Honesty Falls

fiftEEn

"There must be something we can do. He would really bring war just because we choose to protect a child?"

Since they were all looking at him, Vallen answered. "No. Because you are protecting the were child, he will retaliate against you. Because we aren't playing by his rules any longer, he'll bring war down on us. Not right away, but he will once he realizes we aren't scared of him."

"Should we be scared of him?" Ask Henry.

"You'd be a fool not to be."

Wade nodded. "He's given us to the end of the month, Vallen thinks he's given us so long because he's stalling but either way, when the month is up, and we don't turn over Catherine and Nevaeha he's going to do something. I don't know him as well as Vallen, but I know him well enough to know we should fear him. He's a cruel man. He never out-and-out kills while he's here, but he'll strike a woman quick enough. There're even accounts of him being forceful with any of them he spends time with. Up till now, we've never given him a reason to be upset with us, but now that he is, there's no telling what he will do."

"Wade might not know, but I do. He's killed entire families before just because they thought to stand up to him. He might not be the leader of the Bloodstone pack, the land might not be his on paper, but he still considers it his. He's not going to take their betrayal lightly and as region leader, he does have some say over us."

"If we turn to the leaders_."

Vallen cut off Mr. Herrmann with a grunt. "They aren't going to do anything without proof. Once we are all slaughtered, then they'll take his word for it when he tells them we left him no choice. If anything, he'll get a slap on the wrist. Or he'll lose the election, then he'll really be pissed. The election won't stop him, but our only hope is that it slows him down."

Vallen was holding her arms at her sides, so she leaned back against him and tucked her face into his neck.

Not exactly how she should be conducting herself at a council meeting, but she didn't have any control over it.

It was like she couldn't get enough of him.

Not to mention that all this talk of war upset her.

She hated to think that all of this was her fault. She couldn't have done anything any differently, but she still hated it.

"He isn't just up against the shifters. We're strong. He'd be a fool to go up against us." Mr. Churchill looked at Mr. Herrmann. "I say we vote. We should appeal to the leaders. He's messing with our whole town. He has no entitlements here and maybe they will take our curse into account when he won't."

"You're forgetting they hate weres nearly as much as my father does. Pleading to them just might bring them against you, too. Not war, but an ultimatum from them as well. There are ways around the town's curse. You need to decide if you're willing to chance that girl's life on it."

He must have felt her distress at the thought because he forgot why he was holding her arms down. Nevaeha wrapped around him like a wet blanket.

'We have to protect Catherine.'

'We will.' He answered back to her silent plea.

She could remember not that long ago when she was trying to protect the child from him, and now he was comforting her. In front of everyone. He was letting their minds touch without blocking her.

Her heart swelled. 'Am I hurting you, Vallen? Weakening you?'

'I don't even notice it except for the swirls.'

'Why do you think you can see them when no one else can?'

He ignored her and answered whatever question Henry asked him instead. "Sure, think about it but I'm warning you, all of you, this war between him and I has been coming for a long time and if you aren't standing with me, then you're standing against me. Nothing better happen without me knowing about it."

Nevaeha raised her head so she could look at the council. "We aren't the only ones in danger. Vallen is trying to protect others as well."

He frowned down at her.

Mr. Churchill cleared his throat. "We'll meet back up in a few days. We all have much to think about."