CHAPTER TWO

L iam Reid finished his dinner at Le Bouchon and was on his way back home. He considered doing a little shopping at the fresh market but changed his mind when he saw how busy it was. He wasn't in the mood for crowds or too much conversation. He was in the mood to sit on his balcony and go through some event planners to get some ideas and direction for the anniversary party scheduled for next month. He tended toward royal aesthetics, so his resource volumes were primarily English, with a few French.

He parked in the public lot because it was closest to the kitchen entrance, although he didn't use the kitchen entrance but rather the entrance to the main house, which was just a few steps further. It gave direct access to the stairwell, the upper floors, and his quarters. He was eager to sit with a nice glass of wine and start planning next month's menus. He always prepared a month in advance to make sure he could source the items required.

As he walked through the door and stepped into the entranceway, he stood there for a few seconds, looking around at the polished wood walls and the lovely mosaic tile floor. Something was different; he didn't know what it was, but he could feel a shift in the atmosphere. He had never felt this energy before. It was subtle, but it was also forceful, demanding to be noticed. He shook his head, smiled at himself, and started for the stairs when the feeling hit him again.

Just beyond the door and before the stairway, the sensation of scintillating familiarity came over him. It brought his vampire to the surface and sharpened his awareness. He continued up the stairs and periodically felt the rush, but it didn't sustain and gave him no clue as to where it came from or who was causing it.

Maybe he was overthinking this and making it more than it actually was. He hung out at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, taking in the scent and trying to follow it, but it was too faint. He ended up back at the head of the stairs, where the scent seemed to be most concentrated.

Something in the back of his mind was telling him it was important, and he wanted to believe it, but his rational mind insisted that it was impossible. He couldn't let himself hope like that because the truth would be too disappointing.

Liam was too old to play games with himself. He wasn't going to go running off on a fool's errand. He put it out of his mind and continued on to his quarters.

Master DuCane was everything they'd expected and more. His presence was powerful and intimidating. They'd heard him described as sinister and dark, but they did not get that vibe from him, at least not at this meeting. There was a definite foreboding in the room, but it wasn't evil.

"Come in." He said and the two of them approached, not getting too close. They were birds after all and cautious by nature. Luke took the package from his coat and placed it on the table to his left and then he and Riall stepped back. Master DuCane walked over and took the package and opened it.

After he thoroughly inspected it, he returned it to the original packaging, walked over, and placed it on his desk. Luke noticed that Riall was taking in the room, and he was not trusting the scents and sounds beyond. Luke got the sense that Master DuCane was good to his word and was as honest and respectable as a man with his kind of power and influence could be.

He turned to face them, and Riall tensed as if ready for whatever was to come. His brother was always ready, always prepared for the worst. He loved his brother's carefulness, and it saved their lives many times.

Master DuCane felt the tension exuded by Riall and raised his hand palm out and relaxed his brow to ease the situation. Riall eased off but remained on guard. All of this was communicated without a word being spoken Master DuCane was that compelling.

"Please extend my gratitude and deepest regards to Lord Fenrah." He stated.

"Yes, sir," Luke replied.

"Ira." He indicated the vampire standing at the door. "Take our guest to the Dining hall and make them comfortable." He then addressed them. "We have the finest chef in the Midwest. Please be my guest."

"Thank you," Luke answered, although he could feel Riall's trepidation.

"You're welcome to stay the night." He added and it was sincere. Luke was perplexed by the generosity. He assumed they would be shown the door as soon as the handover was complete. He didn't wait for an answer but rather instructed Ira to make arrangements for them and then he said his goodbyes and they were entrusted to the vampire guard, Ira.

"Their manners are impressive or they're simply playing us." Riall spoke softly as they headed out of the office back into the hall. "Dinner, but we're not staying." He finished as they fell into step behind Ira.

"Agreed."

They made their way down the hall to the staircase, and something was different. Both he and Riall noticed a change in the air, and it was not unpleasant. They exchanged looks both recognizing the sweet aroma for what it was. Their mate was somewhere within the Coven. The scent broke off to the left down an adjacent hallway. Luke stopped and glanced down the hallway.

Ira indicated that they should keep moving; he wasn't ready to allow them to go exploring, and they weren't ready to tell him they had found something interesting in the air. They had originally decided not to stay the night but reconsidered that decision.

They followed Ira up the staircase to an upper floor, where he showed them their accommodation for the night. He was nice enough about it, but there was a definite tension in the air. He wasn't stupid; he could feel their sudden interest, so the surveillance on them was going to be thick.

He then brought them to the dining hall and appeared to leave them there, but both he and Riall knew there was more than one set of eyes watching their every move. Normally, they would have been able to conceal their reaction, but scenting your mate is not something anyone can prepare for.

"Everyone in the room is watching us." Riall said under his breath as he took a sip of his coffee. Neither of them was hungry so just opted for coffee.

"He belongs to both of us." Luke pointed out, and Riall nodded. It was common for ravens to share one mate, so it did not surprise them that they both responded to the divine scent. What remained uncertain was how the vampire, whoever he may be, would react to having two beloveds instead of one.

"Are you sure it's he and not she?" Riall again spoke in hushed tones.

"You experienced it." He chided. "That's the scent of a man." Riall looked relieved and Luke just smiled and shook his head.

