Chapter Four

"That incompetent fool! He knows better than to leave our realm." Galamir paced, his feet crunching on the gravel pathways of the garden, his sharp nails digging into the palms of his clenched fists. "How dare he bring shame upon our esteemed family name by abandoning his responsibilities!"

"For centuries I have urged you to exclude him from these competitions." Farawyn's disdain carried through the lush and vibrant garden from where she lounged regally on the settee. "We might actually have a chance of winning if he weren't involved."

"I will not tolerate any more embarrassment from him, especially with relatives here for the competition." The bitterness of anger lingered on Galamir's tongue.

For over a thousand years, Galamir had been forced to endure the shame of having a worthless son. Raidh showed no interest in upholding the legacy of the Shadowlace lineage or participating in dark fae magic, much to Galamir's embarrassment. The Shadowlace name was one of power and prestige, passed down through generations of revered dark fae.

Whispers and snickers from other fae only added fuel to Galamir's fury. His son refused to embrace dark magic or take any pride in being an Unseelie. It was an insult to their proud reputation.

Enough was enough. Galamir would not let Raidh bring shame upon their house any longer. "If he does not return by tonight, he is no longer my son. He will be cast out."

Farawyn gasped and sat upright. "You would cast out your own flesh and blood?"

"He brought this upon himself," Galamir stated. He turned away, his mind already plotting a suitable punishment for his wayward offspring. But just as he was about to leave, he sensed Raidh's presence and saw him casting a spell from the human realm.

Fury burned within Galamir as he caught a glimpse of his son hiding in a dilapidated room, surrounded by cobwebs with only a single light illuminating his features. The boy seemed to be taunting him by using the very magic he had rebelled against.

For a fleeting moment, their eyes locked and they could see each other clearly. Raidh narrowed his gaze, while Galamir sneered with disdain. I will find you, boy. Then I will eliminate you, erasing your existence from our history. He blew across his palm, smirking as Raidh's image faded into the shadows, his whereabouts cloaked in secrecy.

If only his son had lived up to the standards of the Shadowlace family. Admittedly, Raidh was beyond beautiful, flawless in appearance, but he was ultimately a disappointment, too broken to fix.

But Farawyn's voice interrupted Galamir's vengeful thoughts. "I felt him too, but I cannot pinpoint his location."

"He is no longer our concern." With a determined stride, he left the garden, already formulating a plan to rid their family tree of this rotten branch.

* * * *

Raidh might be able to wield magic, but that didn't mean he liked creepy places. He was grateful Kalen had allowed him to use the crypt, but why on earth did a wolf shifter family even have a crypt on their property?

The room was a dimly lit chamber, the flickering light of a single candle casting eerie shadows on the vine-covered walls. The air was thick and stale, with a lingering musty odor of old stone and decaying earth, creating an unsettling smell.

The sooner Raidh got the spell over with, the sooner he could get out of this scary room. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then immediately regretted it hadn't when he sucked in a lungful of must.

Gross. But Raidh had wanted the darkness, needing only enough light to see as he mixed the ingredients in the bowl in front of him, the colors blending together into a murky, dark liquid.

"Here comes the part I really hate." With a swift motion, Raidh slashed his right forearm over the bowl—suppressing a shout of pain—and let his blood drip into the bowl as he chanted the spell. As the words left his lips, the dark magic swirled around him, a potent mix of power and danger that only amplified the tension inside of him.

As the crypt seemed to melt right before Raidh's eyes—an illusion created by the magic—he suddenly found himself standing in the garden behind his home, invisible to his parents.

The image that appeared before him was just as chilling as the crypt itself, a reminder of the strained relationship between father and son, a bond broken beyond repair.

His father paced the lush and vibrant garden, filled with exotic plants and flowers. His mother was lounging on her settee, radiating an otherworldly beauty. Unfortunately, hidden beneath the surface, Farawyn held a deep well of malice and apathy.

"He brought this upon himself," Galamir raged.

But Raidh had no idea what his father was talking about.

Then his father turned, as if to leave, but stopped, as if he sensed Raidh's presence. Their gazes locked. Raidh narrowed his eyes as resentment filled him. Predictably, there was nothing but contempt and disdain in Galamir's eyes.

