Chapter 27

Firelight flickered and danced in the shadows, casting a warm glow over the otherwise dark room and filling it with a scent Selene usually associated with crisp winter days, but, instead, the smoky haze seemed to match the ominous feel of the moment. Although it was June, it was still chilly at night. Selene thanked the powers that be that had brought on several late-season snowstorms, delaying the attack and giving her time to plan and to train the Vyusher.

She’d had to put college on hold, after all, pulling out of her spring semester classes to concentrate on her people and prepare for this moment. But their time was up. She prayed that the last months of effort and planning with the Vyusher and Griffin’s family would help this end well.

Selene stood at the window of her bedroom, the heavy velvet curtains drawn back, allowing her unhindered access to the view. She crossed her arms over her chest and gazed out to the field beyond the castle’s walls.

“How many?” she asked Oren. He hadn’t made a sound as he’d entered her chamber, but she knew he was there just the same.

“We’ve counted around fifty.” Oren moved to stand beside her, taking in the scene of organized chaos.

The Svatura amassing outside the castle walls appeared to be in the process of setting up a camp of sorts. Tents were popping up everywhere, and Selene hoped they’d brought gear for cold weather. The area of Canada where the castle was located could be frigid at night, even in summer. Small campfires dotted the landscape, and it was obvious the Svatura weren’t trying to hide themselves, but she assumed anyone who got close to their camp would die a gruesome death.

“Have they made any moves toward the castle?” she asked.

“None.”

Selene gave a terse nod. “Good. Griffin can conserve his energy and wait to put up the shield.”

“Exactly what he said.”

Selene winced at Griffin’s name. She still cringed about their conversation the day she’d claimed leadership of her people. He’d followed her to her room and fed her some line about her needing to lead right now and how he’d help any way he could. The man who’d held her, who’d gazed at her with such…longing. He was gone. In his place was someone she didn’t recognize. Griffin was usually serious, but these days it was like talking to a brick wall. She’d noticed the concerned little glances Ellie shot her brother, too. Heartbroken, Selene refused to acknowledge any of it. After a few attempts, Ellie, Adelaide, and Lila all stopped trying to get her to talk about it. They ignored that issue and focused instead on preparing.

“Have they asked for anyone yet? Sent someone to speak with us?”

Oren frowned. “No. But Samuel believes they will enter the castle within the hour.”

Selene mulled over her options, drumming her fingers on the windowsill, not feeling the rough texture of the rock beneath her skin as she thought. “Gather the others, then. I’ll be out in a minute.”

She turned away and Oren left the room as silently as he’d entered it. Ten minutes later, Selene strode out of her bedroom to find Ellie, Griffin, and their family all waiting for her with Oren. A small movement caught her eyes as Desmond stepped up and joined them, his sea-green eyes serious for once. She gave him a small smile, and he winked in return.

He turned to the rest of the group and paused to nod at Griffin. “Gabe.”

Griffin glared at him silently, and Selene rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure why Dez insisted on trying to get under Griffin’s skin.

Dez smirked. “Time to go, folks.”

They moved down the corridors and toward the High Council’s hall. No one spoke. Selene reached out to take Ellie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then she opened the door, glanced over her shoulder, and gave her friends a final smile. “If something happens to me, you know what to do.”

Before she could turn away, Griffin stepped in close. “You don’t have to do this alone,” he urged.

She presented her coldest expression. “I’m not. I have Desmond with me.”

A muscle ticked at the corner of his jaw. “I could protect you better than he could with my shields. And I can make myself invisible to them the same way.”

She shook her head. “We’ve been through this. I need you elsewhere.”

He looked into her eyes for a long second. “You stay safe. Do you hear me?”

For a split second, she was tempted to smile. There had been other miniscule moments like this when she thought maybe he did care. But they didn’t last long. She pulled her shoulders back. “I’ll be fine.”

She turned and walked calmly to stand inside the empty chamber. Only Desmond joined her. Selene could almost feel Griffin’s gaze burning a hole in her as the door fell closed behind her. The look in his eyes had been one of desperation, feeding the kernel of hope inside her that refused to die. At the last second, she opened her mind to him, preparing herself to be disappointed, but he didn’t speak immediately. Then, as she settled herself in the throne-like chair in the center of the room, she heard him.

“Selene…”

“What?”

A long silence greeted her. Until she almost thought she’d imagined his call in the first place.

“I mean it. Please be careful,” he finally said.

Selene allowed herself a small smile. His words were so much a part of who Griffin was, cautious and deliberate. She loved that part of him. She loved every part of him and had for years. From afar. With no hope of her love being requited. They’d spent the last few months dancing around each other. Not really interacting unless it was necessary.

And suddenly it struck her…if ever there was a time to make sure the love of her life was aware of her feelings, it was now. The timing couldn’t be more horrible. Or awkward, for that matter. But sometimes you didn’t get to pick your moments—the moments just sort of happened.

“I love you.” She put every ounce of her feeling behind the words.

Silence again. The only sound Selene was the erratic thumping of her heart.

“You love me?” The incredulity in his voice came through loud and clear.

“For a long time now. I remember the first time I saw you. You grabbed for Ellie and she turned back from wolf to human, before you both turned into falcons and flew away from my brother. About a year later, I approached you in a dream. You held my hand. Do you remember?”

“I remember,” his low voice rumbled through her mind. “You visited me often in my sleep.”

“How could I stay away? Those visits were the only moments of light, of happiness, in my world. I will always be grateful to you for that. You saved my life by giving me hope.”

