Page 83 of Blood Union (Dark Witch Chronicles 3)

He nods.

“How many council members do we have?”

“Eighteen, not including Odette and Elliot. The Vampire Council has seven, as do the shifters. The witches have three, and there’s one other Immortal Council member.”

“They replaced the ones they lost already?”

He nods. “They don’t wait long. The spots are vacant for maybe an hour, in most cases.” He raises his book. “And thanks to my contacts, I have the names and addresses of all the new ones.”

“Can some of the fae take two teams?” Willa asks, her voice filling the room for only the second time today.

“They can, but there will be a delay in extraction.”

“I will take a—”

“No. With all due respect, Alpha, you need to remain safe.” Z shakes his head. “I will lead a team.”

“Lauren—”

“Will be just fine without me for a few hours.”

She starts to argue—I see the refusal written all over her face—and I know it’s because the last thing she wants is for Lauren to lose Z, like she lost Jack. Even without her saying it, I know that’s what’s on her mind.

“Please, Willa, let me do this for you.”

She takes a deep breath and finally nods. “Fine. I’ll stay here and watch over those who remain behind.”

“Thank you.”

She offers Z a curt nod then shifts her gaze back to Rainey.

“Brad?”

“I’m in,” the vampire replies, instantly.

She turns to Drex. “Think you’re up for a fight?”

The hunter stands up straight and squares his shoulders. “Absolutely.”

“Mags?”

“I can do it.”

“Good. You two are staying together, though—watch each other’s backs. That gives us nine, not including the two home teams.”

“Since Willa is remaining behind, perhaps Fearghas and I should each take a team.”

At Eira’s suggestion, all eyes shift to them. “Eira—”

“No, Fearghas. We’re well past the time of me staying out of anything, and if the council is gone, I have nothing more to worry about, right?”

A muscle in his jaw twitches, and while I normally would appreciate his need to keep her safe, we could really use the siren at full capacity.

“Fine.”

“Shit, we’re still short.”

“I can take a team,” Rachel offers. “I’m damn good with a gun, and they won’t see me coming since I’m human.”