“We will increase the patrols around Havenway. Jamison’s parents will be brought here to stay for the burial ritual. Five troops will head into the city and form a perimeter around Athena’s. Reports are to come in hourly on who goes in and who comes out. If we get a visual of Seth’s attacker from the video we’ll email it securely to all the guards on duty.” Nick paused for a minute, both his hands gripping the sides of the podium as if he were holding on to the last bit of his control. “We will not immediately attack to kill. If at all possible we want this bastard alive … at least for a while longer,” he said.
There were murmurs, disagreements, of course.
But Nick continued. “This is the mandate of our Assembly leader. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, is to deviate from these orders.” There was no mistaking the seriousness to Nick’s tone. While he may disagree with the way Rome decided to handle certain things, he had nothing but respect for the man as their leader and would gladly dish out a tremendous beat-down to anyone who dared go against him.
Kalina stood back, watching the crowd, listening to the words being spoken, but it didn’t seem real. Just last night she’d seen Seth and Lucas, the teenage Topètenia who’d come back to the States with them after they’d visited the Gungi to find Ary. Seth had been training Lucas, giving him kickboxing lessons and teaching him how to handle different weapons. He’d said Lucas was a fast learner, and Kalina could tell the man had received much joy from sharing his knowledge with the teen. Seth would lead one day, Kalina remembered thinking. He’d definitely have his own guard team very soon; both Rome and Nick had noticed the young’s man abilities, which was why they’d entrusted him to guard Caprise.
And now he was gone.
Her heart ached at the thought of how his parents must feel, how any parent would feel at such a loss. And for a moment she wondered if her parents—her real parents, the ones who’d been born and lived in the Gungi—had felt the same loss when they’d sent her away.
As the meeting ended she was once again escorted by Rome, with Jax and Eli pulling up the rear.
“I didn’t see Lucas,” she said when they walked out of the gymnasium heading toward their rooms.
“He’s probably still in the medical center. Once he heard Seth had been hurt he raced there and wouldn’t leave Ary’s side as she and Papplin worked on him.”
Dr. Frank Papplin was a shadow who had obtained his medical degree from a human college. He worked at a human hospital, when he wasn’t here at Havenway assisting Ary in the medical center and teaching her all he knew about Western medicine. Ary, in turn, was teaching Papplin about healing shifters as a curandero. Together with the small staff Ary had acquired, they were both making Havenway’s medical center a safe and knowledgeable place for the shifters to receive treatment.
“I want to see him,” she said insistently the moment they stopped in front of the door to their rooms.
Rome shook his head. “Not right now, Kalina. We need to get X back here. Somebody has to tell Caprise. Nick and I have to coordinate the teams to go out tonight. And I need you to find out what the cops know about the incident.”
She was torn, once again, between her duty as the wife of a shifter leader and the instincts of a woman who’d lived her entire life trying to belong. Kalina didn’t know why, but she’d gotten the impression that Lucas was a loner, even though he was born and raised with the tribe. No one had claimed him, no one had argued when Rome said he was coming with them. She wondered why.
“Rome, he’s new here. Baxter’s been teaching him English but he barely understands what we’re saying, let alone watching the man he’d come to adore as a trainer die. He doesn’t need to be alone.”
Rome was opening the door to their room when he looked over his shoulder. “I hear what you’re saying, baby. But this is the priority. Once we’re finished here you can go to him.”
Kalina knew what he was saying was right, she just didn’t like it. “Tell Baxter to get him some food and let Lucas know I’ll be there shortly,” she said to Jax as she followed her husband into their room.
The suite of the Assembly leader and the First Female were of course the grandest in Havenway. They actually consisted of five rooms adjoined by computer- and sensor-locked doors. There was the bedroom, which was the largest of all the rooms; their private bath; a small kitchenette that connected to the living room; Rome’s private office; and on the far end a small conference room. That’s where they were headed now. Only seconds later Nick and Ezra joined them.
“Call X,” Rome said. Eli immediately went to the phone, which sat on a side table in the room.
Kalina took a seat next to the chair at the head of the table. She always sat on Rome’s right. Nick would take the seat on his left. If X were here he’d sit next to Kalina. Their guards would normally sit at the table with them. Today Ezra stood right behind Nick’s chair. When Eli finished initiating the call he would move to stand behind Rome and Jax would return to take his stance near Kalina. They were now officially on high alert.
The room was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts as they faced what would be called their first shifter loss since the battle with the Rogues began.
“He’s not picking up his cell,” Eli said.
Nick frowned. “Call Bas,” he told him.
Caprise was with X. She’d had sex with him and now they were both in Sedona, thousands of miles away from where Nick could either punch X or shake Caprise for what he believed was their madness. Kalina was silently grateful for the distance. The last thing they needed right now was fighting within the ranks. Even though she was almost positive Nick and X would put the Assembly and the shifters before their personal rift, the tension would still be a huge weight for them all to carry.
“Sebastian Perry.” The voice sounded throughout the space as Eli initiated the speaker that sat in the middle of the conference room table.
“Bas, we’ve got a situation. Is X with you?” Rome said immediately.
“I’m here,” the heavy male voice said. “What’s going on?”
Despite the urgent nature of this call both Nick and Rome grew quiet, but only momentarily.
“Seth was killed this morning. Some type of attack by another shifter.”
Both X and Bas cursed, with X rebounding first.
“What the hell happened? Where was he?” X asked.
“He was on watch at Athena’s. He’d already called in to say he was on his way back when he was attacked. We’ve got footage from video in the truck but—” Rome paused and looked at Nick.
“But what? Who the hell did this to him? Was it a Rogue?” From the sound of X’s voice he was ready to come through the phone line to get to Seth’s killer. This situation was so not good.
Kalina clasped her hands and tried to take slow breaths. Her eyes stung each time she thought of Seth and his young face but manly build. But she wouldn’t cry. She was a leader now, she had to set the example. Instead she sat with her shoulders squared and let her husband do his job.
“It wasn’t a Rogue,” Rome said slowly.
“It wasn’t Topètenia,” Nick added.
Complete silence filled the room and the phone line.
“Where is Caprise?” Kalina asked finally. “She has to be told. I can talk to her on a separate line.”
“No!” X yelled through the connection.
Then they could hear a throat being cleared, and Kalina suspected it was his. Interesting.
“I’ll tell her,” he said.
“Kalina’s going to see what the cops know about this, and Nick and I are organizing teams to go back to Athena’s tonight. I need you back here to analyze this video. I know you’ve trained some guards to do computer work, but I’d feel better if it was you,” Rome said sitting back in his chair.