When eating was done, James gave his report:
William Robur, mage elder and councilman, was definitely into something shady. James had found an offshore account for him that had seen a recent influx of cash. He was currently tracing where it had come from.
James had also tapped Robur’s phone, and learned that he was expecting a visit from none other than Leonard Westin in the next couple of weeks, in order to have a meeting about “a possible joint venture that would affect them all.” Needless to say, James was now cyber stalking Westin for more information.
Alexander took up the info sharing by adding that he’d had a call from Westin’s secretary informing him that Westin was planning an east coast visit to look in on the Buffalo pack. It seemed he was not going to hide the fact that the new alpha came from the western territory. He was also officially requesting to meet the Chosen One. This news made Lila nervous, knowing that Westin had rejected his own son. She wasn’t sure if she was polite enough to keep her true feelings from the man. She looked at Sebastian, suddenly nervous about having to confess her new relationship status to the team.
“Xander, will Westin be able to...smell it if I lie to him?”
The whole team looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
“Probably,” Alexander answered truthfully. “Why would you have to lie to him?”
“Knowing what I do about his son... It might be difficult for me to be cordial.”
Alexander looked at Lila as if he was trying to read her mind. She forced herself not to fidget under his gaze, and meet his stare. Evan rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand under the table, reminding her of his silent support.
“I have something else to tell you about Lash,” she admitted.
Everyone sat in silence waiting. Lila took a deep breath and tried to explain the connection she felt to the shifter who helped her. When she was finished, Xander asked, ”Are you sure?”
Lila nodded.
“All right, Adam, can you connect with ISF west coast and inform them that Sawyer is officially under the Chosen One’s protection? That might persuade them to bring him in safely, and a little faster.”
“Wait, we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions, here,” James said, a look of panic and denial on his face. “I mean, it could just be Stockholm syndrome.”
“James, I touched him. He touched me. Nothing happened.”
James looked at Lila with sad puppy eyes. She sighed.
“James, I can’t help thinking that you have an unnatural obsession with the Chosen One. You need to let it go.”
James pouted, and the team ignored him.
“Getting back to Westin,” Xander said, sounding a little bit annoyed with James’s crush,
“Whether he was involved with your kidnapping, or wants to control the Chosen One for his own gains, is something we will just have to wait for answers to. You should definitely think of him as an adversary, but I see no reason why you should be frightened of him.”
“Have you met him?”
“No.” Alexander again looked at her, trying to decipher the reason for her anxiety. “If you like, I can arrange a meeting with our shifter Head, Franklin. I’m sure that he could give you advice on what to expect.”
“Yes please, that would be helpful.” Lila had liked Franklin the first time they’d met.
“All right, then let’s move on to Adam.”
Heads turned to look at the only human on the team.
“What did you learn about our undercover ally?”
“Well,” Adam began,”It took a couple of days of digging and coercion, but I finally got the L.A. ISF to admit that Lash Sawyer was working for them. Everything Lila told us about him was confirmed. He was sent south eighteen months ago to get close to Ramirez. When I told them about Lila’s kidnapping, and Sawyer’s aiding her, they admitted that they haven’t heard from him. His handler will let us know when he comes back in.”
Lila didn’t think that Lash would go back to his ISF handler. She was fairly certain that she had hurt him badly enough that no one would hear from him for a very long time. Now she wished she had not rejected him so completely. She was going to worry about him everyday until he showed up on US soil. Suddenly Lila realized that she not only felt guilty about treating her second mate poorly, but that she missed him.
Evan squeezed her hand and when she looked at him, Lila saw concern on his face. She smiled apologetically at him and entwined their hands. She could share the guilt and worry with Evan, but Lash was alone. She didn’t pay attention to the rest of the meeting, she couldn’t. Instead, she thought about Lash. She worried about him being on his own, possibly being in danger, probably missing her. Lila wondered if the Oracle could tell her anything to ease her worry over Lash.
When the team meeting ended, Lila remained seated and unmoving, still lost in her thoughts.
“Lila?”
She looked up to see concern on her teacher’s face. Adam and James had left the room, and Alexander was looking at her pensively.
Lila looked from one mage to the other.
“I’d like to talk to the Oracle, and I need a new phone.”
“Eloise can get you a new phone,” Xander said.
“You may use mine if you like,” said Sebastian, and he pulled up the contact for her.
“Thank you,” Lila said, taking the offered phone and hitting “call.”
“Is it something you can share with us?” Xander asked.
“No, it’s personal.”
Alexander nodded, and stood to leave the room with Sebastian as Lila’s call was answered on the other end.
In the hallway, Xander gave Sebastian a questioning look as they walked to his office.
“Bastian, do you know what she is struggling with?”
“The prophecy,” was all that Sebastian was willing to say.
