I bare my teeth at Vlad, and I can smell his pulsing anger. He doesn't take orders, and I get that. But war is knocking on our door so a pissing contest is the last thing we need. I stare at Vlad, allowing my claws to take form as Theo slowly stands from his chair.
“Clarissa’s on that couch,” Theo says. “Settle down.”
“Are you ready to listen?” I ask.
“What prophecy?” Vlad asks.
“There’s a prophecy from Theo’s clan leader that states a woman will be sent to save the Primal races,” Toshi says.
“That same prophecy also states that woman is pregnant,” I say.
Vlad’s eyes wander back over to Clarissa as I watch the realization cross his face.
“You guys think Clarissa’s pregnant,” he says. “Which would fulfill this prophecy.”
“That’s why I’m not fond of her going into battle,” I say.
“And I do agree with Sebastian. Even if she isn’t pregnant, and this is just a bug or something, we made a vow to protect her. And thrusting her into the middle of a war isn’t protecting her,” Theo says.
“Clarissa isn’t going to like that we’re orchestrating all of this behind her back,” Toshi says.
“For once, I agree with a Cat,” Vlad says. “Cl
arissa’s smart. She’ll figure out what you guys are doing.”
“Not if no one tells her,” I snarl.
My eyes are still hooked onto Vlad’s stare and he snickers.
“What? You think I’m going to tell her and suffer her wrath?”
“Right now, I’m not sure what you're doing or why you’re here,” I say.
“So you still don’t trust me. After helping you prepare and after helping to hide Clarissa and after telling you the truth about Kyle and bringing you all back here, you still don’t trust me?” Vlad asks.
“No,” I say. “I don’t.”
“But setting all that aside,” Toshi says, “Sebastian had a point a moment ago. These humans can’t keep Clarissa safe from this war or from the Council. And even though it pains me to admit it, I think Sebastian’s right.”
“Wow. That’s a first,” Theo says.
“I know you all smell it. She’s been sick, yes. But even before that. There’s a pungent odor coming from her. And if she is pregnant, then her changing body chemistry could be the source of it.”
“I thought I was the only one who smelled it,” Vlad says.
“Nope. I think we all smell it. Minus the humans. They can’t smell anything,” I say.
“Which means, no matter what, our main objective is to keep Clarissa safe. By any means necessary,” Theo says.
My eyes dance around the table at the men nodding their heads. Finally. We could all fucking agree on something.
“Then that’s the most important thing,” I say. “We uphold our promise to Clarissa to find Kyle, but not at the expense of her safety. That should be first and foremost.”
“First and foremost,” Theo says.
“First and foremost,” Toshi says.
My eyes pan over to Vlad, and he sighs and rolls his eyes.