Page 51 of What Fools These Immortals Be
“Be careful while I am gone,” the Huntsman says, and at first I think he is speaking to all of us. “You will not be in that position forever, Maurice, but I need you to take it seriously now.”
“Of course,” I reply.
Everyone says their goodbyes—Vlad insisting, once the Huntsman is off the line, that I come by sometime that week—and I hang up, relaxing against the sheets.
My mind is a whirl of all that has happened tonight. I feel I should go to Njáll’s office when Afsaneh is gone and speak to him of it. Or perhaps his rooms, where we will not be disturbed.
Except, I know where that leads. I know where, deep down, Iwantit to lead.
I roll onto my side with an exaggerated sigh. Enough. The Huntsman is right. I will not be in this position forever—but that does not mean I should be reckless. My job is to protect Njáll.
That is what I must do.
Chapter Fourteen
Njáll
Augustineisalreadylividwhen he arrives at my office the next night. It is clear that Mark, escorting him in once again, does not want to leave him with me, despite the fact that Maurice is once again present, but when I give him a stern look, he withdraws.
“I have been awaiting your response for days,” Augustine hisses. He does not sit, instead pacing up and down in front of my desk. Maurice has taken a more relaxed posture today, sprawled across the sofa as he is, but his eyes unerringly track Augustine’s every step.
“I know,” I reply. “I apologise. There were other matters that I needed to attend to.”
I do not allow my gaze to stray to Maurice again. Afsaneh had little to say last night, and I am thankful for it, as I hardly listened to her in the first place. I was too caught up in all that had happened before.
“Well, I certainly hope they were important. My wishes have not changed.”
“Our ability to accommodate them may have,” I reply. “I do not believe it will be possible for you to challenge Quinn directly.”
That stops Augustine in his tracks. He turns his glare on me. “Excuse me?”
“He already went before the Hunters’ Council. They assessed his deeds, as they did with all the vampires and wolves who entered the city with Tamesis.”
“It is not up to them.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No!” Augustine slams his hands down on my desk, and Maurice sits sharply upright. I don’t look directly at him. Instead, I meet Augustine’s furious gaze. I will not be cowed. “We are not from here, and neither is he.Yourrules do not apply.”
“And yet you came to me,” I reply.
“A courtesy,” Augustine snarls. “If he were in his former pack, I simply would have gone there.”
I lean back in my chair, tilting my head back to look at him. “And from what I know of them, you would not have made it far.” That certainly feels true. I think Quinn’s former alpha was a lot of things, but he certainly was not a man who would have allowed a vampire to come and challenge one of his wolves unchecked.
Augustine growls again. I merely watch him. If he wants to have a tantrum, he can. I am sympathetic to his plight, but I am to Quinn’s, too, and I am cognizant of the rules we all still have to follow.
“What do you want, Augustine?” I ask. “Truly? You can’t have unfettered vengeance, you know that.”
“I want a chance for retribution.”
“And what does thatmean?” I bite back the frustration that threatens to leak into my voice. “What would satisfy you? More shed blood cannot be the case.”
He sneers at me, standing at his full height as though he wishes to tower over me. I do not change my loose posture. This is my office, my clan, my city. The same tired question rings in my mind—what would Vasile do? Stare him down. Make himself cold and distant, his tone not one to be questioned.
I am not him. I cannot be him. But I can be as solid as I ever have been while allowing for something… softer, perhaps.
So I do not move as Augustine swears, then turns on his heel and storms out into the hall. The door slams against the wall outside, no doubt cracking the plaster, and I only shake my head once Mark has followed and I know Augustine is being escorted out of the building.
