Sin & Salvation (Demigod of San Francisco #3)(21)

Mordecai slid the omelet onto a plate and nudged it in my direction. “It’s all meat. No veggies.”

I frowned at him, momentarily distracted from what Daisy was saying. “Even shifters need vegetables,” I said, taking the plate. I was going to say canines, but that was a touchy subject, and also Daisy’s favorite button to push. “You need—” I stopped when I noticed him pointing at the pan resting on the top burner. “You made collard greens to go with an omelet?”

“I don’t like vegetables interfering with my meat dishes,” he said as though that made sense.

“Okay. Parental crisis averted. You may continue, Daisy.”

Daisy was utterly convinced that our little untrained and mostly unknowledgeable family would save the day. Which was probably why she felt responsible for overseeing his efforts.

Daisy pointed at me with the business end of her fork. “You told us that Kieran said the magical ruler of Sydney doesn’t get along with Valens, remember?” She paused for my answer. I nodded. “The fire thrower lady, remember?”

“A nod generally means yes,” I said dryly.

Daisy scowled. “Gross.” She scoffed but continued. “Kieran was going to move us into the fire lady’s—”

“Fire Elemental,” Mordecai supplied as he mixed eggs in a bowl.

“—territory to keep us safe because she would get pissed if Valens tried to stick his nose in her sh—stuff.” Daisy pressed her lips together after her near miss with swearing.

“She’s a class-five Fire Elemental, and I remember all that.” I reached for the orange juice.

“Well, if she hates Valens, and Valens hates her, she might want to join our cause,” Daisy said. “It’s certainly worth asking. The research I’ve done tells me that she’s fierce, a strong leader, and well-liked and respected by her people. She’d be a good ally, right?”

“Yes, but it’s not for us to initiate that connection.” Mordecai peeled two strips of bacon from the package. “We’re nobodies. You’re not even magical. We can’t go randomly contacting world leaders.”

“Peel off a couple more, would ya?” I asked. “I could do with a side of bacon. And Mordecai is right. She’s a ruler and we’re basically trainees under an uncrowned Demigod taking on an active Demigod of a prestigious magical city. It’s a delicate situation. If anyone approaches her, it should be Kieran.”

“Right. I agree with you. It should,” Daisy said after she finished chewing. “But when I asked Zorn about it, he ignored me.”

“He always ignores you.” Mordecai pulled the package of ham closer to him.

“Yes, genius, I’m aware of that.” Daisy pushed her plate away. “But you don’t have to be part dog to read body language.”

“Low blow, Daisy,” I said around a full mouth.

“Zorn discounted me,” Daisy said. “He might as well have called me an ignorant girl.”

“Except…” Mordecai shook his head as he put the eggs into the pan. “I mean, I don’t want to start anything, but in terms of the magical world, you are an ignorant girl.”

“Since when don’t you want to start something?” I asked. “All you two do anymore is fight.”

“He said that to tell me he’s serious,” Daisy explained. “He’s not just busting my chops. And yes, Mordie, I am ignorant, but this is glaringly obvious.”

“Kieran got no love from the non-magical mayor of San Francisco,” Mordecai said.

Daisy threw up her hands. “So? Kieran shouldn’t give up looking for more allies because one butthead turned him down. Everyone knows the mayor is a crook, just like Valens.”

“I just think we should leave the networking to Kieran,” Mordecai said, plating his omelet.

Daisy huffed loudly, stood, and grabbed up her plate. “That’s just the problem—everyone thinks everything should be left to Kieran. It’s one thing to have faith in the guy, but at some point, we have to take a step back and acknowledge he’s terrible at delegating.”

“The thing is…” Mordecai sat at the table. “Kieran has gotten a lot of training, he’s talked with powerful people, and he’s been preparing. There’s a reason everyone is turning to him. He’s a lot more qualified to make these types of decisions than me. Or you.”

“Spoken like a follower and not a leader.” She dropped her plate into the sink. It clattered against the porcelain. “What do you think, Lexi?”

I paused in my chewing. “It’s a dicey situation. On one hand, I can absolutely see what you’re saying.” Daisy beamed and I held up a finger in warning. “But you’re also being short-sighted. Joining the fight against Valens means picking a side. If Kieran loses, she loses. And if he pursues her as an ally and she doesn’t want to get involved, she’ll know his secret information. How much would that be worth to Valens? Mordecai is right, it is an extremely fragile situation.”

“No.” Daisy crossed her arms over her chest. Her usually pale cheeks were stained red. “What’s fragile is our situation. Zorn is amped up when he talks about it, and I can tell he’s trying to psych himself up because he suspects an unfavorable outcome.”