I will find you, boy. Then I will eliminate you, erasing your existence from our history. With a smug smile, he blew across his palm right before the illusion faded and the crypt came back into view.

Raidh gasped. He and his father had never gotten along, but this was the first time Galamir had ever threatened his life.

His left forearm hurt from the cut he'd made, and he felt a warm trickle of blood running down his arm. Trembling, Raidh covered the gash then pressed against the rough, uneven stone wall. Ignoring the cobwebs, he tried to steady his rapid breathing, his father's threat chilling him to the core.

He couldn't believe Galamir would go so far as to threaten his life. For what? Because Raidh didn't want to learn dark magic or participate in some stupid competition? Galamir and his stupid, freaking pride!

The more Raidh paced the crypt, the angrier he became. This wasn't fair. It wasn't just his father who despised him. It was his entire family. Like he was a freak!

And what was with that palm-blowing thing Galamir had done when their minds connected? His father never did anything without purpose.

Three knocks sounded on the crypt door as someone tapped. Raidh looked down at his forearm. He was dealing with a family of wolves shifters. There was no way he could hide his wound. They probably already smelled his blood, which would only add to Raidh's problem since fae blood was so alluring and magical.

Still, Raidh didn't get why the wolves were reacting so strongly. He could usually go places without any issue. The only species he had to be very careful of were vampires and winged beasts.

Basically, anyone who had fangs and drank blood.

But as far as Raidh knew, shifters didn't drink blood. They drew it from their enemies in a battle, but they didn't consume it. With the way Raidh's world was flipping upside down, he wouldn't be shocked if they did.

With a sigh, he opened the door to the crypt. Jaytee sniffed the air, and then his eyes narrowed as he glared at Raidh's arm.

"I have not had the best day," Raidh snapped. "I don't need a lecture about using my own blood for the spell, and I don't want to deal with you or your brothers concerning the smell of my blood."

A low rumbling growl filled Jaytee's chest.

Raidh levered a finger at his mate, noticing how Jaytee's nose twitched. "Keep growling at me and I'll turn you into a fur coat." He shoved past Jaytee, sucking in fresh air and trying to clear his thoughts.

"Thanks for loaning me the creepiest place imaginable," Raidh said to Kalen. "I left it just as immaculate as I found it."

"What is your problem?" Jaytee snarled from behind him. "I would appreciate it if you didn't speak to my dad that way. He just gave you the perfect place to cast your spell, and you're being ungrateful."

"Son." Kalen held up a hand, palm out. "Clearly something happened in the crypt. Why don't you talk to your mate instead of biting his head off?"

As angry as Raidh was with Galamir, he was twice as afraid. But just because he was alarmed didn't mean he had to take it out on everyone.

"Kalen, I'm very sorry for being rude." Raidh pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wanted to kick that whispering threat out of his mind.

It was a completely disturbing thought to know your own father wanted you dead. Yet, here stood Kalen Frost, a father, stranger to him, ready to help him, even though he had no idea what was even going on.

"I'm sorry." Jaytee ran a thick hand through his hair. "Do fairies heal on their own, or do we need to take care of your cut?"

"Fae." Raidh rolled his eyes. "I need to wrap my arm."

Jaytee just grabbed Raidh's hand and started hauling him toward the house. "You should have told me you were going to use your blood for the spell."

"Why?" Raidh asked. "How would that have changed anything? The concealment spell still needed to be cast."

They didn't stop until they were in Jaytee's bedroom and the door was closed. Then his mate turned to him. "Because I hate seeing you bleed." He grabbed a first aid kit and brought it to the bed. "Sit."

"Should I roll over and play fetch too?" Raidh snapped. "You could command me around a little more nicely. Or better yet, ask instead of telling me what to do."

"Please, have a seat, Moonbeam." Jaytee waved a hand at the bed. "I want to get that cut taken care of."

Raidh sat and held out his trembling arm, fighting back tears. Jaytee knelt his massive frame in front of him, cradling Raidh's arm gently in his hands like he was holding something precious.

"Did you have to make the cut so deep, Moonbeam?" Jaytee gazed up at him with worry in his beautiful blue eyes, his fingers softly caressing Raidh's arm.

Raidh's breath caught. "Sometimes a fae is so focused on a spell that everything else becomes insignificant."

