“Let me think for a minute.” He put his hands behind his back, his brow furrowing, “I believe the best option is to go back to your cottage and pretend nothing’s wrong.”
Xander turned to him. “What are you thinking?”
The concession from Xander to hear Michael’s opinion surprised me and I struggled to hide the smile. Was there a begrudging friendship blooming between these two Alpha-type males?
“I’m thinking that my father knows how important you two are, and he doesn’t want to let you leave.”
I pressed closer to Kyle. “Well, that wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that he wants to drain them dry.”
Michael tilted his head to one side. “No, in my opinion, he’ll keep them alive forever to have access to their blood.”
“Oh, that’s heaps better,” I muttered, my heart sinking.
These men were people. Strong, loyal, powerful shifters. The high warlock wasn’t going to imprison them. Not if I had anything to say about it.
I cupped Kyle’s cheek, staring at his beautiful face. Then I turned back to Michael. “You father isn’t going to hurt them, Michael. He’s not. I won’t let him.”
“Agreed,” Michael said with a nod.
“I’m serious,” I said to him, taking a step toward him. “You’re going to have to choose whose side you’re on—ours, or his. Are you in this family, or not?”
Michael’s eyes became shadowed, pained. “I...”
I didn’t want to push him, but this was going to come down to our lives, or the high warlock’s. Everything inside of me, every magical piece of intuition, was telling me we would need Michael’s help in the near future.
“Are you on our side?” I asked again. “Will you defend Xander, Kyle, and me—against your father?”
Michael nodded. “I will. If I need to.”
The words were right, but the tone wasn’t. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure if I want to be part of this... family, yet,” Michael said, gesturing to the four of us. “I need some time to think more on it. This time yesterday I thought I was coming home to claim you...and only you.”
I understood was he must be feeling but it didn’t stop my heart falling, just a little. “I know. It’s a lot.”
“But I’ll back you up. All of you,” he added, glancing at the wolf shifters at my sides. “What my father is doing, and wants to do, is wrong. I’ll stand by your side if it comes to a fight.”
“Is there any way you’re wrong about his intentions?” Kyle asked, then put up both hands when we stared at him. “Hey, just playing devil’s advocate here.”
I glanced at Michael. “You know him a lot better than I do. What do you think?”
Michael inhaled sharply, then gestured to the path. “Let’s walk back to town, slowly. And act totally relaxed.”
As a group, we began our stroll back toward my cottage. All of us tried to act like nothing was wrong and we had just been out for an innocent walk.
“If you’d asked me an hour ago,” Michael said, “I would have considered there was a possibility I was wrong about my father’s plans. But now that he’s locked the realm... I know I’m right.”
I thought so too.
We rounded a bend and stopped short. The high warlock stood right in the middle of the path, staring at us. There was something strange in his blue eyes. A glow that I’d never seen before—a glow that felt wrong, somehow.
Michael waved at his father, then walked ahead to greet him.
A soft growl come out of Xander.
I turned to him and placed my hand on his chest. “Stay calm. I’m going to need your strength later, okay?”
He stared at me, then nodded.
“Let’s go.” I followed Michael, walking along the path that led to the high warlock.
Into the lion’s den we go.