Chapter 60

I askedSage to stick close to Talia or to stay in our rooms. I would not put it past Anton to summon her to a meeting without me.

"Pull up the communications with the Burke Packleader regarding his payment."

Kenton's fingers worked quickly to pull up the communication file.

"Are we certain that he is still alive?" I asked the workers in the small communications room.

Sig's large frame caused the office chair to creak as he leaned back. "Do you think Black killed him?"

"Black, his assassin, or somebody else." I shrugged. "Do we know when the last sighting was of the male?"

"I can find out," Sig volunteered.

"I suppose the next step is to file a grievance with the Lycan Council. Although, I doubt they will pursue the collection."

Anton was riding me hard about collecting the funds.

"Do not consider it," Sig growled.

"I should pay it, and then we can move on." It would not be the first time I had settled a bill rather than listen to Anton's rantings.

"This time, it would be a bad decision." Sig's dark gaze would have intimidated others.

I sighed because Sig was sure we should leave sooner rather than later.

Two hours later, I threw the lock to my office and removed a cell phone from the safe hidden by the credenza.

I typed the phone number of the Novus Leader.

Two rings, and then the call was picked up.

"Black."

"It is Bredon Redd."

"This is a surprise." Although, he did not sound surprised.

"Thank you for taking my call."

"How are things?"

"Interesting."

"Go on."

In the background, I heard a female's voice, "I can leave so you can have privacy."

"Theo might be interested," I told Black.

"Stay." There was a click. "You are on speaker, Bredon."

"How is your mate?" Theo asked.

"She is well."

"The Lady is watching over her," the Seer said.

"She has blessed Sage." Although I had used Novus's services, I did not update them on what had happened, except that we had connected.

"This is only the beginning." Theo sounded very sure.

"You've had a vision concerning Sage?" I was unsure if I should be thrilled or terrified.

"The Lady chooses to share information from time to time," Black informed me.

"Someday, I would like to meet your Sage. I think…we could help one another," Theo added mysteriously.

"We have returned to the Redds."

"I see," Black said, sounding wary.

"Have you received notification that the Leader in Texas has died or is no longer in power?"

Theo's chuckle was throaty. "You can say the name, Bredon. I won't shatter."

"Bredon has always excelled at diplomacy, Theo." Black's tone was amused.

"Anton was promised money," I began.

"And let me guess, Travis Burke has not paid," Black finished.

"I doubt that there is any money," Theo told me. "I would write it off as a bad debt and move on."

"She does not know your half-brother's reputation," the Novus Leader explained Theo's response. "Burke is hiding. We assume that if he were dead, the body would've been recovered."

"The Lady has not confirmed his death," Theo added.

"Thank you, Seer."

"Bredon," Black's tone was sharp, "Anton must know that collecting money from Burke is reckless. The Council will not overlook it. He will turn this around and blame you. Watch your back."

"Always."

"If you should need?—"

"I appreciate the offer," I said, cutting him off. "However, I do not want his throne."

"It is our loss. You would be an outstanding Leader," Black murmured.

"We are here…" Theo didn't finish her thought, or perhaps she did not know what to say.

Because of Anton's decisions, we should be enemies. Yet, Black and his people treated me respectfully; we assisted one another when mutually beneficial.

"Many circumstances in our world are not black or white," the Novus Leader opined. "Working toward a common goal should be our priority instead of fostering petty differences."

"Thank you, Black."

"We are here if you should need…anything," he advised and ended the call.

I erased the call history before replacing the phone and exiting my office to find Sage.

I followed her scent to the room where she had cataloged Talia's photos.

"I need to verify that the new storage space is temperature controlled." Her feet were propped up on the desk with a yellow pad on her lap.

The room was filled with packing boxes.

"Hey." She dropped her feet from the desk. "I wasn't sure that I'd see you before bedtime."

"It looks like you are making headway." I knew from experience that Talia lost interest very quickly in projects that were not exciting.

"I told her," Sage glanced at Talia, "that if she taped the boxes together, I would pack them."

"I'm here now. I can help." I knew Sage would not be enticed away from the project until she felt enough work had been done.

"I won't turn away free labor." She stood and took my hand. "I need to list what is in each box. That way, if Talia needs a proof, it can be located."

"She's very bossy," Talia grumbled.

"Somebody thinks I will excuse her if she voices her annoyance." Sage grinned evilly.

I enjoyed watching the interplay between the females. Talia might have employed Sage, but my mate understood how to deal with the artist's sometimes difficult temperament.

"Do you want to put on casual clothes?" Sage asked.

I removed my suit coat and unbuttoned my cuffs. After rolling up my sleeves to mid-forearm, I flexed my fingers a few times. "I am ready."

At some point, Talia had disappeared.

Sage didn't seem to care that Talia had given up. She used the time to ask more questions. "What was it like growing up here?"

"You must keep in mind that our world was much smaller then. We were familiar with the Packs that surrounded us, but we had no idea about the rest of the world."

"When was this wing built?"

"It was added after an ongoing disagreement between Anton and I." After I taped the box closed, I continued, "He claimed that seeing my face upset his digestion. I took that opportunity to begin planning to move to an outpost many miles away on our southern border."

"I'm sure he didn't like that idea." She handed me another book to put into the new box.

"Communication at that time was via messenger. Even with our endurance, there would be a two to three-day delay." Lycans could travel many miles without tiring.

"The compromise was that I would have my own wing."

She paused and watched me for a moment. "You didn't want to go, did you?"

She surprised me at times with how quickly she grasped my intentions.

"Leaving Anton unchecked would have been bad for us."

"You were away with me. Did you worry that he was running unchecked?"

I would not lie to my mate. "No, and yes. Finding you and then making sure you were healthy was my priority. My wolf would not allow me to focus on anything else."

She nodded.

"Sig and I received daily reports from our team. If my intervention had been needed, I would have returned for a short time to remedy any problems."

"I understand. My mother's muse controlled much of our lives. There were three of us in the relationship."

I placed the book into the box and then grasped Sage's hand. "I wish..." Wishes were for fools, yet I continued, "I will not put Anton before you."

"Breed," she sighed but did not remove her hand from mine. "He is an unknown. We need to pay attention and respect that. Maybe…someday…" She shook her head sharply as if to clear it. "Anton will play a huge part in our lives. We must accept that."

"The Lady has blessed me." I pulled her to my chest and kissed her.