Lila spent an hour on the phone with the Oracle. She told him about her abduction and escape, and then she told him about Lash. It was cathartic to talk about her feelings of guilt as well as her yearnings for him to a neutral party. Evan sat quietly and listened while he held her hand and felt every conflicting emotion she felt for her second mate. By the end of her speech, he too was worried about Lash. There was a long pause before the Oracle spoke.
“You will see Lash Sawyer again, Chosen One, though I cannot say when or where. There is only the thinnest connection to you right now. I will think on it, and call you if a vision comes.”
Lila sighed out a breath of frustration.
“Can you see anything about what’s coming? I need something to focus on so I don’t worry about him.”
“No need to worry, Chosen One, he will be with you when you are ready for him. For now, he has things to do on his own.”
“So I didn’t screw things up with him?”
“No. He works for you now, to ease your ascension.”
“Oh.”
“This surprises you?”
“A little, yes.”
“Keep in mind, Lila: for every one who wants to control the Chosen One, there are two or more who will help you achieve your goal. Speak with the shifter Franklin, and his second. They have much in common with you, and will be sympathetic allies.”
“Thanks, Oracle, for everything.”
“You are welcome. Until we speak again.”
“Bye.”
Lila ended the call and leaned into Evan’s chest. He rubbed her back soothingly until she was ready to stand.
“Let’s go find Bastian and invite Franklin and his second to dinner,” she said. “I’d also like to see Catherine DuBois this week, and maybe Artois.”
Evan raised his eyebrows.
“If Robur is my mage enemy, and Westin my shifter enemy, then I want to know if Isobel De Medici is going to be my vampire enemy.”
“Okay.”
Evan took Lila’s hand and they left the room to find Sebastian.
The following day, Catherine DuBois and Claud Artois
arrived in a chauffeured Rolls Royce for lunch with Lila and Sebastian at their home. Lila had decided to include her teacher so that he could relay pertinent information to the team for her. She also wanted to host Catherine for once.
Lila made a cheese and spinach souffle and a salad for the three who ate, keeping the menu light and casual since they would be eating in Sebastian’s formal dining room. She and Sebastian had spent all morning negotiating the use of the everyday plates and flatware instead of the china and silverware. Lila won the argument by zapping Sebastian with her shock ability repeatedly, until he gave in. Then he insisted on choosing the wine for the meal and pulled out the fine crystal glasses. Lila rolled her eyes, not caring if their guests would be impressed or not.
Catherine had little intel on Robur beyond what they already knew, but both she and Artois had plenty on Isobel De Medici. She had recently been seen around town with more than one high ranking mage.
“Is she trying to get information on the Chosen One?”
“I think she is gathering men who will be useful to her,” Catherine said. “Either now, or later.”
“I agree,” Artois put in. “She won’t get her own invitations to the important parties, not at first. She’ll have to rely on a date for an invite.”
“And she is making it known that she is eager to know you.”
Lila groaned.
“What is the likelihood that she will help one of my enemies?”
“Very high,” Artois said, and Evan nodded his agreement.
“There is something else you should know about Isobel,” Artois continued, looking at Evan, “She is showing an unusual interest in you, Evan.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I caught her trying to get your current number and address from the council office secretary the other day. She tried to tell me that she was just curious about what you’ve been up to and wants to get to know you and your mate. Of course I didn’t believe a word of that, and I made sure that she could not get any information about you through our office. But there is still the mage office, and she is friendly with a few high ranking mages.”
“Do you think she’ll go after Lila through me?” Evan asked.
Artois studied the other vampire for a minute before voicing his opinion.
“I have known Isobel De Medici since she was newly made. I was a good friend of her maker’s at the time...I have never known her to take rejection well. I think that one of the reasons she chose to come back to New York, was to finish things with you.”
“We were finished a century ago.” Evan said in an irritated tone.
“You were finished a century ago. For months after you left her, she continued to talk about you. She obsessed over you, Evan.”
“She had no reason to! I never said I wanted anything with her. In fact I made a point of telling her there would never be anything between us beyond sex. More than once!”
“Et pourtant, tu es celui qui a trouvé le véritable amour!” Artois shook his head in self deprecation. Evan looked at him in consternation.
“Pardon?” Lila asked.
“Pardon me, Chosen One,” Artois said to Lila,”I was giving my old rival a jibe. I only mean you watch Isobel from a different angle. She is not interested in political power, and she always leaves a mess behind her.”
For the dinner with Joshua Franklin, Lila let Sebastian set the menu. He suggested a roast beef, and Lila made mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad to go with it. She also made two apple pies for dessert. Together they laid the dining table with the china, silver, and crystal. Sebastian had wanted to hire servers for the evening, but Lila nixed that idea because they were only four people eating. Evan supported her stance by declaring that any new staff people would need to be thoroughly vetted before entering the house. Sebastian was outnumbered.
Lila was nervous about the dinner. She had only met Franklin briefly, once before, and she had never met Sam Elton, his second. She wanted to make a good impression, to solidify their friendship and establish a cooperative relationship between their races. Evan could feel her anxiety, and wanted to ease it for her, so he stepped into the shower with her at five o’clock and “helped” her relax before they dressed for dinner.
