Brady hit the ground with a jolt, causing his eyes to fly open and forcing a loud grunt from him; he found himself staring in amazement at a timber and glass modern house.Holy Petunia!It filled his view, yet that was just the tip of the iceberg; more of it was nestled into the woods. He couldn’t even hazard a guess at its size, but his cottage was a dust speck compared to it.
Standing up, he brushed off the back of his pants as his gaze wandered over the house until they landed on a solitary figure standing on the front porch. His eyes narrowed, sizing up the person the Fates decided was worthy of the greatest Alpha power he’d ever felt—and probably of all time.
“That’s Jackson,” Mystia murmured.
“He’s smaller than I thought.”
“Yes, but that’s due to his hybrid nature…part Alpha, part Omega.”
Shaking his head, Brady muttered, “The Fates better know what they’re doing because giving this much power to a pack can go to hell in a handbasket with a blink of an eye.”
Chuckling softly, Mystia murmured, “Ready to meet Jackson?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Brady muttered, running his hands down the front of his outfit, trying to smooth the imaginary wrinkles.Why the hell am I so damned nervous?Hecouldn’t explain it. It’d never happened before, even during all the years he spent at the Witches’ Governing Council dealing with witches whose power intimidated many others.
“Brady,” Mystia said, quietly, “don’t worry. Jackson is one of the good ones.”
“Maybe, but only time will tell.” Brady closed his mouth pursing his lips as he followed Mystia, determined to make up his own mind about that.
“Mystia! Glad you’re here,” welcomed Jackson, descending the front steps. “And Brady, I assume. Very happy to meet you.” Holding out his hand, he waited until the man in front of him finally grasped it, giving it a quick shake. Studying the man, Jackson saw the hesitation in Brady’s eyes, correctly guessing he was regretting his offer to help Remy and Carson, but based on his previous conversations with Mystia, he knew Brady was critical to their success.
Jackson decided the best way to put Brady at ease was to focus on Mystia for the time being. Turning back to her, he exclaimed, “I have a big surprise for you…or I should say Daniel does. Come…everyone’s inside, eager to see it but Steel wanted them to wait for you.”
Smiling, Mystia followed Jackson, grateful for his diversion. Though Brady had agreed to her request, she could sense he was on the verge of changing his mind. Jackson’s power was impressive and, though Jackson seemed to ignore it, she knew no one coming in contact with that kind of power could be unaffected by it. It was a problem she hoped Remy would solve for her. “C’mon,mon ami,”she smiled at Brady,“shall we see what surprise my grandson has for me?”
~/~/~/~/~
A long suffering sigh filled the room. It was the third or maybe the fourth one Fionn uttered as he waited for the arrival of Oracle. Since finding out about the existence of a half-brother, he alternated between anger at his father and resentment of the mystery relative suddenly appearing in his life, neither of which emotions he wanted to share with Hunter. And that just pissed him off more.
Fionn knew his behavior wasn’t fair to his mate; his constant shut down of all his mate’s offers of help, but this was something he needed to sort out first. And if the last week was any indication, it would take him a long time to do just that. The trouble was, Fionn couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that his father kept a secret this big from everyone, including his mother. And that was the crux of what was paralyzing him from moving forward.
Calling for his mother to appear so he could ask her if she knew about Fionn’s half-brother would provide the answer, but in his heart, Fionn didn’t believe she possessed any more knowledge about Alex than he did. But what if that belief was wrong? What if his mother knew and kept it a secret from him all these years? He knew if that was the truth, it would destroy his soul. And what would be even worse was the pain he would cause when she found out her husband had been unfaithful. No, that wasn’t something he wanted to do.
Leaning against the window pane, Fionn stared down the dirt lane in front of the cottage where he and Hunter were staying. Until now, he’d enjoyed the warmth and coziness of it compared to the grandeur and coldness of his father’s chateau, but now, all the joy was missing. It were as if he was back in the cave in Scotland, locked in chains, cold and lonely, scared about what would happen next.
Wrapping his arms around himself, Fionn tried to control the shivers running through his body as his mind remembered regaining consciousness and realizing what his father had done to him. At the time he thought it was his father’s way of seizing Fionn’s hoard for himself, but what if he was doing it for his other son, Alex? The brother he never knew about. If that was the case, he didn’t want anything to do with his long-lost sibling.
Uttering another long sigh, Fionn thumped his head against the window pane in frustration. Deciding to ignore his sibling was one thing but how would he ever be able to ask Hunter to ignore Sawyer, Alex’s mate.Great! Just fucking great!In his heart, Fionn knew he didn’t have it in him to ask that, even though Hunter would agree. Once again, he found himself at the edge of a precipice, unable to go back but scared of what would happen if he took a step forward.
Hunter stood in the doorway to the living room, watching Fionn struggle to come to terms with the news he’d received, but felt helpless. There was nothing he could say or do to make the issue go away. His recent phone call with Sawyer confirmed his brother was dealing with the same worries he was. As his brother put it, they were both between a rock and a hard place. Neither of them could or would do anything to hurt their mates which left only one option if Fionn rejected Alex.
Rubbing his chest where a constant pain had taken up residency since that fateful call with Jackson when he learned of Alex, Hunter slowly moved toward Fionn, praying to the gods it would all turn out right. Reaching his mate, Hunter pulled him back against his chest, softly kissing Fionn’s head. “Pet, Henri called. Oracle should be here shortly.”
Nodding briefly, Fionn couldn’t speak?his nerves were tightly strung out at the news. Whether he was ready or not, his life was about to change. Reaching for Hunter’s hand, he brought it to his lips, giving it a kiss before letting go. It was all he could offer at that moment.
Smiling grimly, Hunter understood. The pain in his chest grew stronger. Never before did he ever questioned the Fates’ actions but that was before they decided to drop a bombshell on Fionn. Now, it was up to him to shepherd his mate through the upcoming meeting. “Pet…no decision has to be made right away. Take as much time as you need. And remember, whatever you decide is all right with me.”
“Thanks, mate,” Fionn murmured softly, his eyes still staring down the lane. As much as he appreciated Hunter’s unconditional support, Fionn wished someone was there who could tell him what to do. Maybe heshouldtalk to his mother.
“I forgot…Henri also said Quin, Kieran and Logan were with Oracle,” Hunter murmured.
“Ki is coming? Quin too?” Fionn asked, hope welling up inside him for the first time since finding out he had a brother.
“Yeah… Quin wanted to come along to get a dress for Theo’s wedding so a shopping trip will be on the agenda.”
Warmth filled Fionn. Everything was suddenly looking brighter—Ki could help him sort out the mess his life had become. He owed Jackson a big ‘thank you’ for knowing what he needed even though he, himself, didn’t.
“Hey…they’re here!” Hunter pointed to the dark car rounding the bend in the lane. “You ready, pet?”
“I am,” Fionn replied, his voice now lighter as he led Hunter to the front door.
