Page 127 of Blade's Battle
“We’ll think of something.”
“Damien’s not going to side with me and risk a war.”
“I didn’t say Damien would think of something. I saidwewould. Can’t leave it all up to the guys. Besides, whatever we do independently of Damien leaves him off the hook, I’d say. Damien, well Hayden at least, can talk his way out of a lot of things, including war. Let’s not give up on the guys yet, okay?”
Anna wished she had Tess’s level of confidence. Tess was more of a free-thinker, a ‘figure it out as we go’ type of shifter, whereas Anna always liked having a plan. Proving a theory required carefully planning out each step to make sure the testing phase accounted for every detail and tested the theory, regardless of the outcome. That’s what made a control group so important. She’d sidestepped enough protocols in the lab recently and it could have cost her Blade, Tess’s, or her own life.
Anna and Tess settled in behind trees where they had an unobstructed view of the meeting in the small clearing. Tess held up a hand for her to be as quiet as possible. They were close enough that either Tess could hear the other shifters, or she didn’t want to risk them hearing her.
Drake had three shifters with him. Two of the three had been brutal to Anna when Drake wasn’t around. She had trouble containing her shiver.
Tess threw her a concerned look, which Anna ignored. She’d explain later. For now, she needed to focus on Blade to see if he had any signs of having lost his shifter abilities. If he did, he’d be in extreme danger if this littletête-à-têteturned into a brawl.
Blade was fully in control of himself. His feet were firmly planted on the ground while his hands remained at his side, relaxed by all outward appearances. No longer did he shuffle his feet or fidget with his hands. His wolf was permanently calm, a fact still awed Anna, along with the fact that such a sweet shifter as Blade was hers.
Liam literally held out two arms, forcing Damien and Drake apart. Whatever Liam was saying, Anna was sure he was less than thrilled to be there, in the middle of this mess.
Behind Liam stood Griff and Daaven. Seeing the two guards there gave Anna a sense of relief. Neither guard liked Blade, but they’d never been cruel to him. Maybe this summit would work, and Liam could convince Drake to leave things be.
“Where’s Hayden?” she whispered to Tess. “I thought you said he’d be here.”
“I guess Damien didn’t want to further incite Drake.”
“Or risk Hayden doing something stupid.” Hayden wasn’t a hothead by any means, but she’d noticed how insecure and enraged he became every time Drake’s name came up.
“That too,” Tess said, as she grabbed Anna’s hand. “Let’s move closer. You should hear what they’re saying, considering it involves you.”
Slowly but quietly they edged their way closer until Anna could hear the shifters.
“You’re all over the place, Drake. Which is it? Do you want the woman back or do you want Blade’s head on a platter?” Liam asked.
“Both.”
“I’m not offering up either.”
“Damien, you called me here to mediate, so keep quiet unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“That was necessary.”
Tess rolled her eyes and shook her head at that, but Anna could tell she was still madly in love with Damien.
“You’ll get your turn,” Liam said. “I want to hear Drake’s expectations first.”
Drake’s black eyes seemed to darken. “I’ll relinquish my right to execute his scout for the death of two of my pack. But I won’t give in on the female. She’s mine. I blood-bonded her and they’ve all seen my mark on her palm.”
Liam raised a brow. “Is this true, Damien?”
“We saw the mark, but she says she was forced.”
“She never said any such thing,” Drake said.
Liam directed his next question to Frank. “Were you at the ceremony? What did she say?”
“She said she was forced,” Blade cut in.
“I’m not asking you, Scout. You’re far from trust-worthy at this point.” Griff and Daaven moved closer to Blade.
Anna’s heart sank as she watched Blade have to swallow his frustration and back down.
