25. The Calm Before

The Mansion was not full, but had more people in it than it had in years, not counting Daniel and Rory's wedding.

Aside from Isaac and Constans, who went home to the Tower once a day for Isaac to sleep and Constans to catch up on happenings at the Tower, everyone was now at the Mansion.

Angel was standing outside the door to what was once his parents' suite—only his mother actually used it, his father sleeping just down the hall in August's old room. His parents' marriage was an arranged one—Ramona wanted children and to live in America, and Raine needed heirs to continue the family line—according to the elders of the clan, at least. Theirs had not been a love match at all—and frankly, Angel found it amazing that he and Isaac were even conceived. Ramona and Raine got along well enough as parents and friends, and Raine had his lover in August Remington, Angel's first and primary teacher in sorcery for most of his teenage years. Raine and August taught students high sorcery, the more difficult and powerful spells and abilities not taught in schools, much like Angel and Milly did now.

Last time Angel was in this room was when he killed Deimos after the vampire kidnapped Isaac. With the Mansion gaining occupants, he felt it prudent to open up more rooms for longer use, and that meant opening doors to his past.

Ashwin deliberately shifted next to him, drawing his attention. They'd both been standing there for a while now.

Angel took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

He gestured for Ashwin to enter first, taking his time at the threshold.

Ashwin entered after a quick, searching glance, as if checking Angel was truly all right with Ashwin being there.

There were three rooms in this suite—the bedroom, a sitting room, and a large ensuite bathroom with an attached dressing room, and the sitting room and bedroom both had hallway access.

"I cleaned it up after the trouble we had with Deimos a while back," Angel explained. "So the rooms are good to go, they just need new bedding. Leandro can pick one of the guest rooms if he wants to make it into his own room, or I can give him a smaller suite upstairs on the third floor."

"This was your parents' room, are you sure?" Ashwin asked, stepping in farther and turning to look around the whole bedroom. Angel had packed up his mother's belongings after the Deimos incident so there was nothing personal left in the bedroom.

"I'm sure. The dressing room needs to be emptied, but Milly gets dibs on what's in there before we pack that up for donations. If you find anything I missed, I have a box in the sitting room you can put stuff in and I'll come get it." Angel said. "Dad slept down the hall with August; my mother used this suite the most. The wards on the windows make it safe in here now during the day, so you can have more time with Leandro and Ignacio."

"Thank you, Angel," Ashwin said. "I appreciate your welcome, and I am sorry for the pain our arrival reawakened."

Angel merely smiled, a bit grim, but he meant it. He shrugged. "It's alright. I get it. You had a newborn. The Council was after Ignacio. I have no idea what choices I would have made in your place—you and Ignacio made the best choices you could with what you had at the time."

Ashwin stared at him as if afraid Angel was lying to spare his feelings, but Angel never did that for anyone. Eventually, Ashwin nodded in acceptance and let it go. "The suite is lovely, thank you. Is it alright if I let Leo keep the room we've been using? It's not far from this suite and he can get to us quickly if he needs us."

"Sure, that's fine. We've more than enough rooms." Angel paused. "The panic room is not functional. Simeon ended up destroying it the night Deimos kidnapped Isaac. I haven't fixed it since."

"It was vintage when we visited last, so perhaps replacing it entirely might be easiest?" Ashwin offered the suggestion warily, as if worried about voicing an opinion.

"Ash, you and your family are welcome here and can have a say on how this house is run," Angel stated firmly. "I won't be living here full-time, but Daniel, Rory, and Cian will be, and the six of you get to decide how this house works. I'll call the manufacturer of the panic room to see about an upgrade, and I'll let you and Ignacio decide on the model since it'll be Leo in there if, Hecate forbid, we ever get attacked by an undead army again."

"Thank you for that," Ashwin murmured. "We thought about renting a house nearby if things didn't work out here, but staying at the Mansion is safest, and Iggy and Leo deserve to be here."

Angel nodded, agreeing. "You and Ignacio once called this place home. He cast the sunlight wards. The estate welcomed you home. Fighting it seems silly." Angel grinned. "And Leo and Iggy do deserve to be someplace they call home, but so do you, Ashwin."

"Wherever my guys are is my home," Ashwin replied. "But thank you."

"About the panic room…" Angel hesitated a bit. "If we get attacked here, we need an option for Leo, since we can't use the panic room as it is now."

"Yes, we do," Ashwin agreed. "Are you expecting an attack on the estate?"

"I am."

"How did the wards fall the…the last time?" Ashwin said. "I'm sorry to ask, I really am. But my son is here. Iggy was astounded when we learned the wards failed."

"It's not a secret, but I don't want the truth getting out to the wider world."

"I will only tell Iggy, and swear him to silence."

Angel nodded, believing Ash. "Isaac was learning how to set and create wards at the time. He was manipulating the wards on a far corner of the estate to practice the day of the Massacre. He accidentally weakened them and the wards collapsed hours sooner than they should have." Angel made sure to meet Ashwin's startled, dismayed gaze. "Isaac nearly destroyed himself with guilt and alcohol the last decade, so please don't bring it up. It was an accident, and I forgave him already."

