Chapter 21

Consciousness did not return to Selene gradually.

“Wake up, Selene. Your people need you!” Oren’s voice was like a blast of thunder jolting her out of sleep, and her eyes flew open. Soon she was assailed by memories, and she gasped. Panicked, she searched the room and took in her surroundings.

I’m at Hugh and Lucy’s. I’m safe now.

She let out a relieved sigh and relaxed slightly as realization of where she was sank in. Then she realized someone was dozing in the chair beside her bed. For a brief moment, she thought…hoped…it was Griffin. But she quickly realized it was Ramsey.

“You must be sick of having to watch me sleep,” Selene murmured.

Immediately, Ramsey’s eyes opened. “Hey, there. Huh, we do seem to spend a lot of time watching people sleep. Ellie last year, now you twice.” He sat forward and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Welcome back to the land of the living. How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been run over by a truck.” She groaned and propped herself upright in the bed. “Ugh! How long was I out?”

“It’s been about a day or so.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

He chuckled at her astonished expression. “You must’ve been pretty tired.”

“I guess so.”

“What do you remember?”

She shook her head. “Everything…I think.” She sat up straighter. “Did they save the girl that was in my room?”

He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Yeah. She’s still out cold, but Hugh says there’s nothing physically wrong with her.” He shrugged. “We moved her to a room at Dex and Charlotte’s house, and they’re watching her.”

“Good.” Then the memory of what had woken her filtered back into her consciousness, and her shoulders tensed more.

“Oren called for me. Was he in here?”

He frowned. “No.”

“Something’s wrong. Gather the others. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

He must’ve caught her urgency because Ramsey jumped up and left the room. She flipped back the covers and dressed as fast as her still-weak limbs would allow. She threw on whatever came to hand first, which ended up being jeans and a comfy red sweater. Then she rushed downstairs—well, technically, she leaned on the banister and wobbled downstairs, but she made it. As she entered the living room, she was immediately engulfed in a warm hug from Lucy, followed by everyone else.

Selene was taken aback. Hugs were not the norm in her life. But the family’s affection was contagious, and she found herself returning their embraces.

“We were worried about you,” Hugh said, his hands on her shoulders.

“Let me get you something to eat,” Lucy said, bustling around to put action to words.

Their concern warmed her heart, like lying under a soft blanket in the winter. Other than Oren, it’d been a long time since anyone had cared about her welfare.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Only her desperate need to speak with Oren immediately kept Selene’s emotions in check.

She could feel Griffin’s absence. In vain, she glanced around for him, though she knew, even without asking, that he wasn’t there. But she couldn’t dwell on that now.

“Oren, we’re ready,” she called out.

Immediately, his ghost-like figure appeared before her. He bowed deeply. “It warms my heart to see you safe, my lady.”

Selene allowed herself a tiny smile for her old friend. “Thank you, Oren.”

“Unfortunately, the news I bear is not the—” He abruptly stopped speaking as Griffin walked into the room.

“Please go ahead, Oren,” Griffin said after several moments of awkward silence.

“I was saying that the news I bring is not pleasant.”

Selene’s eyes widened. “What has happened?”

“Maddox has been approaching other Svatura clans and families,” Oren explained.

“To take them over?” Nate asked.

“Not quite…possibly worse. He’s turning them against us. These are people that the Vyusher attacked while under Gideon’s control. They have every reason and every right to hate us and to wish for revenge.”

Selene’s expression remained neutral, but inside she was a raging storm of conflicted emotions. The room erupted with frantic outbursts.

“Wasn’t Maddox one of Gideon’s lieutenants? Why wouldn’t they turn on him, too?” Dexter asked.

“But they need to know that Gideon was responsible for all of that, not the rest of the pack!” Adelaide declared.

“If we could forgive the Vyusher, anyone could,” Ellie said.

“We can’t fight them, though,” Hugh insisted. “These are good people who’ve suffered.”

Selene waited patiently. Eventually, the din died down, fading to silence, and all eyes turned to her.

“Oren?” With the one word, she was asking for guidance from her trusted friend.

“You should come home,” he advised. “Bring your new friends with you. They could, perhaps, convince the other clans of the truth.”

“But I can’t—” Selene started.

“The Council has instructed me to extend an invitation to you all,” Oren cut her off. He glanced around her at the others in the room. “They prefer to offer an apology to you in person, if you accept.”

Shoulders back, head held high, Selene turned to face her new friends. “I will not ask you to put your lives in danger for us. Not after what we’ve already put you through.”

They all stared at her in silence. Then Ellie reached for her hand. “If you think we’re letting you go through this on your own, especially when we have a real chance to help save lives on both sides, then you’ve got another think coming.”

Selene took a shuddering breath and shook her head. “I can’t let you do that,” she whispered.

“You should know by now that no one lets Ellie do anything,” Alex said. “She just does it.”

“And this time we agree with her. We’re coming with you. We can help,” Lucy insisted.

“You understand this situation could easily degrade into outright war?” Selene looked at each one of them directly, gauging the strength of their convictions. She couldn’t allow herself to rely on people who might abandon her in the end.

“We won’t walk away from this, or from you,” Griffin said. He’d been silent up till now, watching from the wall he seemed to be propping up. Her shields were up, but it was as if he’d just read her mind.

Indecision hung over Selene like a cloud. She turned to face Oren, who gave her a small nod. “All right.”

“What’ll we do about classes?” Adelaide asked. “Spring semester starts next week.”

“Maybe Charlotte could take us back and forth?” Selene finally suggested. “I want to at least try to finish my first year.” Who knew how long they’d be dealing with this. Could be weeks, could be years.

She glanced around and was relieved to see nods of agreement. The fact that these people trusted her gave her a much needed morale boost. “I need to keep my office going as well,” Hugh added.

“Gather what you need for a long stay. We leave tonight,” she said.

Oren’s form disappeared, and the Jenners and Pierces scattered to prepare for their travel. Selene needed a shower. She could smell the stench on her body after days of not washing more than her face, and her hair was a tangled, disgusting mass. She moved toward the stairs, passing Ellie and Griffin, who appeared engaged in a mental conversation.

As she passed Griffin, he snaked his hand out and grabbed her wrist. She turned to him with wide eyes to find his expression unreadable. She glanced down at his hand when he didn’t let go, but he only tightened his grip. “I have something I have to do,” he said.

“I understand.”

“I’m not leaving you. I’m trying to help.”

She searched his eyes for some clue to his thoughts, but both of them were wary and neither was giving the other anything to go on. “But you can’t tell me?”

He shifted his grip to lift her hand so that he could take it in both of his, then pinned her with a look that made her heart stutter. “I need you to trust me.”

She stared up at him. “Like you trust me?”

“Yes.”

That was it. Just one word with a wealth of meaning behind it. She had no idea what to think. Putting her trust in his hands would go one of two ways: he’d leave her again, or he wouldn’t.

“Do what you feel is best.” It was the most she could give him.

He stared at her for a long minute, even opened his mouth like he wanted to argue, but he shut it again. With a curt nod and a squeeze of her hand, he turned and headed out the door. Her confusion grew with every step he took away from her.