13. Arthur

Chapter 13

Arthur

Present Day

" W hat are the plans for safety?" I asked. "Have they all been through the screening process?" I already knew the answers to these questions, but I had to ask. I was the coven master; the members of my coven relied on me to protect them. It was I who ensured their safety. Despite the fact that I was the firstborn of the created warlock, it would be expected that anyone would ask this question.

"Do you honestly need to ask?" Alpha Sergei asked.

I looked at the created dragon and simply nodded. "Would you not ask if you were responsible for as many as I am? We have twenty-one members of our coven that haven't yet reached puberty or are human. That means they cannot shift or use magic to protect themselves. I am responsible for their safety. Their parents trust me with the lives of their children. Yes, I need to ask." I looked directly at Father. He and I had already discussed this briefly. I didn't mind welcoming new members to the coven. In fact, I'd pushed for new members before, when Father was still in the process of transferring the coven over to me completely.

"They have all had extensive background checks," Master Ambrosius told me. "Parker and his team have not only questioned them, but Salvatore and his team dug up every bit of information about every one of them. They are all cleared. They will come to you with only the clothing and items they have been provided by the council. Their presence will not endanger any in your coven."

I nodded slowly. Again, this was something I already knew about. Amherst wasn't the only coven in the country, but it was the one that had the closest and deepest ties to the council. Therefore, it made the most sense that I was the one to welcome them.

"How many?" I asked. This, Father hadn't been able to give me a definite answer to. There were dozens, and they were trying to spread them out as best as they could.

"Between eight and ten," Master Ambrosius said. "We might possibly have another coven that is willing to take some, but at the minimum, there will be three. Those three we need to have the ability to contact with only a moment's notice. The best for that is in your coven."

I nodded slowly again. I'd already discussed things with Patrick, Balthazar, and Costas. They were all understanding and were in agreement that it was the right thing to do.

"I have no issue with welcoming them. But you must understand my concern with regards to the coven they are coming from." I looked around at the others. "They have been described as the definition of a mafia family. Which adds to the possibilities of issues."

"Yes," Master Ambrosius said. "We have the coven master and all but two of the inner circle."

I nodded. Again, information I was already privy to. "It is those two that are most concerning. I simply need to ensure the safety of my coven family."

"Really? You're going on and on about safety," a voice said. "You're the son of Edison. If you can't protect your coven family , you're weak and shouldn't be gifted the title of master."

I had just stood up when there was a snarl, and then a man who couldn't be more than five and a half feet tall was lifted by the shoulders of his shirt.

"Be back in a few. We are going to have another chat with Igor and what is acceptable and what isn't."

I glared at the man, Igor, as Chief Daegal half carried, half dragged him from the room. I finally met Father's gaze. He seemed apprehensive. "I'll get back to you with my answer," I told the others in the room.

"Don't let Igor cloud your judgment."

I looked at the created wolf and narrowed my eyes. "I'm not. Despite the fact that I've just been called weak, when I am more powerful than all but one in this room, I'm still considering your arrangement. But I won't make a final decision without talking it over with my own inner circle."

Since I was already standing, I shook my head and started toward the door. I didn't know all of the created ones, and Igor was certainly one that I'd never met before. I was thankful I wasn't forced to deal with them on a regular basis.

I was out the door and walking down the hallway with one purpose in mind: get outside and pop back home to Patrick and Edric. I had already seen Alistair, and we had made plans for him to visit Amherst with River and the children soon.

"Arthur."

I paused and waited at the sound of Father's voice. He caught up with me in moments, and I simply started walking again. If you didn't know us, you could still tell that we were related. At this point in our lives, we were often mistaken for brothers if it was an uninformed human asking. The perks of being paranormal and not really aging beyond the age of forty-five.

We walked in silence out of the council building, and as expected, Father started talking as soon as we were outside. It was cold out, and with just a bit of magic, I was wrapped in a long wool coat and a scarf. I decided to forego gloves and instead tucked my hands into my pockets.

"I don't ask much of you, but the council needs your help."

I nodded. "Who is Igor?" I asked.

Father sighed. "He's the created wolverine. He was one of the last to join the council, and he's been a bigger thorn in our sides than Dane and Bernard."

