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The house was busier than I expected. We ended up parking on the street because there was nowhere else to park. There were people hanging out on the porch as if they weren’t being allowed in. It was mostly a mixture of lycanthropes and vampires.
Henry scowled as he cut the car off. “What the hell is going on?”
“They are all vampires and lycanthropes,” I said absently.
Henry made an annoyed noise. “Just great. We have a quarantine surrounded by the very creatures we are trying to keep from getting sick.” He stepped out of the car obviously irritated.
I followed him out and he didn’t comment considering he had more to worry about than little ‘ole me.
“What the hell are you fools doing?” Henry growled when he got close enough.
I was a little surprised when Ned stepped out of the crowd. “We are watching over our master.”
Henry’s scowl deepened. “You do realize we are quarantining them for a reason, right?”
Ned gave a slight nod. “We are staying outside the house. Gideon said we will be fine as long as we don’t go inside.”
Henry’s lips pressed into a thin line, then he looked at me. “Keep an eye on them. I’m going to talk to Gideon.” He started up the stairs without waiting for me to comment.
Once he disappeared inside, my eyes drifted to Ned. “No one at the club is sick?”
He shook his head. “Gideon says Apollo wasn’t contagious yet when he went to the club.”
“Good.” I looked over the crowd, trying not to fidget under all the curious and worried stares.
“Do you know who’s doing this?” Ned asked, pulling my attention from the crowd.
My eyes locked with his, and I wondered if I should tell him the truth. “We have an idea, but no concrete evidence.”
He scowled. “Fuck evidence. If you fuck them up enough, they will admit it.”
I smiled slightly. “As much as I would love to, this isn’t the kind of person we can just go fuck up.”
His expression darkened more. “You can fuck up anyone ... magic or not. It’s all in how determined you are, and I’m pretty damn determined.” He was usually pretty easy going, but I could see the tension in his body ... he was upset.
“I’ll keep that in mind. It might be useful later.” I shifted my gaze to the door where Henry was exiting.
He made a beeline for me, pushing through all the questioning faces. He caught my hand and pulled me along with him until we were near the car. He didn’t look happy.
“How bad is it?” I asked before he could speak.
His jaw tensed. “The council won’t intervene unless we have proof, which we don’t have.”
“So, she gets away with it?” I was trying not to betray the amount of rage I felt. “What about Jameson and the others?”
He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “We’ve contained it, so they see no reason to take extreme action. If we can find definite proof, then they will revisit the matter.”
I scoffed. “So, Cassius and the others stay in a coma until they eventually die? That’s the plan?” I was shaking with anger, but I was still managing to keep my voice low. I didn’t want to alert all the antsy vampires and lycanthropes.
The sadness in Henry’s eyes made my chest tighten. “I’m sorry, Dory. I’m going inside to take over for Gideon, so he can rest. We will keep trying ... it’s not over yet.” He gently squeezed my arm as if he was trying to reassure me, then he turned and made his way back up the driveway and disappeared into the house.
I was frozen in place, trying to process what Henry said. They were going to do nothing. I wouldn’t get a chance to even see Cassius or Jameson again ... not even to say goodbye because Henry wouldn’t let me risk getting infected.
“I can tell that didn’t go well.” Ned’s low voice pulled me from my thoughts.
My eyes locked with his. “It didn’t go well at all.”
“What do you plan to do about it?” Ned pressed, obviously expecting me to have a plan.
I straightened. “Maybe your idea is the best one at this point.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “I’m game if you are.”
I didn’t want to do something rash, but I refused to sit and let them die in the name of diplomacy. Before I could decide what to do, Bear emerged from behind the house. His eyes locked on me, and he started toward me.
I straightened, hoping Kane had come to his senses and sent Bear to offer help in some way.
Bear glanced at Ned as he came to a stop near me. “Can we talk in private, girly?”
My eyebrows shot up in annoyance. “No ... you can say whatever you have to right here.”
He scowled. “I don’t trust vampires, girly. We talk in private, or I leave.”
“I don’t trust you,” I countered. “So, leave.”
He growled low in his throat as he clenched his hands and shifted from foot to foot. “You are the most difficult female I have ever encountered.”
I smiled slightly. “And you’re coming in close second to the biggest asshole I’ve ever met ... Kane being first.”
His eyes darted from me to Ned, then back to me. “I’m here because Kane went missing.”
My smile widened. “By missing, you mean he went to confront Nyla and hasn’t returned.”
I could tell I caught him off guard. “You know about Nyla?”
I gave a slight nod. “I know the curse started with a female wolf Kane was sleeping with because Nyla was jealous.”
Bear’s jaw muscle bunched as he continued to regard me with his dark eyes. “He didn’t think she was as batshit crazy as she is.”
I glared at him, trying not to take all my anger out on him. “It pisses me off that my friends are in a coma because your pack leader couldn’t keep his cock in his pants. Now, the council is refusing to intervene, which means we can do nothing by the letter of the law.”
“Fuck the law, Dorian,” Ned growled, stepping closer to me. “It’s Cassius ... you can’t let him die.”
My eyes locked with his, and I saw the fear he felt. “What would you have me do?”
“You’re a fucking elf ... that has to mean something. You have to be able to do something.” He sounded like he was getting angry with me.
Bear scoffed. “She ain’t no elf. I’ve seen elves, and they don’t look like her ... she’s lying to you.”
I glared at Bear ready to tear him apart but before I could, Ned reached up and pulled my necklace off. Before I could react, Bear stumbled back like someone slapped him. I scowled at Ned and snatched my necklace out of his hand. “Thanks for that, ass ... now I have to get it fixed again.”
“You shouldn’t be hiding ... Cassius doesn’t like it,” Ned spat.
My eyes narrowed. “I don’t do what Cassius likes, Ned ... despite what everyone seems to think.”
“You’re an elf.” Bear’s voice was shaky like he’d seen a ghost.
I turned my glare on him. “Geez, Ned ... give this man a cookie.”
Ned laughed, shaking his head. “You’re meaner than an elf should be.”
I scoffed as I dropped my necklace in my pocket. “I’m not mean enough,” I muttered as I crossed my arms and leaned against the car.
“Please ... Kane might be an ass to you, but he is our leader. We need him back,” Bear pleaded, catching me off guard.
“We need Cassius back too,” Ned added. “You need Cassius back.” His tone was gentler than moments before.
I sighed, clenching my eyes shut. “Does anyone know where Nyla stays?”
“I do,” Bear said gruffly. “She stays just outside our territory.”
I opened my eyes and looked from Bear to Ned. “You two are going to have to come with me. I’m not doing this myself, so if they mean so much to you, you better be ready to sacrifice too.”
Bear nodded. “I’m ready.”
“You know I am. Cassius is my maker. I would die for him,” Ned agreed.
I straightened. “Awesome. Now that we are all ready to die ... let’s go.”
I turned to open my car door, but when neither of them moved I looked at them. “What are you waiting for?”
Bear smirked as he held out his hand. “I’m driving, girly.”
“And I won’t fit in the backseat,” Ned said as he walked to the passenger side, then climbed in.
I rolled my eyes as I retrieved my keys and handed them to Bear. “Being the smallest is bullshit.” I pulled the seat lever, pushing it forward, so I could climb in the backseat.
Bear laughed as he climbed in the driver’s seat. “We can’t all be the size of our attitude, girly. If that were the case, you would be bigger than me and him combined.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, but I didn’t comment. He was probably right, but I wasn’t about to admit it to him. He started the car and set off. All of us remained silent. There was no point in planning because we all knew there was no plan in the world that would prepare us for confronting a witch.
