Marek was shocked when he learned about Grimm’s desertion and even more surprised when Cal told him what had happened between Juston and the female Seeker.
“Our brother’s in love with a demon?”
“Afraid so.”
“That explains why he returned. I couldn’t imagine leaving Jazmine. Hell, even being away from her right now is painful. But to leave and not know when I’d see her again?” Marek shook his head.
Cal agreed. The thought of abandoning Gemma made his insides cold.
“Maybe it’s an infatuation,” Marek said. “Before the demon, it was Sleep, remember?”
“This is different. You didn’t see them together. It’s love.”
They stood quietly for a moment. “It seems the enemy is destabilized,” Marek said finally. “Grimm’s gone, Midnight’s distracted by our brother, and the entire lineup is riddled by in-fighting.”
“That’s the way I see it too. For the first time since this whole crazy mission to storm Dazimin has started, I’ve got a sliver of hope that we might actually make it back alive.”
“What you’ve learned about the Seekers is invaluable,” Marek commented. “I knew the kingdom could rely on you.”
“About that,” Cal said with a nervous cough. “We ran into one other tiny little snag on the way home.”
Marek’s face darkened as Cal shared their run-in with the Vanfians and Evar Kange. As king of Vartik, Marek had been informed about Calabez’s duties as spymaster by their father upon assuming the throne. It had been up to Cal to keep all information about Vartik from becoming public. And it was clear now that he’d failed to do so.
“I’m sorry. Our people are in danger once more.”
Marek put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up, Cal. It was bound to happen before this whole Armageddon thing came to a head. We’ll have to be careful, have to make sure our people are protected, but I have faith in the Light that we will.”
“Me too. Especially with our mates on our side.” Cal knew his woman could handle anything, and Marek’s wife was no slouch either, being a demi-goddess herself.
Cal shared his misgivings about Kange, and they agreed to talk further about it in council with the rest of his brothers at the first opportunity. He could tell that Marek was getting antsy about being away from his family for too long, and Cal had to admit to himself that he was dying to see Gemma again as well, so the pair parted, promising to talk again soon.
By running full bore down the halls of the palace, Cal made it to his chambers in less than ten minutes. Bursting through the door, he caught sight of Gemma at the terrace window. Her blond hair was blowing softly in the breeze, and he was filled with such a sense of rightness that it almost overwhelmed him.
He’d never opened his private quarters to any of the females he’d dallied with in the past. Seeing her here, at home, made him realize how truly lucky he’d been to find her.
“Honey, I’m home,” he said, shutting the door behind him and rushing to her to pull her into a tight embrace. “Miss me?”
“Of course.” She laughed. “Miss me?”
“More than you’ll ever know.”
