Page 105 of Let Slip the Dogs of War

Silence, for a moment. Oisin frowns when I rest against the wall next to him, then jolts when my magic brushes against his.

“They will ensure your safety,” I murmur.

He bares his teeth, just for a moment. “They are human.” At my incredulous look, he amends, “Not fae.”

“This is their world. I do not think it would be wise for you to return right now.”

He nods once. He will see what I do when he meets the rest of the pack. Being fae or not is irrelevant. They will take care of him—even in spite of his best efforts, truly.

“It’s going to take me fucking hours to get back.” Sam sighs, and Cassian interrupts.

“Excuse me, we need to know what the fuck happened as well. You can’t just—”

“We’ll ring you,” Dante says, just a little bite in his voice. “Obviously. Just… we’re going home, okay? We’ll ring you before we tell them anything.”

I bristle when Cassian begins to argue, but there is a brief scuffle down the line and someone else shouts—I suspect the vampire we met before we crossed through the veil.

“No, you’re right,” Sam says, breathing a little harder. “I’ll drive me and Paxton back after that. Should make it before tomorrow easy.”

Paxton’s voice rises in the background. Sam lets out a dark chuckle. “Provided no one here kills me, I guess.”

“Is that not how you make friends?” Ophelia asks.

Sam laughs again. “Yeah, sure. Give us a ring when you get in, okay? We’ll wait here until then.”

He hangs up before Dante can, which makes Dante roll his eyes.

Grant squirms until he’s sitting with his back to Vladimir’s chest and can survey the rest of us in the room. “Want me to come with you?” He pats the back of one of Vladimir’s hands when he growls. “No, I know it’s light out, but I’ll be with the pack and—”

“No, that’s fine,” Dante says gently. “I think we can explain the gist of it. Everyone knows where to find you if they need to know any specifics, okay?”

Grant leans back against Vladimir properly, letting out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, okay.” I do not miss the almost-grateful look Vladimir shoots Dante. He would let Grant go if they all insisted, of course. What might happen in the Otherworld is more pressing than Grant’s rest, at least for now.

“Who’s going to pick you all up then?” Jeremiah says. “What? You can’t expect we’ll just send you off on the tube. Has he even worn a glamour before?” He eyes Oisin with no little suspicion.

“I… have,” Oisin replies. “But I am not used to all of this.”

“The tube might be dangerous anyway,” Dante replies almost absently. “Too much metal. Can I use your phone?”

He is still holding Vladimir’s phone, and Vladimir nods. Dante thinks for a moment, then scrolls through a list, smiling when he finds what he’s looking for.

Quinn answers on the first ring. “Vlad? What is it? Are they—”

“We’re back,” Dante says. “I’d ring Kieran, but my phone is very dead and I don’t remember his number. And, anyway. Whatever. Can you come pick us up, please? We need four spaces in the car.”

“Yeah, fuck—I-I’m coming, okay. Fuck. You’re all—Everyone’s okay? You’re all there?”

“We’re all good,” Ophelia says, and Quinn lets out a heavy sigh. “Let Kieran know before you leave.”

“Yeah, I will. Asher, can you—Yeah, just wait with them.” He is moving, and I hear the jingle of keys and a door opening and closing. “Asher’s here. He’ll let them know. Your parents have been here every day from like eight in the morning, so…”

“And Felix?” Dante asks dryly.

Quinn huffs at that. “Don’t ask,” he mutters. “But yeah, he’s here. He’ll be there, too. I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up and Dante passes Vladimir his phone back before he sags into the sofa. He seeks me out and gives me a small smile.

It is not over. It will not be over until we can bring the oak its crownbearers. But we have a reprieve for now, and I am not about to let him go.