Entering the great room, Jackson paused in the middle of it, looking around and enjoying the quiet that now filled the space. The peace he found made him smile, knowing how noisy it would be tomorrow morning when all the kids descended from their rooms, eager for a new day to begin. Tonight, however, he would quietly celebrate Josiah’s death and remember how far he and his brothers had come from that night in Las Vegas when their world was shattered. Then, hearing Daniel’s playful growls, Jackson headed upstairs to help his mate put their son to bed.
~/~/~/~/~
Landing on the grass in front of the Blackwood Pack house, Brady heard growls behind him and turned quickly to see where they were coming from. He stared at a line of enforcers for a moment before realizing they didn’t intend to harm him. “Hello,” he called out nervously to the man approaching him. “I’m Brady…Jackson gave me permission to be here.”
“He told me…I’m Groose. Are you expecting anyone else tonight?”
“Uhh…I don’t think so,” Brady replied. “Do you know if my mate is here?”
“The young vampire?” asked Groose.
“Yes…he would be with my friend, Vasile.”
“They’re inside.”
“Thanks,” Brady replied, relieved to learn his mate was safe. He nodded at Groose before turning around and heading for the front door.
Once inside, Brady noticed the light of only one lamp casting a soft glow in the great room and concluded everyone had retired. Unsure where Lucius was, he sniffed, pleased his mate’s scent was strong. Following it, Brady descended the stairs to the lower level, wondering what Lucius was doing there. At the bottom step, he saw the pack’s hospital ahead of him, but his mate wasn’t there. Turning, he headed down another hallway, surprised to find Vasile standing in front of a door to a room. “What are you doing down here?” asked Brady.
“Waiting,” Vasile responded. “Lucius is inside with his friend.”
“His friend?” asked Brady, surprised.
“David,” Vasile murmured. “He met him when Sofia gave us a tour. Did everything go well at the Witches’ Council?”
“Yes…better than good. What happened? I went home but…”
“Lucius wanted to visit my coven…”
“What? Why?”
“According to him, he wanted to see if it was different from his former master’s.”
“O-o-okay,” Brady muttered, not sure if it was a good thing that Vasile had taken his mate to visit his coven. “If you both were there, why did you come here?”
“We had a visit from a witch and a demon,” Vasile said. “You know, the ones who are after your mate. And no, I do not know how they found us.”
“Hmm,” Brady muttered. “The witch tried to break into my house when I was there, so I immediately left and came here.”
“Your mate is in more danger than you think, my friend,” Vasile said quietly. “This witch is very powerful…she broke through all the spells and was able to access the second floor of my house.”
“Unbelievable! No one has ever been able to breach those spells.”
“There’s always a first time for everything,” Vasile replied, sardonically.
His friend was right. Looking at the door behind Vasile, Brady frowned, shifting his gaze back to the vampire blocking it. Then it suddenly hit him. “You’re standing guard, aren’t you?”
Shrugging, Vasile replied, “I gave you my word no harm would come to your mate.”
Brady was touched by his friend’s loyalty, but the news about the witch shook him more than he cared to admit. Thinking it over, he came to the conclusion the only one who could end the witch’s pursuit of his mate was Remy and he resolved to have a talk with the Ruler first thing in the morning. But now he was exhausted and needed some rest. “Thank you, my friend. One other thing…how did Lucius react?”
“To what?” asked Vasile, perplexed by the question.
“Well, when he was at your coven…was he afraid of the other vampires?”
Vasile thought for a moment before shaking his head. “At first he was somewhat hesitant, but then Nikolai put him at ease…at least enough to fall asleep in my library. Why do you ask?”
“Lucius was always mistreated by his master, which led him to assume all vampires were like him. It gives me hope to hear he might have lost some of his fear.”
