Walking over to his favorite chair, where his mate was now sitting, Brady pointed to his roses. “They’re welcoming you home. See…they’re nodding their approval.”
“I thought the breeze was causing them to move.”
“No…the wind isn’t strong enough to move their heavy flowers like that. The best it could do would be to ruffle a few petals,” Brady said.
“But…they don’t know me.”
“That may be true, although knowing my girls, I’m sure they have figured out who you are,” Brady smiled. “Especially since I’ve never brought anyone home before.”
A warm glow enveloped Lucius when it sank in that he was the first. “Can you tell them I think they are gorgeous?”
“You can tell them, yourself…when I introduce you,” Brady grinned. “But since that will take more time than we have right now, how about I show you the rest of the house and then we can have something to eat.”
Jumping up, Lucius reached for his mate’s hand. “Lead the way.”
~/~/~/~/~
Lucius couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed himself so much. After touring the cottage, his mate sat him down at the table in the small dining alcove adjacent to the kitchen, talking to him while cooking. Even during the meal, the conversation never lagged as one question led to another, making him appreciate his mate’s willingness to answer them without exception. As far as he could tell, nothing was off limits regarding his desire to find out everything about Brady. By the end of the meal, Lucius had a full belly and a mind overflowing with information—enough that it would take him some time to process it. But that could wait until later. Setting his fork down, he leaned back in his chair, trying to stifle a yawn.
Brady had watched Lucius empty and fill his plate several times, making note of how much he consumed, surprised by the amount. It certainly was more than he’d seen other vampires eat and wondered if Lucius was just trying to be polite. That would explain it perfectly, since vampires usually ate sparingly when dining with other paranormals.
Vasile had explained it was just common courtesy for vampires to eat with other species, even though all they needed was blood. So Brady hadn’t thought twice about preparing a meal for Lucius. But unlike other vampires he knew, his mate seemed to really enjoy eating, even licking his fork in an effort to get every last morsel of his food. Contemplating the matter, he wondered if Lucius’ appetite was due to having witch’s blood in his genetic make-up and decided to ask Oracle the next time he saw her. Then, setting aside his thoughts, he stood, reaching out his hand. “It’s time we go to sleep. Morning will come sooner than we want it to.”
Blushing at the thought of lying in Brady’s arms, Lucius rose and took his mate’s hand as another yawn escaped from him. “I don’t know why I’m so tired but sleep sounds very good right now.”
“You had a long day,leelan,” Brady said, leading his mate to their bedroom. “I have some sleep pants you can use until you can get the rest of your clothes from Remy’s house.”
“I’d rather sleep naked with you, if it’s okay,” Lucius said, softly.
His Adam’s apple bobbing several times, Brady almost swallowed his tongue.Naked…with me?“Uhh…uhm…that sounds good,” he replied in a trembling voice before swallowing several times again. His mate’s request caused a full body blush as his mind pictured Lucius’ body laid out before him like an offering made to a god. Onlyhewas the god. Opening the bedroom door, Brady was thankful he’d taken the time to change the bedding and clean the room before leaving with Mystia.
~/~/~/~/~
Lucius was exhausted, and as much as he wanted to finished their claiming, it wasn’t to be. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a dreamless sleep. his mate’s scent reminding him he was home.
There wasn’t a chance in hell Brady was going to be able to sleep—and not just because his mate was finally in his arms. No, his insomnia had more to do with the upcoming meeting with the Witches’ Governing Council. Watching the dancing shadows on the ceiling, Brady’s mind tried to ignore the feel of his cock nestled between Lucius’ curvy cheeks. It wasn’t easy, especially every time his mate moaned in response to Brady’s cock twitching, but Brady was determined to keep his dick under control. His mate deserved the best and that meant making love to him when his mind wasn’t preoccupied with a problem, and when both of them were awake and rested. Sighing, he turned his thoughts back to Dylon’s plan.
