more than that.They treat them like they despise them, and I believe they do.The only reason they allied with the cockatrices was that they thought it would make it easier for them to defeat us.”
“They might not be wrong,” Roslin murmured.
Olsen glared at him, Roslin ignored him.He wasn’t lying.The coven might despise the cockatrices, but they knew what they were doing.They wanted to take Elijah out, and what easier way to do so than by using another shifter clan?The humans who were watching would point the finger at shifters and say how they were nothing more than animals who needed to be controlled.A fight between two clans would be proof of that.
“Maybe not,” Elijah agreed.“But I’m hoping we can use this to our advantage.The coven is using their magic and violence to control the cockatrices.I don’t think most of the cockatrices were ever happy to ally with the mages, but they followed their leader’s orders.It’s been long enough now that I think some of them might be swayed to stop doing so.”
“You want to convince them to move to our side?”
“Or stay out of the fight.Things have always been tense between our clans.Cockatrices and dragons don’t go together.”
A loud snort came from the other side of the table, and Elijah grinned at Terrence and Donahue.They were sitting side-by-side, and from the way they leaned against each other, Roslin was pretty sure that his brother had his hand on his boyfriend’s thigh.
“Present company excluded, of course,” Elijah added.“But, Terrence, you can’t tell me that most of your old clan would agree to be on our side.”
Terrence shook his head.“They might stay out of the fight, but I don’t think they’ll ever fight for you.”
“We might not need them to fight for us.Taking them out of the equation means fewer people fighting.We’ll be able to focus on the coven and its members.I want to attack the coven before they attack us.We need the element of surprise.”
Roslin didn’t disagree, but he wasn’t sure it would be enough.They had more work to do before they could deal with the coven.It was a daunting task.
Hopefully, Elijah knew what he was doing.He’d been a clan leader for years, while Roslin had never held a position of power.He was glad about that.He wasn’t sure what he would have done if the life of so many people had depended on him and the decisions he made.
“What’s your plan for that?”Jerome asked as he leaned forward.He looked eager to fight.
Roslin wasn’t.He’d support the clan, and he’d be there to use the ghosts in any way he could, but he knew there was a high chance that he and his brothers wouldn’t make it out if they were at the center of the fighting.It made him want to order his younger brothers to stay back with the rest of the clan, but he wouldn’t.He might be the eldest, but they were all adults and made their own decisions.Some of their partners would be fighting, and they’d be right beside them.
There was nothing Roslin could do to protect them.
* * * *
ALCOTT NO LONGER JUMPEDwhen he heard the door open.The only people who visited him now were Misha and Roslin, and sometimes, Elijah.Everyone else was staying away now that they didn’t have to bring him food anymore, and he was grateful for that.He was also grateful that Roslin, just like Misha, knocked on the door before opening it.
He was surprised to see Roslin here now.It was the middle of the afternoon, so there was no food to be brought to him.It was early for dinner, and he’d already had lunch.
Sure enough, Roslin walked in empty-handed.He closed the door behind himself, and Alcott took the opportunity to observe him.Roslin appeared worried, which wasn’t a surprise considering everything that was happening.
Seeing him like this made Alcott anxious.Roslin was worried, and he was here.Did it have anything to do with Alcott?Maybe Roslin was here to tell Alcott that he was getting kicked out of the clan.Alcott would have thought that Elijah wanted to do it himself, but he was no doubt busy.Besides, what would it change to have someone else tell Alcott for him?
“I just got out of a meeting,” Roslin said as he flopped into a chair Alcott had previously used to dump his laundry.
