Chapter Sixty-Three – The speech

“You can’t move her when she’s like this” Anthony argued.

Lilith had come rushing into the room all of a sudden, closely followed by a male nurse and another female in a doctors coat. They checked Ariel’s vitals, the drips, everything in such a rush that Anthony worried something bad was about to happen. But then the other two left, leaving him and Lilith alone.

“He’s looking for her, and she can’t stay. I made a call, asked a favor of one of my friends in the city, they will try and stall him, but it’s just a matter of time before he gets back here. You’ve dealt with him before. You know how persistent he is, he won’t stop. And her being here, it can be used as a reason for them to attack. He tried to use the newcomers, you stopped him, but even you can’t stop a kidnapping claim”

Lilith spoke with an urgency to her voice. She didn’t like it any more than he did, and her professional opinion was to leave her, don’t move her unnecessary and give her mind time to heal. This wasn’t the ideal place, she had to admit that she would have preferred a psychiatric ward, but they required them moving her someplace far away. Either way, she couldn’t stay at the clinic.

“Moving here is the lesser of two evils?” Anthony sighed.

“Yes. But I don’t know where to. Nadine isn’t here, she’s in France, and without her portals it makes it harder. I can’t ask for an ambulance; they are too flashy and easy to intercept. And no matter what, she can’t stay anywhere on the grounds. They will look for her, tear the place apart under the justice of freeing the kidnapped. I don’t want to move her, I really don’t – but…” Lilith stopped. No matter how she looked at it, it was bad.

“They shouldn’t have brought her here in the first place” She mumbled. Anthony was inclined to agree. But if they hadn’t, she’d already be back home with her father, hearing who knows what, her weakened mind an easy target for his manipulations.

“Is there a secret place? Somewhere no one would think to check. A door that could be manipulated, shielded for view?” Anthony tried to think. Considering the urgency in Lilith’s voice he didn’t think they had long.

“Even if we did, no one here could do magic tricks like that” Lilith huffed, earning herself a scold form the mayor.

“I can. Let me help” Anthony offered. He couldn’t create a portal like Nadine, but he could make a door disappear.

“I forgot that you weren’t human, I apologize” Lilith blushed slightly before regaining control of herself, pressing forward a smile before glancing at the clock on the wall. They still had time, it took two hours to drive to the hospital, and then two hours to get back. But she didn’t want to wait around until the last minute.

“Okay. I’ll go look for a hideaway, and you stay here in case something changes. The sedation will wear of eventually, and without Nadine and her magical dream chaser potions I believe things will take a turn for the worse eventually" Lilith looked at Ariel, her face so restful, at peace. It broke her heart knowing it wouldn’t last for long. If she ever managed to break out of the state she was in. One could only hope.

“Someone should ask her to fill the medicine cabinets with those potions” Anthony suggested, earning himself a small chuckle from the worried doctor. It was nice.

“I’ll ask her the next time I see her” Lilith answered before walking back out, closing the door behind her and taking a deep breath to steady herself. They had a plan, a makeshift but doable plan. It didn’t make her feel better, but it was a start.
–
Everyone but the medical personnel on call was gathered inside the dining hall. Dinner was being served, but the chatter was muted. Everyone a little worried from the scene at the gates, the newcomers especially.

“You should say something” Talia nudged Adam, catching his worried glance around the room for a third time. He hadn’t even touched his food, him and Damir lost in a conversation only they could participate in.

“He’s not going to hear you” Devan sighed beside her, glancing over at Katlyn who had just joined them for dinner. He could tell she was still tired, but the need for sustenance had surpassed the need for sleep.

Talia glanced at the watch on her arm. One hour had passed. They had at least three hours left. If not more. Maybe. At least they couldn’t use the dark as a cover. The sun was still up, still shining brightly, bathing them in its warming rays. And it wouldn’t set for many months yet. It was a small blessing in the madness that was about to occur.

“We can’t ask people to stay and fight an unknown enemy” Talia said to Devan, since Adam was long lost in the walls of his own mind.

