Dead Lines

36: War Is Coming

"Not even remotely." I met Andrzej's eyes and tilted my head toward the kitchen. "We need to talk."

Cecil didn't respond, nor did he move. But Andrzej did. With a tick of his head, he replied to my request and started to head toward the kitchen behind the crowd. He paused when he caught sight of Kye waiting out of sight of everyone else in the living room. A range of emotion crossed my friend's face, from unpleasant surprise to hostility in seconds.

In true Andrzej fashion, he didn't make a scene but his distaste for the other wolf was clear. Andrzej wasn't leaving me alone. Not with Chris still in the room. Not with another wolf invading what he perceived as his territory.

Cecil sighed. "Damn werewolves. Why doesn't he just pee on your leg?"

Now wasn't the time to crack jokes but at the same time-it was needed. And I wanted to laugh. I did. I wanted to laugh until I cried because I needed a good cry at this point. It needed to happen before I snapped, had a mental break down, decided the world had to defend itself without me.

"Peeing on my leg would be unsanitary."

"Says the girl who still has traces of blood behind her ears. Whatever you did with the Brothers brought on a true vision."

I neither confirmed nor denied it but he knew the truth. His grip on my hand tightened the same time Andrzej's eyes flashed gold.

"Natalie," my father called to me. "Would you come over here for a moment?"

I didn't want to. Commiserating with my family and friends right now felt wrong, counterproductive somehow. But as I looked from one face to the other, I knew they needed me. There was a gaping, bloody hole where the Triplets used to be in our friend dynamic and the rest of them were looking to me to help them deal.

The duality of my life hit me once more. They were dealing with the girls' deaths while I was numb to it, in the process of avenging it.

"Nat," Schylar murmured. "Please."

They needed me and right now it mattered more.

"I'll take Kye to the kitchen," Cecil whispered. "Everything else can wait for a few minutes."

I didn't need to tell him but it slipped out anyway. "Thank you," I whispered.

He kissed me on the temple. "Go give them some hope. Then we'll go kick some ass, kill a few things. If we're lucky, we'll even bag a primordial god."

"Lucky us."

I kissed him on the cheek and we went our separate ways.

*

More emotionally exhausted than I needed to be, and half an hour later, I made my way into the kitchen. And to a different kind of heavy situation. The wolves were on different sides of the island, both sets of eyes glowing. A detailed, hand-drawn map rested on the island top between them.

Cecil stood on yet another side, facing me with a tense look on his face. His eyes were shifting from one wolf to another, left hand twitching. Getting in the middle of whatever they were fighting about wouldn't be good. For multiple reasons.

"What's goin' on in here?"

Cecil looked at me, eyes wary. "Pissing contest."

I approached the island with caution, glancing from one to the other before dropping to the map. "Yeah? 'Bout what?"

"How we're handling the field," he said with the two wolves remaining in a silent stareoff. "Something about territory and trust is my understanding. There's been a lot of grunting and growling..."