Page 85 of Ashes of Honor

“Wedon’t need to,” the mayor of Ogden interrupted. He stood abruptly, his entourage following suit. “The answer is no. We came here to hear you out, thought you might have something to offer other than some folly ‘it could be you’ argument andpractice sessions.”

“Sit down,” I said evenly, doing my best to not close my eyes at the slap in the face. To wince or show an ounce of weakness because none of them would ever respect me enough to lead if I did. As much as I hated it, I was the face, the fallback person to rally around when things were good and blame when things went wrong.

He narrowed his eyes. “You do not make?—”

“I said,sit down.” The words slipped through clenched teeth.

“To be clear, that was her asking nicely,” Alexiares added, walking to my side. Fire raged in his eyes.

The soldier to his right glanced at Hunter still standing in the center of the room, then over to me with the slightest of nods.Last chance.“We only agreed to hear you out. That was the agreement.”

“Okay. Sure,” I replied, motioning with my hand. Like it was all simple. “But now that you’ve heard me out … It’s join us or die.”

“That makes you no better than Covert,” the second Ogden soldier spat.

I let out a soft chuckle and crossed my arms. “I don’t believe in being the bigger person. Never have with no plans to start now. So yeah. Do with that what you will.”

“You wouldn’t do that. Don’t have the balls,” Finley said with a laugh. Her eyes flickered with curiosity, testing me. Genuinely intrigued by how far I was willing to take this. I hated that she underestimated me. More importantly, I hated that she was right—under normal circumstances.

“Wouldn’t I, though?” I asked, my lips curling into a dangerous smile and I forced my eyes to dance with fire.

“You wouldn’t,” the mayor said, his confidence brazenly unshaken. “That’s not what Monterey stands for, and you know it.”

I shrugged. “Okay. Test me. Walk out there and see if I’m the same person I was a few years ago.”

The room held its breath. The only sound was the stilted heartbeats around me. He glared at me, undoubtedly weighing his next move. The nervous flicker in his eyes forced a prayer to mutter through my tightly squeezed lips. It felt as though I’ddropped down on my knees and begged him not to move another muscle.

He didn’t listen.

Didn’t follow that feeling I know he ached in his damn gut that said to stop, that this wasn’t the way. His defiance was stubborn. As he moved to clear the entrance, my heart tightened at the draw of my pistol, the guilt clawing at the edges of my resolve.

This wasn’t who I wanted to be.

But who I wanted to be wouldn’t win this war. Who I was would not help people survive. That was how war worked. You sacrificed, and you sacrificed, until the only thing left to offer was your soul.

“Sorry, but I can’t let you leave unless I know you’re on our side,” I said, keeping my voice cold and detached. Before anyone could argue, I pulled the trigger, and the mayor crumpled to the floor.

Reina’s eyes went wide, darting to Hunter, who gave her a reassuring nod. Serenity tilted her head, her gaze narrowing as she examined the body now lying lifeless near the door.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to stay upright. To let them see the person they should fear being on the opposing side. I kept my expression unyielding even as my chest ached. This wasn’t the leader I wanted to be. But right now, fear would last longer than love. Alexiares had said so himself. He was right. And maybe, just maybe, the good could come after.

The room froze. I turned to the next in line, the person Tomoe had identified as the soldier likely to attempt to take over next. “He was going to run to Covert. Let them know every single one of you was here. Isn’t that right, Hunter?”

Hunter’s voice wavered slightly, the kind of slip you’d only catch if you knew him. “I’ve got a witness willing to testify to that fact.”

The Ogden soldier I didn’t have at gunpoint nodded, his expression grim. Trustworthy, but shaken. One of Hunter’s inside guys, presumably.

“I’m no better than Covert,” I said, addressing the rest of them. “Because if we want to hang with the big boys, we have to act like it. This isn’t about me or Monterey Compound. Sure as hell isn’t about what I would or wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. These aren’t normal circumstances. Surprise! This is how we live now. This is how we push forward for the people under our protection.” I motioned around the room. “This? This is for them. Who we become is all for the people inside our walls. Now, I’ll ask you one more time, no time to chat, sorry. Are you with us, or are you against us?”

Finley broke the silence with a yawn, stretching as though none of this fazed her. “There’s something else. Another reason to work together or whatever. He’s got a new variant. It’s a threat to all of us.”

Reina snorted. “A little late on that one.”

Finley raised a brow. “Your daddy’s been cooking up different strains. We’re beyond the ones that are faster, the ones thatthink.He’s found new interests. Evolving them so that they can spread and infect. Turn us.”

I expected an uproar with the news, but we all sat in muted shock. Of all the things I’d brought to the table today,thismay be the binding force of the alliance.

Reina crossed her arms. “And you’ve ruled out a pure anomaly?”

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