Jaytee slid his fingers close to the wound. "Hurting yourself isn't insignificant, sweetheart."

As his mate cleaned and bandaged the cut, Raidh watched, his thoughts on the threat, on Jaytee and his family getting caught in the middle of it, wondering how he would survive his father's attack.

Elvine needed to be warned. Raidh had to tell her to stay away from his family. His best friend would continue to snoop, unknowingly putting herself in danger.

"My phone!" Raidh smacked his forehead. "I left it at Bluebird Café." When he'd run away from his mate. "I have to get it. I have to warn Elvine."

"Your attack kitten?" Jaytee smirked as he finished bandaging Raidh's arm. He stayed on his knees as he arched his eyebrow. "Warn her about what? You still haven't told me what's going on, Moonbeam. If my family's in danger, we have a right to know what we're up against."

"My father."

Jaytee looked at Raidh, waiting for him to finish the sentence.

With an aggravated snarl, Raidh stood, only to realize his crotch was right in his mate's face. Stepping aside, he crossed his arms, careful of his wound, and paced in a tight circle. "For a thousand years, my father, Galamir, and I have been clashing."

"Exactly how old are you?" Jaytee stood.

"I'm 1,217 years old," Raidh replied.

Jaytee's jaw dropped, then he chuckled. "I thought being 235 was old. I feel like a pup now. Babe, you don't look a day over 800."

Raidh grinned. "At least I don't look like a wolf man with all that hair on my face. Your entire family is one big furball."

Jaytee stroked his thick beard. "You don't like it?"

Honestly, Raidh had never been with anyone who had facial hair, and he now wondered what it would feel like against his skin when they finally kissed. "I didn't say I didn't like it. Can I get back to what I was telling you, or do want to continue discussing hairy beasts?"

Jaytee bounced his eyebrows. "You're blushing, Moonbeam. Wondering what my beard will feel like stroking your delicate body?" He smirked. "Your blush just got deeper. Go on, tell me about your father. I'll behave."

"I see Damon isn't the only horndog in your family."

Wrong thing to say. Jaytee's blue eyes caught fire as he gave a low growl. "He should consider himself lucky I didn't rip his tongue out for the way he flirted with you."

"Anyway…" Raidh cleared his throat then told his mate about how he'd refused to embrace dark magic and attend the annual dick-measuring contest. "I just couldn't go through another two-week prep with my father." He explained why. "So, I decided to take a permanent vacation."

Raidh frowned. "I still have no idea why that spell didn't take me to Brazil."

"How do you know spells if you never learned magic?"

"I just said I refused to embrace magic. Galamir forced the lessons on me," Raidh replied.

"Okay." Jaytee held up a hand. "I get your old man is a pretentious jackass with a huge helping of FOPO and complete disdain for his own kid, but what do you have to warn Elvine about?" He frowned. "What happened in the crypt?"

"FOPO?"

"Fear of other people's opinion," Jaytee clarified.

"But wouldn't that be FOOPO?"

His mate gave him a look that said he was concentrating on the wrong thing. Raidh sighed. "When you cast a concealment spell, for a brief moment, the person or people you're hiding from can see you."

"That's why you needed someplace unidentifiable," Jaytee said.

"Yes." Raidh nodded.

"And you saw your old man."

Again, Raidh nodded. "He also spoke to me, through his thoughts." Raidh wrung his hands as he began to pace again. "He said that he would find and eliminate me, wipe me from history."

"Are you serious?" Jaytee's voice rumbled with anger. "Just because you refuse to embrace dark magic?"

"It's not just that," Raidh replied bitterly. "My father's favoritism toward my mother and sister has always made me feel like an outcast in my own family, like I'm nothing in his eyes."

It was a painful truth that had fueled much of his rebellious behavior.

From a young age, Raidh had known Galamir's expectations for him were unreasonable and self-serving. His father had wanted him to be the greatest wielder of dark magic. He'd forced Raidh to work night and day to perfect his incantations and spells.

But those grandiose expectations only pushed Raidh away and created a deep rift between them. Any bond they could have had was now broken beyond repair.

What was so wrong with Raidh that his father couldn't simply love and accept him for who he was, not what he could be molded into? He would never be good enough for Galamir.

