14. Patrick

Chapter 14

Patrick

" E dric?"

I heard familiar giggling. It wasn't outright laughter; it was the "I'm trying my best to be quiet so I can continue to hide from Daddy" kind of giggling. So we were playing that kind of game. I was certainly willing. "Hmm…I thought he was in here," I said. I had already seen Edric's aura behind the cluster of large monstera plants I had in one corner. Although he was no longer a young child, he was still only eight, and I cherished these moments. Before long, he would no longer want to play these games with us. But I had a surefire way of getting Edric to come out of his hiding place without having to "search" for him. "I guess I'll have to tell Grandpa Wallace that Edric can't be found," I said as I started walking toward the door.

"Wait!"

I grinned, and as I turned, Edric came running out from behind the monsteras. I knelt down and held out my arms. Edric didn't even hesitate to run into them.

"There you are."

"Here I am," Edric said. "Is Grandpa Wallace really here?"

"He is. He and Grandpa Edison are both here. Would you like to go see them?" I already knew the answer, but I was going to ask him anyway. Edric, in true "he's so Arthur's son" fashion, rolled his eyes at me.

"That's such a silly question, Daddy. Of course I want to see them. Is Papa with them?"

"He is. They are talking about the new warlocks that will be joining our coven very soon." I stood, and after Edric placed his hand in mine, I led him from the atrium. For so long, it had been my sanctuary, but we had long ago divided it up into different areas. I still had my own place, one that had my most precious plants that all of the coven's children knew not to disturb. But there was now a large indoor play place in what used to be the center of the atrium. With us being in Amherst and having such long, cold winters, we needed somewhere that the children could burn off energy. The atrium made a whole lot of sense since it had a lot of natural light—another good thing for growing children.

"Are there going to be more kids joining?"

I grinned down at my youngest. "I'm not sure. Perhaps. Do you not have enough playmates now?" The coven had grown considerably in the past decade. Cornelius and Matthew still only had Ollie, but Balthazar and Grant had four now. Costas and Miles were definitely done with their three, but Grantham and Theo had added a second set of twins to their family and were now at five. Severino was currently pregnant with his and Fenwick's third. Were they going to have more? Possibly, but one never knew with those two.

"There are more adults than kids though. I like it more when we go out to Grandpa's and I can run and play with all of them out there."

I felt a pang at Edric's words. I knew he loved it when we visited Montana, but so much had been going on lately that Arthur hadn't been able to get away, and I'd not wanted to leave because I was trying to offer as much support as I could.

"Well, I can see if we can get you to all of the kids in Montana for a bit. But you do have school. You would have to be sure to listen to the teacher out there as much as you do here," I told him. "Did you want to stay with Uncle Arik?"

Edric shook his head.

"Alistair and River?"

Edric's eyes lit up. Arthur and I both adored Edric but felt bad for him. He was so much younger than his brothers, and although I'd had a few fertile periods since Edric had been born, I never seemed to catch during them. We would gladly welcome more children if we were so blessed, but so far, it simply hadn't happened. Not that Edric didn't have other "siblings" here in the coven. But I knew he longed for a sibling close to his own age. Perhaps that was why he and Ollie seemed to be so close. And although Edric technically wasn't an only child, he was being raised as such since his brothers were all centuries older than he was.

"Do you think that Alistair and River can visit soon with their kids?"

"I'm not sure. We can ask though, but I know Alistair is super busy like Grandpa Edison is. They're working for the council to keep the not-so-nice people from hurting others."

Edric sighed. "All right."

I was trying, I truly was. But for whatever reason, Edric had become so melancholy lately. It wasn't that we neglected him. We spent time with him every single day. Hours even. But he simply felt alone, and I couldn't figure it out.

"Grandpa!" Edric said as we stepped into the doorway of Arthur's office. Immediately, Wallace turned and held out his arms. Edric flew into them, and I couldn't help but smile as Dad swung Edric up into his arms.

"How is me lad today? Are ye reading like ye should?"

Edric nodded. "Yes. We started this new series of chapter books about a kid named Greg. I'm enjoying it, but we just started, so I don't know much about it."

"Have ye now? Do ye have one? Can ye read me a chapter or two?"

Wallace looked at me and winked as he walked out of the office with Edric in his arms still. I watched them go and would have been concerned if not for the fact that Arthur wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to kiss my temple. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"He's fine. Dad is simply trying to distract him," he whispered to me.

