Page 22 of Poison Sun

“Thank you for your consideration,” he says, and he leads us into the hall without another word.

I give the three of them a final glance over my shoulder as I follow him out.

The door closes, and I frown at it.

“You did well,” he says.

“Thanks,” I reply, although I continue to study the door. “Aren’t they worried we’ll overhear?”

“The door is made of wood,” he explains. “Nearly everything in here is made of wood or stone. Given the shifter affinity for earth, a strong magic user of theirs will be able to block supernaturals from hearing through the barrier.”

“Jax?” I ask.

“Possibly.” Damien’s lips quirk into a smile. “But my bet is on Autumn.”

“Interesting,” I say, since even though there was something about her I didn’t like—probably her haughtiness—I do respect her.

“However,” he continues. “While we can’t hear them, there’s no reason to assume they can’t hear us.”

“Noted,” I say, and we wait in silence for the shifters to welcome us back inside.

Seconds stretch into minutes. Twenty-three extremely awkward minutes, to be precise.

Then, finally, the door re-opens.

“We made our decision,” Maria says. “Come back inside, and we’ll tell you how we want to proceed from here.”

Amber

Damien reaches for my hand and squeezes it, his touch sending a burst of light through my body.

There are so many messages in that one touch.

I’m here for you.

We’re in this together.

You’re stronger than you know.

But he pulls away as quickly as he reached for me, and we follow Maria back inside the office.

My hand buzzes with the remembered warmth of his skin against mine, but I don’t look back over at him. Instead, I focus on Maria, Jax, and Autumn. Each of them has a resoluteness to their expressions, and it’s clear that whatever decision they made is final.

Maria speaks first.

“We discussed your proposal,” she begins. “And while we respect our alliance with you, and while we’ll work together to defeat the shadow souls, we will not get involved in a war between vampire clans.”

All the hope in my chest deflates at once.

Damien’s jaw tightens, but he nods for her to continue.

Autumn, however, speaks in her place.

“Involving ourselves in your battles without just cause is against Guardian law,” she explains. “And we stick to our laws. No matter what.”

She’s tough. I’ll give her that.

Jax is so angry he doesn’t speak. I half-expect him to shift into a wolf and attack on the spot.

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