“You’re asking a lot on trust,” I said.
“At some point, you have to take a leap of faith. One thing I have learned over the years I have been alive is that nothing is ever guaranteed. Oh, the sun will rise and set, the world will turn, and birth and death come to us all. Other than that, there is absolutely no surety.” Herne leaned forward again, propping his chin on his hands. “You have to do what your heart tells you is right.”
“I thought the gods were immortal.” Angel seemed to be almost holding her breath, her gaze so intent upon our visitor that I thought she might burn a hole through his head.
“My father is. My mother became a goddess. She herself was born of a god and a mortal. She can die, if wounded gravely and not attended to. As can I, though it takes a lot to bring us to death’s doorstep.”
“I trust you,” Angel said. “My heart tells me to go on faith. I will entrust you with my brother’s life. I’m going to hold you to it. I know you can’t control everything that happens to him, but if the people you give him to hurt him in any way, god or not I’m coming after you.”
“And I will be at her side.” I reached over and took her hand again. “Angel and I have a bond that goes beyond friendship. We are oath sisters.”
Herne gave us a solemn nod. “I would expect nothing less, given what I’ve heard about you. Both of you.” He turned to Angel. “Your brother will be loved and cared for. And I will make sure that you see him several times a year, without interference, and you can judge for yourself then. Shall I call for his new foster father to come by?”
Angel bit her lip, pressing one hand against her stomach. She nodded, very slowly. “Yeah. Call him. I’m going to go spend a little time with DJ till he gets here. I don’t know how I’m going to tell him about this.”
“Tell him that he’s going to a safe haven. A sanctuary house. That’s the truth of the matter and he will hear the truth in your voice. Tell him that what he witnessed this afternoon may not be over, and that he will put you out of danger by going into sanctuary. That will speak to such a brave young man.”
Angel vanished into my bedroom, softly closing the door behind her.
I held my breath for a moment, then let it out slowly. “What’s a sanctuary house?”
Herne held up his hand as he pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. “It’s set,” he said to whomever answered. “The Miriam G building—fifteenth floor. I’ll meet you by the elevator in ten minutes. Bring the sanctuary flag.”
As he hung up, I felt like the world was shifting beneath my feet. Angel had to be feeling the same way.
“A sanctuary house—or building—is a place where no one—be they from the Shifter Alliance, the Vampire Nation, the Fae courts, or the Human League—can interfere. Anyone who claims sanctuary in one of those places will be safe until a decision is made by the Grand Council. And I suggest you not ask questions about the Council at this moment. There are some things better off left in the dark, if you know what I mean.”
I felt like I was getting a schooling on a world I had grown up in, but never truly knew. Everything seemed different, and all of my normals were flying out the window.
“Do most people know about all of this?”
Herne shook his head. “Not really. There’s a vast network running below the surface of the governments in this world, whether they be human, shifter, Fae, or vampire. And that doesn’t even account for the rest of the Cryptos, most of whom have some sort of representative on the Grand Council.”
I hugged myself, suddenly cold. “So most of the world goes through the motions without any understanding of what’s taking place?”
“Most of the world goes through the motions of life in general, blissfully unaware of anything beyond their lives. And if you gave them a choice, ten to one they’d pick ignorance over knowledge. Knowledge carries great responsibility. Ignorance offers most people an out.”
I nodded, thinking he was right. “I know a lot of people who don’t want to take responsibility for their lives. It’s easier to blame somebody else when something goes wrong than accept their part in whatever happened.”
Herne stood up. “I should wait by the elevator.” He paused, glancing back at me. “It really is for the best, sending DJ away. Angel’s brother would be in grave danger. I can’t have him working for the agency at his age, and while families of my employees are supposed to be immune to retribution, it doesn’t always play out.”
I wanted to ask him if he could send Angel with DJ, but I knew his answer would be no. I wasn’t sure why, but I instinctively knew there was some reason that she couldn’t go with him. And maybe Herne was right. DJ would grow up with other wolf shifters. He would learn what it meant to be part of that society.
As Herne waited outside my front door, near the elevator, Angel escorted DJ out into the living room. Both of them looked like they had been crying. She sat down and pulled him toward her, brushing the myriad of tiny braids back from his face.
“Remember, you promised to be strong for me.”
There was so much pain in her voice that I wanted to dive in, say No—both of you run away as far as you can get. But that wouldn’t solve the problem.
DJ nodded, straightening. A frightened light filled his eyes, but he was doing his best to be brave.
“I promise. You promise that I’ll see you before school starts again?”
“I promise with all my heart. You spend the summer with these nice people, and I’ll see you before you go back to school in the fall. Herne promised. And you know I can tell when somebody’s lying. He was telling me the truth.”
DJ let out a hiccup and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I don’t have my toys or my schoolbooks.”
“We’ll make sure you get them. Now give me a hug—as long and hard of a hug as you’ve ever given me. It will have to last until I see you again, so it better be a good one.” Angel held out her arms and DJ flung himself into them.
I looked away, wanting to give them privacy. I was crying, wondering how everything had become so convoluted in the space of one day. If only I could go back to the morning, knowing what I knew now, and call Angel to go pick up DJ before he left Sarah’s house. But there was no going back. What was done was done, and we had to move forward.
The next moment, Herne entered the apartment again, a burly man standing behind him. I glanced up into the man’s eyes and saw that, as rough as he looked on the outside, his eyes held nothing but gentleness. He walked over to Angel and DJ, and knelt beside them.
“Hey DJ, you can call me Cooper. I know this is hard for you and your sister. I’ll make the transition as easy as possible for you. I have two girls and a boy. We could sure use another young man around the place. My wife bakes the best chocolate chip cookies ever, and she loves children. We’re all wolf shifters, and we’re going to teach you how to handle your inner wolf. You’ll go to school with my kids, and we’ll get you all squared away.” His voice was modulated, soft and soothing.
DJ looked frightened still, but his voice was a little less shaky as he asked, “Can Angel come visit me before school starts in the fall?”
“We’ll make sure that she does, and we’ll be sure that you get to spend Thanksgiving and the holidays with her. It may have to be down near where we live, but we’ll figure out a way. I promise you that. I give you my word.”
“You’d better hurry. You may have the sanctuary flag flying from the antenna, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be followed. I have a cloaking spell that you can use, but you have to use it before midnight. It’s time-sensitive.”
Cooper stood up, and held out his hand to DJ. “Don’t worry about clothes or anything. We have everything you need.” He turned to Angel. “I give you my word, he’ll be safe and happy. I know you’re going on a lot of trust right now, but we’ll uphold our end of the bargain.”