Noting Lucius’ uncertain answer, Vasile wished for the umpteenth time that Valerian was still alive so he could give him the type of death he deserved for abusing the gentle soul facing him. After considering several possible responses, he finally settled on one. “Trayhor,tell me…when you were human, did you ever meet someone who didn’t have a problem breaking laws?”
Startled, Lucius hesitated for a moment before nodding. “We had a neighbor who kept stealing from us even after my mother warned him not to.”
“What happened?”
“My mother reported him to the police, and they caught him driving our tractor on the road…which he claimed he was only ‘borrowing’.”
“Did he stop after that?” asked Vasile.
Lucius snorted. “Yeah…because he went to prison.”
“As he should have,” Vasile said, chuckling. “Lucius, the human world isn’t the only place where people break the laws, ithappens in the paranormal world, too. Valerian broke a number of them when he kidnapped and turned you. But just as there are more good people in the human world than bad ones, the same applies to the world you’re now in. We can’t undo what was done to you, but we can make sure every vampire knows you are under Qadir, Azriel, and my protection. As soon as I related your history to them, they sent out a missive, warning our world of the dire consequences that would befall any vampire who dares do you harm. In addition, we all swore a blood oath to protect and defend you against any and all beings who might want to cause you distress. I…wewant to give you the security needed for you to begin to live the life you deserve.”
Shocked, Lucius stared at his friend, trying to understand what had just happened. But before he could respond, a knock echoed in the room as the door to Steel’s office opened.
Sticking his head in, Jackson’s forehead furrowed at the scene in front of him. Not waiting, he pushed open the door, heading over to Lucius. “Hey, you okay?”
The concern in Jackson’s voice wrapped around Lucius like the beautiful quilt his mother made for him when he was a child. That and what Vasile just said caused tears to fill his eyes before slowly rolling down his cheeks. During all the dark days with his master, he never dared to hope a better life might be waiting for him, but now there was—one with a mate, a friend, and an Alpha who cared about how he was doing. Brushing the tears from his face, Lucius looked up at Jackson, giving a shaky smile. “I’m good…really…I promise.”
Jackson’s eyes roamed over Lucius’ face before relaxing into a grin. “Glad to hear that. Have you finished watching the Witches’ Council meeting?”
Nodding, Lucius said, “I have…I mean we have. I can’t wait until my mate gets back so I can ask him some questions about what everything meant…well, not everything because I did understand some of it but not all the legal stuff.”
“May I tell you a secret?” asked Jackson, chuckling. “I don’t understand all the legal stuff either.”
“And neither do I,” Vasile chimed in, before looking up at Jackson, “but I can assure you Brady does. Does Steel need his office back?”
“No, he’s on Daddy duty right now,” Jackson replied. “Remy sent me word that it would be another day before he and everyone else would return, so I thought maybe Lucius would enjoy a tour of the pack house.”
Lucius’ eyes widened. “Oh…I guess that would be okay…can Vasile come with me?”
Glancing at Vasile, Jackson caught his nod, then looking back at Lucius, he said, “Of course. I asked Sofia to give you the grand tour so she should be here any moment.”
“Sofia? I haven’t met her, right?” asked Lucius.
“No. She’s David’s mother, and the sweetest, gentlest person you’d ever want to know.”
“Uhm…okay.” Lucius wanted to ask what kind of shifter she was but decided it was better if he didn’t know. And besides, with Vasile coming along, he figured he’d be safe.
Turning his head at the sound of the soft knock on the open door, Jackson said, “Perfect timing, Sofia. Come on in.”
Vasile rose and faced the diminutive woman walking over to them. He was expecting another wolf shifter but when the scentof blood pumping through her body reached his nose, he held back a groan. Sofia was a human.What the hell is a human doing in a wolf pack?Alarm filled him when he heard Lucius inhale, knowing the young vampire was responding to the scent.
“You smell nice!” Lucius blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand before mumbling an apology.
“What my young friend meant was…”
“It’s the cinnamon,” Sofia said, giggling while she brushed flour off her blouse. “I was showing Theo how to make Honey Cinnamon Buns. He wanted to make something special for his mate, and after finding out how much Smokey loves honey, these were just perfect because they have honey inside and in the glaze on top.”
“That’s what I smell! I love cinnamon!” Lucius exclaimed. “My mother made apple cinnamon tarts that were so,sogood.”
“That sounds delicious,” Sofia replied, smiling. “I’m quite partial to anything with apples but when cinnamon is added, it automatically becomes my favorite.” Then hesitating a second before adding, “I’m glad to meet you, Lucius. I’m Sofia. Are you ready for your tour?”
“Can Vasile come, too? Jackson said it was okay.”
Sofia’s eyes shifted to the tall man standing behind Lucius, smiling tentatively at him. Jackson didn’t mention anyone else but then maybe he simply forgot.
Stepping alongside Lucius, Vasile snapped his heels together and bowed, his eyes never leaving Sofia’s face. “I would be honored if you would allow me to accompany you and Lucius on the tour.”
