“Me too, sweetie,” she said, wiping away her tears.
Bryn was still frowning. “Monroe and Corrine? I don’t understand. How would that even be possible?”
“It’s kind of involved, but it’s possible. We’re gonna have to leave it at that,” I said. “We’ve got other things to do now that Ren’s here.”
“What other things?” Mason asked. “Please tell me they’re things that involve kicking some Keeper ass.”
I grinned. “That’s exactly the kind of things they are.”
“Hold on,” Bryn said. “I’m all for fighting the Keepers, but do the Searchers want our help?”
“They rescued us, didn’t they?” Mason rocked back on his heels.
“I suppose.” Bryn’s eyes wandered to Ansel, who was still staring off into the distance. I was already counting her out of this fight. She was only concerned with helping my brother. And that was fine with me.
Tess spoke up. “Monroe and Corrine first met because a group of Banes planned to rebel against their masters. We were going to help them. Unfortunately the plan was discovered.”
“The Keepers killed my mother,” Ren finished. His eyes had gone flat.
“Shit.” Nev kicked the edge of the rug. “They are just total shit.”
“No kidding,” Mason said.
I didn’t want us to get lost in our own rage against the Keepers. “There have been other, older alliances between Guardians and Searchers, but none of them could last.”
“Because no one can defeat the Keepers.” Sabine glared at Tess.
“Until now.” Tess didn’t falter under Sabine’s cold eyes.
“Shay can stop them,” I said quietly. “That’s why they wanted to kill him.”
“Says who?” Sabine snapped. “That stupid prophecy Connor and that punk-rock brain trust, Silas, were talking about? What if it’s all lies? Nothing we’ve heard up to this point about our past has been true.”
“Let it go, Sabine,” Nev said, squeezing her shoulder. “These are the good guys. They saved us, remember?”
Sabine’s lip trembled. “Go to hell.” She shoved Nev away and ran from the room.
Mason shook his head. “She’s not seeing the silver lining, is she?”
“She’ll be okay,” Nev said, watching the door close again. “It’s a lot to take in.”
Ren nodded, though the tight set of his jaw told me he was worried about her.
“We may need to rethink our teams,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said. “Looks that way.”
Mason tugged on the collar of his shirt. I glanced around at my packmates, realizing they were all dressed in Searcher garb. I suddenly wanted to laugh.
Mason gave me a quizzical look and I shook my head.
“Where’s Shay?”
“Still with the Searchers in Haldis Tactical,” I said. “They keep him pretty busy.”
He fidgeted, coughing before he spoke again. “So, uh, Ren’s here… and Shay’s here?”
“Yes,” I said.
Bryn glanced nervously at Ren and then me. “Who’s our alpha?”
“I am.” I waited for Ren to object, but he didn’t.
She chewed on her lower lip. “And Shay and Ren?”
“Are backing me up.”
Ren sighed, but he nodded. “We’re backing her up.”
Mason grinned. “She is woman, hear her roar.”
Bryn giggled. “Awesome.”
My answering smile was so broad it hurt a little.
The door opened and Anika entered, followed by Adne. A moment later Shay walked in. As soon as he joined us, the air crackled as if it were filled with ozone. Ren moved to the other side of the room, putting as much distance between himself and Shay as possible. I appreciated the safeguard, forcing myself to stay in place rather than going to Shay like I wanted to. Nev and Mason exchanged a glance and didn’t hide their grins fast enough.
“If you two make any bets, I will find out about it,” I said. “And you’ll be sorry.”
Mason managed to look abashed. Nev shifted his gaze from my pointed stare with a sly smile.
Adne followed Ren, looping her arm through his in a casual gesture, but I saw her fingers lock around his arm, steadying him as he glared at Shay.
Anika’s face was stern as she surveyed our small Guardian pack. “I trust you’re aware of our shifting circumstances.”
We all nodded. Anika smiled, turning to Tess.
“I’m told you have a proposal for me?”
Tess straightened. “It’s about us orphans.”
“Us orphans?” Anika’s brow furrowed.
My chest tightened as I looked from Tess to Ansel. She was right. Tess and Isaac had been posted in Denver, at the Searchers’ hideout. Now that Purgatory had burned, Tess couldn’t do the Reapers’ work of smuggling goods under the Keepers’ noses. She’d lost her home; her job; her partner, Isaac; and her lover, Lydia. All because we’d shown up and turned her world upside down. If anyone should hate us, it was Tess, but all she’d done was treat us with kindness, my brother especially.
“Me and him.” Tess gestured to Ansel. “We’ve both lost our place in the world.”
“His status is still being considered, Tess,” Anika said. “You know that.”
“Of course,” Tess said. “But I think it would benefit everyone for him to prove himself useful.”
I watched her, suspicion nestling against my spine. Ansel wouldn’t be exploited in any way while I had a say in it.
“What did you have in mind?” Anika asked.
“My outpost is gone,” Tess said. “But I still have training for basic Academy tasks. I can help in the garden and in Eydis Sanctuary. I’d like to take the boy with me. Teach him some of our ways.”
“Do you really think that’s wise?” Anika paced across the room.
“I think it would be unwise to leave him unoccupied.” Tess’s eyes slid over Ansel’s arms. His skin was crisscrossed with bright red hatch marks. Older cuts were healing; newer scratches were just beginning to scab over.
“He’ll never be unsupervised,” Tess said. “I’ll take full responsibility for his whereabouts.”
“I’d want to send a Striker to accompany you as well,” Anika said.
Tess nodded. “If you think that’s necessary.” She looked at Ansel again, her face making it clear that she didn’t think he was a threat to anyone. As I gazed at my brother, or rather at the shell of a person that he now seemed to be, I wondered how anyone could see him as dangerous. Then again, he had been swayed by the Keepers to betray us. Brute strength wasn’t the only threat to worry about.
“I’ll consider it,” Anika said.
“Don’t bother,” Ansel said without turning his face from the window.
Tess didn’t react to his dead voice, but Bryn twined her fingers in his. “Come on, An. You should go with Tess. Doing stuff will take your mind off…” Her words trailed away.
“I should just stay in here,” Ansel said, pulling his hand out of Bryn’s grasp.
Her lip trembled. I wanted to grab my brother and shake him for treating her with such carelessness.
Anika frowned, peering at my brother. “You’d prefer to stay confined?”
“I’m where I belong,” he said.
Anika beckoned to Tess. “Let’s discuss this elsewhere.”
The two of them left the room. Bryn was still trying to coax Ansel into conversation. When he finally pushed her away after several attempts, she got up and went to Mason’s open arms. He hugged her while she quietly cried.
Ren came to my side, which made Shay growl. He quieted when I cast a warning glance in his direction. I wished I could do more. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to Shay alone since Ren had returned, and the longer I had to wait to steal away with him, the more I worried that Shay would misinterpret all of this.
“I think I might be able to do something here,” Ren murmured in a low voice so only I could hear him.
“Like what?” I asked.
“He needs to know you can make the wrong choice and still deserve a second chance.” A painful lump formed in my throat at Ren’s words. The alpha was the only one who could relate to Ansel’s betrayal. Maybe he could make a difference.