That was saying something. I'd heard many times about Alpha Dane and his attitude. "I'll help, if Patrick feels safe about it. I won't risk my family. Not even for the council," I said. Father scowled. "I understand the council is important, but that is your thing. I realize my existence is because of you and Dad, but I'm not willing to risk Patrick or Edric, not to mention the rest of our coven. I have too many that cannot protect themselves against a warlock. If Marco or Riccardo find their way to Amherst because they've discovered who you're sending to me, I have to be able to ensure the children and human Ones are safe and secure."

Father's face blanked before he nodded slowly. "I understand. You are within your rights to turn us down. Not a single person in the council would be upset."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to do that. I understand that the members of the coven in Venice need help. I also recognize that bringing them all into close proximity to the council isn't the smartest move. I will help if an agreement can be made. I just need to make sure Patrick is on board."

"Very well. I will go join Daegal in his discussion with Igor. I wish I could say he's not normally like that, but sadly, he is. His animal side is incredibly strong and comes through in his human form a bit. We all mostly just ignore him when we can. It helps to a certain extent."

I chuckled. "Yes, well, this is why I am not involved with the council if it can be helped. I would throw a magic ball at him if I were forced to spend any real amount of time near the man. Have fun with your discussion. I'm going home to spend time with my One and son."

"Alistair?"

"I spent time with him earlier. He is going to bring River and the children to see us soon."

"And your brothers?"

"Saw them as well. They are all busy with their own families though, and I didn't get nearly the amount of time with them as I did with Alistair. Patrick wants to see them, so Alistair is going to discuss plans with River to come for a long weekend."

Father nodded slowly. "You know I wouldn't allow for anything to happen to any of you."

"Yes. And you should understand that I feel the same. I take my position as master seriously."

Father sighed. "Yes, you do. Always so very serious."

I shrugged. I was what most considered a clone of my carrier father. My brothers all grew up with the understanding that I was to become coven master, and they all had different outlooks on life and how they dealt with it. "I will call you this evening after I've had time to discuss things with Patrick."

"Very well. I look forward to hearing from you in that case."

I offered a smile and then left. I popped from Treasure Ridge to Amherst with a thought, and in seconds, I was inside the estate and walking toward the quarters I shared with Patrick. It was early in the day, and Edric would be attending classes in the coven's classrooms, but Patrick would either be in our quarters or his atrium.

"Patrick? I've returned from Montana."

"I'm in the kitchen. I thought I would bake some cookies."

I started toward the manor's kitchen, then stopped. "Our kitchen or the manor's?"

"Ours. Although it probably would have been easier to use the manor's. But Grantham was in there, and I didn't wish to disturb him. He looked quite serious."

I chuckled about that. Grantham was a pro in the kitchen, although you wouldn't necessarily think so by looking at him. But you wouldn't expect Balthazar to be as masterful with technology as he was either. We all seemed to have our hidden talents, and that helped make us a well-rounded family.

I popped into our quarters, immediately scenting the cookies that Patrick was baking. I wasn't sure what the occasion, but I certainly wouldn't mind a treat or two. I found Patrick exactly where he said he'd be. He was standing in front of the oven, staring at it as if he looked intently enough it would finish what he was waiting on.

"Do they bake faster if you stare?"

Patrick looked at me over his shoulder, a huge smile on his face. "No. But I was trying to occupy myself while you were gone and Edric was in school. You both get a nice treat when you return, so I thought it would be a win-win situation."

I'd made it to Patrick by then, and I placed my hands on his hips and gently tugged him to me. "I missed you, and cookies are most definitely a treat, but you are the reason I continue on every day." I leaned in and kissed Patrick. My arms moved upward, and I had just started to deepen the kiss when the buzzer sounded beside us.

I sighed as Patrick pulled away and moved to open the oven. He had two cookie sheets in there, and after he had them on the cooling racks on the counter, he took off the hot mitts and moved closer to me. He stopped a step away from me and gave me the look. I knew that look, but I should after how many years we'd been together.

"What happened? Did you see Alistair? I need to take Edric out to see him. Well, probably everyone out there. Him running around with all of the kids out there just seems to wear him out more than playing with everyone here."

I nodded. "I did see Alistair. He is going to talk to River, and they're going to make plans to come see us soon. Yes, we can take Edric out again, although I'm not sure when I'll have a weekend free."

"Did the meeting with the council go poorly?"

"Not really, no. I have a few reservations about housing others when what equates to a mafia family's hitmen are possibly out to get them and could find their way here."

Patrick's eyes widened. "Did you mention that part before?"

I shook my head. "No, because I just became aware of that little fact when Alistair mentioned it to me earlier. I don't mind helping, but I need to make sure everyone here is safe. That will always be my top priority."

