Page 31 of Truthfinder’s Promise
Uh-huh. “And if they aren’t Null? If they are, for example, Aspect?”
He didn’t answer, which was answer enough.
“I see.” Her voice dropped several degrees. “Were you planning on getting rid of me once you were done with me?”
“No. I was planning on you staying here while I go handle Julian. I was planning on trusting that the kind of woman who would take care of what was, to her, an unknown magical creature, wouldn’t turn around and betray my existence to the whole of Aspect Society. My people don’t ever need to know you were involved.”
She put all that together, making sure she had the pieces right. “So your brilliant plan is that you, barely back from the brink of death, are going to go off and, what, interrogate Julian until he tells you where your sister and the other Shifters are?
“Suppose you do manage to get the drop on him, avoid his Aspect, and miraculously get him to give you the answers you want. Let’s be extra suppositional and suppose you even manage to recover the Shifters. What do you think happens then? Do you mean to tell me that, with absolute proof that Aspect Society was involved, your people aren’t going to seek retribution?
“We’ll be on the verge of a war and Aspect Society won’t even know it’s coming. You have every reason to dislike us, but there are good people here. If you think I’m going to stand by and let them be harmed, you’re very mistaken.”
“I have no intention of seeing our peoples go to war.”
“You may not. Can you make decisions for the whole of your people?”
His jaw clenched. “No.”
She hadn’t thought so. “Then let’s handle this together. I know Julian. If you think he is working alone, you’re wrong.” Julian had ambition, but he’d never had vision. He’d been her mother’s lapdog, then Elijah’s. He would have found a new master to serve after Elijah died. Someone else powerful enough to make him feel untouchable again. “He won’t be an easy target. Even so, I’m not going to hold you prisoner. If you want me to let you walk out of here alone, I will. But if you take that route I don’t think I’ll ever see you again, and it won’t be because you’ve found your sister and you’re living happily ever after.
“This is my world, Jensen. And like it or not, you need me to navigate it. You need help.”
He ran his hand over his face again, shoulders slumping. He looked as tired as she felt. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why help me? You think I’m going to die if I do this on my own, so why not let me? Nothing would get back to my people that way. No proof, no worries about Shifter retaliation against your people. It’s the easy way out.”
