Off With His Head

34. Please come back to me

"It's going to be an ambush!" I insist, slamming my hand on Lideri's table for impact. No one even flinches. "You have to wait until I've recovered enough to go with you!"

"We've discussed this Peyton," Zach says patiently. His hand reaches out to cover mine, but his touch doesn't give me the feeling of comfort it usually does. "We can't wait that long. They could be gathering forces as we speak. They might have even been turning people. We finally found him and he appears to be alone. This is our only chance."

"But-,"

"Jennings," Caleb interjects from behind me. Both of his hands land on my shoulders and Zach removes his quickly. "Our minds are made up. Lideri's on board. This is happening."

I glance over at Lideri at the head of the table. I hoped that by having this discussion here with him in his meeting room, I could get Caleb and Zach to see some sense. But Lideri has remained infuriatingly quiet throughout our whole exchange. Looking at him now, I can see that he's not completely 'on board' as Caleb said. The hesitation and concern are marked as clear on his face as his numerous scars.

It's easy to see that I'm not going to get any help from him with this. Caleb releases his hold on my shoulders and resumes pacing back and forth behind me, his footsteps echoing the beat of my heart. Zach watches me carefully from across the table, an unspoken apology in his eyes.

And still, Lideri says nothing.

"The other Hunters." Like a light bulb going off, I suddenly remember all the people that were here last night. "Can't a few of them go with you?"

"This isn't their battle, it's ours," Zach explains. "It's on our turf and it was our actions that led to this. We can't ask them to put their own missions aside to assist us with this."

He's wrong. It was my actions that led us to this. And now I'm going to have to sit here and wait for them to come back from what feels like an impossible mission. A heavy sense of doom has lodged itself in my throat and I can't shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.

"But-,"

"Peyton," Zach cuts me off. "We do not need your permission to do this. This is our lives. It's time you accept that." Though his words are harsh, his gaze is soft and it is this, more than anything, that causes tears to spring to my eyes.

I bite my trembling lip, determined not to cry in front of the three of them. "I don't want anything to happen to you guys."

"Peyton." This time it's Lideri who speaks. "Zacharias and Caleb are both trained fighters. They have been in numerous battles such as this one and come out of them largely unscathed. Trust them to do their jobs."

"This is different," I plead, desperate to get through to them. Shame creeps up my cheeks as my voice cracks on the last word. "Please, just trust me on this."

"Jennings, maybe it's time you trust us." Caleb finally stops pacing, positioning himself behind Zach's chair so he can look me in the eyes. "No offense, but we've been doing this a hell of a lot longer than you have."

I want to continue pleading with them, but honestly, I feel firmly put in my place by Caleb's harsh tone and the determination in his gaze. His chin is set, his stance defensive and his arms are folded across his chest, allowing no room for argument. I look away from him, down at the table top with blurry vision and nod my head, clamping my mouth shut against the onslaught of words that want to fall from it.

Zach's chair squeaks as he stands and I glance up just in time to see both him and Caleb leaving the room, taking my heart with them. I furiously rub my eyes and get up, about to follow suit, when I hear Lideri's voice behind me.