I nodded before I opened my eyes and realized that we were certainly not alone in the office. I had expected Edison, but there were a few more.

"Have you met Atticus?" Edison asked.

"Uh, possibly. I know I met at least one hellhound, but I don't remember if it was you or not," I said. I felt terrible, but it was the truth. Atticus, though, simply grinned.

"I haven't met Patrick yet, no. I believe it was most likely Damien that he's met before. I was on assignment the last time he was in Montana."

"Oh, yes, Damien. That was his name. He was talking to Alistair, if I recall." It had been such a short moment, and he was in a hurry to do something that didn't involve making conversation with me. I had simply been there to give my son a hug before I went on my way to spend the day with River and their children. Atticus nodded. Everyone seemed to stare at one another before I started to feel uncomfortable. "Did you wish for me to leave?" I finally asked.

"No. We were trying to finalize who all would be staying here. I wanted Arthur to know that although the coven is full of powerful warlocks, I would feel better if an enforcer or two popped in every so often to provide a bit of extra protection," Edison said.

I glanced over at Arthur. "Do we need more protection?"

"Not really. Father is being overly cautious. He knows that I would never allow for anything to happen to any of our coven family. I do understand his concern. It's not from those that will be staying here but the ones that won't."

I had already been informed of everything that was going on with this entire situation. There would be a few warlocks that would be residing with us for the foreseeable future. They needed somewhere to stay for a bit, and for whatever reason, going to the council wasn't an option. I could understand to an extent, but bringing others here when they might lead danger to us never sat well with me.

"You look as if you aren't exactly happy about the idea," Atticus said.

I shook my head. "It's fine. I know that Arthur would never allow anyone to hurt those in our coven. He is most protective of us, and if he feels there is no real threat, then I have to agree with him on that."

"There will only be three," Dad said. I looked at Edison and nodded. I had thought there were to be more, but obviously, that had changed since the idea had been brought up.

"That will be fine," Arthur said. I grinned at my One and nodded in agreement.

"Was it always to be three? Am I getting old and not remembering correctly?" I asked through our bond.

"It was to be closer to ten, but they have decided to break them up and place them in other places. For security purposes. I have read the files on each, and they are of no threat to anyone here. You know I would never allow for that, and neither would Father."

I continued to smile at Arthur, hoping I was conveying that nothing was amiss.

"You seem a bit…off, Patrick," Edison said. "Do you not wish for them to be here?"

I shook my head. "It isn't that." I sighed. "Edric has become a bit melancholy lately. He sees the others and how they all have siblings to play with once they all retire to their own quarters in the evenings, and it seems to have started to bother him," I said. "We try to have as many sleepovers as we can with Miles and Costas's triplets, but he still seems frustrated with the fact that he has no siblings here."

"Umm, this seems to be a personal family matter," Atticus said. "If you don't mind, I'll just head back to the council, Master Edison."

"Sure."

That was all it took for Atticus to suddenly disappear. I winced.

"I apologize. I didn't mean for him to feel uncomfortable."

"No, no," Dad said. He looked at Arthur. "I don't suppose you remember when you were younger?"

Arthur shook his head. "I remember holding George. I was twenty-one? Twenty-two?"

"Something like that."

"Beyond that, no. Elliot came along many centuries later. And of course, the twins are still what I would call babies, even if they both have children of their own."

"I believe Elliot might have had the most difficult time of it since he was much like Edric's situation. Older siblings, but not raised with any of them. He was still living with us when the twins came along and was actually very much involved in their lives. Still is."

I sighed and looked at Arthur. "Maybe I should see if Elliot has any pointers. I'm simply at a loss as to what to do. One moment, he's perfectly fine, and then the next, it seems as if he's upset he doesn't have a brother to play with."

"I'm wondering if it's because Severino is pregnant again," Arthur said.

I thought about it a moment before shaking my head. "I don't think so. He doesn't spend a whole lot of time with his and Fenwick's children. They seem to be spending more time in St. Louis now that Nikolai has purchased the hotel and only goes on a few cruises a year." Both covens had seen many pregnant carriers and omegas in recent years. Sadly, I wasn't one of them.

"Talk to Elliot. It's possible that he will have some advice for you."

"Thank you, Father. I'll be sure to reach out to him later this afternoon." Arthur leaned in and kissed my temple again. "Back to what we were discussing earlier. We have prepared several suites for visitors. Just let me know when they'll be here."

