One Broken Legacy

Chapter 31: Do you have a death wish?

The room was eerily silent except for the scrape of my fork on the plate as I shoveled the last of my meal into my mouth. Alpha Daniel sat at the table, eyes staring into space with his hands folded, while Anya and Luna Angela looked on in concern. But nothing compared to Kiri. Her fingernails had sunk into the wooden table like it was made of butter, the more siren-like attributes rising as she glared at the table like she wished it would spontaneously combust.

Officer Reese stood behind me. He had quietly listened to everything I'd said after driving me here. The woman who let me borrow her phone hadn't expected to see a delinquent while visiting her late mother's grave. It got me a ride faster.

"Do you agree with my thought?" I asked, wiping the stray crumbs from my lips. "I don't want to cause a panic, but I think we should evacuate the school and set a trap."

"Yes, but sending the police into the school with you sounds risky. You'd have no reliable backup." Alpha Daniel glanced at Officer Reese. "No offense, Officer, but you and your men don't know the supernatural as we do."

"No offense taken, but if it's true, he'd be able to smell wolves. It would be safer for you to wait and block his escape after luring him in."

So, they agreed that my plan would work, risky as it might be.

"We don't have a lot of time," I pressed. "Officer Reese, could you call principal Harris and tell her that an attack will happen soon, and she needs to secretly evacuate the high school and college campus?"

"I will if that's what you want."

"Are we all in agreement then? I will lure him in, and you will capture him and whoever he is working with after he's on school grounds?"

"I don't like the idea of you being bait," Alpha Daniel admitted, looking to me with kind eyes. "But I do think it's our best shot."

Kiri stood, knocking over her chair as she stormed out of the room leaving us in silence.

"Then make the call," I said, rising to follow her. "Officer Reese, make sure your men know to act with discretion and are well aware I will be leading them."

He nodded and I excused myself, moving past Anya and Luna, who looked at me with pity. They acted like I was walking in front of a firing squad.

I found Kiri on the back porch, staring out at the treetops. She looked more tired than I felt, and I suspected she hadn't slept much last night. Her hair was ruffled, and the morning breeze only made it worse, though I appreciated the fresh air.

"Do you have a death wish?" She asked, her words laced with venom.

"Kiri, you know—" I started before being cut off.

"I'm serious, Alexis. You ran off last night to confront a witch who you thought poisoned Nick and now you want to use yourself as bait for your psychotic uncle. What am I supposed to think?"

I didn't reply. How could I? She wasn't completely wrong. While I didn't have a death wish, running into danger without thinking was becoming a bad habit. If I continued down this path, it could end with my friends and family in mourning.

"Alexis, what happened to the careful girl I knew before? I love you, but you don't seem to care about yourself anymore."

"I still care about myself. I just found more to care about."

Her jaw tensed and she looked back to the house where inaudible voices were distorted.

"Don't blame them." I took Kiri's hand. "I promised to include you and I have, but that also means you have to see what I do to protect people. I want to keep you safe as well, but if we can't stay safe..." I cut off, no words suited what I needed to say.

"Then let me go with you. You of all people know what I can do." Her hand tightened in mine. "You don't have to go alone."

"Yes, I do." I stopped Kiri with a look when she opened her mouth to argue. "You know why we need you away. He can smell you. And you are essential to his capture. Unless you know another siren willing to control him?"

"Why do you have to go through? You could stay with us and let him go in alone."

"He'll be suspicious if there are no humans, and I can't send innocents into the line of fire without someone who knows what's going on."

"The police officer," Kiri begged. "Send him."

"I can't." I smiled, although it probably didn't help. "I promise you nothing will happen to me. He wants me alive."

That was a long leap, but the fact that Uncle kept me alive gave me an excuse. That was one thing I stressed when telling everyone what had happened. By making them think I was safe, they would let me go.

Kiri didn't look convinced, but she slowly nodded.

"Thank you."

"I want you to come back alive, though. If that means I have to break the plan and come in after you, I will. That means you need to open a direct line to us, and keep it open."

"I think we can arrange that." I laughed, my shoulders relaxing. "We should go in before we miss something important."

I helped Kiri up and we strolled back inside. It wasn't much, but things felt different with her this time. In the past, including her only meant telling her what had happened. This time, she told me what she thought and what she needed me to do. We had compromised, and though neither of us was completely happy, especially Kiri.

Officer Reese was ready to go immediately, escorting me to his car so we could make our way to campus. Everyone else would be staying, and it felt a little like saying goodbye for the last time as I waved to them from the window. I knew I would not die, which I was stubbornly holding on to.

"I have about a dozen officers there already. They took as many cars as possible, trying to make it look like school was in session. They don't know what is happening exactly, but they are keeping everyone away."

"Good." I sighed, finally looking away from the packhouse disappearing behind us. "Don't tell them anything until I get there."

"Do you think this will work?"

"He practically confirmed it." My stomach cramped. I almost wished I hadn't figured out his plan. I would still have the uncle I put my trust in all these years and wouldn't be on my way to fight him. But that was just wishful thinking.

"What do I tell them when we ask them to roll up their sleeves?"

I glanced into the backseat where the secured case was holding our only hope. "Tell them it's to protect them from a disease the enemy has."

It was better than telling them it was a dead man's blood laced with herbs to prevent them from succumbing to Impulse. Even I had flinched when Aunt Bea had given me my dose. She was busy with Nick and still managed to help us.

"Do I want to know what was in it?" Officer Reese asked, having taken his own shortly before we left.

"No," I admitted. "It is only used in extreme cases like this anyway. Probably because it tastes like death."

As we hit the highway, our conversation died. We knew we were going into a dangerous situation. There was no telling how many people Uncle would bring with him or what his plan truly was, so we had to be prepared, not just physically but mentally.

"Kid?" Officer Reese broke the silence, his eyes still fixed on the road. "Are you scared?"

"I'd be stupid not to be. And you?"

"Course I am." He huffed. "I don't want someone like him running around my town."

It was his town. His wife, kids, and friends lived here. It's where he grew up, where he worked. Of course, he'd be scared. I was, and I didn't even live here.

"We'll protect them," I said. "The bastard won't hurt anyone else. Not if I can help it."

As the town came into view, I knew those words were just a fool's wish. We would only know how today ended afterward, and the results might not be what we had hoped for.