"Your poor brother, I can't even imagine," Ashwin breathed out in sympathy. "Only Iggy will know, and I'll make sure to stress to him what it did to Isaac. He'll understand. Ignacio may come across as ruthless and stern, but he has a big heart."

"Thank you. The rest of the world wouldn't be so understanding if it got out," Angel said.

"And it won't."

Angel believed him.

"Back to Leandro…" Angel began.

"Oh?"

"His affinity isn't awake yet, but it's very close, and I think you know that?"

"We do. The hellfire sparks when he threw a tantrum a few months back was the first clue. I'm expecting him to wake up any time now with his affinity fully realized and under his control. We were contemplating what to do about that when we were forced to run here for safety."

"What color hellfire, if I can ask?" Angel was intensely curious. No traumatic breakout event for Leandro—his affinity was awakening slowly, a bit at a time, easing him into his new reality, which Angel was grateful for.

Ashwin grinned wide. "Hellfire green, same shade as yours."

"Really?" Angel was irrationally touched and pleased. He grinned back at Ashwin, happy. "That's so cool."

"Serano's hellfire was the same shade as well." Ashwin said, still grinning. "You both take after him in that way."

"We do? I do? That's wicked cool." Angel was more than thrilled to hear that—Serano had been the first and last necromancer in their branch after it moved to the colonies, at least until Angel was born. And now Leandro.

"Since you're staying…" Angel took a breath. "Can I train Leo in necromancy? I know am assuming, but it would be an honor. I've never taught another necromancer."

Ashwin nodded, smiling wide. "It would be an honor, Angel. Thank you. Since he is so young, perhaps an apprenticeship once he's older? Your Rael should be ready to be on his own by the time Leo is old enough to be an apprentice, and Iggy can teach him the magical basics while he waits his turn."

"Since his affinity is coming in gradually, I think that's perfect. If his power gets too unruly, we can reevaluate, but I like this plan." Angel shook his head a bit in amusement. "Teaching my great-great…wait, how many greats… whatever, teaching my uncle is surreal."

Ashwin chuckled. "It is an odd twist of fate. He's a bit confused by the relationship as well."

"Leo can call Isaac and me his cousins since I think great-great-uncle and nephews are a bit of a mouthful. If he wants."

Ashwin nodded, eyes bright, happy and pleased. "Cousin works marvelously." He chuckled. "I'll tell Iggy we've decided you'll call him Grandpa. He's going to adore that."

Angel laughed for the first time in days.

The kitchen was full of people.

Ashwin was at the stove, cooking as efficiently as any line cook in a diner, taking orders and dishing up hot plates of food to those sitting at the island.

Rael and Jameson were in the breakfast nook, snuggled up together, talking in low tones as they ate their meal. It gave Angel a warm, comfy feeling to see Rael and Jameson so deeply bonded and loving with each other.

He was thankful the sunlight wards were functional, as Remi, Constans, and Simeon sat at one end of the island, speaking animatedly together. They sat in full sun, the vampires enjoying the golden rays and the goblets of blood, along with the conversation. Remi and Celyn came with Isaac and Constans when they returned to the Mansion from the Tower, eager for some company.

Ignacio and Leo sat at the island as well, with Milly acting as a buffer between the boy and the vampires. She was talking to Leo about magic, her hands waving about as she spoke, and Leo gazed at her like she hung the moon, utterly gobsmacked. Whether it was the topic or Milly herself, she had a new fan.

Ashwin flirted with his mate across the island as he cooked, and Ignacio had a red flush on his cheeks as a result, and that made Angel grin.

Celyn came practically skipping past Angel into the kitchen, and he went straight for Remi, who without missing a beat in the conversation, got down from the stool, gave it to Celyn, and then wrapped an arm over his mate's shoulders. Celyn blushed prettily and ducked his head, bouncy brown curls hiding his eyes.

Isaac and Daniel joined Angel in the door of the kitchen, just as the garden door very carefully opened and Cian and Rory slipped inside, shutting the door quickly before any stray rays of unfiltered light hurt someone.

"I haven't seen this place so full of life in years," Isaac murmured. The wedding didn't count, as they hired caterers.

"Me neither," Angel answered.

Daniel gave them both a soft smile before heading right to Rory and into his husband's arms. Rory pressed a kiss to Daniel's golden hair and hugged him firmly.

Cian dodged around the lovebirds and came right to Angel, and he tried not to react to the sight of Cian holding a haunch of red deer, an entire leg and shoulder, as if it were a prop and not many pounds of fresh meat. At least it wasn't dripping on the floor.

"Where is Little Trouble? I have a meal for him," Cian declared, though the leg made that obvious.

"Foyer, climbing on the beams in the ceiling." Angel said, remembering the promise he extolled from his adopted child not to set the beams aflame in his fun.

"Excellent," Cian said, and went striding down the service hall toward the front of the house.

"Wait," Angel called out. "Don't feed him in the foyer! Outside! No fire inside!"

