Page 72 of Blood and Magic
“The vampires in Europe are much more refined,” Ruby said. As an enforcer, she held a high status in the pack. As Kodiak’s sister, she was the only person who could hold his stare for more than a few seconds (aside from Guin). “They wouldn’t start an international war without provocation, even to satisfy their American counterparts.”
“So what do we do?” Talon asked. She ran her hands over her face and sighed. “We’re not strong enough right now to go after them.”
“But we can’t afford to sit on our hands,” Columba added. “They killed our friends. They killed the entire herd.”
“We need to be strategic,” Serpent said. “If we go after them when we’re weak, we’ll lose more pack members. If we wait, we risk more damage.”
“We need to draw them out,” Guin cut in from her spot next to Kodiak. “If we set a trap, we can pull them into our territory, where we know the odds are to our advantage.”
“Are you offering yourself up as bait?” Ruby asked, giving Guin a toothy smile. Kodiak’s sister had never liked the Vanderbilts, and last year, she’d been the most prominent opponent to us going after Sol and Guin when they’d been abducted. To her, the pack’s safety always came first. I couldn’t blame her for that mentality, especially since the Vanderbilts were responsible for the deaths of her parents and countless others.
“If needed,” Guin said, baring her teeth back at the enforcer. “I’d do anything to end this war. Wouldn’t you?”
Ruby scoffed and rolled her eyes, now tinged with the red of her wolf’s namesake.
“This isn’t up for negotiation.” Kodiak leaned forward on the table, resting his elbows on the edge, clasping his hands in front of him. “We will retaliate, but we need to be smart.”
“I like the idea of a trap,” I said. “It allows us to control the circumstances.”
“Perfect,” Guin said. “Put me out in the open. I’ll draw them in, you take them down.”
“No,” Kodiak said immediately.
“Why not?” She squared her jaw, hissing the word through clenched teeth. “It’s the perfect plot. They want the heir, that’s me.”
“He wants Sol,” I said. “And if not her, then Maeve.”
“He wants a Vanderbilt,” Guin countered, shifting her irate gaze to me. “And he’s stupid enough to accept whichever one he gets.”
“I’m not putting your life at risk,” Kodiak said, which seemed to confuse her even more.
She furrowed her brows. “I’m not letting any of my siblings take that spot.”
Kodiak held up a hand, and to my shock, she closed her mouth and pursed her lips.
“When Orion gets back, and only when Orion gets back, will we act. He’s the second in the pack for a reason.” Kodiak shifted his shoulders. “Moose and Larentia, gather our guns. Serpent, work with Ruby on a location.” Kodiak barked orders at everyone else in the pack, seeming to cover all the bases, but he didn’t say anything to me. “Fenris, the envoy from the Steel Roses MC, is here. Explain the situation to him, and see if he has any contacts in the immediate area who might be willing to help.”
My best friend nodded. The Steel Roses were a national group, but we’d recently allied with their Madison County chapter out of Virginia. They needed help with supply lines to the West Coast, and we needed backup. Jameson, the president of the National Chapter, had approved the alliance weeks ago.
“I know the witches down in Asheville are always willing to hunt down a few monsters. I’ll call Jameson and Duchess to see if any other chapters can come in,” Kodiak continued. “We’ll get back up. We can’t do this alone, and it’s time we stop acting like they’re only a threat to us. The Scorpions are a danger to every Royal Bastard territory.”
When he was finished, the rest of the pack cleared out, leaving me to sit in my chair, dumbfounded and pissed off that I hadn’t been given anything to do.
I stared at him.
“Mill?” He raised his eyebrows once everyone had left.
“I didn’t hear orders for me,” I said. “I want to sink my fangs into Scorpion necks, too.”
He sighed through his nose. “I saw the marks on Maeve’s neck today.”
I froze. “And?”
“That isn’t a mating bite."
Crossing my arms, I shifted my hips uncomfortably.
“What happened? And don’t you dare lie to me.”
