“That’s good news,” I said brightly.
He nodded. “Yeah, but if I lose, Damien’s first move will be to take him out. Dad at full strength would be the person who could stop him.”
“You can stop him,” I countered fiercely. “Don’t underestimate yourself, Remy. You can do this.”
“It’s not going to be like Lodge or Cassian,” Remy told me softly, reluctantly. “Damien’s strong and smart.”
“So are you.”
A tiny smile found his mouth, turning the corners up.
“But Damien’s a snake. His people are with him because they’re either like him or too scared to stand up to him.” I splayed a hand on Remy’s chest where his heart beat. “I spent my life being beaten down by men like Damien Valois.”
His eyes flashed.
“You’re not that guy, Rem. You’ll never be like them, and that’s why you have an edge. All the people behind you are there because they believe in you. Because they want to be there, including me. I might not be able to take Damien in a challenge, but I could give you, and our packs, the best chance to beat him. That’s why I did this.”
He exhaled slowly and wrapped his arms around me, awkwardly pulling me across his lap. “Thanks, babe.”
I pressed my forehead to his and inhaled his scent. “We’re going to be okay. All of us.”
If I said it enough, put it out into the universe enough times, maybe it would be true.
Illinois was full of gray clouds as we landed close to sunset. We set down in a private airstrip near the western edge of the Windale pack’s borders.
Remy glanced out the window to my left and snorted. “Looks like we get the royal welcome.”
I spotted Griffin, and a few feet away from him were Damien and Trace. My eyes swept the crowd again and snagged on another familiar face.
“Is that—”
“Kace,” Remy finished for me.
The nightclub owner from when we had been at the Summit and Griffin’s long-time friend was far from home, but definitely a welcome sight. It helped knowing someone else had our backs.
“Quite the welcome,” Nikolai commented from the row ahead of us. The calmness in his tone belied the ice in his gaze as he surveyed the crowd awaiting us.
There were several dozen men, and only men, waiting for us to get off the airplane. I had a strong inkling that most of them weren’t from Windale, either.
“Remember what we talked about,” Remy said softly, turning to me. “Stay with me no matter what.”
I nodded mutely, getting up as he did. I followed him down the aisle, smiling at my friends. I flinched when I saw how pale and anxious Larkin was, Rhodes’s arm wrapped possessively around her thin shoulders.
Remy had intentionally kept the amount of women on this flight small after it became clear from the phone call that Damien was interested in us. Besides Larkin and I, Katy and Tate had been the only other girls who joined us.
Well, and Lulu.
My eyes moved to the elemental sitting beside Dimitri. Her gray eyes glimmered as she gave me a slow, confident nod.
Mom had wanted to come, to be with me, but surprisingly it was Nikolai who finally convinced her to stay behind with Natasha. Dante and Ryder had insisted Tate come. The idea of not having her close at hand made them anxious.
Knowing Maren would be here, Remy hadn’t hesitated to include Katy. When he won, and Maren was back, she would need Katy and Tate.
We were the first ones off the plane, but Remy didn’t start walking towards the others until most of our group had gotten off the plane.
We managed to fill the plane with people we knew had our back. The only missing person was Alexei. Nikolai had suggested we send Dimitri’s beta with the army we had sent earlier. Most of the men were from the Narodnaya and a few neighboring packs and would know Alexei, or be willing to follow him.
My eyes scanned the area, wondering how close they were. The men had landed in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois via commercial flights earlier in the day. Most would have made the drive here by now and should be nearby.
“Welcome to Windale,” Damien greeted loudly as we approached, spreading his arms wide like he was the Alpha here.
Griffin’s teeth clenched, but he stayed silent.
Remy only gave Damien a short nod before turning to Griffin and extending a hand. “Thanks for having us.”
“Nothing else I’d rather do,” Griffin replied, his voice thick with sarcasm. He gave me a nod. “Skye.”
“Hey, Griffin,” I said softly, keeping close to Remy as promised.
“Good to see you both again,” Kace said from behind Griffin.
I flashed him a fast smile that quickly vanished when I saw the people approaching from the right.
Damien pushed his way towards us, Trace following like a snarling puppy at his heels. His cold stare scoured our group, likely looking for Larkin. I glanced over my shoulder, glad to see she was tucked safely behind Rhodes and Ryder.
I felt Remy tense beside me as Damien came to a stop in front of us. Judging by the way Remy’s hand was twitching, he was fighting the urge to pull me behind him and out of Damien’s reach.
The older man studied me, but his gaze was less lecherous than I’d expected. He watched me more with fascination than anything else.
“We never had much of a chance to meet at the Summit,” he said, speaking only to me. “Damien Valois.”
“Skye,” I replied coolly, and then added, “Dashkov.”
Interest glittered in his eyes. “Finally embracing your true pack, I see?”
I smiled back serenely. “Well anything is better than being connected to Linden Markham.”
Damien snorted. “He really was a bit of an ass, wasn’t he?”
I didn’t reply. I wasn’t interested in any kind of bonding with Damien, even if I did agree with what he said.
“But he was a useful ass at times,” Damien added with a wink when I didn’t say a word.
“He’s also quite a dead ass,” Nikolai said drolly behind me.
Damien’s eyes moved to him and narrowed. “Your pictures don’t do you justice, Alpha.”
I went still, my gaze slowly inching to Remy’s. He had no idea Nikolai had given his pack to me. That technically I was the Alpha of Narodnaya and over a dozen other packs on the other side of the world.
Remy quickly smothered the small smile that hitched up the corner of his mouth.
“They rarely do,” Nikolai agreed, stepping up to my side.
“We should talk,” Damien said slowly. “We have a mutual friend, I believe.”
Nikolai’s brows rose. “Do we?”
“Don’t play coy,” Damien said, the congenial tone sharpening. “You and my uncle are well acquainted.”
“Yes, we are,” Nikolai agreed, his smile turning feral. “But he is no friend of mine or my pack. I would just as soon fashion a new chandelier from his ribcage.”
Damien hissed and stepped back, glaring at Remy. “Where is my uncle? He was part of our deal.”
“So was Maren,” Remy answered, ice in his tone. “Where is she?”
“Safe,” Damien replied loftily. This was all a game for him. Pretending this was a normal, friendly visit had to be some sort of psychosis.