Min huffed. “Invite themselves and then will be the pickiest guests you have ever seen, mark my words.”
Seath rubbed his temples. “It is for one brief day, and one night only. Let us remember that, please. They have been here before. The only thing that is changing is we will host them overnight. While the Fae can be finicky, they are not going to take offense unless something appears to be a direct insult, so let’s avoid that.”
Caine smiled all the way to the study with Luke and Seath while the others dispersed to their morning duties.
“Little Wolf is intriguing even to the Fae,” Caine commented as they sat down.
“Do you think they will contribute to the magic or just observe?” Seath asked.
“I think they will do what they want to do,” Caine said plainly.
“This just became complicated.” Seath growled out the words with a bite.
“How?” Luke asked.
“Elves don’t care much for gossip. But, the Fae knowing about our situation before we have everything worked out with Taured? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.”
Luke gave Seath a sympathetic look. “Your mating has made the whole Pack stronger. That is without doubt.”
“But . . .the Fae.”
Caine sighed. “The Fae will know if you are being honest or not, so you might as well just own the truth of it. They might even be helpful. Didn’t ever occur to you they might know something about Lycan? They have eyes everywhere.”
As much as Seath liked the Fae, he wasn’t so surehelpfulwas a way he would describe them. If he was being honest, in the hands of the fickle Fae was the last place he would want to put his mate.
Later that morning, Seath pulled Lycan back to their den, and they shared a long, slow lovemaking that still had them both buzzing.
“I have to portal to Greene, but I will be back,” Seath promised, “back by dinner.”
Lycan wrapped his body around Seath, wanting to envelop himself in the feel of warmth and safety. “I know.”
Seath’s hand carded through Lycan’s hair, and he buried his face into Lycan’s neck at the mating mark.
“I want you with me, mate. But, until we unravel all your mysteries, you shouldn’t. I can’t hide you from the Fae or the world, either, so best to take care of this now. But, go see the Elves as much as you want. They keep to their own.”
Lycan sighed, his hands dancing over Seath’s skin.
“You are right. Being seen could be dangerous.”
Seath pulled back long enough to give Lycan a sweet kiss. “I promise you, we will figure all this out, love.”
Lycan nodded, once again overwhelmed by the safety his Alpha provided. “I will work on preparing for the Fae, you go speak to Greene so he knows what is going on.”
“Shower first?” Seath asked, absently rubbing Lycan’s belly satisfied that there was enough of him in Lycan that his scent would last the afternoon.
Portaling was no joke. It didn’t make Seath’s stomach roll, but it did make his head spin a bit.
You couldn’t deny the ease of simply moving oneself from one place to another on a whim. But used too often, it could cause some illness — headaches, and disorientation. Not to mention that portal dust was now a precious commodity, thanks to the continuing Fae embargo.
So, the pack still used it sparingly. Portal dust was gone when used, but never got old. The pack stores were not vast, but they were comfortable.
Greene was waiting for Seath when he emerged from the portaling grounds outside the heavily warded city-state of Zurin. They greeted each other as they always did, big hugs and scenting. Pack Alpha to Legate, and Legate carrying the scent of home to his Alpha.
They went to Greene’s condo in Zurin on a high-speed train, situated to give riders a view of the neutral country where the Council sat. It was an island that boasted large mountains and beaches, similar to the lands of the Northwest Pack. The city and the country were one and the same.
The city-state was one of the largest in the world. Behind wards woven of every magic of creatures known to this realm and beyond and Threshold magic bound to keep the peace and secrets of the city. They sat down to lunch speaking freely about pack business.
It didn’t take long for the conversation to take care of the few routine items and get to the Fae and Lycan.