Devan nodded agreeing with them. They weren’t warriors, they didn’t train to fight and go into battle. They weren’t the people you called for help in a fight or a war. Both him and Dimitri could hold their own, and the people who trained with them had some basic skills. But still. They were the people you called when negotiations stalled, not for backup in a conflict.

“We need to know who we are fighting against first” Devan looked to Katlyn, watching her already stretch her arms above her head, bending left and right to loosen up the tension in her back. She already knew what they were going to ask.

“You better have something sweet stored for me when I get back” She grinned before shuffling the last spoonful of dinner in her mouth, slowly chewing and enjoying the taste of a well-cooked salmon before getting to her feet.

“One hour” Devan said, and she nodded before disappearing out to the terrace, discarding of her clothes as she walked. They really had to have a chat with her about that, there were children present!

“Where is she off to?” Adam asked, a puzzled look on his face, now present in the dining room after a long back and forth conversation with his wolf about what to do, and most importantly, what not to do.

“Get information” Devan answered with a shrug.

“Good call” Adam didn’t know what else to say. He was too distracted at the moment to be a good Alpha. It had to change, quickly.

“You know what else is a good call? Telling the pack what’s going on” Talia stared at him, urging him to speak up, to tell the truth. His pack relied on him, trusted him, and they already knew something was up. They had excellent hearing after all.

“I know” He dreaded this moment. Having to ask his pack to fight, physically, against an enemy was something he’d never wanted to do.

Moving the food around for a moment longer he stood, clapping his hands together one time to get everyone’s attention. Talia hadn’t meant hear and now, with the kids present, but still. They deserved to not be kept in the dark, and he wouldn’t scare them unnecessary, she hoped.

Her eyes found Alehtta, who had taken a seat at a table with some of the kids she’d gotten to know. When she saw Talia looking at her, she got up and walked over to her, curling up on her lap. Talia wanted to shield her from danger, the little girl had already experienced so much.

“What’s happening?” Alehtta whispered, watching Adam with big eyes as Talia wrapped her arms tighter around her, pressing her against her chest, trying to block out as much sound as possible.

“I don’t know how to say this, cause my goal has always to keep the people I care about safe. To keep my pack safe and out of harm’s way. But sadly, people are getting in the way. Someone is threatening us because of what we are – and what others of our kind has done many many years ago. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can tell it’s not going to be a walk in the park or negations over dinner. Someone want us gone from this part of the world, want to rid their area for those who are not human, and I’m not going to let that happen. I’m not about to pack up and leave because someone, one person, decide he doesn’t want me here. You heard right, one person, one man. He’s unpredictable at best, blaming us for what happened to his family, despite the fact that we had nothing to do with it. None of us in this room had nothing to do with his family tragedy, yet all of us are at risk because he doesn’t see what. He sees wolf, and he thinks death. I’m not going to ask anyone to stay and fight, especially those of you who just arrived a few days ago. You’ve all been through so much already, and I wish I could tell you all you’re now safe, no one will harm you. But I’d be lying, and I won’t do that. So, if anyone wants to leave, you have my understanding, and you won’t be stopped. Not by me, or anyone else. I just want to ask you all to be vigilant, to not make any rash decisions. I’m staying, I’m fighting for my home. I’ve been chased out of my home once before, and I’m never letting that happen again”

Adam let his eyes roam around the room once, then back again, looking for something. A sign of what they were all thinking, what they all wanted to do. He could see how parents had covered the young children’s ears, shielding them. It didn’t help much, but he appreciated the effort.

His eyes then fell to his own table, where Talia sat with Alehtta on her lap, covering her ears to the best of her ability. The little girl looked a little scared, but there was something about the way she looked at him that made him think she was braver than most of them. She’d already lost her parents once, which was by far the worst that could happen to a child. And with them she’d lost her home, and Adam had promised to keep her safe, provide her with a new home. He hoped he could still deliver on that.