“And you thought now would be the best time to tell me this?”

Selene allowed him to hear her mental chuckle. “It seemed like the perfect moment. Don’t say it back though, okay? I’ll only think you’re saying it because I might be sitting here awaiting my own death.”

“Don’t even think that! If I believed that, you sure as hell wouldn’t be in there without me right now.”

Oren appeared before her in a shimmering projection, preventing her reply. “Thomas says they’ve entered the castle. It should only be a few minutes,” he said.

“Thank you, Oren.”

“You hear that? Wish me luck,” she thought at Griffin.

“Don’t forget to leave your mind open so that Ellie and I can listen,” he reminded her.

“Right.” She certainly wasn’t going to forget that part of her own plan.

Selene straightened her back and placed her hands over the arms of the throne. She didn’t bother trying to find Desmond, as he was currently invisible. He’d insisted on being in there with her as protection.

The waiting and listening for any sign of the intruders on the other side of the door was torture. It gave her time to imagine all sorts of horrible things. As her tension reached screaming level, the massive doors opened and three men entered the chamber. Selene sat perfectly still, only her eyes moving as she watched them come to stand before her.

“Hello, gentlemen,” she greeted them once they came to a halt. “Welcome to my home.”

They glanced at each other, and a tall man with dark eyes stepped forward. “My name is Marcus,” he said, a strange accent coloring his words. “I lead this clan. We’re from Louisiana. These are my lieutenants, James and Stephen.” He paused and gave her a hard look. “I believe you already know why we’re here.”

“Vengeance is such an ugly word,” Selene acknowledged. She watched closely for their reactions. “I’m Selene. I am the new ruler of the Vyusher. Our old ruler, my brother Gideon, controlled us against our will. But he is dead now, thanks to another family of Svatura. I would like to negotiate peace with you. As a part of that goal, will you allow us to show you the truth behind my words?”

“So that you can control our minds?” Stephen spat. “One of your clansmen already tried that with us. No! We will not subject ourselves to that!”

“The people who will do the showing are not Vyusher, but the Svatura who defeated my brother. They, too, had many claims against us, and yet they side with us now. Surely, that means something to you.”

“Do you really think we will listen to you?” Marcus asked. He crossed his arms over a broad chest, unimpressed, if his hard jaw and thin lips meant anything.

“Truthfully? No, I didn’t expect you to listen. In my experience, actions speak louder than words,” Selene replied. A small flash of something in Marcus’s expression caught her attention. Though quickly masked, she thought maybe she’d seen a tiny bit of respect there.

“So you insist on this then? On fighting us?” she asked.

Griffin’s voice sounded in her mind. “All of their clan is now inside. They are moving deeper into the castle.”

“We are owed our vengeance!” Stephen yelled. His hands clenched and unclenched into fists of rage.

Marcus said nothing but nodded his agreement with Stephen. James remained quiet, his eyes never leaving her. If he was using a power on her, she couldn’t see any flicker of a light.

“Are we in position?” Selene asked Griffin. Upon receiving his affirmative response, she decided it was time to wrap up this conversation with the Louisiana faction. She’d tried to negotiate with them, at least.

“Very well. I can’t say that I blame you. I will tell you now that I can’t allow you to harm my people. However, we will only defend ourselves. You won’t see a single move from us that is offensive, and we’ll do everything we can to avoid hurting any of you. If any in your clan sustain injury, it will be through no fault of ours.”

The three men glanced at each other as though they weren’t sure what to make of her. Then Marcus’s expression hardened. In a move that Selene barely saw coming, steel bands wrapped around her, holding her arms and legs firmly in place.

“Tell the others we have captured their Queen,” Stephen instructed James, who closed his eyes in concentration.

Selene glanced to the corner where she knew Desmond had positioned himself and gave a slight shake of her head.

“They say they’ve found no one inside the castle,” James said.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. He shifted his glare to Selene. “There’s no way they left you here on your own. Where are they hiding?”

Selene tilted her head. “I told you. I will not allow you to harm my people.”

A terrible boom shook the castle so violently it caused the large chandelier above their heads to rattle.

“We’re all fine,” Griffin’s voice assured her. “But they blew a pretty big hole in a wall. With a single thought. Pretty impressive. How long are you planning on keeping this up?”

“A little longer. So far, these are all powers we can defend against,” she answered him.

“Please tell me your people didn’t blow up part of my home,” she said aloud to the three men, her tone of calm exasperation deliberate. “That would really upset me.”

Marcus glanced at James. “What is she thinking?”

James shook his head. “I can’t get a read on her. She’s blank.”

Stephen slashed his hand through the air. “This is some sort of trap. What are you playing at?”

The steel bands around her tightened.

“This is not a trap,” Selene replied. “We will not harm you if we can avoid it. But as I said, I won’t allow you to harm my people either.” She grunted as the bands dug into her arms.

She glanced at Marcus, who had yet to reveal his ability. She’d been hoping to at least find out the three leaders’ powers before making her move. She winced again as the steel cut deeper. She glanced at Desmond’s corner and sighed. “I was hoping you might see reason, but clearly that was in vain.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, sweetheart, but we have you bound in steel,” Stephen jibed.

Selene ignored him. “Griffin, Ellie…on my signal…” She felt Desmond’s hand on her arm and fixed her gaze on Marcus. “If you change your mind about my offer, just think my name. I will find you.”

He frowned.

Another explosion rocked the castle, and Selene smiled. “Now.”