Edison nodded. "Expect them sometime next week. I would give you a specific day if I knew for certain."

"Understandable. I do have a question though. Is it really necessary that an enforcer start patrolling here? The security is just as high here as it is at the council building. You've already seen to that."

"I cannot help but be concerned. Every day, there are new levels of ugliness discovered, it seems. They were always there, dating back to the beginning almost. Now they have more advanced technology, more greed, and they are better at hiding. In this particular case, right under our noses."

"I know you and the rest of the council are frustrated, but there is only so much you can do. There are only a handful of you, while there are literally hundreds of thousands of the rest of us. Give it time, Father. The European council is in the works still, no?"

Edison nodded. "As you know, there are a few from our committees that will be going to set it up. Some will most likely decide to stay while others will return."

Immediately, I knew what he was saying without actually stating it. "Alistair and River will be going to Europe?"

Edison gave me a smile. "They will, but only for a short time. George will actually act as the warlock representative for the European council. Alistair will be going for only a few weeks to help in the beginning."

I nodded. I gave Arthur a smile before I went over to the couch and sat down. He and Edison shared a look, said something quietly, and then Edison left the office. Arthur was beside me in moments, and I had to wonder how many times we'd sat on this very couch and talked about things. More than I would ever be able to count.

"Are you all right?"

I looked at Arthur. "I am, yes. I'm concerned about Edric. I cannot understand this sudden mood change with regards to not having a sibling. Where did this come from? How are we lacking when it comes to providing for him?"

"I would like to think that no, we aren't deficient. It's simply that Edric is of an age that is more curious than anything. Maybe we could ask one of the council's psychologists if they have any suggestions. Although, I truly think it's simply the fact that, like Elliot, Edric is so much younger than his other siblings, and he is too young to understand how to try and connect with them. They are all gone. They have their own Ones and families, and Edric doesn't understand how they are part of his nuclear family but aren't here."

That actually made so much sense. I sighed. "I wanted him so much. When I first realized I was carrying him, I was so incredibly happy to be able to have another child with you. I didn't stop to think about these issues that might pop up. I also was hopeful that since I caught with him, we might be blessed with several more children." I leaned my head against Arthur's shoulder. "I adore Edric, as I do the other three. Having them so far apart has presented new challenges."

I felt Arthur's chest vibrating. When I looked up at him, he was chuckling. I playfully gave him a bit of a shove.

"In all seriousness though, is it safe to bring these new warlocks in from Europe? Even for a short time?"

"I swear to you, it is just as safe to provide them sanctuary as it has been to provide it for any other that have come to us seeking help. They have all wanted to leave their coven for quite some time, and they aren't going to want to jeopardize their possible position in a new one once they finally have been given the opportunity to start anew somewhere else." Arthur leaned in and kissed me on the nose. "I would never allow anything to happen to you or Edric. If I thought for even a moment that either of you could be in danger, I would send you to Aleric in Montana without hesitation."

I nodded. "I love you. I know you would. I just had to ask for no apparent reason." I shook my head. "My mind was such a jumbled mess lately. Edric was fine one moment playing hide-and-seek, and the next, he seemed upset. I wonder if we should try to visit his three brothers more often." Would that help Edric? It wasn't as if it took us hours by plane to get to where they were. It was more difficult to align schedules than it was to actually do the traveling.

"We could, but is that going to be the answer?" Arthur asked. "We already go to Montana monthly as it is. Edric spends time with everyone out there. We also spend time in Seattle, although not nearly as often. If we spend even more time away from here, is that what Edric is going to need?"

I sighed. "Probably not. I'm just not sure what we can do to help him."

Arthur shrugged. "We'll start by talking to Elliot and seeing if he has any suggestions. If not, we'll reach out to someone who specializes in childhood development. There has to be some logical reason for his drastic mood swings."

Mood swings? Was that what was happening? "Do you really think it's something as simple as mood swings?"

Arthur chuckled again. "Well, what would you call them? He's eight. He's too young for puberty, and he has lots of other children in the coven that are of a similar age. I'm not going to minimize what he's going through, but him not having a sibling his age isn't new when it comes to paranormal children. There has to be someone who has studied these issues. We just have to find them and figure out what to do."

I nodded in agreement. That was really all we could do. What else was there?