Chapter 24

Returning from the Witches' Council, Brady landed on the lane outside his cottage and paused for a moment. Admiring his roses, he asked, "Did you miss me, girls? Did you take care of Lucius for me? I was worried he might be lonely. And I can see how much you enjoyed Vasile's visit again…he spoils you with all the compliments he hands out to each of you." Smiling at the rose blooms nodding in the gentle breezes, he opened the gate, making sure to latch it behind him. There weren't many travelers that passed by, but with the witch and demon still hunting his mate, he wasn't taking any chances. As long as the gates were closed, Mystia's spells would warn him if intruders were nearby.

Approaching the door to the cottage, a shiver went up Brady's spine. Glancing around, Brady saw nothing to cause that reaction in him. Shaking it off, he opened the door and gave the room a quick once-over to make sure no one had been there since the day before. His goal was to pack a bag of clothes for his mate since he assumed Lucius and Vasile had left in a hurry.

Taking a few steps into the living room, he paused, listening for anything amiss, but only silence greeted him. Relieved, he headed to the bedroom, intent on his mission. Quietly opening the door, he entered silently, finding everything in place, exactly the way it was when he left.

Making quick work of it, Brady had Lucius' stuff packed in no time. Hefting the bag of clothes over his shoulder, he returned to the living room. He paused in the middle of it for a moment, inhaling the scent of his mate. It was faint; Lucius hadn't been there for at least a day. That makes sense. Suddenly a wailing alarm jolted Brady into action. The witch had found him.

~/~/~/~/~

As soon as the door to Jackson's study opened, Theo rushed in, narrowly avoiding a collision with Reeve. Grasping Smokey's head, he held it while his eyes assessed him—only letting out the breath he'd been holding after seeing a smile on his mate's face.

"What did he want?" asked Norm, joining his mates. "Do I need to kick his ass?"

"Absolutely not," Smokey growled. "If there's any ass-kicking to be done, I'm gonna be the one doing it."

Jackson watched Reeve leave, contemplating what had been discussed in his private conversation with Smokey to change Nicolet's aggressiveness into that of a laidback dude. Mentally shaking those thoughts aside, he headed back to his study, stopping in front of the three bears. Looking at Smokey, he said, "Sorry to break up the lovefest, but I have a few questions…like what the fuck happened with Nicolet that turned him into a purring kitten?"

Laughing at the image Jackson had planted in his mind, it took Smokey a few moments before he could answer. "He's not a cat," Smokey got out, before laughter overtook him again.

"Cat…wolf…I don't really care what he is but…"

"He's a white buffalo," Smokey was able to finally spit out. "An honest-to-goodness white, fucking buffalo."

Jackson's eyes widened. "A buffalo shifter? I never knew they existed."

"I didn't know about it either, but Reeve's a Tatanka Spirit…one of a kind."

"Fine…whatever," Jackson growled. "What does that have to do with you?"

"Long story short…he was sent by the Great Spirit to help me," Smokey replied. Seeing the doubt in Jackson's face, he added, "He's not a threat to the Blackwood Pack."

"How can you be sure?" asked Jackson.

"Trust me, I know. Look," Smokey entreated, "can we continue this conversation tomorrow? I'm exhausted and so are my mates."

Glancing at Theo, Jackson saw how tired he looked. Nodding at Smokey, he said, "Go ahead…we'll talk tomorrow."

Grateful, Smokey grasped Theo's and Norm's hands. "Thanks…I appreciate it." Leading his mates out of the room, he headed for their bedroom.

Tatanka Spirit…a white buffalo…one of a kind…fits right in with my pack.Checking the time, Jackson left his study to find out more about Reeve. He was sure Oracle would know, but whether she'd answer his questions was anyone's guess. Walking through the great room, he hesitated for a moment when he heard his mate cajoling Danny's wolf to shift. Chuckling softly, he knew he'd have to have a talk with his son soon about his fascination with his wolf form. It wasn't unusual for a pup to prefer it, but ignoring his human form wasn't a good thing either; it could cause problems for him in the future.

Reaching Oracle's room, Jackson knocked just as the thought entered his mind that she might be on assignment for the Fates. He tried to remember if she'd said anything, but the only thing he could think of was her trip to see Cain Foster. When no one opened the door, he concluded that's where she was. Walking away, he wondered if her husband had gone with her this time. It made sense, especially after Maximus now knew about Cain's criminal past.