Franklin and Elton arrived at six thirty, and Sebastian served them drinks in the living room. Lila and Evan came down stairs a few minutes later. The three men stared at Lila in awe when she entered the room, and Lila wondered why she’d been nervous earlier. Her magical attraction power continually caught her off guard. She saw both shifters flare their nostrils, scenting her before Evan put a possessive arm around her waist.
Sebastian was the first to recover.
“Can I get you a glass of wine, Student?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Both Franklin and Elton were obscenely good looking. Tall and broad, Franklin had dark hair and deep blue eyes, and Elton had brown hair and light blue eyes. Matching chiseled features and roman noses reminded Lila that they were likely related to each other, except that Franklin looked older than Elton by a few years. He didn’t have wrinkles yet, but he wore a tailored suit, and held himself in a manner that projected authority and power. Maybe that was just the alpha showing through. By contrast, Elton looked to be her own age, and downright approachable in his dark jeans, loafers, button down shirt, and sport jacket.
Franklin bowed to her, and introduced Elton as Sam, who also bowed. Then they both nodded to Evan as if they knew each other.
“Congratulations, Mr. O’Connell. Finding a true mate is a gift,” Franklin said.
Lila looked at Evan and raised an eyebrow.
“Evan, Dear, you already know Mr. Franklin,” Lila stated. “Why did I not know that?”
Evan smiled tightly.
“Angel, my acquaintances are all through work.”
Lila gave him a look that said sorry, but you should warn me next time.
“Well aren’t you lucky I’m here now to awkwardly point out your social deficiencies?”
Her comment had the desired effect of breaking the ice and earning smiles and chuckles from the men.
“How is mated life treating you, old man?” Sam asked. He had an openness to his manner that reminded Lila of Lash. Her heart squeezed at the thought of her other mate, and she felt Evan’s fingers press her side.
“I have no complaints,” Evan answered, and accepted the glass of white wine Sebastian had poured for Lila. He handed it to her and then accepted the glass of whiskey for himself.
“We heard about your ordeal in the jungle, Chosen One,” Franklin said, “That you managed to escape your captors and find your team. It must have been harrowing.”
“Please call me Lila. And yes, it was not my idea of a tropical vacation.”
The men smiled.
“It was more of an exercise in determination and endurance,” Lila finished.
“It’s good to hear that the Chosen One can defend herself.”
Franklin’s comment got Lila’s hackles up.
“Did you expect the Chosen One to be a helpless damsel?”
“No, we expected the Chosen One to be a male of unusual size and strength,” Franklin said truthfully. “You are turning out to be a welcome surprise.”
“Do shifters have their own version of a prophecy?”
“We have our own interpretations. Our own seers predicted that you would be a human male descended from vikings. That you would have the strength of ten alphas and the fighting skills of generations of chiefs.”
Lila snorted a laugh.
“You magiques have very romantic ideas about your heroes.”
“We have been waiting a long time for the Chosen One. Each generation added another layer of interpretation on the last. Imagine what this generation of techno savvy monster hunting game players would have come up with.”
That got a laugh from everyone.
Lila took her wine into the dining room and set it at her seat. She asked Sebastian to seat the others while she got
serving platters from the kitchen. She picked up the conversation again when she sat down and started passing dishes.
“Sounds like you have a lot of teenagers in your pack.”
“Just two, my niece and nephew, but they live in my house, so I am exposed to a lot of video games.”
“Well I hope your house is really big, and they have their own wing. No one should be subjected to the noise and violence of video games unless they want to play.”
“Which is why the only TV is in the basement,” Franklin smiled.
Lila turned to Elton then and said, ”It must be nice to have young people around.”
“It is. We wish there were more.”
“Oh?” Lila hoped to get Elton to say more, but didn’t want to be rude.
“The mansion was originally intended to house two large families plus a bunch of single cousins, typical for an alpha shifter house. But Joshua’s beta brother died young, and the family is light on females. Besides his sister in law, his niece is the only other female in the family.”
Lila thought back to the Bishop pack barbeque, where all four of the alpha’s brothers were mated with children, as were some of the cousins. She knew that Franklin had to be one of the oldest shifters in the region, or else he would not be council Head.
“Why?” She blurted the question without thinking. Luckily, Sebastian and Franklin were having a conversation of their own.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “that was rude of me.”
“It’s all right,” Elton assured her, “The story behind it is well known around here, you may as well get it from the source.” He winked at her.
Lila leaned in to catch every detail as Elton began.
“Josh was born with his twin beta. A common occurrence among shifters. Unfortunately, they were the only children his parents had. Jason died just as they were coming into their maturity and being prepped to take over the pack from their father and uncle. Josh was understandably devastated, and withdrew from pack life for many years. I still haven’t gotten the whole story about where he went from him.
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