“No.”
“Do we really need to resort to threats to get you to move, Isabelle?” Muriel sighs. “I have permission to shoot one or both of these men. Shall we cut through the song and dance of convincing you that I’ll do it?”
I already know she will. Cordelia will make hard calls and do what needs to be done, but at the end of the day she might feel some guilt over it. Muriel won’t. It doesn’t matter that she’s worked with Gaeton and Beast for years. She has her orders and she’ll pull the trigger, wash the blood from her hands, and go back to deliver my sister her report and a kiss.
“Don’t even think about it,” Gaeton rumbles.
I’m already moving, carefully crawling to the edge of the bed and climbing to my feet. I’m naked, but acting bashful will only undermine me at this point. As I stare down my sister-in-law, it doesn’t escape my notice that all six of the men behind her are focused very hard on the men and not on me. I glance back at the bed. At the two of them looking like they’re ready to fight their way through the room to me. “I’m holding you to what we agreed to last night. Come to dinner tonight. We still have living arrangements to iron out.”
Muriel snorts. “Cordelia will love that.”
I ignore her. “Promise me.”
Beast nods first. “We’ll be there.”
“Yeah.” Gaeton is still staring hard at the guns pointed in his direction. “Consider it a date.”
It has to be enough. I hate that our time has been cut short, but if everyone meant what they said last night, we’re looking down the barrel at forever. And forever means we have to deal with my sisters eventually.
I pull on the T-shirt and leggings from last night. The only shoes I have here are ridiculously tall heels, but I put them on all the same. I want to kiss the guys goodbye, but Muriel grabs my arm and nearly hauls me off my feet as she drags me to the door.
As much as I want to rip her a new one, I save my arguing for my sisters. Muriel wouldn’t come here on her own, and damn it, I wish Cordelia trusted me enough to let me handle this. The men file out of the apartment after us, three taking position ahead and three behind.
I don’t speak again until we’re in the back of an SUV, now flanked by two identical vehicles. “There was a better way to go about that.”
“Maybe.” She shrugs. “We got the point across, didn’t we?”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
She gives a dry laugh. “If Cordelia called you under the same circumstances as forty-eight hours ago, would you have sat back and waited for her to work through things? Or would you have done exactly what she did?”
I would have trusted my sister to have things covered, and to communicate if she didn’t. Because Cordelia is a grown ass adult, just like I am, and more than capable of handling herself in a variety of situations. Just like I am. I start to cross my arms over my chest, but it feels like pouting. “I have it under control.”
“Good. Tell her that.” She leans back against the seat with a sigh. “She’s been difficult as hell to deal with for the last week, and that’s your fault. You fix this.”
Cordelia is the one who sent me to the Underworld in the first place. I press my lips together to prevent myself from yelling it. I’m not going to win Muriel to my side. She supports Cordelia, and if they ever disagree, they do it behind closed doors. I’ve never seen them as anything other than a united front, and I sure as hell won’t see it for this situation.
We finish the ride back to our territory, back to my father’s house, in silence. My breath grows thick as we drive through the gates protecting the property from the outside world. Once upon a time, this area was a train yard, but the company went under and my father bought it for pennies on the dollar. It took years and a small fortune to convert it to his own little stronghold at the edge of Carver City, but now that’s exactly what it is. Thick walls surround the main house and half a dozen other buildings, including barracks for his people and a lab for Sienna. For all that it’s basically a military base, the house is a study in sheer indulgence. It’s not quite Victorian, but you can see the influence in the lines and slopes of the building.
My father always did appreciate a good first impression.
I close my eyes for half a second, striving for control. I wish Gaeton and Beast were here, but this is something I have to do on my own. By the time I have my shit together, we’ve climbed out of the car and stopped in front of the broad stone staircase leading up to the front door. Muriel matches my pace, and it’s impossible not to notice how something in her unwinds the closer we get to my sister.