"I understand that. Nobody here would ever doubt your dedication to the coven family." Patrick went quiet for a moment. "Did they really ask if you would house members of a mafia family?"

I took Patrick's hands and led him out of the kitchen. We sat on the sofa in the back room to talk. "Up until this point, all I knew was they needed help and that the coven master there wasn't a nice person. Alistair brought it to my attention that the coven in Venice was acting as and known as a mafia family." I could feel Patrick's concern. I reached for him and easily pulled him onto my lap.

"I'm too big to sit on your lap," he said, but his tone was playful.

"No you're not. I can think of several instances where you sitting on my lap are most definitely not an issue." In fact, he'd done so just a few days ago.

"That is not what I was talking about, and you know it. We're almost the same height."

"And you love it because it allows for so many more positions." I kissed Patrick's cheek and then pulled him close and held him for a minute. This right here was worth going through life for. Patrick was my grounding rock. He was my partner in all things and at times was my voice of reason. I already knew that I was going to help the coven members from Venice, but I needed to talk things out with Patrick before giving Father a definite answer.

"Have you already made up your mind?" Patrick asked.

"I'm leaning heavily toward accepting them. But I don't know if that's what is best for the coven."

"Why? Dad would never let anything happen to any of us. You know the council will have made sure that each and every one of them has been through some sort of security check. I can't imagine Dad asking us to put the coven in danger." Patrick turned his head and looked directly at me. "You took in Theo and Nigel. Theo's father was after them. As were others. They actually sent people after him. Grant, as well. You still took them in. Are these new members going to be any different?"

"To a certain extent, yes. Theo and Nigel were running from a somewhat incompetent penguin shifter. Grant's mother is human and not a threat. Neither was their former coven. The situation now has a pair of bloodthirsty hitmen that are evading the council. They could be anywhere because they're warlocks and don't require a passport in order to travel."

Patrick oh so slowly nodded. "That could certainly present an issue. Will they come after the coven members that are being relocated?"

That was a very good question. "Alistair said that when questioned, the others didn't know if they were in danger or not. There isn't much use in coming after anyone because there isn't an organization left. I want to help offer a few a new start, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder if someday, a decade or two down the road, if it will be the downfall of our family."

I was constantly considering my decisions regarding the coven. It had been ingrained into me from the very beginning that a coven master took care of the coven family. I remember early on how Father would protect our coven at the inn all those centuries ago. Back then, we didn't have to worry about a warlock mafia family. But we did have to be wary of human travelers who came to the inn seeking solace for a night or two. We had to be careful because there were more men than women at the inn. That would sometimes raise concern with humans that resided somewhat in proximity to the inn. Yet, through it all, Father's first instinct was always to protect the coven family.

"I think you should do it. You said you were leaning towards it. We need to help them. If we're concerned a bit about these men, imagine how much more terrifying it could be for them. If they're from the same coven, I would think they know exactly what those men are capable of. We should help."

I knew Patrick was right. I leaned in and kissed him again. "I know. I just can't help but hesitate for a brief moment."

Patrick nodded, his head moving against my shoulder where he'd slouched down. "There are no guarantees, Arthur, and there never have been. Could you rest knowing you could have helped them and didn't? We have never gone through life questioning everything with the what-if mentality. Is now when we're going to start?"

It could be comical how perfect Patrick was at seeing an issue and basically squashing it with logic.

"This is why I talk out my concerns with you. No matter the issue, you always seem to have the perfect solution."

Patrick grinned. "That's why I'm mated to a coven master. Alpha mates are the sounding board for their alphas. Granted, you aren't technically an alpha, but you're basically an alpha. That makes me alpha mate. William and Louis are actually alpha mates. Same situation." Patrick shrugged. "It was fated to be this way. You have an issue, you talk it through out loud, and then we come to the conclusion that you already had the answer. I'm just here for support."

I couldn't help but smile at Patrick. "You are so much more than just support. You are my heart, my life. Without you, I wouldn't be nearly the man I am today." I leaned in and gave Patrick a kiss. My lips lingered, and when he moaned, I felt a sudden pulse of desire through our bond. I wasn't sure how much time we had before Edric would be finished with school, but I knew that if nothing else, I could give my One an orgasm or two. When I ran one hand up his torso and pinched his nipple, the moan became a loud groan, and I pulled Patrick down onto the sofa with me. We could certainly make time for mind-clearing pleasure.