Page 123 of Moon Claimed
“What’s the right word then?”
“Iunderstandhim. His position. His burdens. I understand that things might have been different if we weren’t who we are, and certain things hadn’t happened.But they did. So I just… understand him.”
Wade’s nose scrunched. “That’s the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Pfft. Youthinkyou are, MissI Only Make Connections.You’re lying to yourself big time.”
I waved to Troy at the gates. “So what? Maybe I’m doing that because nothingcan come of us. Why would I ever pursue Sascha Greyson?”
He hummed. “Wild sex isn’t a good enough reason?”
It always was before. “He won’t have sex with me.”
A screech filled the car. I checked my foot wasn’t slammed on the brake.
Wade screeched again. “Sascha isn’t putting out?”
“He says I use sex as a weapon.”
Wade’s mouth rounded. “Holy shit. I really haven’t given him enough credit. Ingenious.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means I saw the way you went for Billy that one time. He’s absolutely right. By denying you, he’s forced you to take one of two other paths. You either turn him down entirely,oryou accept that to be with him, a deeper andrealemotional connection is required.Ingenious.”
Wade just joined Team Sascha.
Cars blocked me from my usual car park in front of the manor. The normal Tuesday night briefing wouldn’t start for another hour. “What’s going on?”
I spotted a small group of stewards by the stage set up for the gathering tonight. The sight of auburn hair made my stomach plummet.
“That don’t look good none,” Wade muttered.
I parked, rolling down my window.
The microphone shot Rhona’s voice across the clearing—and probably the entire manor property.
“Grids has continued without end for over two hundred years,”she said. “We have two centuries of data that tells us our approach isn’t working. What we’re doing is insanity.”
I gritted my teeth, swinging the door open.
Wade fell into step beside me. “This is the stuff she’s saying at training.”
Rhona had supporters. Around fifty. Those were just the ones brave enough to show up.
Shit.
She spotted me and smirked.
I stood beside the crowd and folded my arms as she continued. She’d timed her rally to catch stewards arriving early for the gathering. Icouldpull out the microphone power supply, but every steward here was welcome to have their say if they believed me to be lacking.
This was within Rhona’s rights as a steward and Thana, no matter that it was very much a personal attack.
As she wrapped up, I joined her at the mic.
“Rhona,” I greeted her.