Brady had to admit it was a brilliant one. Reviewing it for the tenth time, he couldn’t find any fault with it, finally giving him hope that this time he would be successful in his goal of restoring the rights of the low level magic users. He only allowed himself a moment to relish the happiness success would give him, before remembering his grandmother’s warning not to count his chickens before they hatched. He smiled at the memory before turning his attention back to another matter at hand. And that was his mate.
After seeing Lucius’ reactions to the events of the day, Brady had to agree with Jackson that his mate’s lack of knowledge about his “new” world, could trigger actions that weren’t appropriate. Luckily nothing dreadful had happened, but the sudden onset of Lucius’ blood rage was something he couldn’t risk happening again, especially in front of the Witches’ Council. It would be tense enough when Zohar spotted him by Remy’s side, but exposing his mate to Zohar’s verbal attacks against him, sure to be thrown at Brady, was a recipe for disaster; Lucius would surely react with anger, thinking he had to defend his mate. And then there was his fear of Zohar discovering he had a mate.
No, the best place for Lucius was here, at home, where he felt the safest. But knowing that and then trying to convince Lucius was the problem he still hadn’t solved. On the other side of the coin, Brady wasn’t comfortable about leaving his mate alone, unprotected from any attack. And even though it was unlikely, there was still a chance someone in the magic world had gotten wind of his agreement to help the Ruler. Sighing, he thought about Zohar’s plan to kidnap Mystia’s husband, Jimmy.What if, somehow, he found out about Lucius and where he was?
Brady would not make the same mistake of underestimating Zohar again. The first time resulted only in his banishment, but this time the stakes were so much higher. Finally, after analyzing every possibility, he reached the decision that was the only right one…and which would protect his mate. Feeling Lucius shift closer to him, Brady tightened his hold on him, burying his nose in his mate’s hair and inhaling his special rose scent.
“Go ahead, ask me,” Lucius said, his voice heavy with the remnants of his sleep.
“I didn’t wake you did I?” asked Brady.
“Sorta…you’re tense…not like you were when we went to bed.”
“Sorry,” Brady said softly. “I was thinking about the meeting…and what I should expect.”
Turning over so he could see his mate’s eyes, Lucius asked, “What did you come up with?”
Reaching up, Brady lifted a lock of his mate’s hair, twirling it around his finger, considering how to answer the question. Rubbing it between his fingers, it was as soft as it looked, reminding him of a child’s fine locks. But his mate wasn’t a child; he was an adult who’d paid a terrible price for an innocent decision made in the heat of a moment. Letting the hair slip from his fingers, he returned his mate’s gaze. “Even in the best of scenarios, it won’t be pretty. Once he sees me, Zohar will use every weapon at his disposal to discredit me before the Ruler and the Mystic Guardian.”
“I thought Mystia said they promised to protect you?”
“She did…and they will. That’s not what worries me.”
“Then what does?”
Brady hesitated for a moment before replying. “I’m worried about Zohar finding out I have a mate, what he will do to you…and also your reaction when he does his shit to me.”
It took him a moment but Lucius suddenly understood what his mate wasn’t saying. Brady was afraid for him…afraid he’d do something that would endanger both of them. And if he was honest with himself, it was his fear, too. If he’d learned anything yesterday, it was that he was ill-prepared for life without Valerian. Not that he wantedthatlife back, but neither did he want to unknowingly put his mate at risk because he lacked the basic knowledge of how to cope with his new life. The fact that Brady understood this made him feel more secure—something he wouldn’t have expected—and reassured him he’d never be left on his own to figure out everything.
Smiling at his mate, Lucius said, “This is me speaking up for myself. I know I told you I wanted to be by your side, but honestly, I’m not ready to do that just yet. And before I can, there’s a lot I have to learn, not only about my new world, but also about being a vampire. I don’t know what happened today that caused Jackson to use his Alpha power, but whatever it was, wasn’t good. I saw the fear in your eyes…and in the eyes of everyone else in the room. I don’t ever want to see that again. So if you don’t mind, I’ll stay here…waiting for you to come home to me.”
