Luca sighed, “Why is he so hard to find?”
It was a question that Silas was wondering as well. Silvanus had wanted no one to know about the pup because the truth was sordid and shameful, and no doubt the asshole was too prideful to want anyone to think the alternative, that he had fathered another omega. However, the way Ash had utterly vanished seemed not only over the top, but beyond Silvanus’s skills. It was perplexing.
Luca turned to him with a very serious expression, one that immediately made Silas uneasy.
“I have one last thing to try,” said Luca.
Silas nodded warily.
“I’d like to bring my friend Ezekiel in. He’s a demon who hunts human traffickers of children.”
Silas winced, which was ridiculous as it was something he had thought of. It wasn’t like he was a naïve idiot. Shifters were a good-looking species, their looks aligned with what humans found aesthetically pleasing. Omegas especially were pretty. Ash was alone, unwanted. Last seen in a dodgy foster home. Perfect fodder for human monsters. It would explain why he had physically vanished so completely. As far as anyone knew, the pup didn’t have any magic, so he wasn’t like he was of any value that way. But it still left the mystery of why he was so well magically warded.
Maybe like the asshole who had set them up with the hunters, it was human mages who had sold the pup. People with one foot in both worlds. Human and paranormal. Maybe there was a whole seedy gang that stole paranormal kids and sold them to humans. Warding them so they couldn’t be traced.
Silas felt Dean’s hand on his shoulder. The little squeeze was immensely comforting. Silas was under no illusion that Ash was in a happy, secure, and loving family. The chances of that were slim to none, given his start in life and his last known location. But Silas held onto the hope that it was at least something bearable.
“Demon?” asked Dean, his voice shaking a little.
Luca waved his hand dismissively. “An incubus, he is lovely.”
Atticus gave a snort of disagreement, and Max glared at him in disapproval. Silas wondered what the hell the story was there. He made a mental note to find out. Mostly because he loved gossip, he doubted it was something he really needed to know.
“Fine,” agreed Silas.
He didn’t like even more people knowing about Ash, but it couldn’t be helped and if truth be told, there were already far too many people who knew for it to be a true secret. The word was probably out, so they might as well reap the benefits of having lots of people looking for him. And he didn’t have a problem with demons at all. He quite liked all the ones he had met.
Silas got to his feet, and everyone followed. There wasn’t anything else to discuss, and they were all busy people. He had just stepped outside the door with Dean when the Alpha was pounced on by an anxious Molly and Luke. Silas tuned out whatever pack drama they were on about, but he gave his mate a smile when Dean gave him a quick, distracted kiss before heading off with the betas, presumably to sort out whatever petty problem had erupted.
Silas watched him go and sighed. It was high time he stopped trailing after Dean everywhere like a pathetic puppy. His mate was alive, well, and not a zombie. He couldn’t hover over him forever, as much as he wanted to.
Sadly, Silas turned to go and nearly walked into Luca.
“Is Eifion fey?” whispered Luca, peering around as if checking they were alone in the hallway.
“What?” said Silas in surprise. Fey? No one was fey. It was a ridiculous idea. Fairies hadn’t been able to cross over from their realm for hundreds of years.
Luca was staring at him intently. “Oh!” said the mage, his green eyes wide. Clearly reading Silas like a book and seeing that he didn’t have a clue.
Silas glared at him and crossed his arms.
“So, you know some say humans only have magic because fey bred with them, and that’s why only a few humans do and their strength varies?” said Luca.
Silas nodded.
“Well, there was a dark mage cult that was hunting those with strong fey ancestry and interbreeding them, aiming to make the diluted blood stronger each time. Atticus is one, that’s why he is so powerful and Erik and I thought Eifion smelled like him.”
Silas could only blink, it was a lot to take in. People were breeding fey? His little fan was part fey? Eifion could be one? Silas rubbed his hand over his face. Then the thought struck that it would be lovely for Eifion to finally find out what he was.
“He doesn’t know what he is. You should tell him,” said Silas.
Luca’s eyes widened. “Me? But he is your pack member!”
Silas shuddered. “I don’t do touchy-feely stuff.”
Luca’s face softened, and a look of sympathy filled his bright eyes. Silas stared back in horror. That was not what he had been intending, he had intended to come across all stern and imposing before flouncing off like he had more important things to do. Not this. Not his little brother thinking he didn’t know how to do touchy feely stuff or that it scared him. This was awful.
Luca patted Silas’s arm, it took every ounce of Silas’s strength not to flinch. No one touched him casually. Only Dean and Isaiah. Sometimes Edie. It was unnerving. Just… being touched like he wasn’t a scary necromancer. Like he was a brother.
