Chapter 38
This time Lucius was prepared for Brady’s reaction when they translocated to the Blackwood Pack house, but nothing—including his mate’s warning—could have prepared him for the Alpha power that overwhelmed him upon materializing. The sheer force of it laid him out on his back and he found himself staring up at a cloudless, deep blue sky. Trying to catch his breath, he wondered if Valerian would have attacked the Blackwood Pack in Scotland had he faced the Alpha instead of his pack members. A snort of laughter escaped him at that thought. Valerian had too much of an ego to think a mere wolf shifter could get the better of him.
Sitting up, Lucius glanced over at Brady who was still doubled over. Scrambling to his feet, he grasped his mate around the waist, holding him steady as dry heaves wracked his body. “Brady…why don’t you sit down? It might help, especially if you put your head between your knees. My mother always had my little brother do that whenever he got dizzy and it always worked.”
Doing as Lucius’ suggested, Brady sat down, finally feeling better as his world stop spinning. Slowly lifting his head, he was relieved to find everything remained still. Turning, Brady smiled at his mate. “Thank you,leelan,that was an excellent idea.”
Blushing at the praise, Lucius joined his mate on the grass before murmuring, “Glad it worked.” Then, shifting his gaze to the huge house in front of him, he gasped, “Holy cow!”
Following his mate’s gaze, Brady chuckled at Lucius’ reaction. “That’s what I thought the first time I saw it, too.”
“It’s humongous!” Lucius exclaimed. “I bet it’s bigger than Valerian’s place in Spain…and I thoughtthatwas big.”
“Maybe…but there’s a reason for the size of this house,” explained Brady. “Valerian’s was big because he needed to show off. This one is where the Alpha and members of the Blackwood Pack live.”
“Together?”
“Yes…it’s better for their wolves. They prefer to live together…just like wolves in the human world do.”
“I didn’t know that,” Lucius murmured. Then biting his lower lip in thought, he said, “There’s a lot I don’t know about this world.”
“There are a number of books about different paranormals in my…our…library which can give you information about their origins, history and habits.”
Lucius’ eyes lit up. “That would be very valuable. I feel like a fish out of water whenever I’m around other vampires. The only knowledge I have comes from movies I watched when I was human…and the little that Valerian told me.”
Smiling, Brady said, “Somehow I don’t think he was a good source…or a good spokesperson for vampires. Once this mess with the Witches’ Council is settled, I’ll take you to meet my dear friend, Vasile…a more honorable vampire you will never find.”
Before Lucius could voice his concerns about getting close to another vampire, the front door to the Blackwood Pack house opened and a man stepped out onto the front porch.
“Brady,” called Jackson. “Remy said you would be here shortly.”
Standing up, Brady pulled his mate up, tucking him against his side. “Hello Jackson, I’d like to introduce my mate, Lucius…Leelan,Jackson is the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack.”
Descending the steps, Jackson held out his hand, saying, “Welcome to the Blackwood Pack, Lucius. I’m happy you made a full recovery from the death spell.”
Lucius glanced quickly at Brady, finding comfort in his mate’s nod of assurance that Jackson would do him no harm. Suppressing his nervousness, he tentatively reached for the Alpha’s hand, shaking it once before withdrawing his arm. The power emanating from the man scared him, even though he could see the gentleness in Jackson’s manner and speech. But the scars he carried from Valerian’s treatment of him were still too fresh for him to ignore what Jackson could do—or make him do—as he’d learned upon waking up as a vampire. Resorting to his past behavior in the presence of Valerian, he lowered his eyes and, projecting a subservient attitude, murmured softly, “Thank you.”
Frowning slightly, Jackson looked at Brady, seeking an answer for Lucius’ reaction. When all he got was a slight shake of Brady’s head , he gave a nod in acknowledgement. Then, he said, “C’mon, Carson and Remy are in Dylon’s office.”
“Is Mystia here?” asked Brady.
“No…but she told Dylon everything she found out,” Jackson said, turning around and heading up the steps. “And Zane has dug up more information which should help with formulating a plan to rescue the low-level magic users.”
Grasping his mate’s hand, Brady led him into the Blackwood Pack house, smiling at Lucius’ quick intake of air as he caught his first glimpse of what lay behind the front door. After pausing for a moment so his mate could look around, he resumed following Jackson, smiling at the look of wonder on Lucius’ face. He knew exactly how his mate felt since his reaction had been the same when he’d first arrived.
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When they reached the old chateau, Alex stopped and stared up at the ancient building—the place where he was born and the last place he’d lived with both his parents. Just thinking about it made his eyes grow misty as he pictured his two fathers filled with joy, yet tempered by fear when they found out Jean Luc was pregnant. Feeling Sawyer’s hand seek his, he looked at his mate, smiling tremulously at the enormity of the moment. During his entire childhood, be believed he was wanted—that he’d been rejected by his parents because of his two animals. He grew up unsure of where he belonged, somehow knowing neither fox nor dragon shifters would ever accept him. But since finding his mates, that had all changed.
Finding out how much he was loved and wanted by his parents helped eased some of the pain, but after discovering how Fionn was treated by their father, his image of him had become tarnished— something he’d have to deal with later. Putting it aside, he concentrated instead on his brother who was waiting for him inside.
Squeezing Alex’s hand, Sawyer murmured, “You okay?”
Giving his mate a quick smile, Alex headed toward the large, oak door framed by dragon gargoyles, pulling Sawyer along with him. Reaching it, he paused, looking over his shoulder to make sure his tiger mate was behind them. Locking eyes with Glenn, he mouthed ‘I love you’ before reaching back with his other hand to latch on to Glenn, tugging him forward until he was next to him. “Ready to be wowed?”
“Wowed?” growled Glenn.
“He doesn’t get ‘wowed’,” Sawyer said, chuckling. “But feel free to wow me! This is some place…I wonder what the rest of it is like.”
