My heart fluttered. I craned my head, desperate to see him. To catch a whiff of his scent. He appeared in the doorway a minute later, dressed in a plain black T-shirt and jeans. His hands were braced in front of him, handcuffed. My pulse spiked at that, and at the unshaven stubble on his jaw. A scowling Ramsey lurked a few steps behind.

Josh scanned the room as soon as he entered, and I held my breath until he found me. His dark eyes widened a fraction, that intense, possessive look came over his face, and his mouth curled in a hint of a smile.

Tears pricked my eyes. "I love you," I mouthed at him.

His smile curved a little more.

Ramsey gave him a bit of a shove, directing him toward the chair in the center of the room.

Someone in the row of alphas got to his feet, and I looked to see it was Vic, the were-tiger leader. He crossed his big arms over his chest and scowled at Josh, who lounged in the wooden chair as if this had all been no big deal.

Vic glared down at him. "The council has met to determine what to do in regards to your situation. Given that your brother is the leader of the Alliance, he has asked that you not be given special consideration because of his position. To do so would undermine his status as an impartial leader."

Josh gave a jerky nod, as if he'd expected this.

Beau's face was tight, the edges of his mouth strained and pale. He was upset, and trying very hard not to show it.

"The council has met and discussed this for several days. We have weighed the evidence, and before we pass sentencing, we want to know one thing." His hard gaze leveled on Josh. "After all that has happened recently, we want to know why."

I held my breath.

Josh said . . . nothing. I couldn't see his expression, only part of his back, and I became intensely frustrated. What was he waiting for? Deciding whether to speak? Thinking his answer through?

"Because I love her," Josh said after a long moment, and my heart clenched.

"That's not enough," said Declan furiously. "Just because you think with your dick doesn't mean you let it make the decisions for you."

"Quiet," Beau said in a lethal voice. "Vic has the floor."

The were-lynx leader's mouth thinned, and he went silent.

The were-tiger alpha glared at the row, and then turned back to Josh. "No other reason?"

After a long moment, Josh added, "She was dying. I wanted to save her."

"Humans die every day," the lone female alpha-Alice-said. "Supernaturals, too. It is a part of life. We can't go around saving everyone."

"I didn't want to save everyone," Josh ground out. "Just the woman I love."

"Did she ask you to turn her?"

"No," Josh said flatly. "She refused me. I insisted. When she wouldn't listen, I overpowered her."

I frowned at that. He was making himself sound like he was the one to blame for this. It was my fault-all of it was.

"So you coerced a human female into your bed, and when you found out she was dying, you decided to turn her? You let her into a secret, private Alliance without consulting anyone else?"

"I did," Josh said in a clipped tone.

What? "Wait," I blurted, getting to my feet.

Seven alphas scowled at me, the force of their displeasure so great that I staggered backward. I felt this odd compulsion to shrink back, as if desperate to please them. For some reason, their approval was important to me.

"We did not call on you," Vic began.

I forced the quiver in my stomach aside. This was no time to let my shifter hormones rule things. I shoved my hand into my purse, fishing out my wallet. Then I flipped it open and grabbed my Alliance ID card, walking to the center of the floor with the card raised. "I'm already Alliance. This ID says so."

"She's right," Beau said quietly. "She's been working at the agency for over a year now. That should be a consideration in this case."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Declan declared. "Just ignore the precedent that's been set? Run around turning human women just because we feel like it? Dilute the gene pool?"

A low snarl rumbled in Beau's throat. "My mate is human. Watch your tongue."

Alice raised her hands. "I want to know why it's so bad that she's been turned."

All eyes turned to her, and several withering scowls were now directed at her. I wanted to kiss the woman in gratitude. I edged closer to Josh, waiting for Ramsey to push us apart, but he didn't-so I laid my hand on Josh's shoulder.

He tilted his head and nuzzled my hand, letting me know he loved me. I felt a surge of love in response.

"We can't just go changing humans when we please," Declan snarled in her face.

The wolf alpha at her side-Jackson-got to his feet and frowned at the man snarling at his mate. Alice put a hand up, calming him. "The problem with shifters is that we don't have enough women to go around, right? Why can't we be sensible about this? My pack was recently under attack for the simple reason that we have females and the other one did not. Power struggles over women in packs is not something new. Wasn't there a recent problem with another wolf pack and a female?"

All eyes in the room suddenly moved to Sara.

"There was," Beau admitted, his tone guarded.

"So why are we following their bad example?" Alice asked. "What's so terrible about turning someone if it's in a controlled, measured environment? Why can't someone be turned if they are vetted and double-checked? Does it matter if there's one more were-cougar? It's not as if we're fighting for game. We have supermarkets for that sort of thing."

Declan snarled, the sound feral and ugly. "What about that tiger boy? What happened there-"

"Wasn't controlled," Vic pointed out. "He didn't have my permission or the girl's. With both of those in place, I wouldn't have a problem with it."

"Nor I," said Jackson.

"Nor I," said another.

The lynx alpha shook his head viciously. "And what happens if our secret gets out? What happens if someone is turned and they go straight to the papers? Straight to the internet?"

"We're not saying that things have to be changed overnight," Alice said, her tone calm and unruffled. "We're saying that we take control of things in a sensible manner. Do you think your clan members would go sneaking off turning someone if they knew all they had to do is talk to their alpha and have a few background checks run?"

Declan said nothing, his glare still clearly unhappy.

"I'm thinking it's going to become more and more difficult to keep things a secret in the future," Jackson said slowly. "The world's changing too fast. Maybe it's time we look at easing supes into mainstream society. Why should we hide what we are?"

