Following Sawyer into the living room, Glenn heard the front door close, before Hunter joined them. Glancing around, he noted the layout of the room and, ignoring Sawyer’s glare, claimed the chair next to Alex. Regardless of Hunter’s assertion about Fionn, his many years in the field taught him never to accept anyone’s word. Learning it had been a painful lesson but one he never forgot.
~/~/~/~/~
Reading the incoming message on his phone, Carson looked up at Brady. “According to Dylon, there are plans to move the low-level magic users being held in the basement of the Witches’ Council building out of reach…and soon.”
“Does he know where?” asked Brady.
“He didn’t say…but he thinks it will happen in the next day or so,” Carson replied.
“I have to stop it!” Brady exclaimed. “Otherwise, I’ll never find them.”
“You meanwehave to stop it,” Carson said. “Remy has already issued an order granting all low-level magic users their freedom. Whoever’s behind this is disobeying his order and needs to get their ass handed to them.”
“We need a plan,” Lucius said.
“Oh no, this doesn’t involve you,leelan. It’s too dangerous,” Brady insisted.
“But it’s not foryou? Am I understanding you correctly?” asked Lucius.
“Well, no…I mean, yes it is but it’s different because I’m a magic-user,” Brady said, glancing over to Carson for support.
Shaking his head, Carson muttered, “Dude…not good.”
“A magic-user with no magic,” Lucius said. “How is that different from me?”
“Well when he puts it that way…” Carson’s voice trailed off.
Ignoring Carson, Brady faced his mate. “Leelan, I know these people and what they are capable of doing…to me, as well as you. If I allowed you to accompany me, then I wouldn’t be doing my job of protecting you from harm. Don’t you see? I’m acting in your best interest.”
“This is not going to end well,” Carson mumbled.
“What I see is you think I’m incapable of fulfilling my responsibilities as your mate,” Lucius huffed.
“That’s not what I said.”
“Ah…yeah it kinda is,” Carson agreed, holding up his hand to forestall a continuation of the argument. “Guys, I’m not the best one to talk about being a mate…especially since I tend to be a tad over-protective…”
“A tad?” Remy raised an eyebrow as he entered the room. “It’s a constant struggle for my mate to balance his need to protect me and the boys with my need for independence…or the boys’ needs to be… well…just boys.”
“How do you handle it?” asked Lucius.
“I remind myself everything Carson does, he does because he loves me and the boys. Is it smooth sailing all the time? No way. For instance, right now, I know Carson is trying to figure out how to protect the boys when they’re with his brothers at the Blackwood pack while he’s with me at the Witches’ Council. And even if it doesn’t show, it’s driving him crazy.”
Brady jumped in, turning to Carson. “But it would be worse if the boys weren’t with your brothers, right? So by sending them away, you are doing your best to protect them. Seeleelan…by not letting you come with me on a dangerous mission, I’m doing what’s best for you.”
Before Lucius could respond, Remy said, “Brady…I cannot believe you just said that! Did you leave your brilliant legal mind upstairs? Can you tell me in what court a judge would find merit in your argument? Even with my limited legal knowledge, I know the answer is none. Lucius is your Fated Mate…not your child…and as a Fated Mate, he has the same rights you do. Not only that, he has the same abilities you do, so how do you think you could stop him from transporting himself to the Witches’ Council building?”
“Brady,” Lucius murmured, hesitantly, “I would never do that…not without your permission.”
Appalled at his actions, Brady chastised himself for making Lucius feel like he wasn’t free to decide for himself. “I’m so sorry,leelan. You don’t need my permission to do anything. I didn’t claim you only to confine you to another prison, unable to make decisions for yourself.”
A tear rolled down Lucius’ cheek at his mate’s apology. Any lingering doubts he may have had about being mated vanished; Brady had just given him what he’d longed for during his years under Valerian’s control—freedom. It was something he’d taken for granted as a human, but soon learned that, as a vampire, how quickly it could be curtailed. Placing his arms around Brady’s waist, he buried his face in the crook of his mate’s neck, hiding his tears from everyone.
“C’mon,leelan,” Brady whispered, hugging Lucius tight, “let’s come up with a plan to rescue them.”
Raising his head, Lucius wiped his face with his hand, trying to remove any evidence of tears. Looking at his mate, he asked, “Are you sure?”
“I am,” Brady replied before looking over at Carson. “We need to talk to Dylon first.”
