He didn’t miss how Avalore’s body seemed to relax into his brother, listing a little to the side.Aodh doubted that the human female was aware of what she was doing.
Aodh focused back on Amaros’s mate.
“I couldn’t, Ava.”Michaela sank her teeth, now blunt again, into her bottom lip as she shook her head, keeping her eyes downcast.
“It’s all right, little angel,” Amaros whispered preternaturally low, then brushed a kiss along Michaela’s temple.
It amazed Aodh to see the dominant Prince of Darkness, who usually presented with a blasé, devil-may-care attitude at the meeting, exhibit such tenderness.
However, Aodh knew from his own experience that even if nothing else could soothe the savage beast that resided in all the preternatural entities gathered, a mate could.
Protecting a mate could also trigger their beasts to go into kill mode, as demonstrated by his brother.
“What else, Amaros?”
“Michaela explained that some kind of collar controlled the one she saw in the lab, maybe shock, maybe mind.”Amaros shrugged.
“They’re using our blood.”This came from Chanin.
All eyes shifted to the wolf who sat at the table along the inner circle with his arms folded beside his Beta, who was more concerned with spying on Marceline, who was oddly still slowly circling the malformed figure on the floor.
“I figured as much by the looks of what Dov and Turi found,” Aodh determined.
“I’m going to call their human asses up and get them to explain this shit!”Iskah held her hand back towards her Consort, who placed the single SAT radio used to communicate with the human government.
“Wait, Iskah.There’s more.”Chanin lowered his hands to the table beside his thighs and stared right at the Fae.
Iskah gasped and shook her head as if reading something in Chanin’s expression.“Please tell me no, Chanin.”
Chanin let out a heavy sigh.
Aodh recalled not too long ago when Iskah had requested permission to cross his territory to get to the Lupine because two Fae teens had been taken.Aodh shoved a hand through his hair with the weight of the thought of what was coming.
“Farkas confessed that he’d turned over the Fae youths’ blood to the human government.He was pissed about not being Alpha and having to wait his turn for a mate.The blood was his bargaining chip with the humans for around thirteen marked females for him and his men.”
“Ah, shit.”Liekki echoed what was in Aodh’s mind.
“Fae blood is as close to pure Mage power as it gets.”Dov got up and started stomping around the area, grumbling the same thing everyone was thinking.“We all know what this could mean in the hands of the human government.”
“There was a reason we didn’t—” Iskah swallowed, unable to finish her statement.
“We know, Iskah,” Aodh assured.And they all did.The Fae were affected the least.Not in the breeding or mating department, but only in the few years since their powers were weakened by ecosystem destruction from natural disasters.However, they never gave their blood or applied their essence to the serum because, with it, there was a possibility of forcing an extreme change on any marked ones.
But to what degree, no one truly knew.However, it was a risk not worth taking.The combined serum of all the other entities was enough to heal any ailment.
The silence in the open area-columned structure pulsed and vibrated with anger and explosive shifter energy.The tension was so palpable that it felt like a boulder was sitting on Aodh’s shoulders.
“Now, can I call them?”Iskah looked around, meeting the gaze of each territory leader.“Or are there any other grenades anyone would like to toss into the mix of shit?”
When no one else spoke, Aodh confirmed, “Make the call.”
Iskah clicked on the device and set the frequency that would allow her to reach the humans.
When it connected, and someone answered, there was a brief exchange with a commander who informed them that all human leaders within the Wall were gathered.
“The Peoples’ Governor, Everette Muskrand, here.”The man’s voice had the nerve to appear bored through the line as if he’d instead preferred to count blades of grass in a 100-yard field then speak with them.
“What the hell have you delivered us?”Iskah bit out through gritted teeth, her translucent wings almost a sheer black now.
