“Yes…first, please do not tell Lucius about the witch and the demon who are after him.” And before Vasile could object, she continued. “It’s Brady’s decision, not mine. He believes it’ll be too stressful for Lucius since he’s trying to come to terms with his new life. And second, Brady would appreciate it if you could spend some time talking to Lucius about being a vampire. His lack of knowledge needs to be corrected as soon as possible so he can begin to feel comfortable in his own skin.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Vasile said, with a warm smile, before glancing back at the cottage, knowing in his heart there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Lucius.
~/~/~/~/~
Taking his mate’s hand, Brady led him to his study. “My books about vampires are on my desk along with another that’s an overview of the paranormal world and all those who are in it. While I can answer most of the questions you might have about what’s in the books, Vasile is the best person for your questions about the vampire world.”
Looking in awe at the stack of books, Lucius dropped his mate’s hand before slowly advancing on what he regarded as heaven on earth. His childhood passion was reading, whether to learn about a place or to lose himself in a fantasy world. He’d longed for it all those years with Valerian, but now Brady had given him back the pleasure he’d missed. Picking up the top book, he carefully opened it, running his hand over the old, yellowed pages, inhaling the musty aroma he’d always loved.
When he got to the first chapter, he was astounded to see it was written by hand, embellished with gold leaf and filled with beautiful illustrations. Gasping, he looked up at Brady. “How old is this book?”
“About two thousand years old. Vasile gave it to me when I was assisting him once. In it, you’ll find the entire history of vampires along with other revelations that should prove helpful.”
“It’s so old…evenIknow it’s irreplaceable,” Lucius whispered, carefully setting it back down on the desk. “What if I…ruin it somehow? Like dropping it …or accidentally tear a page?”
Wrapping his arm around Lucius’ waist, Brady tugged him close. “Except for it being destroyed in a fire, whatever happens can be fixed by magic and Mystia will be happy to do it for us.”
Glancing up at Brady’s face, Lucius grinned at what he saw there. “What did you do?”
Drawing his head back, Brady looked affronted. “Why…whatever do you mean?”
“Mystia has already had to fix something, right? Something you did to the book while you were reading it,” smirked Lucius. “C’mon, tell me what happened.”
“Nothing of any import,” Brady murmured, wanting to change the subject. His mate was just too damned smart.
“Nuh uh, somethingsignificant happened, otherwise you wouldn’t be trying to dodge my questions.”
Brady couldn’t help but grin at the playfulness he saw in his mate’s eyes, making him swell with pride. Even after everything Lucius had endured, the essence of who he was before Valerian got to him was still there. “Well…I’m only telling you because I don’t want you to worry about something happening to these books. One time, in response to an inquiry about vampires, I was looking up the answer when I accidentally spilled my tea. Before I could mop it up, the tea reached the opened book, soaking a number of pages. Luckily Mystia arrived shortly afterward for a visit, only to find me upset, frantically trying to dry the pages.” Shrugging, Brady continued. “A wave of her hand and the book was good as new. So you see, nothing to worry about.”
Lucius giggled. “Sooo…the moral of your story is never drink tea while reading these books.”
“Something like that,” Brady muttered. Then, lowering his head, he ran his lips along his mate’s jaw, savoring the soft stubble he loved so much. He hated leaving Lucius behind, but of the two evils, he figured it was the better choice, especially with Vasile looking after him. Brady began to lick his mate’s cheek until his tongue found Lucius’ ear. Giving it a gentle nibble, he whispered, “I love you,leelan. Please take care of yourself because I’ll never survive if I lose you.”
Chapter 4
Slowly making his way up the side of the mountain, Smokey kept an eye on the rest of his men to make sure they were following his plan to rescue Kevin’s parents. Pausing for a moment, he listened to the sounds around him. Satisfied that the men they were hunting were still unaware of the danger they faced, he resumed his trek—his bear slipping through the woods noiselessly, despite its size. Though Glenn and Ghost had doubted his bear could match the stealth of their tigers, he’d proved them wrong many times while on missions. Continuing on, his grizzly focused on only one thing—killing its prey.
Scenting blood as he got closer to the cave, his bear’s nose twitched, letting him know it belonged to Kevin’s father. Fury filled him and a red haze momentarily clouded his vision. The gentle man, who welcomed Smokey into his house after the death of his parents, was hurt, bleeding profusely, based on the intense scent saturating the air. His bear demanded to be let lose, the need for revenge riding him hard and Smokey fought to keep his animal under control. Finally, reaching his attack position, Smokey waited for Hawkeye, circling above, to signal that everyone was in position.
~/~/~/~/~
Lucius elected to stay in Brady’s study after making his mate promise to return to him as quickly as possible. Holding Brady tightly, he lowered his head until it was resting on his mate’s shoulder, inhaling the ripe smell of apples he found there. He wished there was a way he could bottle it so he could sniff it whenever loneliness overwhelmed him—an emotion he was all too familiar with during his time with Valerian. It was to assuage that feeling that drove him to seek out his family after his master’s death; instead, he’d found a mate.
Smiling at the turn his life had taken, he sank down into the well-padded comfortable chair in the corner of the room, tucking his legs under him. Settling the old book in his lap, he glanced at the roses outside the window, before a movement caught his eye. Turning his head, he watched as Brady walked up to the old vampire, pointing at the cottage. Whatever his mate was saying was evidently important and he wondered if it had anything to do with him. After thinking about it for a moment, he decided it wasn’t something he wanted to know. Turning his attention to the book, he opened it to the first chapter and began reading.
Looking over his shoulder, Brady caught a glimpse of Lucius curled up in his study, seemingly ignoring what was going on outside and, for that he was grateful. Turning back to Vasile, he said, “Remember, if you hear an alarm, find Lucius and leave…go as far away as you can before stopping. It’s the only way the witch won’t be able to follow.”
“I will,” Vasile replied. “Just one question, if it happens, what should I tell your mate when he finds himself miles from his home?”
Reaching into his pocket, Brady pulled out an envelope. “Give him this. It explains everything.”
Raising an eyebrow, Vasile took it from his friend, tucking it into his jacket. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Keeping something this important from your mate.”
Sighing, Brady hung his head. No, he wasn’t sure at all. Keeping the warning Mystia passed on to him from Oracle went against his vow to be honest with Lucius, but then, after Valerian’s demise, he never expected to find his mate in danger. Raising his head, his eyes pleaded with Vasile. “Lucius has been through so much—more than anyone should have to suffer—I couldn’t bring myself to…he’s happy for the first time since becoming a vampire. I just want him to enjoy himself…at least for a little while before having to face it.”
Vasile placed his large hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry both of you have to deal with it…especially so soon after being newly mated. I promise you he will be safe with me, and I’m honored that you trust me to watch over him. It’s the highest tribute you could have given me. Now go…and godspeed. Your mate will be waiting eagerly for your return.”
Blinking back the tears threatening to fall, Brady hugged his friend tightly, then stepping back, he said to Mystia, “Ready?”
