Chapter 1
Feeling solid ground under his feet, Brady kept his eyes closed and sighed. Born a magic user, he should’ve been comfortable whenever Mystia transported him, but after losing his magic things had changed. Queasiness and spatial disorientation now consumed him, making it a real possibility he’d throw up after arriving. Quickly placing his hands on his stomach, he inhaled deeply several times before slowly opening his eyes, focusing on the ground and then allowing his mind to catalogue the sounds around him.
“Brady, dear? Are you all right?” asked Mystia, placing her hand on his forearm.
“Y-y-eah…yeah, I’m fine.” Glancing at his friend, he gave a weak, crooked smile. “A touch of motion sickness, that’s all. But I’m good now.” Brady then observed that they had landed in a clearing surrounded by a forest. Not at all what he was expecting. Raising an eyebrow, he muttered, “I thought you were taking me to meet the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack.”
“I am…but I wanted to give you a moment to gather yourself up…and to forewarn you about Jackson’s Alpha power. Even from this far away, you should be able to feel it. Go ahead, close your eyes and concentrate.”
“How far are we?”
“Twenty miles.”
“Twenty miles? Are you kidding me? No shifter’s Alpha power is that great, especially a wolf’s.”
“Please, Brady, just do it.”
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if his friend was playing a practical joke on him. Then giving in, he closed his eyes, clearing his mind in order to concentrate. Within a second, Alpha power flooded him, so powerfully, it caused him to stagger several steps backward before regaining control of himself. Dumbfounded, he snapped his eyes open and stared at Mystia, unwilling to believe it. “What the hell? Do you know how much danger this Alpha is in?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Have you told him?” asked Brady.
“No. not yet.”
“Why the fuck not?” he snapped, angrily.
“You know it’s not something I can do. When the Fates want Jackson to know, Oracle will tell him. Until that time, I can only keep my spells in place so no one will discover his power.”
“What did you use?”
“Several concealment spells that I keep reinforcing as needed over the Blackwood Pack lands. So far, it’s worked well. Jackson…and more importantly, his mate, Steel…have no idea of the peril he’s in.”
“So, in other words, I’m to keep my mouth shut,” Brady murmured, his eyes seeking the source of the power he felt.
“Please.”
“That’s why you brought me here first, isn’t it? To show me how strong it is, so I don’t spill the beans when I meet him.”
“Yes…according to Oracle, it’s vitally important to keep it a secret…at least for now.”
Puffing up his cheeks with a held breath, Brady considered this latest bit of news and the impact it would have on the High Council if it became known. Finally exhaling, he said, “I don’t like surprises and I particularly don’t like being played. You and Oracle are guilty of doing just that. It’s bad enough I’m taking on the Witches’ Council but now you’re asking me to hide something from the Universal Paranormal High Council which, as you know, has more power over me than any other council. If they were to find out…”
Turning away from Mystia, Brady strode to the other side of the clearing, his anger clearly evident. Muttering to himself, he began pacing, trying to sort out what to do about the situation. Then he snorted. There wasn’t any doubt about it, he’d been used by two friends who he’d never thought would do such a thing. But they had and where did it leave him now?Up shit creek without a paddle.
The trap his friends built for him was virtually escape- proof. It was clearly a ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t’ scenario, but at least he knew, more or less, what to expect with the Witches’ Council when he agreed to help Remy. But the High Council? Brady could only guess. And that’s what really pissed him off. He would never be able to justify withholding the knowledge of Jackson’s off-the-charts Alpha power, especially since that power might cause imbalance and chaos in the paranormal world.
Finally, Brady realized he had no choice in the matter. He’d have to keep his promise to help the Ruler of All Magic—and the Mystic Guardian—to free all the lower level magic users. But that didn’t mean he was okay with having been manipulated into doing it. Marching back to Mystia, Brady stopped in front of her, his hands on his hips. “You are my friend…at least I always regarded you as one, but placing me in this position is not what a friend would do. No, hush,” he continued, raising his hand to keep her from responding. “By bringing me here, to this spot, instead of the Blackwood Pack house, means you knew you were deceiving me when you asked for my help.
“Now I possess knowledge which, by law, I’m required to hand over to the High Council. By not doing so, I’m guilty of a crime. But if I do, then it will be impossible to honor my commitment to save all my fellow magic users who’ve been condemned to slavery—regardless of what the Witches’ Council may call it.”
“I’m sorry, Brady,” Mystia said, softly, “but I really didn’t have a choice.”
“Pish posh, that’s a lot of crap. Everyone has choices and you picked this one. But, I also don’t assume to know why the gods or Fates do certain things, so I’ve decided to believe you meant no malice by withholding key information from me. I’ll keep Jackson’s Alpha power secret for now, but no more surprises.”
“I appreciate that…very much, as do the Fates. Now, are you ready to meet him?” asked Mystia.
Nodding, Brady clasped Mystia’s outstretched hand, shutting his eyes in anticipation of another bout of motion sickness. Taking a deep breath, he felt himself being sucked into the darkness again, but within seconds, Brady’s feet were once again on solid ground. Several things happened at once. His stomach revolted, forcing him to swallow several times to keep from vomiting, while at the same time, being slammed with the full force of Jackson’s Alpha power that threw him backward and, landed him on his ass.
