«Then we’ll deal. Both of us.» He eased up, spilling her onto her back, and dropped a kiss to the corner of her mouth. «I wouldn’t be doing this without you. Not because you had the idea, or because you wanted it.» His lips pressed to the bare skin above her heart, soft and warm. «You believe in it. You let me feel it. You made me remember how good it is to believe.»
A sad thing to forget. Her heart ached for him. «We’ll remember,» she told him softly. «And when things get hard, we’ll remind each other.»
«That’s all I need, baby. You and me and a world of hope.»
Chapter Twenty
The last time the Alpha had come to town, he’d held his meeting in Franklin’s clinic. Neutral territory.
Neutral territory was gone. Blown to little fucking pieces, and the knowledge still grated. Alec wouldn’t let Cesar Mendoza set a toe across the threshold of the makeshift clinic, so John Wesley Peyton had summoned them both to the Roosevelt, to one of the hotel’s tastefully decorated suites, where they could mouth polite pleasantries before Alec made it clear that mediation wasn’t an option.
Except when the door opened, Alec found himself facing the Alpha and no one else. «John.»
«Alec. Come in.» He stepped back, looking tired and rumpled and damn near worn out. «Mendoza isn’t here yet.»
John had always been older, but now he almost looked old. Alec crossed the threshold, then waited for the man to close the door and turn. «If you’re hoping to talk me down, it’s not going to work.»
The Alpha’s jaw clenched. «On the contrary, the mediation wasn’t my idea. Cesar insisted, probably because he knows you’re planning to rip his head off.»
Funny how the guy willing to blow strangers up from a distance got oh-so-civilized when his neck was on the line. «He can keep his head, but I’m taking his council seat.»
John snorted as he crossed to the small bar on the other side of the room. «If he’ll relinquish it quietly and without bloodshed, I’ll consider letting him live in exile.»
Cesar wouldn’t give in, and they both knew it. No point in belaboring it. «After I do that, I’m taking the Conclave seat.»
The man choked on a sip of whiskey. «When you decide to get ambitious, you don’t mess around, do you?»
«Not really. No point in getting in this game if I’m not gonna play for keeps, is there?»
«I suppose not.» The Alpha gestured to the bar with an upraised brow and poured another drink at Alec’s nod of assent. «If you want to survive, you’d better have a plan for dealing with Sam Hopkins and Drum Hughes. They’ll be at your throat in a heartbeat.»
John Peyton would probably sympathize with Alec’s plan, but the Alpha might not have that luxury. Alec erred on the side of caution and nodded, answering the question without giving John words he’d have to pretend he hadn’t heard. «By the end of the week, the Southeast council will be behind you.»
An odd light sparked in John’s eyes, but he let it go and changed the subject. «Cesar is bound to appeal to your sense of family, since you’re involved with his niece.»
«No.»
«No, he won’t, or no, appeal isn’t an option?»
It felt like stepping off a cliff, and Alec didn’t care. «My future wife isn’t interested in seeing her uncle retain his council seat.»
«No, I can’t imagine she would be.» John drained his whiskey and set the glass aside. «I can’t say I’ll be sorry to see Cesar taken down. No one deserves the trouble he’s caused.»
Alec let out a breath. «I’m in this, John. It’s time for a change. Way past time.»
«As it happens, I couldn’t agree» A knock on the door interrupted his words. «Well, here we go.»
He opened the door to Cesar Mendoza, who stood there with bloodshot eyes and a too-pleasant smile. «Good to see you again, John.»
«Cesar.» The Alpha’s dour expression didn’t change as he stepped back. «We’ve been waiting for you.»
Alec bared his teeth at Cesar. The man blanched, though his smile stayed frozen in place, and he held Alec’s gaze for a moment before looking away.
«Sit,» John ordered. «Both of you. Alec, you begin.»
The suite had couches and chairs arranged around a low coffee table. Alec took a chair, one with its back to the wall, and waited until Cesar sank to a couch before sitting himself. «You violated neutral territory.»
He didn’t deny it. «No one was meant to be harmed—»
The Alpha cut in. «Your intentions matter less than the outcome, Cesar. You acted rashly. Don’t justify it.»
Irritation flashed in Cesar’s eyes, though he covered it well, and his concession was stilted. «It was a grievous error in judgment.»
«The latest,» Alec ground out, already tired of the endless talking. «For that reason, in front of our Alpha, I’m challenging you, Cesar Mendoza. For your seat on the Southeast council and everything that comes with it.»
The man tensed. «Really, is that necessary? Think of Carmen.»
Alec’s nails bit into his palm. «Like you were thinking of her when you blew up her boss and her best friend? Or like your brother was thinking of her when he damn near killed her with that fucking spell?»
Cesar floundered for a response. «I believe Diego knows what’s best for his own child.»
«Bullshit. I’m thinking of Carmen, so I’ll give you a chance to back down. Yield, and let the Conclave decide what to do with you. That’s your only way out.»
His throat worked, and Alec could practically see him considering all the angles, trying to determine the best combination of likely risk versus potential reward, and weighing it all against his pride.
In the end, that pride won. His dark eyes went flinty, cold, and he sat straighter on the plush sofa. «If you want my seat, you’ll have to take it. I accept your challenge.»
Adrenaline surged. Alec’s wolf flowed to the surface, so fast and vicious he was faintly surprised he didn’t spill to the floor and sprout fur. How easy it would be to force the challenge now. Lay his enemy low, with the stink of fear in the air. It would solve the problem. Soothe his pride.
It wouldn’t last. «Friday,» he rasped, still fighting the call of the chase. «There’s a place suitable for challenges on my property.»
«As the challenged party, it’s my right to choose the venue for—»
«I’m overruling your right to pick the place.» The Alpha growled, and power spiked through the suite. «The bombing at Sinclaire’s clinic is under investigation, Cesar. You’ve invited a scrutiny we can ill afford, put us all in danger. Be glad you’re getting an honorable challenge at all.»
John’s words cowed him, that much was clear, but the man kept his head high. «Friday. May I be excused?»
«Get out.»
Cesar all but fled, and John rubbed his hands over his face as the door closed behind him. «Christ, what a catastrophe.»
Alec had been so busy cleaning up the mess, he hadn’t had time to check in with the human investigation. «How bad is the exposure?»
«Nowhere near what it could have been. Right now, it’s little more than vandalism. If the police knew Franklin was there or — God forbid — his girlfriend, the assistant District Attorney…» His weary sigh said it all. «We can’t afford to act like petulant children when we don’t get our way. We can’t afford people like that on our ruling councils.»
He sounded so tired, so defeated. Alec rose, took both of their glasses to the bar and reached for the whiskey. «They’ve been getting their own way for a long time. Maybe they can tell something’s about to give.»
«Is it?»
«Hasn’t it already?» Alec brought the Alpha his glass. «Enrica Maglieri is the first woman to sit on the Conclave. A turned wolf of two years defeated a Conclave member in a fight. The Seer has a child and isn’t living under their thumb anymore. The old guard has to be in a panic.»