Page 16 of Snips, Snails and Werewolf Tails

I close my mouth quickly and stare at Sybil, Blair, and Isla, readying myself for the backlash I'm certain will pour from their mouths at record pace.

I don't even care what they have to say. Right now, all I care about is freeing Lucian.

"Really, Elspeth," Blair says with a bit less vigor than usual, "You need to calm down before you work yourself into a tizzy."

That is exactly thewrongthing to say because I amnotcalm, nor do I want to be.

"We've always done the best that we can," Isla adds. "We have to look out for the collective good of all the supernaturals, not just one faction or person."

"Squashing the vampires' quest for powerisin the best interest of all supernaturals," I say. When my coven sisters stare blankly back at me, I decide not to waste my breath and try to convince them to do something. Instead, I turn toward Gregory and Renna. If anyone can help me retrieve Lucian, it's the wolf pack.

"Please help me to get him out of there," I say, staring at Renna because I know I need to win her over more than Gregory. "I know his capture is my fault, but I will do anything to free him."

Renna's glare softens when she sees that I mean what I say. But it's Gregory who answers me.

"I don't see how we can," he says in a very matter of fact way. "Even with entire pack's help, it will still be a war between the factions. We can go and attack the clan, but it will be a horde of vampires led by their leader, and a pack of wolves with no alpha."

"And who knows what they will do to Lucian in the meantime," Renna adds.

None of this makes me feel any better.

"What ifwehelp?" Sybil says, much to everyone's surprise. "I agree with Elspeth. We promised to take a more active role in mediating conflict after what happened with the Fae last year, and we haven't kept that promise. But it's not too late."

"Wait, really?" I ask in shock.

"Yes. It's in everyone's best interest to help get Lucian returned safely."

I look over at Blair and Isla, expecting them to protest Sybil's unconventional decision, but they don't.

"As much as I hate getting my hands dirty," Blair says, "I agree."

"Me too," Isla chimes in.

"I thought you couldn't care less about the werewolf alpha," I remind them. "And I thought you all considered me flighty and weaker than the rest of you."

"Of course, we don't think that," Sybil says, looking hurt. "We're all equal in the coven. I'm sorry if we haven't made you feel that way, Elspeth. We just care about you and want to keep you from getting hurt."

I look over at Blair because she is the one that I truly expect the tongue lashing to come from, but evensheseems on board with what Sybil is saying.

"But we'll need to work together," Blair says as she looks over at Gregory and Renna.

"With the support of the coven," Gregory says with renewed hope, "I think we might stand a chance. We should go back to the pack and tell everyone what has happened."

"Perfect." Blair nods. "But first, we should come up with a plan. We should overpower the vampires with magic. The vampires breached the peace agreement they signed only days ago, giving us more than enough justification for intervening."

"No, I don't think that's wise," Sybil advises. "The vampires have always considered themselves above the law; doing such a thing would merely enrage them and provoke Mickael further. We would soon find ourselves entangled in a war that draws inallthe supernatural factions, not just the werewolves and the vamps. It's too risky."

"We need to be smarter," Isla echoes.

"Okay, what if we infiltrate the vampires' club, find Lucian, and get him out of there without ruffling any feathers until we are already gone?" I suggest. "Surely, we can come up with a magical distraction that would work?"

"It's a doable idea," Sybil nods. "Then, once we have rescued the alpha, the coven can fortify the factions' boundaries so the vampires can't encroach on werewolf territory. It isn't a perfect fix, but it'll buy us time while we find a real, lasting solution."

"Agreed," I say. For once, the four of us are in consensus.

We walk to the wolf den with Gregory and Renna to tell the wolf pack our plan, and luckily, everyone is on board. Gregory and Renna return with us to the coven building and help us plan the extraction of Lucian from the vampire club. The coven will provide the distraction with magic, while Gregory and Renna lead a small team of wolf shifters into the club to find and retrieve Lucian.

"But what should we use as the distraction?" Isla asks.

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