Entering the great room, Jackson paused in the middle of it, looking around and enjoying the quiet that now filled the space. The peace he found made him smile, knowing how noisy it would be tomorrow morning when all the kids descended from their rooms, eager for a new day to begin. Tonight, however, he would quietly celebrate Josiah's death and remember how far he and his brothers had come from that night in Las Vegas when their world was shattered. Then, hearing Daniel's playful growls, Jackson headed upstairs to help his mate put their son to bed.

~/~/~/~/~

Landing on the grass in front of the Blackwood Pack house, Brady heard growls behind him and turned quickly to see where they were coming from. He stared at a line of enforcers for a moment before realizing they didn't intend to harm him. "Hello," he called out nervously to the man approaching him. "I'm Brady…Jackson gave me permission to be here."

"He told me…I'm Groose. Are you expecting anyone else tonight?"

"Uhh…I don't think so," Brady replied. "Do you know if my mate is here?"

"The young vampire?" asked Groose.

"Yes…he would be with my friend, Vasile."

"They're inside."

"Thanks," Brady replied, relieved to learn his mate was safe. He nodded at Groose before turning around and heading for the front door.

Once inside, Brady noticed the light of only one lamp casting a soft glow in the great room and concluded everyone had retired. Unsure where Lucius was, he sniffed, pleased his mate's scent was strong. Following it, Brady descended the stairs to the lower level, wondering what Lucius was doing there. At the bottom step, he saw the pack's hospital ahead of him, but his mate wasn't there. Turning, he headed down another hallway, surprised to find Vasile standing in front of a door to a room. "What are you doing down here?" asked Brady.

"Waiting," Vasile responded. "Lucius is inside with his friend."

"His friend?" asked Brady, surprised.

"David," Vasile murmured. "He met him when Sofia gave us a tour. Did everything go well at the Witches' Council?"

"Yes…better than good. What happened? I went home but…"

"Lucius wanted to visit my coven…"

"What? Why?"

"According to him, he wanted to see if it was different from his former master's."

"O-o-okay," Brady muttered, not sure if it was a good thing that Vasile had taken his mate to visit his coven. "If you both were there, why did you come here?"

"We had a visit from a witch and a demon," Vasile said. "You know, the ones who are after your mate. And no, I do not know how they found us."

"Hmm," Brady muttered. "The witch tried to break into my house when I was there, so I immediately left and came here."

"Your mate is in more danger than you think, my friend," Vasile said quietly. "This witch is very powerful…she broke through all the spells and was able to access the second floor of my house."

"Unbelievable! No one has ever been able to breach those spells."

"There's always a first time for everything," Vasile replied, sardonically.

His friend was right. Looking at the door behind Vasile, Brady frowned, shifting his gaze back to the vampire blocking it. Then it suddenly hit him. "You're standing guard, aren't you?"

Shrugging, Vasile replied, "I gave you my word no harm would come to your mate."

Brady was touched by his friend's loyalty, but the news about the witch shook him more than he cared to admit. Thinking it over, he came to the conclusion the only one who could end the witch's pursuit of his mate was Remy and he resolved to have a talk with the Ruler first thing in the morning. But now he was exhausted and needed some rest. "Thank you, my friend. One other thing…how did Lucius react?"

"To what?" asked Vasile, perplexed by the question.

"Well, when he was at your coven…was he afraid of the other vampires?"

Vasile thought for a moment before shaking his head. "At first he was somewhat hesitant, but then Nikolai put him at ease…at least enough to fall asleep in my library. Why do you ask?"

"Lucius was always mistreated by his master, which led him to assume all vampires were like him. It gives me hope to hear he might have lost some of his fear."

"Oh…I see," Vasile said thoughtfully. "He did ask a lot of questions about the vampires in my coven after he read the books on your desk."

"That follows. From what I know, his master never educated Lucius on what it meant to be a vampire," Brady murmured. Then, unable to hold it back, he yawned, the lack of sleep finally catching up with him. "Oh…so sorry…"

Chuckling, Vasile said, "You, my friend, need some rest and, if I'm not mistaken, so does your mate. He confessed to me this morning he'd had a restless night." Then Vasile leaned down and whispered, "He missed you so much, he wanted to pop back to the cottage and pick up your pillow."

"My pillow?"