He took off after Cian at a run.

"Have fun with that!" Isaac called after him, sounding far too amused.

"Burn off a bit more fur so it doesn't dry out your throat when you swallow," Cian advised Eroch. "It renders the fat in the skin as well and makes it crispier."

Eroch happily did as instructed and charred the leg some more, and Cian casually extinguished a few embers that flew off the leg as Eroch blew more flames. The gravel driveway was the perfect place to feed the dragon, the gravel keeping the grass from burning, and it gave Eroch space to eat in peace.

"Perhaps a gravel feeding area in the gardens might be prudent," Cian mused aloud.

"Yeah, no privacy out here in the front of the house," Angel agreed, but distantly, his attention elsewhere.

Cian sensed the same several presences out front past the wards as Angel did, though perhaps in better details, borrowing Rory's earth senses to read the observers more thoroughly.

"Five enforcers, two of them sorcerers," Cian said. He focused a bit more. "They've been there since this morning, and are using obfuscation charms to hide their positions. Cars are parked about two hundred yards farther out."

"They're just past the estate wards, so I'm not getting as much information as I'd like. Any more of them?"

Cian thought about it, and borrowed more from his brother, who gladly provided, and then in a sweet echo laced with a charming mix of shyness and confidence, Daniel began to search as well. "Two to the north in the dunes, two to the south as well, and a boat out on the water, out about a thousand yards. That last bit comes from Daniel—he is looking now too. My efforts made him curious."

"How many?" Angel asked, eyes full of fire but his tone calm. Eroch continued to eat with enthusiasm, but he occasionally eyed the field with distrust while chewing his charred meat.

"Perhaps twelve in total," Cian answered readily, even as he mentally counted. "The ocean is outside my purview, so Daniel will have a more accurate count. Not enough to defeat us in combat."

"Not all of us, no." Angel agreed with a firm nod. "Kenzie's attempt failed. The Grand Master proved he's not afraid to kill his own people, so I wouldn't count on them fighting at their best if it came to that."

"Their loyalty might be tested." Cian suggested slyly. "Surely a government paycheck and threat of death for poor performance is not the stuff of legend to inspire great loyalty in anyone."

"If I were them, I'd quit before working for a boss like that," Angel said. Then he frowned. "Unless they're killed for quitting, too. I wouldn't put it past de la Roche if he's already killing them for failing."

"This de la Roche sounds quite horrible," Cian muttered, eyeing the distance across the field and the spots where the enforcers lay in hiding, though he saw through their charms with ease. They weren't hidden to his eyes.

"I guess your death is now ruined, too, if the enforcers talk," Angel swore under his breath. "Fuck, I wasn't thinking."

"But I was," Cian replied with a wide grin, blinking at Angel in an exaggerated manner. The glamour was tiny and easy and one he did often when outside the gardens without his brother, in case of prying eyes. The amber glow was identical to Rory's eyes, down to the last detail. Anyone who saw him outside would see Rory and not Cian.

It took Angel a moment, then he cracked up, shaking his head. "That's brilliant. Have you been doing that the whole time?"

"I have." Cian shrugged. "No one noticed, aside from Daniel and Rory. We've decided to use the ruse as needed outside or away from the Mansion, except in the garden. No one can see past the perimeter into the garden, not even with magic or binoculars. Rory and I glamoured the garden walls."

"I…" Angel's dark eyes went vague as he investigated with his magical senses. They came back into focus a moment later. "I can't tell there's any glamour there at all. Brilliant. Thank you."

"Our magic is of the natural world. It's as noticeable to your senses as a piece of moss, a stick on the ground, or an intrepid mouse living in the stone walls."

"Explains how you both go through shields and wards like you're made of air." Angel said, with an air of smug epiphany, making Cian chuckle.

"Yes, exactly. Daniel has the same ability now as well, if you were wondering."

"I wasn't, but that's handy to know."

"Remi can teleport through shields, too." Cian said casually, though his grin was wicked.

"We've got four combatants who can get through shields and cross wards. Five if we count Constans, but his ability isn't instantaneous. And we've got the mound, too, if you're comfortable using it to fight?" Angel added, asking that last bit with a hint of reluctance.

Cian grimaced. "Fighting offensively, no. It's not a weapon. I am comfortable using it as we are now, or to evacuate our family, but I will not use it to fight. Its power is too great, and I will not change its nature now after millennia of being its keeper."

"That's fair." Angel nodded. "I won't ask for more than what you've let us have already when it comes to the mound." He paused though, and grimaced, making Cian more than curious.

"What, necromancer?"

"I'll ask you inside, I don't want to risk someone overhearing us."

"Now I really want to know," Cian sighed, though he returned his attention to the young dragon gnawing on a femur. "Crack the bone once in the middle and suck on it to get the marrow. Don't swallow the shards unless you grind them down more."

Cian followed the necromancer into the Mansion, and Angel asked him a question that Cian had to think about before he could give him an answer. The request was too important not to think about for more than a moment or two. Too close to his limits.

But a part of him wanted to see what would happen.