Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Cadel paced in the second bedroom, the one he should be sleeping in. From the supplies in the suite, it was clear Everest had been preparing it to be a secure bolt hole. Not quite a safe house, but something he could use as prince and demand extra security.

He didn't want to think how much Everest paid to keep this place. But it meant there was a selection of clothes and weapons and tech. He hung the towel on a hook on the back of the door and pulled on a pair of black track pants. Most of the clothes in this room were black, and in a couple of different sizes. All larger than what Everest wore. They were bodyguard sized.

He picked up his phone and pulled up Kaine Lenoir's number, knowing he needed to make an update but not sure what he was going to say.

Today had been a failure.

They hadn't located where any of the Shadow Board members were staying, Everest's mind was declining, and he'd given into temptation and kissed him. For the few seconds their lips had been touching, he wanted more.

It was better for both of them that nothing happened.

He hit call, still unsure what to say, while hoping Everest was right and his brothers had read his books.

"Lenoir."

"McKeon, checking in."

"How is he?"

Cadel glanced at the closed door.

"Is he listening?" Kaine asked.

"No. He is resting." Or he was supposed to be. "He said you should've read his books by now."

"I have…we have. How is he?"

"Not good. He says weeks at best."

Kaine swore in another language. "He's been playing four-dimensional chess with us all."

"Four?"

"Time. He's always been clever, but this time he's outsmarted himself."

"He's hurting from a soul bruise." It was odd to say as he struggled to imagine what a wound caused in a different life might feel like. According to Everest, he'd have them, even if he wasn't as aware of them in the same way as a phoenix.

"So he said."

"We need to get this done. He said to ask for Jacob Farrell."

"He is already en route with Orion Templeton, his mate. Both ex-Coven and familiar with the Shadow Board. They will arrive tonight. Everest left instructions on what needs done."

Had he planned everything, including his own death?

"They have the finder magic?"

"Yes. Dalmon is pulling everything on known Shadow Board safe houses, but he can't spare any agents as he's trying to mop up the mess in London. "

"Is it true he's stripping magic?"

Lenoir was silent for several seconds. "Yes. People with money and power can't vanish. Some are being arrested by human police because of the trafficking. Everest set up that investigation last time. He was pushing pieces we weren't aware of because he could see it was going to take longer than his life. It's because of him we can do this."

Cadel stared at the carpet. "He thinks you all hate him."

"We don't hate him, but I'm not sure how well we know him. I look at him and see my youngest brother. Gerrit sees Everest as his child. Everest needs to call him."

"He doesn't like letting people close."

Kaine grunted. "You could've fooled me. Has he gotten to you?"

"If you're asking if I have slept with him, the answer is no. Though he tried. He likes the challenge, and because he's having trouble staying in the present, it makes sense for me to play his game."

"He'll know you're playing."

"Yes. And I can't best him because he's got thousands of years of experience to draw on. I told him he has to survive the mission." There was no point in hiding his eventual capitulation, and he wanted Kaine to understand how fragile Everest was. He was beautiful and brilliant and being torn apart while trying to save himself. "I can protect him from the Shadow Board, but it's much harder to protect him from his past."

"None of us realized the extent of the soul bruise."

"It's not just that one. He admitted he can't remember the last time he let someone close enough to love him. Losing Olier might have been the final straw."

"Hopefully finding him will be the start of healing."

"Can he be healed? Can a mind reader fix his mind?"

"I don't know. It might be best?—"

"Will you try to save him?" Or did he need to save Everest from his brothers?

"Only he knows if he can be saved. If he's not supplying those answers, then it means he is done. Sometimes, we need a rest. The weight of the past can be exhausting even without the memories."

"So why do you keep the library? Why revisit the past?"

"Because not having our library means making the same mistakes again and again and again. Which is so much worse."

Cadel scrunched his toes against the carpet. "What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you need to do so that he doesn't get worse. He can't die before seeing Olier freed."

"You talk of his death as if it doesn't matter."

"It matters, but it's not permanent. I'll see him again. Maybe I'll take the role of his father in another ten years."

Everest would like that. He seemed to like Kaine the best out of all his brothers. "What do you want me to do about Olier?"

"For the moment, nothing. Continue to act as his bodyguard. Jacob and Orion will take point on recovering Olier."

"Everest will not like being out of the operation."

"He won't be, but he's also unreliable if he can't stay in the present. Would you want him watching your back?"

"At the moment, no." Any other time, yes. Because he was smart and fearless. A partner who was only fearless was dangerous. One who was only smart took too long to act. Everest was the kind of partner he liked to work with, which was why it hurt to watch him stumble.

When the blood had trickled from Everest's nose, he'd seen the flicker of fear in his eyes, before he'd brushed it aside. Everest had immediately known what it meant. He wasn't afraid to face reality or to make hard decisions. He was afraid that he wouldn't do enough and he'd be dealing with the same shit next time. Cadel couldn't imagine living like that, knowing that old mistakes would come back to haunt him.

"Tell him to call one of us instead of ignoring us."

"I will, but he might ignore me, too."

Kaine made a small sound. "He will do what he wants. Try not to be dragged over the cliff with him. And McKeon, whatever happens, you are not to blame and will not be held responsible."

No, but he'd feel responsible if he lost his charge. Was that the kind of thing that would carry into his next life and leave a bruise he wasn't aware of?