“Potato…potahto.” Smirking, he linked his fingers with Sawyer’s, leading the way toward their target.
Chapter 12
Theo brushed off his hands while surveying his garden. He’d forgotten how much work was involved before the first seedling ever got planted, but it would be worth it when it was time to harvest the fruits of his labor. Just imagining the taste of fresh herbs and vegetables enhancing his cooking made his sore back worth it. Stretching out his aching muscles, he was reminded of his mother doing the same after a day spent gardening…like mother, like son…crossed his mind. And then without warning, tears fell and deep sobs filled the air, causing the forest to fall silent.
“Damn it!” Theo quickly tried to stanch the flow but was unsuccessful in wiping away the tears as they continued to fall. Sucking in gulps of air, he struggled to get himself under control to avoid alarming pooh bear. Norm was already suspicious and had suggested he see Ian, but Theo had refused. The last thing he wanted was to talk about the cause of his frequent bouts of tears—with Ian or anyone else, including his fiancé. It would change nothing except to make Norm feel unhappy and that, he would not do.
When Theo finally regained control of himself, he bent down and scooped up his gardening tools. They needed to be cleaned, but that could wait; he was already late with dinner preparations. Turning toward the back porch, the unexpected appearance of Steel caused him to stumble. The Alpha Mate was staring at him with concern.
Oh shit!Theo paused momentarily while considering his options. He didn’t want to answer Steel’s questions about his red-rimmed eyes, but now he had no other choice. It would be foolish to think the Alpha Mate was ignorant of his frequent crying jags, especially since, from time to time, he’d caught a few of Steel’s worried glances directed at him.
Reaching the back porch, he set his tools down on one of the steps and tried to compose himself before looking up at Steel and smiling. “Hey, I finished just in time to get dinner ready for the hordes of hungry pups…uhm…can’t say pups anymore because now there are warlocks. I wasn’t sure what they ate but Carson said a roast would be good so that’s what I made.”
Steel studied Theo as he spoke, noting the difference between his usual and current behavior, confirming his suspicions that something was wrong. After giving Theo multiple opportunities to confide in him, he reluctantly conceded it wasn’t going to happen. Now he could no longer fail to act—especially after overhearing Theo’s heart wrenching sobs in the garden. He thought about several possibilities before deciding what to do.
Theo’s smile faltered when Steel didn’t reply. Squaring his shoulders, he climbed the steps before murmuring, “Excuse me.”
Steel’s arm shot out, blocking Theo’s attempt to circumvent him. “Hey, are you feeling all right?”
Refusing to look at Steel, Theo kept his eyes downcast in an attempt to keep his feelings hidden from the Alpha Mate. “Uhm…yeah…I’m okay. Just going to put dinner on the table.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that,” Steel said.
“What? No, you don’t have to,” Theo objected sharply. “It’s my job…I can do it.”
“Not now it isn’t,” Steel replied softly. “I heard you crying before and it wasn’t the first time it happened. I don’t know what’s causing your tears since you claim everything is fine, so I’m assuming you really don’t know why you’re having frequent bouts of melancholy. I think we need to start eliminating possibilities, Theo, so I’m sending you down to Mac for a complete work up in order to rule out any health issues.”
Seeing the firm set of Steel’s mouth, Theo figured there wasn’t a chance of dissuading him, so he fell back on an old childhood strategy: delay and hope it would be forgotten. “Okay, I can see him tomorrow after lunch. I’m pretty sure someone will be available to watch Jake and Jessica.”
“Nice try, Theo,” Steel smiled, “but totally unnecessary. Mac is available now, so go ahead and head down…I’ll take care of getting dinner on the table. Oh…and consider this an order from me.”
“I’m telling you everything’s fine…why won’t you believe me?”
“I know what you said, but Theo, trust me when I say, it’s not normal,” Steel replied softly. “Let Mac make sure there isn’t anything physical causing you to act this way.”
“And if he finds nothing, will you stop meddling in my life?” Theo demanded, barely controlling his anger, desperate for the Alpha Mate to get off his back about the matter.
“Why don’t we wait to see what Mac has to say?” Steel answered. “Do you want me to have Norm meet you down there?”
Resigned to his impending visit with Mac, Theo considered Steel’s offer, but decided against it. Norm’s worry about his behavior had already affected their relationship—it was better if he handled this himself. “No, not necessary.” Pushing past Steel, he headed to Mac’s office, dragging his feet in an effort to delay what would only subject him to questions he might not have answers to.
~/~/~/~/~
Observing the hallway, Glenn found it empty, triggering a menacing growl from his tiger and putting him on high alert. Danger was near but what or where was still a mystery that needed to be solved…and sooner than later. Nothing was as he expected; instead of halls bustling with witches and warlocks, they found only empty ones lined with closed doors. Instead of conversations buzzing around him, filled with gossip and intrigue, the building was strangely quiet, even when they arrived at their destination. His years of experience in the field taught him that only additional intel could keep a mission from going sideways and luckily for him, his mate had the perfect skillset for doing just that. “Sawyer…”
“I know…my wolf agrees with your tiger so I looked inside and found the Council guards sleeping in their bunks.”
“Well that would explain why I can’t hear them even though I can pick up their scents.”
“Why the fuck would they be sleeping during the day?”
“Why indeed,” muttered Glenn. Taking several sniffs, he paused for a moment before moving closer until his nose was against the narrow crack of the door. “Ahh…that’s what it is.”
“What is?” Sawyer asked.
“Someone drugged the guards,” Glenn replied, turning back to his mate. “There was a faint scent I picked up along with the scent of the guards. I didn’t pay much attention to it until I found out they were asleep.”
“And youknowabout this drug…how? Through your secret agent training?”