"Damn, Moonbeam."

Raidh sucked in a quick breath when Jaytee wrapped his burly arms around him. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes at just how overwhelmed he felt.

The warmth and comfort radiating from the wolf shifter gave him a sense of belonging. Raidh clung to him, praying he had found someone who would accept him for who he was, just like Elvine had.

Raidh turned his head as he inhaled Jaytee's scent but found their lips so close. His body erupted in heat. Warm blue eyes watched him, their mouths inches apart, as if Jaytee was waiting to see if Raidh would pull away.

Raidh couldn't. Their connection was strong, and he felt overwhelmed with need and desire.

Jaytee ghosted his lips over Raid's neck and shoulder, and Raidh was done for. Whatever this man wanted, he could have, just as long as he didn't stop making tiny shivers race through Raidh. Just as long as he didn't stop making Raidh feel whole.

"I think I like where this is going." Raidh grinned, his mate's closeness causing all other thoughts to flee his mind, leaving him to concentrate solely on those lips and Jaytee's delicious smell.

"You're in the driver's seat, so take this anywhere you want." Jaytee lowered him to his back, pushing Raidh's shirt up then flicking his tongue across Raidh's chest before circling it around one of his nipples.

Raidh arched his back, digging his fingers into Jaytee's shoulders. His body hummed with anticipation, the sensation intensifying as Jaytee trailed a series of moist kisses down his stomach. When Jaytee's tongue rimmed the waistband of Raidh's jeans, Raidh sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm…I'm going to—"

"What?" Jaytee looked up at him with mischief sparkling in his eyes. "Come undone?"

"Yes." Raidh didn't care how desperate he sounded right now. He needed Jaytee's mouth on him. He needed to be consumed by him.

Jaytee chuckled again, but this time, the sound vibrated against Raidh's skin as the guy nuzzled his hip. His gentle nips and sucks soon had Raidh squirming beneath him, writhing on the bed as need pulsed through every nerve ending in his body.

"I think I want a taste of my beautiful mate," Jaytee murmured, easing Raidh's jeans and underwear down his legs.

His firm body pressed against Raidh's, muscles rubbing him, and the friction was making Raidh dizzy with need.

Jaytee's eyes flicked up to his, a wicked glint in them. He trailed his fingers down Raidh's chest, tracing the contours of a body that twitched at his touch. He continued his descent, teasing him, and finally wrapped his hand around Raidh's throbbing cock.

Raidh gasped, thrusting into Jaytee's grip. He was so hard, so ready for this man who had somehow managed to turn his world upside down in just a few short hours. He didn't care about anything else but the feeling of Jaytee's hand on him, the warmth of his body pressed against his own.

Jaytee started to stroke him, slowly at first then faster as Raidh's hips bucked wildly. He couldn't help the moans that escaped his lips, the desperate whimpers that begged for more. He needed release, needed it now.

But Jaytee wasn't done teasing him yet. He leaned toward his nightstand and came away with a bottle of lube. After coating his fingers, he took Raidh into his mouth, swallowing him to the root while inching a wet finger inside Raidh's ass.

Raidh cried out, digging his fingers into Jaytee's hair as he felt the guy's tongue swirl around his cock, felt the hairs of his beard scrape along his sensitive skin. It was too much, too good. Raidh was going to come undone at any moment.

Inserting another finger, Jaytee sucked harder, stroking Raidh in tandem with his mouth. The feeling was indescribable, intense and mind-blowing. Raidh was spiraling higher and higher until he finally shattered, crying out Jaytee's name as he came hard.

Jaytee didn't stop until Raidh was spent, until he had wrung every last drop from him. Only then did he ease back, sliding his fingers out of Raidh's ass, a satisfied smile on his handsome face as he looked up at Raidh.

"Sweet molasses." Raidh drew in a ragged breath and let it out slowly.

"Such a potty mouth." Jaytee chuckled just as Raidh's stomach rumbled. "It sounds like my mate needs nourishment."

"But don't you want me to reciprocate?"

Jaytee pulled Raidh to his feet then slid his clothes back into place. "I can wait, Moonbeam. I need to feed you right now."

Raidh sniffed the air. "Why do I smell pizza?"