Smokey shrugged. His mates were right, but after all this time, it mattered little to him about what happened to his mother’s tribe. “Anyway…that’s what my spirit magic does.”
“I can see how having a Manetu in a tribe can be a necessity,” Norm said, “but what about elsewhere?”
“What do you mean?” asked Smokey.
Waving his hands around, Norm replied, “Like…here…or maybe…”
“Anywhere in the world!” Theo exclaimed. “There’s a lot of evil out there. Can you use your spirit magic out there or only within your mother’s tribe?”
Frowning slightly, Smokey thought back to his childhood lessons, suddenly remembering one in particular. “My spirit magic has no limits. According to my grandfather, I can use it anywhere.”
“O.M.G!” Theo shouted, clapping his hands. “You’re going to fit in here perfectly!”
“Theo’s right,” Norm said. “There isn’t a safer place for you to be than here in the Blackwood Pack.”
“What?” Smokey mumbled, sensing he was missing something. So far, his mates hadn’t responded as he’d expected, which was confusing him considerably.
“Wait a minute,” Theo said, excitedly. “What about the other thing you have? The gift the Great Spirit gave only to you…what does that do?”
“Yeah…what did you call it? Life force control or something like that?” asked Norm.
“The power of life-force,” Smokey replied. Dropping his gaze, he inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly before he began. “It’s the critical energy needed for life in our world. Without it, life as we know it, wouldn’t exist. The Great Spirit gave me the ability to use it in different ways ranging from changing my own life force to restoring a person’s life force.”
It took Norm a moment before his mate’s words could sink in. Glancing at Theo, he smiled at his reaction—it was a mirror of his own. “Holy moley, Smokey…that is freakin’ unbelievable.”
Before Smokey could say anything, Theo was suddenly sitting in his lap, burying his head in the crook of his neck. He was too stunned to respond until he felt his mate’s tears on his skin. Wrapping his arms around Theo, Smokey held him tight, murmuring, “Hey, hey…Shining Star…it’s okay…everything will be all right.” He wanted to say more, but was confused as to what was causing Theo’s tears. Glancing over at Norm, he raised an eyebrow, asking for some help.
Grinning, Norm mouthed, “Pregnancy hormones.”
Smokey nodded. That certainly would explain the tears, but he was concerned about what had triggered them in the first place. Gently rubbing Theo’s back, he continued offering his mate words of comfort, hoping it would help. Several minutes passed before Theo’s tears slowed and then finally stopped, easing Smokey’s worries. He continued caressing Theo’s back while waiting for his mate to regain his composure.
Theo snuggled against Smokey’s chest, inhaling his mate’s scent. It was exactly what he needed to calm himself after his crying jag. Finally, he looked up at Smokey, tears still in his eyes. “I’m so angry about what you went through when you were younger…but I’m so happy the Fates brought you to me and Norm. I couldn’t be any prouder than I am to be your mate and I can tell pooh bear feels the same.”
“Shining Star is right,” Norm murmured, putting his arms around Theo and Smokey. “You have been the best surprise ever…and one we intend to cherish forever. So you can stop thinking we will reject you because that just isn’t going to happen.”
Nothing his grandfather taught him ever prepared Smokey for his mates’ response once he’d told them everything. It took him a moment before his mind truly understood that his mates wanted him, respected him, and were proud of him. And hell if that didn’t blow his carefully guarded heart apart, exposing emotions he thought were long buried. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he broke into a smile and began to pet Norm’s arm before turning to Theo and tenderly wiping away the tear tracks on his face. “No need for anger, little one” he said gruffly, his voice raw with emotion. “It’s the past…and has no place in our future. Agreed?”
Theo nodded. His mate was right, that the past—both theirs and his—had no business in their lives now, especially with a cub on the way. And that reminded him of what Steel had said. Grinning, he said, “Okay…the next thing we should talk about is what kind of bed we want. Big, bigger, or biggest? Before you make your choice, remember my belly is soon going to be much larger than it is right now.”
~/~/~/~/~
Lucius pulled back the comforter, then ran his hand over the sheet, moaning softly at its silkiness. Climbing into bed, he immediately felt his body sink down into the comfortable mattress. But one thing was missing that would have made it perfect—Brady’s’ scent. Rolling over, he grabbed a pillow, hugging it to his chest. It was a poor substitute for his mate but would have to do for tonight. If he was lucky, Brady would be home tomorrow, but if not, he’d ask Vasile to go with him back to the cottage so he could retrieve some clothes, along with Brady’s pillow. Then at least he’d have his mate’s scent beside him.
Vasile had been pacing ever since Jackson showed him to his bedroom for the night. Not that he needed sleep, but he figured it was the Alpha’s subtle hint that wandering around while everyone else was asleep was not acceptable. Pausing when he felt his phone buzzing, Vasile took it out of his pocket and answered the call he was expecting. “Nikolai…is she dead?”
“No…she escaped,” Nikolai answered. “Where are you?”
“Fuck!” Vasile snapped. “What the fuck happened?”
“She was with a demon,” Nikolai replied.
“I thought you said there was only a witch.”
“The demon had to be invisible because no one saw him with her when she entered. It wasn’t until the fight started that he appeared,” Nikolai muttered.
“You think the witch was responsible for that?” Vasile asked incredulously.
“I assume so, but I didn’t have time to ask,” Nikolai said. “All I know is the witch somehow enhanced her magic by using the demon’s magic.”