Nodding, Vasile grinned. "It has your scent."

Brady blushed, his mind consumed with images of the night he and Lucius spent together.

"Oh…it's like that," Vasile said, laughing at Brady's red cheeks. "Well come along…time to collect your mate." Opening the door to David's office, he stood aside, letting Brady enter first.

~/~/~/~/~

Thankful for the nearly deserted highway, Reeve sped up, thinking about his mate and what to tell him about the circumstances of his father's death. Many scenarios flashed through his mind, each no better than the one before. In the end, he concluded truth was the only viable option and could only hope his mate wouldn't want to seek revenge against Smokey.

How Kahn reacted would depend on the relationship he had with his father. The initial impression Reeve got from him was one of no lost love between them, but that could change when faced with the reality of his death. And that was the unknown factor driving Reeve nuts.

"Did my mate ever love his father?" Reeve asked out loud, his voice filling the silence in the SUV and comforting him. Talking to himself had become a habit in his childhood since there was no one else around to talk to. At least not until my angel found me and rescued me from the nightmare of my life. But before that day had arrived, it was those conversations that helped him survive his youth—and the cruelty his father enjoyed inflicting on him. Even when his father was no longer in his life, Reeve continued the practice, finding it a useful tool for sorting out problems facing him.

"Kahn must have loved him.

"You didn't love yours.

"But his father wasn't like my father.

"Maybe he was, but used words instead of fists." Reeve thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement with himself. Words could even be worse than fists since they lived on in the mind long after bruises had healed. He should know; it had taken him years to finally rid himself of the pain that spewed out of his father's mouth at him. Continuing, Reeve asked himself, "What kind of father was Josiah?

"His daughters appear to have loved him.

"But that doesn't mean Josiah treated Kahn the same way he treated his daughters."

Reeve acknowledged that was true, especially since Kahn was the eldest son. He had seen it all too often…fuck seeing it…I lived it! Unfortunately, his investigation of Josiah centered only on the acts Jackson accused him of, so Reeve knew little of what the man was like before he gave the order to kill the Fox River Pack. Without firm answers, his mind only produced more questions, but before he could ask them, his phone rang. Glancing at it, he quickly accepted the call from Heath.

"What's up? Is my mate okay?"

"I don't know…he hasn't left his room," Heath replied. "Are you sure I shouldn't go up and check on him?"

Glancing at an upcoming road sign, Reeve said, "No…that's all right. I'm about ten minutes out. Did you get hold of Eddie?"

"Yeah, the freezer's locked and he has guys guarding it. What are you gonna do with the body? Does the Council want it?"

Sighing, Reeve said, "Thankfully, no. They didn't see any reason they needed it to close out the complaint, so they left it for me to dispose of."

"Are you planning to turn the remains over to his wife?"

"Fucked if I know," muttered Reeve. "It's one of the things I can look forward to discussing with her and Kahn tomorrow."

"Are you gonna tell Kahn he's your mate?"

"Honestly, I don't know…I guess it'll depend on him and whether he blames me for letting his father get killed."

"Why should he? You didn't have anything to do with his death."

"Other than not finding him first, no," Reeve replied. "But he might think I'm simply splitting hairs if I point that out. All he knew was that his father was going to be arrested…"

"And when convicted, Josiah would be sentenced to death for his crimes. His death saved his family from the pain of going through a nasty trial," Heath pointed out.

"You and I both know that, but Kahn? I don't think he thought that far ahead. Most families don't when they're faced with a situation like this," Reeve replied. "Hey, I'm pulling up now."

"See you in a few."

Ending the call, Reeve turned off the engine and looked up at Kahn's room, noticing the lights were off. He wasn't sure if his mate had gone to bed or…

"Hey, Boss, you okay?"

Looking over at one of his enforcers standing next to his SUV, Reeve gave a brief smile, before opening the door. "Yeah…it's just been a long day. Any problems?"

"Nope, it's been quiet as a tomb."

"Good," Reeve responded, heading for the side door of the safe house. The first thing that hit him when he got inside, was the smell of freshly made coffee. Fuck, could I use some of that.

As he entered the kitchen, Heath was pouring the coffee into a mug which he then handed to his boss. "There's more where that came from."

Taking a sip, Reeve groaned as the shot of caffeine hit his body. Hopefully, it and several more cups would get him through what he knew in his soul was going to be a long, shitty night.