"You heard me. I will not stay here unless he's welcome. He has risked his life for me. His home was destroyed because of me and I will not live comfortably while the father of my baby is treated like a convict."
Someone behind them started clapping. Cassandra turned to see a man who dwarfed her. Standing somewhere near seven feet in height, he was gorgeous. Blond and slender, he appeared to be around her age.
"Nice speech, princess. It changes nothing."
Cassandra narrowed her gaze on him. "Then how about a good ass-kicking?"
He actually laughed. "You're pregnant."
"Not that pregnant." She shot one of the daggers from her wrist at the man. It embedded in the wall just past his head. His face lost all humor.
"The next one goes into your heart."
"Cassie, stop!" Phoebe commanded, grabbing her arm.
Cassandra shrugged off her hold. "No. I've spent the whole of my adulthood putting any Daimon or Apollite who made the mistake of coming after me out of his misery. If you think for one minute Kat and I can't tear down this place to free Wulf, then you need to think again."
"And if you die?" the man asked.
"Then we all lose."
He gazed at her thoughtfully. "You're bluffing."
Cassandra exchanged a determined look with Kat.
"You know I'm always itching for a good fight." Kat pulled her fighting staff out of her coat pocket and extended it. The man's nostrils flared as he saw them preparing to engage him. "This is how you repay my kindness for sheltering you?"
"No," Cassandra said with a calmness she didn't feel. "This is how I repay the man who protects me. I won't see Wulf kept like this after all he's done."
She expected the man to fight, instead he stepped back and bowed his head respectfully toward her. "She does have the courage of a Spathi."
"I told you so," Phoebe said, her face shining with pride.
The man offered them a slight smile. "Go inside with Phoebe, princess, and I will have your Dark-Hunter brought to you."
Cassandra eyed him suspiciously, not sure if she should trust him or not. "Promise?"
"Yes."
Still skeptical, Cassandra looked at her sister. "Can I put any faith in that?"
"You can. Shanus is our Supreme Councilor. He never lies."
"Phoebe," Cassandra said sincerely, "look at me." She did.
"Tell me the truth. Are we safe here?"
"Yes, I swear it by everything I hold dear—even Urian's life. You are here because Stryker will never think to look in an Apollite commune for you. Every one of us here knows that if your baby dies, so does the world. And our lives, such as they are, are still precious to us. Twenty-seven years to the people here is better than none at all."
Cassandra took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."
Phoebe opened the door behind her while Shanus excused himself and left them to explore their new home. Cassandra stepped into an extremely nice living room. Probably four to five hundred square feet, it had everything a regular human home might have. A stuffed sofa and love seat, entertainment center complete with television, stereo, and DVD player.
"Does that stuff work?" Chris asked as he walked over to examine it.
"Yes," Phoebe said. "We have relays and uplinks that can bring the human world down to us."
Kat opened the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom that were off the main living area. "Where's the kitchen?"
"We don't have kitchens," Phoebe explained. "But the councilors are working on getting a microwave and refrigerator brought in for you. Along with groceries. There should be something here very soon for all of you to eat."
Phoebe showed them a small dark green box on an end table. "If you need anything, the intercom is here. Just press the button and one of the operators will help you. If you want to buzz me, just tell them you want Urian's wife and they'll know which Phoebe to put you through to."
A knock sounded on the door.
Phoebe went to open it while Cassandra stood back with Kat and Chris. "What do you guys think?"
"It seems okay," Chris said. "I'm not picking up any evil vibes, what about you two?"
Kat shrugged. "I agree with Chris. But there's still a part of me that doesn't trust them. No offense, Cass, but Apollites aren't known for being honest."
"Tell me about it."
"Cassandra?"
She turned to see a woman her age with Phoebe. The woman's blond hair was arranged in a bun and she wore a light pastel sweater with a pair of jeans.
"I'm Dr. Lakis," she said, extending her hand to Cassandra. "If you don't mind, I would like to examine you and see how the baby is doing."
Wulf sat in the cell wondering how the hell he had gotten himself into this. They could be killing Cassandra for all he knew and he had docilely allowed them to take him.
"I should have fought."
Cursing, he paced the small cell where they had incarcerated him. It was dim and dank, with only a bed and toilet inside. He'd never been inside a human jail, but from what he'd seen in movies and on TV, the Apollites had modeled this one after them. He heard footsteps outside.
"I'm here for the Dark-Hunter."
"We were told he's to stay."