"Yes, you did," Killian replied. He couldn’t make any kind of contribution to the investigation since he was worried about Inez. All the information that he knew was courtesy of the council and Finn, as he wanted to stay with Inez. "You saved my sister’s life. You actually saved her at the cost of your own life. You knew that it would hurt you, but you still did it." He hated that she had put her life at risk for his sister, as he knew that Inez was worried that if she didn’t put Selene first, the blame would lie with her.
He was the alpha of the pack, and it was his instinct to protect every female and child of his pack. And he had taken Inez under his wing. She was under his protection, and yet she got injured in such a manner. He was the one who had caused her pain. If he had been careful, then nothing would have happened. If only Killian had given her a sense of security, then Inez would never have placed her life on the line .
She swallowed hard at how Killian was looking at her. "Of course I did. Did you expect me to stay and watch her get hurt?"
"You didn’t have to. You don’t owe me anything for you to put your life at risk like that."
"I know that; there is no need to say it out loud. Just think of it as a favour that I did on your pack," said Inez as she let out a yawn. Even though she had been out of action for the entire night, she still felt tired, as most of her mana had been used in making that prophecy.
Killian’s lips twitched into a smile. "Thank you for what you did."
"Don’t thank me. It just happened; I cannot take the credit for something like that."
It seemed like too much praise and gratitude made his siren uncomfortable. Killian smiled at her and said, "I am still grateful. If not for you, Selene would have lost her life today."
Inez didn’t say anything. She ran her fingers through her hair and then asked, "How long was I out?"
"An entire night and half a day." He noticed that she was not surprised and asked, "You don’t seem surprised; did you know that it was going to take so long?"
"I read all about the sirens and their powers," replied Inez. "The book did say that making prophecies could take a lot of mana, which might cause the sirens to be unconscious for more than just a few days. Sometimes, if the sirens make prophecies that can change the future of the world, they might even stay unconscious for months."
It was quite fortunate that the prophecy only saved a few lives. "Do prophecies happen without you knowing?" Although he had never met any sirens, they were often written as some powerful and mystic creatures who knew things better than the shifters and the witches.
"As far as I know, it did happen without me knowing it."
"Selene told me it was quite scary. Your eyes turned white, and it seemed like you had lost your soul," Killian relayed the information that Selene had told him to Inez. He didn’t like the very idea of seeing Inez cold like that. He hadn’t even seen it with his own eyes, and yet the very explanation had caused his beast to turn panicked.
Inez opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sharp and crisp knock on the door. Though Killian didn’t open the door, he knew that it was his grandmother. "It’s Grandma Edira and the others. Are you willing to meet with the members?"
Inez knew that she had to do it sooner or later, so she nodded and said, "Sure," even though she would have loved to go back to her lodge. Inez stayed where she was. With a sigh which was filled with irritation, she tried to suppress the urge to faint again. She watched as Killian opened the door and Grandma Edira walked inside with Selene. And for the rest of the pack, he pushed them all out with a growl that was chilling enough to even terrify Inez, much less his pack.
As Inez jumped out of the bed, Killian returned to her side. When she turned to look at him, Inez was quite surprised to see that the man’s stance was quite protective towards her. If she had not known that Dominic was her mate, then she would have wondered if she was the mate of this lycan.
Grandma Edira noticed his actions and her brows jumped a little, for she had never seen her grandson so protective of a woman before. Even Lyra.
The woman had lost the usual condemnation in her eyes, and now she was looking at Inez with a hint of appreciation.
"How are you feeling?" Grandma Edira asked while looking at Inez.
"I am feeling just fine," replied Inez.
"Selene told me that you have saved your life by your quick wits."
"That’s right," said Killian, wanting his grandmother to fully appreciate and acknowledge just what she could have lost if not for Inez.
Grandma Edira’s eyes flicked toward Killian. She then turned to look at Inez. With a nod, she said to her, "I am in your debt, Inez. I will never forget it."
Inez was going to tell Grandma Edira that there was no need, as she didn’t owe her anything. However, a second later, Selene was holding her hands and weeping softly. "I am sorry you had to suffer so much because of me. You were never given any kind of respect in our pack, and yet you were willing to give your life for me. I will never forget the risk that you have taken for me."
"No–" She wanted to tell Selene that she didn’t need to feel guilty because she was the one who made the decision but the woman was already heading out of the room with Grandma Edira.