Page 125 of The Rogue's Curse

Misha’s eyes cut to him. “I know this was important to you. You don’t have to—”

“I don’t need his head as a trophy. I need you,” Paris said. He nodded to Shoshanna. “Can you do it tonight?”

She nodded. “I think so. Misha, if you can get yourself settled, I’ll start drawing right now. It’ll take me a couple hours, but I can do it before sunrise.”

“I’ll be back,” Paris said, brushing a kiss on Misha’s cheek.

Time to do the right thing, even if it shredded his ego.

* * *

He wasn’t sure whether to be encouraged or insulted that his brothers and sisters so easily accepted the abdication of his position at the front of the pack. Not one of them begged on their knees nor lamented to the heavens that only his capable hand could slay such a capable foe as Shea.

Safira, whose eyes gleamed with the warmth of fresh feeding, simply nodded. “You do what you have to do, love,” she said. “There will be stragglers left to hunt. And we will certainly send your regards to Shea and friends.”

He chuckled weakly. “This feels like an act of cowardice.”

Sasha shrugged and said, “It’s poor timing, and that’s all. If Kristina was ill and needed me, I would tell you to go fuck yourself, battle or not.”

“Thank you, Sasha. Your insubordination is strangely comforting,” Paris said.

He looked pleased with himself, though Kristina shook her head with a faint smile on her lips.Sasha continued, “Furthermore, I agree that I am a better fighter than you, and—”

“Sasha, stop while you’re ahead,” Safira said, grabbing his arm lightly.

Paris chuckled. “I’ll join you if I’m able. But we have to break this curse, or Misha could…” The terror of it threatened to drown him.

He could die, you fucking idiot. You could lose him right now!

“You don’t have to explain,” Nikko said. His brow arched. “You told me once to remember that I was Number Four and not the only one around to fight. Your planning has been solid, and with whatever advantages Misha has given us, we will be far better prepared.”

He stared at Nikko in shock for several seconds, hardly able to comprehend the mildly complimentary tone. Then he nodded. “Shoshanna explained how to break the protective barrier from inside. She’s laid out a couple of locations where you should be able to break the concrete and disrupt the magic,” he said. “And Misha hasalready laid out the locations for all his anchor stones. If that doesn’t work, breaking Shea’s Covenant will do it.” Reluctantly, he laid out the ornately carved wooden stake and pushed it across the table to Sasha.

He nodded to Safira. “You’re in charge now.”

“A position I will gladly return to you when we come back,” she said with a laugh. Then she reached out to touch his hand. “It’s fine. We’ve got this. I adore you, but we will manage without you. Go take care of him, and we’ll see you when you’re awake.”

His throat swelled with emotion as he rose and said, “Thank you. I could not be more proud to call you my family.”

But before he could leave, Sasha cleared his throat and said, “Wait. You have your own battle ahead.Be careful. I saw strange things, as did Kristina.”

Nikko nodded. “You remember that it tried to trick me, and I nearly left town out of fear for what I would do to Olivia.”

He felt oddly amused as his brothers reminded him of their own stories, of the mind games and the tests, as if he had not heard their stories and replayed them over and over in his mind. Still he appreciated their concern, even if it only made his apprehension worse.

Finally, he nodded to them and said, “I’ll see you soon. Fight well.”

On his way back to Shoshanna’s workshop, he stopped by his quarters to freshen up his clothes. What exactly did one wear for a curse-breaking session? Finally, he laughed at himself, tugged on a dark t-shirt, and hurried out to Building Four.

As soon as he walked into the lobby, he heard Shoshanna’s voice, low but intense. He dashed upstairs and peered in the door. Instead of sitting on the floor amidst that huge arcane circle, she was pacing. Scrubbing at teary eyes, she said, “Mom, slow down. Say it again.”

He leaned against the doorframe, thinking, No, not now.

A tinny female voice said, “Elijah was attacked. He’s in critical condition, and they don’t know if he’s going to make it.” There was a sob that trailed into an anguished, oh God!

“Okay, what happened, though? What attacked him? Was it a vampire?” Shoshanna asked. Tears streaked her cheeks, but her jaw was set firm, as if she was biting back any stray emotion.

“The doctors said it was a knife attack.” Another long sob. “Please get here, baby. I don’t know what else to do.”

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