Beauty's Beast(32)

His dark eyes flicked back to his sister. “Yes. The Southeastern Council wanted reassurances that all the Seers will join their forces. They are afraid of the Skinwalkers having you or worse.” He glanced at Alon. “It makes no sense to exile you among...” His eyes shifted between Alon and Aldara. It took a moment for him to reformulate his thoughts. “I spoke with both Mom and Dad and convinced them to let you join the Niyanoka.”

“Let me?” Samantha snorted. “Well, thanks very much. And we will just deny that we are also Skinwalkers?”

“Samantha, you said you wanted to make a difference. You said you wanted to use your gifts. I’m offering you a chance to do both.”

That had been what she had wanted. But not anymore.

Blake sensed her hesitance and continued on. “There are plenty of Grizzly Skinwalkers, but only three Seers.”

She shook her head. This was going all wrong. She needed to steer the conversation back on course. She glanced at Alon, who kept his eyes on hers but lifted his chin toward Blake. The message was clear. Tell him.

She faced her brother. “But we fight better as Skinwalkers.”

Blake pushed off his thighs, straightening in his seat. “Are you going to defy them again?”

And there it was. Her refusal to do as she was told. Her insistence on bucking authority. And woven through Blake’s incredulous question like red yarn was the underlying condemnation he had served up on every occasion. Why was she always causing trouble?

Was that the real reason that she wanted the Ghost Children to fight with them? Just because she knew her family would object? The possibility made her hesitate, second-guess. What if she was wrong again?

Blake’s tone turned gruff. “What the hell are you up to now?”

“I’m trying to help.”

“By not joining the alliance?” Before she could answer, Blake fired another question at her like a barbed arrow. “Or do you plan to fight with the Skinwalkers?”

Alon lifted one finger and Blake turned.

“Maybe you should let her finish.”

Samantha glanced from one to the other. Blake’s flush made it clear that he objected to Alon’s interference. Alon’s locked jaw relayed that he didn’t give a damn. In another minute they’d be at each other. A glance in Aldara’s direction showed her body tensing as she eased forward, preparing to act. Which side would she take?

It was all going just as Alon had predicted, and she had not even made her proposal yet. Samantha spoke in a rush now. “Blake, listen. Nagi has recruited at least twenty Ghost Children fighters already. The Spirit Children can’t stop them. You can’t and I can’t. I know. I’ve seen them fight, and I’m not sure the Skinwalkers can, either.”

Blake rose slowly to his feet. A moment later they all stood.

“We’ll take out the ghosts and possessed humans,” he said. “And Father’s forces will stop the rest,” said Blake, full of the bravado of a Halfling who had never seen his enemy in action.

“What if he can’t?”

Blake glared.

“What if the Skinwalkers fall? Who will stop Nagi’s forces then? The Clairvoyants? The Peacemakers? Nagi’s Ghost Children will shred them like tissue paper.”

Blake scrubbed his palm over his mouth and jaw, his expression dark. “What exactly are you proposing, Sammy?”

“We have thirty-four Naginoka who are loyal to the Balance, all raised by Bess Suncatcher and Cesar Garza. Alon is their Alpha leader, their War Chief, and he has agreed to lead them against Nagi. He’s come to join the alliance.”

“Join the... Are you out of your mind? They tried to kill us.”

“They did not. Those were Nagi’s fighters.”

“You heard Dad. Bring the Niyanoka by any means necessary. That’s what he said.” He pointed at Alon. “If I’m even seen with that, it’s over.”

“What about her?” asked Samantha, thumbing over her shoulder at Aldara, who growled in reply, her eyes more yellow than green. Samantha knew what came next. Did Blake?

“She stays out of sight.”

Samantha felt her fury peak. “How convenient for you both.”

Blake ignored her jibe. “It’s also for her protection. If the Niyanoka see her, they might try to kill her.”

“They wouldn’t succeed,” said Samantha.

“You’d be wiser to worry about the lives of any foolish enough to try,” added Alon, his voice no more than a mutter, but Blake heard the remark.

“Skinwalkers have succeeded in killing your kind,” said Blake, speaking as if the vigilante death packs were some source of pride instead of an abomination.

Alon stepped forward to accept that gauntlet, and Samantha found herself between them once more. But Aldara chose this moment to speak.

“They succeeded because they hunt babies.” Her speech was already slurring, and her mouth was now full of elongating sharp white teeth.

Blake stared at her. She held his gaze as Blake blew out a breath.

“I’m sorry,” he said to Aldara.

She nodded her acceptance of this but stood tense, and her breathing came in angry blasts. Had her brother just apologized to a Ghost Child? Samantha’s concern deepened.

Blake turned to Alon. “I can’t return those souls who have already flown.”

“You could ban such hunts,” said Alon.

“My dad is in charge of the Skinwalkers.”

Samantha felt sick with guilt at being a Skinwalker. Did her dad really condone those hunts? Before she met Alon, she had thought much the same way as Blake. If given the chance, would she have killed a Halfling child?

“In any case, I cannot bring the Ghost Children into this alliance,” said Blake. “The Niyanoka will never accept them.”

“Then I will go to dad and offer our services to him.”

Blake shook his head. “Don’t. He won’t accept them. The Ghostlings are his enemy. But even if we did accept, how could we tell one from the other? No, Sammy. It’s impossible.”

“Your chances would be better if all the Halflings fought together. The Spirit Children are poor fighters,” said Samantha.

“Not true. They can turn minds, change thoughts, bring confusion to the enemy, foster errors. We can cast ghosts from human bodies and heal the injured. We need the Niyanoka to win.”

She waved an arm at Aldara and Alon. “You need them, too.”

He lowered his voice to a growl. “What I need is to bring the Niyanoka to the alliance. That’s what Father asked for, and that’s what I’ll do.”

“But he doesn’t know they’re willing to fight with us.”

“He wants this alliance. Why is this so difficult for you to understand?”

“As War Chief you act in the best interest of the Spirit Children. This is not their best interest,” said Samantha.

“If I do what you ask, they’ll replace me and lose. It’s impossible.”

“But, Blake—”

He lifted a hand to stop her. “You’ve brought me a proposal. I’ve listened. I’ve rejected it.”

For the first time, Samantha saw that she must walk a different path from her brother. She loved him. But he was wrong.

“Please tell your Councils that I decline their offer to join the Niyanoka,” she said. “I fight with the Ghost Children.”

“What? Wait. You can’t! Sammy, you’ll ruin everything again.”

Again. The word hit her low and hard, but she recovered, drawing her shoulders back and raising her chin. Her body trembled as she stepped forward to kiss him goodbye. Blake must have seen it then, because he clamped his mouth shut and stood stiff, his muscles rigid, his jaw clenched as she kissed his cheek and then drew back.

“We will see you on the battlefield, brother.”

Blake opened his mouth and then closed it again as he shook his head. “Why can’t you, just once, do as you are told?”

“And why do you always let them make your decisions for you?”

His mouth dropped open at that.

Samantha moved to stand beside Alon. Aldara glanced from Blake to her brother, her brow knit in anxiety.

“Aldara? Are you coming?” asked Alon.

She shook her head. “He needs me.”

“He has just said that he does not want our help.”

“I know.”

“Then why would you stay with him?”

Aldara lowered her gaze. “The world needs Seers.”

But there was more. Samantha sensed it.

“You won’t stay?” asked Blake to his sister.

“Only if the Ghost Children are permitted to join the alliance.”

“I will bring your offer to father and I will ask the Northeastern Council. But I already know their answer.”