"How are we going to find him if they got eyes on us constantly. We won't be able to just roam the halls?" Riall stated the truth of the matter and Luke did not have an answer. Just then someone entered the dining hall and walked through the room. They brought with them a rush of that same heavenly scent. Both of them turned and took in the tall handsome man who walked with grace and sway.

Riall covertly took a couple of pictures, and then the man disappeared into the back room. "That was him," Luke stated.

"What do we do now?" Riall asked.

"We can't just go barging into the back room without causing an upheaval."

"I have a clear picture of him. We could ask Master DuCane; he's a staunch believer in the sanctity of the bond." Riall looked away and amended his statement. "He's a staunch believer when the bond is with someone suitable. What are the chances he'll respect a triad with two raven soldiers in the mix?"

"I'd say slim to nonexistent." They had another cup of coffee and hung out for an hour, but their mate never came out of the back room.

"Let's go to our room and try to figure this out." They stood up together and headed for the door and immediately they felt the attention in the room focusing on them. No one moved but calls were made, and the halls were conveniently filled with soldiers.

Luke and Riall shared glances as they made their way to the room they had been assigned. Once inside, they secured the door and searched the room for surveillance tools.

They spoke not a word until Luke took the scrambler from his pocket and attached it in the main room. Not satisfied that they were sufficiently secure, Riall threw up a cloaking spell to plug any holes. They did not want to be overheard.

"That should do it," Luke announced and took a seat in the main room. Riall joined him after throwing an enchantment over the locks on the door, making sure no one would enter without permission. Riall was not a trusting soul.

"We need to find a name for this handsome man," Luke told him, and Riall sat on the edge of his seat.

"Who do you think he is?" He asked.

"I can't find anything on him."

"Maybe he's a low-level member." Riall theorized.

"He moved like someone in control. He has a command of some sort." Luke countered. Riall nodded in agreement.

"He moved well." Riall offered with a lustful grin.

"He moved really well." Luke shot back with a wink.

Liam walked across the dining hall to the kitchen in back with the intent of checking the supplies. It wasn't necessary that he do this on his day off, but he was getting an anxious feeling in his stomach which precluded just sitting and relaxing as he'd planned.

He continued to experience the scent that had tormented him earlier. It was in the halls and in the dining room. He felt the urge to go in search of the source, but he held back. It couldn't be what he thought, so why tease himself with such an unlikely possibility? He kept his eyes straight ahead and went through to the back room. The scent quickly dissipated, and he genuinely felt its loss.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were off for a few days." His assistant Carson was busily checking supplies and had the back kitchen well in hand. He had nothing to worry about.

"I was feeling restless." He admitted and took a seat at one of the long prep tables. Carson handed him a cup of coffee.

"Tell me about it. You look troubled." He pressed for more.

"I picked up an odd scent in the Palace after I returned from town this afternoon, and it won't let me go." He smiled. "It's nothing, probably."

"How does this scent make you feel, Chef?"

"Uneasy and bothered but it comes and goes so whatever it is will probably be gone by tomorrow." He tried to downplay it.

"Keep an open mind, Chef." He grinned. "It could be very important."

"I doubt it, but I'll keep an open mind." He changed the subject to the business at hand, and they discussed menus and tossed ideas around for the anniversary party. Finally, Liam headed back to his apartment and noticed the scent was no longer lingering. The dining room was clear, as was the hall and stairway.

Liam walked around the area idly not admitting to himself that he was looking for the tantalizing scent and was disappointed when there was no sign of it anywhere. Thoughts of his beloved came to mind following his discussion with Carson. It was a delightful consideration and theories of who and what they might be also came to mind.

Fate would most likely send him someone like himself older staid and settled into their lives. He wondered if they would have a passion for cooking like himself or would they have another focus in their life. It was entertaining to think about, but the reality being that it was probably nothing and tomorrow will be like yesterday.

He let himself into his apartment and settled in for the night. The excitement of new discoveries was slowly draining away although a part of him was holding onto the hope that Fate had decided to touch him with an eternal gift.

Come morning, the brothers were no closer to figuring out a plan than they had been last night. They stared at his picture all through the night, falling deeper and deeper under his spell. Luke had coffee and a light breakfast delivered to their room.

"Can we trust it?" Riall asked as he poked at the omelet and sniffed the toast.

"If they were going to kill us, they would have done it already." Luke took a large bite of his toast and dug into his omelet. "We're going to have to speak with someone."

"I know." He nodded and drank his coffee. "Let's talk to the vampire who showed us in yesterday. I think his name was Ira. His aura was solid, and the Master appeared to respect him." Riall was a good judge of character, and Luke rarely questioned his suggestions.

After they finished breakfast, Luke stepped out into the hall, knowing that there would be a soldier lurking about. He asked the man to convey a message to Ira that they would like to speak with him, and approximately twenty minutes later, there was a knock on their door.

"I was informed you wished to speak with me," Ira stated, and Luke showed him inside and closed the door behind him.

"We scented our mate yesterday when leaving the Master's office. That's why we agreed to dinner and staying the night." Riall cut right to the point.

"Did you find them?" Ira asked. He sounded surprised but also sympathetic.

"He walked through the dining hall while we were there, and I snapped a picture of him." Riall was not wasting time.

"We didn't feel in a place where we could follow or ask questions, so we came back here and tried to find out who he is, but we found nothing," Luke explained further. Ira nodded his understanding of the situation they were in.

"Show me the picture, perhaps I know him." Ira suggested and Riall called up the picture and handed him his phone.