Beau shook his head. "We're not ready to go mainstream yet. But I'm thinking a firm nondisclosure agreement and alpha participation in regard to vetting female members is not a bad thing. My wife is human. Her sister was assumed human. The other two who work at the agency are human. So how is it that Giselle-who wasn't the most reliable creature-was able to staff her agency with nothing but humans and no one had a problem with it?

"It's because they were discreet and signed a nondisclosure agreement," he continued. "She picked people she could trust and then gradually let them in on the secret, but she made sure she was protected first. That's how turning a human should be handled. It should be handled delicately and among those we trust. And if someday we're ready to embrace being out in the open with what we are, then we'll approach that."

Silence.

My palms grew sweaty, and I stared at the council, waiting. Under my hand, I could feel Josh was equally tense.

"Decision?" Beau asked. "Shall we put this to a vote? All those in favor of loosening the standards for turning humans?"

Six hands raised.

"All opposed?"

Declan's hand raised. "I don't like this," he bit out. "It's going to be abused. You wait and see."

"Anyone who wants to turn someone has to go through their alpha," Alice said in a smooth voice. "I have enough control over my pack to ensure that happens. You should, too."

Declan's scowl turned to her, but he said nothing else.

"It's settled, then," Beau said forcefully. "Share the news with your men. I'll leave it to each clan to govern their own people. We'll meet again in a month and reassess."

Vic turned to Beau. "And what about my clan members who are in exile?"

Beau clapped him on the shoulder. "Bring them home. We made a mistake. We should be teaching and educating, not trying to instill fear into men who are desperate for companionship. If they want mates, we need to give them mates. And I doubt every woman in the Alliance wants to take two husbands to make up for the slack."

"Not every supernatural acts like a were-fox, thank you," Alice said in a lofty tone. "One mate is enough for most."

"Is that it, then? Is Joshua free to go?"

The alphas remained quiet. "No objections," one said at last, and my heart fluttered with joy.

I threw my arms around Josh, kissing his face wildly. He kissed me back, his mouth delicious on mine.

"I love you," I told him, cupping his face in my hands. "I love you so much."

"Marie, baby," he said softly, his gaze moving over me. "You look beautiful. And healthy."

"I'm sleeping," I told him happily. Tears pricked my eyes, and I couldn't resist kissing him again. "I'm sleeping every night."

"I'm so glad," he murmured, his voice husky with emotion. "So fucking glad."

Someone cleared his throat, and I glanced up, remembering that Ramsey still stood there. He held up a key for the handcuffs.

Once Josh's hands were free he took me in his arms, kissing me hard again.

"You shouldn't have taken the risk," I told him between kisses. "My life isn't worth yours."

"Your life is absolutely worth mine." He grinned down at me. "Though I have to admit that I'm glad Greenland is off the menu. I don't look nearly as dashing in a parka."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck happily.

Another throat cleared and we looked over at Beau.

"Now that things are cleared with the Alliance, it's time to talk to your alpha. Because he's still furious at you."

Josh just grinned and tugged me close. "Yes, sir."

The lecture wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was mostly Beau reaming Josh out for being reckless and Josh accepting it without any protest, his arms wrapped around my waist as I sat in his lap. There was nothing Beau could say that we didn't already know, and by the time he finished venting, the two brothers were laughing and easy once more.

"Can I go home with my woman now?" Josh said. "You're wearing her out, and she's still fragile from turning."

Beau sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. He looked as if he'd aged five years in the last few weeks. "Go home. Are you two going to be staying with us at the ranch?"

The arm around my waist tightened. "Actually, I thought I'd move in with Marie, if she'd have me."

"Marie would," I said in a pert voice, "except that Marie is probably going to lose her apartment now that she's unemployed. I understand that Bath had to make a point that the client information is safe, but it puts me in the unemployment line."

Beau nodded and looked at Josh. "This one, too, unfortunately. He's not going to be in much demand as a vampire bodyguard now that word's getting out about Andre. On the other hand, we will need an Alliance liaison to work with the vampire liaison. It needs to be someone charming but familiar with vampire bullshit. And having someone they're a little intimidated by would be helpful."

"That sounds like me," Josh said lazily. "Tall. Sexy. Intimidating. Good with vampires. I'll do it."

I snorted.

"I haven't given you the job yet," Beau threatened.

"Nah, but you will," Josh said with a grin. "You don't want me and Marie living on your couch."

"Great," I muttered.

"Actually," Beau began, then he crossed his arms and studied me. "I need an assistant, and I want someone in our clan because it requires confidentiality and trust. I thought about approaching Savannah, but Bathsheba's hired her on full-time at the agency, and she seems to enjoy it. Things are getting a little hectic back at the security office, and I'd rather spend my evenings with my mate, instead of handling all the Alliance paperwork myself."

I smiled, feeling hopeful. "I'm pretty good with paperwork."

"She's also pretty good at flaying people with her tongue," Josh said mildly.

I pinched him.

"I imagine that'll come in handy, given some of the people that call me on a regular basis," Beau said in a dry voice. "When can you start?"

"When do you need me?"

"Hold on," Josh said, moving protectively in front of me and raising his hands. "She's my mate, and she's still recovering from her illness. She needs a few weeks of rest before she thinks about going back to work."

"A few weeks is fine for her," Beau said. "You start on Monday. We have a little issue with the vampires that needs smoothing over."

Josh grinned. "I'm your man."

While Beau and Josh talked, I listened with only half an ear. I was sleepy, but it was a good kind of sleepy-not the terrible, dreadful kind of sleepy that meant I was going to have another bad night of insomnia. I yawned, enjoying the sensation.