Chapter 39
There was only one safe place Lucius could think of for Brady and himself. Landing on the country lane in front of his mate’s cottage, he quickly turned to Brady, helping him sit down with his head between his legs.
Closing his eyes, Brady sucked in lungfuls of air, in a desperate effort to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged. Everything could wait—would have to wait—until he recovered from the effects of this unexpected and unplanned translocation. But even that need couldn’t keep his thoughts from wondering what triggered Lucius’ urgent need to escape.
Slowly, his breathing became less frantic as the uproar in his gut disappeared. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking at his girls, and recognized where Lucius had taken him. Brady was sure it was a clue to his mate’s action, but what it meant was, as yet, unknown.
“I’m so sorry,” Lucius cried out softly. “He has so much power…I was afraid of what he would do to me once he realized I was there…with Valerian…in Scotland…he killed Zeidan and Xavier, too.” Pausing, he felt Brady’s hand resting on his back, helping his fear retreat. Finally, he felt calm enough to continue. “I couldn’t stay because he would have killed me, nor could I leave you behind to face his wrath on your own.”
“So you brought us here,” Brady said, beginning to understand why his mate picked his cottage. “Because it was safe, right?”
Nodding dejectedly, Lucius replied, “Yes…and I didn’t think he knew about it. I figured it would give you some time to decide what you want to do about me.”
Frowning slightly, Brady heard the hopelessness in Lucius’s voice. He didn’t understand it, but was determined to get to the bottom of what was causing it. “Leelan, who would have killed you?”
“Zane…he’s the one who killed my master and the only reason he didn’t kill me was because I…”
“Didn’t obey Valerian’s order to join him in the fight,” Brady murmured, having accessed Lucius’ memories acquired during their claiming.
“I disappeared before Zane could kill me, too,” Lucius whispered.
“And you’re sure he’ll kill you if we go back.”
“Yes-s-s…”
Lucius’ voice was so faint, Brady wouldn’t have known his mate had spoken if he hadn’t been watching him closely. He had no doubt he was telling the truth; the absolute fear in Lucius’ eyes along with his uncontrollable trembling wasn’t something that could be faked. But it just didn’t make sense to him.Why didn’t Oracle warn me that members of the Blackwood Pack are after my mate? Unless she didn’t know?But that doesn’t make any sense, either.
His mate began to cry, spurring Brady to set aside his thoughts and focus on taking care of him. Wrapping his arms around Lucius, he pulled him tightly against his chest, whispering softly that everything would be all right. And it would be, if he had anything to say about it.My mate has suffered enough. It’s time someone is held accountable for it!But that would have to wait; something was more important.
Brady continued to hold his mate, soothing him the best he could and was grateful when Lucius’ body stopped shaking. Now it was time to sort out the mess regarding his mate’s fears that Zane intended to kill him. “Leelan, do you mind if I ask my friend, Mystia, to join us here? I promise she won’t hurt you…or tell Zane where we are.”
“I guess not, if you trust her.”
“I do…with my life. She was the only one who came to my aid after the Witches’ Council banned me,” Brady explained. “I need to know what I’m up against…and why Zane might want to kill you.”
“Okay…but what canyoudo? He has a lot of power.”
“I can do quite a bit…starting with filing a complaint against him with the Universal Paranormal High Council. There are laws about killing someone who isn’t attacking you. While Zane may have an acceptable reason for killing Valerian, I know for a fact those reasons do not apply to you,” Brady said.
“I don’t think that will stop him,” Lucius murmured, remembering that none of his complaints to Valerian ever resulted in anything other than more pain for him.
“We’ll see,” Brady growled. “Once I lodge it, the High Council will inform Jackson of the consequences if anything happens to you during their investigation.”
“Why would they warn Jackson when it’s Zane who wants to kill me?” asked Lucius, confused as to how it would stop Zane from killing him.
“As Alpha, Jackson is responsible for the actions of all of his pack members…even his brother Zane.”
Frowning, Lucius thought for a moment before exclaiming, “No Brady, don’t do it, please! That’s not a good idea because Jackson will get angry at me for causing trouble! I felt the Alpha’s power…and even I know there won’t be anywhere we can hide where we’ll be safe.”
Feeling his mate’s agitation, Brady started to run his hand up and down Lucius’ back, hoping to ease his tension. “Shush,leelan…let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. Before I do anything, I need some answers…and Mystia is the one who can give them to me.” Pressing a small mark on the inside of his wrist, he waited, sighing in relief when a shimmer in the air announced his friend’s arrival.
Rising, Brady pulled Lucius up beside him, keeping an arm around his mate’s waist for support. “Thank you for coming, Mystia. This is my mate, Lucius.Leelan, this is Mystia, my friend.”
“Congratulations to both of you! It’s truly amaz…” Mystia stopped when she saw signs of tension in their faces. “What happened? Did someone on the Council threaten you or Lucius? Tell me, which one of those pompous jackasses did it? And why are you here instead of with Remy and Carson? They promised to protect you.”
Brady felt Lucius begin to relax against him, easing some of his worries, but what helped the most was his friend’s response. As Mystia had done in his past, she once again had taken on his problems and made them her own. Her steadfast belief in him was always a balm to his bruised and battered soul, but now he needed it more than ever because his mate’s life was on the line. Quickly, he told her what happened in Scotland, ending up with Lucius coming face to face with the man who killed his master. “And that’s why we’re here. Lucius feels safe and, frankly, so do I.”
After listening to Brady, Mystia said, “Let me see what I can find out…and why Zane may still be after Lucius. It just doesn’t make sense to me…”
