Page 58 of Queen of Darkness
“Fast friends,” I said, testing the waters for his reaction.
Aaron offered a noncommittal grunt, which confirmed that his thoughts were likely paralleling mine regarding the pair. Something had changed with them after meeting each other.
“We have reconsidered it,” Fenrir said at last. “And the answer is no. Not unless you come up with a better plan.”
I didn’thavea better plan. If I did, that’s what I would have put forward to them. There weren’t a lot of options or choices open to us, and I had to take what I was given.
“Okay,” I said, trying to shrug off their refusal to come along. It was surprising, at least in regards to Fenrir. I’d thought he was on board with getting rid of Elenia. It would certainly make his life easier if nothing else.
Nothing you can do about it. Those two are old and probably beyond your way of understanding.
“When do we leave?” Jaxton asked, pulling the conversation back on track.
Casting him a grateful glance, I forced my mind to the task at hand. If those two weren’t going to come, they weren’t going to come. End of story.
“Soon. We’ll sneak in via one of the entrances Aaron says should be lightly guarded. We’ll have to get in with minimal noise, so make sure you equip yourself for stealth. From there, we make our way to Madrigal as fast as possible without leaving a trail. Get into the palace. Kill Elenia. Get out. It’s simple, which should help us stay effective. She’ll be expecting some sort of wild, complicated plan.”
“You should go simpler,” Fenrir said. “Just storm the city and kill anyone who tries to stop you.”
Aaron bared his teeth in anger at the useless suggestion.
“And justwhatarmy do you suggest we use for that?” I asked, irritated by the lack of faith and his behavior change.
“I’m just saying you’ll have the same shot at success. This plan is suicide,” Fenrir growled. “She’ll be ready for this. Waiting for it. Take some time and come up with something better.”
“We don’thavetime,” I snapped. “In case you missed the part where my mother is going to join us in this life as a hybrid monster with the next full moon, which arrives in a few days. I will not let her go through that alone, having to fear for her life and becoming a danger to everyone around her. Am I understood?”
“Dani and I will help with that,” Vir said softly.
I looked at him.
“We’ll bring her here. She won’t be affected by the Wild Moon.” Vir’s eyes hardened. “And I meanwewill bring her here,” he growled. “I won’t risk anyone else. Not after the last time that we tried to move her. Dani and I will do it. We can also keep your father safe from her. That will be our contribution. If all goes well, you come back, and we will take you to Shuldar to help your mom and you through the change. Together.”
Vir’s tone brooked no argument, so I didn’t bother.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I appreciate that.”
Drakul said something to Fenrir, who looked irritated and replied. Drakul shifted, his armor making an intimidating noise as he stared at Fenrir long and hard.
“Fine,” Fenrir said, throwing up his hands. He looked over at me. “We’ll go with them for the Wild Moon. I will help your mother as best I can.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. “I appreciate that.”
Fenrir shrugged. “Helping her is a good plan. This is not.”
“Enough,” Aaron barked, losing his patience with the vampire-wolf. “We know how you feel about it. You’ve said it enough. You don’t need to say any more. Got it?”
Fenrir shrugged.
“We’ll need to go back to Seguin,” Jaxton said. “Get a proper load of gear from Johnathan’s vaults. If we’re going in just us, we’ll need to go heavy. More than we brought with us, that’s for sure.”
“That’s easy enough,” I said. “We’ll leave from there once your team is set. Will that work, or do we need to do something else to use the entrance you have in mind?”
“That’ll be just fine,” Aaron said.
“Then, let’s move,” I growled. “Time is ticking.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
