"Maybe he just needs some time alone," I joked.
Before we could talk more, the door opened and Matthew strode back in, exuding more power than he had before. Gordon was directly behind him and he held the door open as a thin man walked into the room and draped his coat over Gordon's shoulder, much to the aide's irritation.
"Put that somewhere, will you?" the man said. I wondered how he and his ego could occupy the same point in space and time without creating a black hole of arrogance.
"Elijah, please take a seat," Matthew said. "Drink?"
"No, thank you, I brought my own," he clicked his fingers, and Randal stepped into the room holding a glass of champagne.
"Would you like some?" Elijah asked Matthew, clearly aware that his alpha would turn him down.
"Some other time," Matthew said with no hint of annoyance. He had incredible self-control; I'd only known Elijah for a few seconds and I already wanted to tear his head off by his short brown hair.
"Tommy," Elijah said.
"You can call me Thomas, or Mr. Carpenter," Tommy said.
"My apologies, I assumed you had people call you Tommy."
"My friends do, yes," he said.
If Elijah had been a bird, he would have ruffled his feathers in annoyance, but he soon regained his composure. "And I see you have one of your council members here," he said, going to Ellie and extending his hand. "Nice to see you, my dear. I assume your friend is too busy being terrified of herself to make the effort of coming tonight. I'll send her some flowers to tell her how much she was missed."
Ellie smiled, but neither stood nor took Elijah's hand. "I'm sure she would love them very much."
Elijah smiled as if he hadn't been rebuffed. "And you?" he asked me.
About a million fake names flashed through my mind, as did a few dozen ways in which I could tell him to fuck off. "Nate," I said not wishing to antagonise the situation.
"A human," Elijah said to Matthew with disdain. "Are you slumming it, or is he the new pet?"
"Mind your tongue," Matthew said his tone ever so slightly hardening.
"My apologies." Elijah bowed his head slightly. "I am only here to discover why you summoned me."
"Tommy is here from the LOA on business. I wish for you to help them in any way you can."
"You work for Avalon now?" Elijah asked Tommy. "I thought that was the duty of your lady friend."
"She asked me to come here on her behalf, as I have history with the pack," Tommy said.
"Ah, an understandable decision for a lady in her position to take."
Tommy opened his mouth to snap something, but wisely thought better of it. "We're looking for Neil Hatchell in relation to a murder case. Do you know where he is?"
"Of course, poor Neil came to me after being attacked in his own home. He was alone and afraid. Worried that some pack thug would take his past into account and kill him."
"We need to find him."
"No."
"I'm sorry?" Tommy said.
"Did you not hear me? Are you deaf or a moron?" Elijah snapped. "I said no. I will not help you find an innocent werewolf so that Avalon can pin crimes on him."
"Like the rapes and murders that he went to the Hole for?" I asked.
"I don't speak to lesser creatures," he said to me. "The adults are talking."
I suddenly didn't care about the rules, or what we needed, I was going to kill him. But Gordon's vice-like grip on my arm reminded me of the more important reasons for us being there, and I calmed.
"I order you to help," Matthew said.
"Order! You order me, when you can't even keep Tommy here from coming back to the pack whenever he feels like." Elijah leapt to his feet. "If he wants to be here, he needs to challenge for leadership. And until you can make him bow to you, I see no reason to do anything you say."
Matthew didn't say anything, but one second he was standing by the window, the next he had Elijah by the throat and had slammed him onto the coffee table. "You come into my home and tell me of the law. I'm within my rights to tear out your throat."
"And start a civil war," Elijah managed to croak.
Matthew released the taller man and moved away, giving the barest nod to Ellie, and allowing Elijah to stand and readjust his suit. His face betrayed none of the anger or shame. I was certain he felt at being put in his place in front of those he considered beneath him.
Ellie stood and stared at Elijah. "I claim Neil in the name of retribution."
Elijah blinked in what I assumed was surprise. "You're the other woman that Neil… My, that is a surprise. Matthew kept that little piece of information quiet."
"You cannot keep him from me," Ellie said. "You've already admitted you have him. And by the rights of werewolf law, I can claim his life as forfeit."
Elijah's smirk wasn't the response I'd expected. "Oh, Matthew, is this your plan? Have the girl claim him?" Elijah tutted, as if scolding a child. "You're right, I have to hand Neil over to her, but there's nothing that says when I have to do it."
"What do you want, Elijah?"
"I want to bring you down a peg or two, and I want Tommy to finally decide where he stands. Did he even bring a gift?"
"I'm here on Avalon business," Tommy said.
"No matter," Elijah snapped. "Tommy has disrespected you, and you allow this to stand."
"What gift should he have brought?" Gordon asked.
"It's too late now, but there is a way to save the situation."
"Make your point," Matthew demanded.
"If you want Neil so badly, you will fight for him. Champion against champion and I will consider this matter settled. No matter the outcome, Neil is yours afterward." He walked over to Randal and tapped him on the arm. "My boy here will be a match for Tommy."
"I won't fight for you, just to get one over on Matthew," Tommy said. "That's not going to happen."
"Then Tommy will be banished from entering this pack for any reason," Elijah said with a smirk.
"Avalon's rules state that I can nominate someone to fight in my place," Tommy told him.
Elijah followed Tommy's gaze. "The human?" He asked, laughing hard. "Oh, this will be a quick fight."
It took me a moment to realise that he meant me.
"And, since you're so keen on playing by Avalon's rules, Matthew," Elijah said. "I invoke the Accords." And with that he stormed from the room with Randal in tow.
Chapter 15
"Would anyone like to tell me what the hell is going on?" Ellie asked.
Elijah's challenge had created an avalanche of activity as people came and went, all giving Matthew advice on the best course of action to take. Several of the council elders had just left when Ellie had asked her question.
"Elijah has challenged me to a fight," Tommy said. "If I'd accepted and won, I would have risen in the ranks of the pack and been too close to threatening Matthew for alpha. If I lost, I'd be banished. My only option was to pick Nate to fight in my steed," Tommy said.
"Yeah, he's going to fight Randal. Which is insane, by the way," Ellie said with a sigh. "But I meant the Accords. I've been a werewolf for a while now, but this is the first I've heard of them."
"About three thousand years ago there was a war," I said. "It was fought between a variety of different species, but the end result was the same — tens, probably hundreds of thousands died. Merlin and those who held the most influence said never again and created the Accords.
"The Accords allow anyone who lives under Avalon rule to challenge any other to a one-on-one fight. The person challenged picks the type of fight and the rules. Entire wars from that moment on were settled with one fight. Something even humans decided to take up on occasion. It didn't always work, but it stopped various species from trying to wipe each other out on a regular basis."