“Edgar,” I said.
“Sorry, Jessie.” He curled in on himself a little. It was like a normal person curling his lips together.
“That’s what Cyra was checking out, not the place where the mage was found. She was looking at one of the flowers and stumbled upon…whatever it was.”
“I was imprinting on the flower,” Cyra said. “That’s what we have to do, right, Edgar? Strike up a friendship?”
“Correct. You just have to—”
“Stop.” Kingsley held up his hand before turning to the window, looking out for a while. “Please stop.” After a moment, he barked, “James, clear them out.”
“Yes, alpha.” James gave me a guarded look before leading Kingsley’s shifters from the room.
“Austin,” Kingsley said.
“Yes, alpha?” said Austin, who’d returned and stood near the back wall with Tristan and a mostly composed Broken Sue.
“Send all nonessential personnel out.”
“Me too?” I asked in a small voice.
“No, Jessie, not you too.”
A shiver washed over me as I watched the shifters and Tristan leave. Austin stayed where he was, and my people exchanged looks, suddenly unsure about what was happening. Kingsley’s family had stayed, though, so I hoped that meant he wasn’t about to murder us.
“Jessie,” Kingsley began, still looking out the window. “I consider myself a patient man. A man who is flexible enough to bend so as not to break. It’s what has kept me the alpha of this territory. I understand that many aspects of magic will be beyond my ability to comprehend, especially after what I’ve heard today, and I can make peace with that.”
I tried not to wilt, feeling the but coming on.
“I have also realized that I am a trusting man,” he went on. “I trust that your mage has our best interests at heart, for example. A big stretch, I will admit, but I am putting myself behind that trust totally. I trust my brother. I trust you.”
I clenched my fists. Here came the but, and the sticky problem of what to do with a bunch of magical flowers.
“Your crew is wild. They are unpredictable. While most creatures are capable of being both those things, your crew is also incredibly powerful. They can do an exorbitant amount of damage on a whim. With a sneeze, it seems like. By taking a walk.” I didn’t glance at Cyra. “The thought of having only loose control over those creatures—or no control at all, it seems like—makes me want to cast them out to protect my territory.”
My jaw dropped. This had just gotten a whole bunch bigger than a couple of van loads of magical flowers. I looked at Austin nervously, but his expression was resolute. That wasn’t a great sign either.
“But,” Kingsley continued, “I am putting myself behind that trust totally, as I said.” He turned to face me. “You showed me here today that you will put your neck out for your people. That you won’t lose yourself in moments of high tension or prioritize your image over what you know is right for your people. I respect that about you. And so…” He paused, probably for a steadying breath he didn’t want to advertise. “I will give you leave to manage your people in whatever way you deem fit. If you think magical flowers are the way to go, and they will be safe for my pack, then so be it. You will be held accountable, both for their triumphs and for their failures. I’m sure I don’t have to impress upon you how steep the punishment for those failures will be. You seem to have dealt with plenty. Does that sound fair?”
I wiped my clammy hands on my pants, relief flooding me. I wasn’t even bent out of shape about that little dig there at the end, given it was true enough.
“Oh thank God,” I gushed. ”I thought you were going to kick us all out.”
“I would really like to,” he said, his eyes glittering. He sobered immediately. “I am trusting you with the safety of my pack, Jessie Ironheart. Don’t let me down.”
“Okay.” I nodded, feeling like a little kid again, built up by their parent. “I won’t. Don’t worry, you mostly won’t regret this.”
“You can stop talking now,” he said, passing by Edgar and heading for the door. “Let’s check out this creature your phoenix accidentally-on-purpose killed.”
TWENTY
Jessie
AS WE STEPPED OUTSIDE, Kingsley’s phone chirped. He pulled it out as we made it to the back parking lot, finding the basajaunak gathered around a hump of fur in one of the parking places.