Cody felt the stirring behind him, the tension of the other warriors summoned to the meeting. “What would you have me do, Elder? Leave her alone, unprotected?” His voice rose in anger. “She’s part of the clan, and she’s been targeted. I have to help her. We have to help her. That’s what the clan is about, protecting humans. Now you tell me we are to turn our backs on one of our own?”
The elder frowned. “I understand it’s a difficult decision, but the good of the clan must come first. If this clan fails, it won’t be one woman who will suffer, but thousands could die. Hundreds of thousands. Do you want to weigh her against generations of humans that could be slaughtered, perhaps even the world, because the clan has been wiped out?”
“My apologies, Elder. I know the importance of our mission, but there must be a way to protect her and the clan as well.” The muscles in Cody’s face felt like rubber bands ready to pop. “I won’t leave her unprotected… regardless of the consequences.”
A quiet, collective gasp came from the Council members. Cody looked each one in the eye and then saw their gazes shift.
Faelan stood beside Cody, his arms stiff. “I stand with Cody MacBain.”
Cody heard more chairs squeaking as warriors stood. “And I,” Ronan said. All the voices rang out, one by one. His brothers’, Duncan’s, Sorcha’s. Cody looked around and saw every warrior in the room standing.
The elder studied Cody for several uncomfortable moments. Cody kept his gaze steady as the elder’s hooded eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. He glanced at the rest of the Council members behind him. “We will convene and meet back here in one hour.” The mood was somber as they left the room.
“If they do anything to you, I’ll give up my duty,” Brodie said, his face tight.
Duncan nodded. “They sit up there and enforce the rules but forget that not everything can be judged by law.”
“Let’s not panic just yet,” Cody said, but his stomach was in knots. If they punished him, even took him away for an investigation, what would happen to Shay? “I’m going to check on something.” He opened the heavy door and saw a movement behind the long drapes.
A dark head popped out. Bree peered both ways down the hall and then climbed out, watching the Council members disappear into a small meeting room several doors down. “What are they doing?”
“Convening.” He rubbed his hand over his neck. “Does your husband know you’re spying on the Council?” The woman had more in common with Shay than a father and green eyes. They both had guts. Too much, at times.
“No, but how else can I figure out what’s going on? They won’t let me in.”
No one but warriors could attend a Council meeting, and they hadn’t officially decided what Bree was, or Shay, and the Council stuck fast to its rules.
“Do you think I could hide inside the secret passage and leave the door cracked—”
“I think your husband would lock you in the tower. You’d better stick to listening at the door,” Cody said, grinning. “I’ll tell them I’ve suddenly grown hard of hearing and ask them to speak louder. I don’t know why you bother. You know Faelan will tell you everything anyway.”
“I want to know now.”
“I should have known from the beginning that you and Shay were sisters. You have the same hard head.”
“How is Shay?” The warriors weren’t the only ones surprised that Shay and Bree were half sisters. The sisters were still reeling from the news themselves. It explained how Bree had sensed Shay was in danger.
“Still sleeping. She’s been through a lot.”
“I know but…” Two delicate lines crossed Bree’s forehead.
He was getting worried too. He’d never known Shay to tire so easily. “Has Anna shown up yet?”
“No, but Sorcha says it’s not unusual for her to disappear for days.” Bree turned in the direction the elders had gone. “Darn, I want to know what they’re doing.” Her sweater scooped down in the back, exposing the mark he saw after the accident, the birthmark. He eased closer, pulling his vision into focus in the dim light. As he thought, it was similar to Shay’s. A sliver of a moon and three stars. Damned odd.
“Are you sniffing my wife’s neck?” The growl cut through Cody’s concentration, jolting him back to where he stood, with his face inches from Bree’s neck. Bree spun at Faelan’s voice and bumped into Cody. He grabbed her, steadying them.
“If I wanted to sniff your wife’s neck, I’d take her somewhere more private, not in the middle of the corridor.”
Faelan scowled, and Cody said, “I’m going to check on Shay again. I’ll be back.”
Bree smiled and patted his arm before turning to her husband. “I swear, your face is going to get stuck like that. Then we’ll stick you on the roof with the gargoyles.”
“What are you doing here… Bollocks! Tell me you haven’t been eavesdropping on the Council.”
Cody left them fussing and walked to the stairs. They had put Shay on the second floor, next to his room. Even though the castle was protected, surrounded by warriors, he didn’t feel comfortable having her far from him, not with deranged humans, vampires, and ancient demons after her. Even if Bree was mistaken and it wasn’t Malek after Shay, someone had dug up the grave, so someone needed to know if she was alive or dead. Cody kept coming back to that scar on Shay’s shoulder. The letter was angled and crooked, but once he looked closely, it was definitely an
There was another theory, but it was too horrifying to consider.
Cody opened Shay’s door. She was still asleep, her brow furrowed, lips parted as if she were speaking to someone. Cody bent and kissed her forehead. He wanted to take her and run away from this mess, sort out the past. He could take her to Ronan’s place in Montana. Maybe he should. The elder was right, this did bring some risk to the clan, but he had no choice. He lost her once before. He would not do it again, not for the safety of the whole
