PURITY had their own press conference where they accused the Others of the bombings for publicity and to make them look bad. Humans First had been very quiet and it made Helena wonder why.

“You know it has to be one of their people.” Gage came in with Faine—who gave her a smile that made her tingle a little, and handed her a mug before sitting at her side.

“Drink that. Your mother has called twice and forbade us to disturb you, but she said when you were ready you needed to drink as many cups of this tea as you can.”

Oh, he disturbed her all right. But it was too late to run.

Helena just gulped it down, knowing it would taste horrible, but that if her mother said to drink it, she’d better just obey or face Rain’s wrath.

She grimaced and then shuddered. “Not one of her better-tasting mixes, but as she’ll totally make you tell her and she’s quite hard to fib to, you can now give her the truth.” She put the mug down. “I do believe it was Humans First and PURITY behind this. The more I think about the way Lynn Reed was acting in that hearing, the more I’m convinced she knew something was up. In any case, I’ve got to call in to speak with Gennessee. I was just telling Molly that I’m recommending we end this tour. She can do her testimony via video if necessary. And let’s be honest, everyone has said what needs saying. I’m concerned about what’s going on with our own people.”

“Cade left to go deal with the wolves. He said to let you know we had the use of their plane if we needed it.” Gage sat back. Even in the house his gaze was never still, always roving, looking for possible trouble.

“We do. All this moving around exposes us to a threat I simply can’t protect adequately from. Not anymore.”

She’d take Molly back to Seattle and then get down to Los Angeles. She’d probably have to go to a meeting of the Council of Others. She had three messages from them already, but she wanted to check on her people as well.

Chapter 11

THEY got off the plane in Seattle and she smiled at the sight of her sister on the tarmac.

Lark gave her a hug, kissing her cheek. “Hey you.”

“Hey yourself. Thanks for the escort. I’m going to stick around here and catch a ride down south.”

“You’re not.”

Lark and Helena both turned, surprised by Faine’s rumble of disagreement. Simon just burst out laughing.

“I’m not?” Helena gave him a look that would have sent any other person running. But not this giant. No, he just looked back.

“You’re not. You’re going to my house and you’re going to rest for a day and then we will go wherever we’re needed next.”

“You have a house here too?”

“I have multiple houses. It’s a smart thing to have places you can retreat to when necessary.” He shrugged, looking every bit like a prince as he did so.

“You’ve been appointed my guardian?”

“I believe we’ve already discussed this issue. You need a keeper sometimes because without one you will run yourself into the ground. In case you’ve forgotten, and let me hasten to add that I have not, you nearly died today. You stopped an explosion, and in doing so you bled from the nose and mouth. You need to sleep. Not nap, like you did earlier. You need to eat a real meal and then you need to have a hot bath and then you need to sleep for an uninterrupted eight hours. Then you’ll be well enough to go about saving the world and risking your life again.”

Lark gave Helena a wide-eyed look. “So when did this happen?”

Helena threw her hands up in the air. “It’s like I’m not even here.”

“I’m taking Molly home. Everyone else is going home or to the hotel. I’ll talk with you later. Just let me know where you end up.” Gage gave her a one-armed hug before disappearing with Molly, who gave her two thumbs up and a wink.

“We should get out of the open.” Simon held a hand out to Lark, who looked back and forth between Helena and Faine.

Lark pulled her aside. “They’re going to hear everything we say, but let’s pretend they can’t, okay? You can stay with us. There’s plenty of room. Or you can go back to Los Angeles. I do think he’s got a point. If you go back home, Mom is going to show up at your place with a basket full of goop, tea and tinctures and she will make you consume them all while covered in sticky stuff that will make you itch out the poison or whatever. And then she’ll make you tempeh loaf. Or you can stay here, have steak, some good scotch and cheesecake. While you tell me when you and Faine hooked up.”

“Is this supposed to be a choice? Mom’s tempeh loaf or letting that giant wolf over there tell me what to do?”

Lark laughed. “You fucked a Lycian and, from the looks of it, he’s not just interested in a few days between the sheets. They latch on and then you’re done.”

“I boned him, I didn’t marry him.”

“I’m not a wolf,” Faine called out, amusement clear in his tone.

“Beast, Lycian. Whatever. Bossy, and the sex wasn’t so good I’ve lost my mind.”

Lark cocked her head and dared her to keep lying.

She sighed. “Okay so it was. But . . .”

“There are no buts. He’s right. You need to rest. Also? They come with one setting. Bossy. Domineering. They’re used to being in charge. But they’re worth it. At least the Leviathan brothers are.” Lark smirked. “Come on.” Lark took her hands. “I don’t see you enough and you’ve had a rough day. Let me take care of you. Let’s catch up a little. Please? Before he and Simon can start making plans for world domination?”

“Just Lark domination, pixie.” Simon smiled at Lark, who waved it away as they walked toward the brothers.

“Faine’s place happens to be our place. He’s just poking at you. Come on back. I’ll grill some steaks and we can relax. I’d like to spend time with you and my brother for a change.” Simon gave her a little bow and she knew she was giving in before she did it.

“SO while Lark has Helena cornered off in your room, interrogating her, let me do a little interrogation of my own. What’s going on?”

Faine stood on his brother’s deck, looking out over all the wildness just beyond. He breathed deep of the trees and earth. “It’s good here.”

Simon grunted. “There’s plenty of acreage just up the road for you to build your own house. But I figure you’ll be settling in Los Angeles at this point. How long has this been going on between you and Helena?”

Faine blew out a breath. He’d been holding all this inside for some time and it felt good to finally be able to talk about it with someone who’d understand. “I’ve been attracted to her for some time. Months now. Probably since the first time I laid eyes on her. Until today it was just kisses.” He pushed away from the rail he’d been leaning against, pacing. “She could have died. It just hit me and then I saw her in an exposed moment. Emotionally, I mean. It was . . . I couldn’t resist any longer and I realized it was stupid to have resisted as long as I have. I don’t know, at first I felt like perhaps I should have waited, talked it all over with her before we had sex.”

Grabbing his glass, he turned to face Simon, letting the smoke of the scotch dance over his senses.

The scent of the meat rose as Simon put the steaks on the grill. “She’s a big girl, as Lark is so fond of saying. She knows what we are. Her sister is my Ne’est, after all. Helena knows what she wants. If she hadn’t been interested and hadn’t wanted you, she would have punched you in the head and kicked you out of her room.”

Faine guffawed. “They’re a lot alike, I imagine. You appear to be unharmed so you must be doing something right.”

Simon growled. “Infuriating, these Jaansen females. They’ve got a penchant for placing themselves between danger and their people. Drives me nuts.”

“And you wouldn’t have it any other way.” Faine understood it because he felt the same. The danger of what Helena did made him crazy, but he respected her path a great deal.