Her eyes met his. “I protected the wolf you are aligned with.”
Thank you.
Carlo stood in front of her, making sure Ciro was to the other side of Arturo.
“These bastards won’t stop,” Arturo groused.
Carlo struck out at a Hollow outside of Nanshe’s area, taking off the head. “Then we won’t either.”
“No!”
The scream stopped everyone in their tracks. Even the Hollows vibrated before pulling back.
Arturo looked around frantically. “Who was that? Who’s hurt?”
“Asherah. Arturo, they’ve taken Asherah!” Romano yelled through the comm, his voice filled with challenge and loss at once.
“Someone get to Heath, and now,” Nanshe ordered.
There was no way she could have heard what was on the earpiece, but her eyes were glazed over in that way where he knew she was seeing the past. The past that was influenced by the future.
“Tell me what you can,” Carlo said forcefully yet quietly, taking her face in his hands as she sank to the ground.
“If Heath goes into the Chaos now …” She gritted her teeth.
“He will die.” Carlo didn’t know how he knew it, but he did. The knowledge settled in his bones, and Nanshe sighed in relief.
“Romano,” Dominic spoke over the comm, “do what you can to get Heath on lock and bring him here. We’ll get his Fate back, but he can’t go now.”
“You want to tell the Unseelie that? The dude is shadow man. Meaning he could literally make you fuck yourself.”
“Just do it,” Dominic groused.
Yeah, because Carlo didn’t want to imagine his shadow having fun with any part of his anatomy.
“Romano, I swear I will make you absolutely fuck yourself if you don’t let me go.”
“Heath, my man, I’ve got the Ales.”
“What is that–” Whatever Heath was going to say was lost as static filled the comm.
“We better be prepared for a very angry Unseelie coming this way,” Arturo warned.
Carlo didn’t even respond to his Alpha.
“I think it would be better if you all met in my home. At least we’d have the magic to hold him,” Kalinda offered.
Chapter Eight
“Keep him locked to that chair, no matter what he does,” Arturo raged.
Carlo couldn’t fault Heath at all. Not in a million years would he want to know the pain of having his mate taken from him. Especially when he knew what Skuld wanted to do to her.
“She finally was free. Skuld will destroy her, Arturo. Let me go!”
“Think, Heath. She needs her, and that means we have time.”
“Fuck you, Romano. She was trapped behind blood runes. She put herself in a state of permanent sleep to escape the torture. I promised she’d never be held against her will again. I’ve lied to her.”
Romano shifted in his seat. He most likely wanted to argue, but all of them understood. To make it easier, no mates were allowed in the room. Carlo hadn’t been to the Mage Council Headquarters in some time, and he knew they had holding cells, but this was the first time he’d seen them.
The iron walls were warded to block from outside attacks, but they also had reservoirs so they could drain a mage’s magic inside the building when necessary. For now, they hadn’t used that, since Lennox was keeping Heath down.
Romano wasn’t a fan of the Trinity member, but Lennox was the only destructive arts mage on hand strong enough to keep an Unseelie from racing out of the room and hurting himself or others. Lennox had a wall of flame surrounding Heath, but the inside had morphed to molten iron. It was true, to a point, that iron and silver could hold a Fae at bay or make them weaker.
Not nearly as much as the fairy tales stated, but it worked in a pinch.
Heath would have to weaken himself greatly to push through, and then he’d be nothing for his woman. His Tethered men were all bound into one room by choice, and Nanshe stood at the door. She wasn’t in the room with them, but Carlo was sure it pained her to stop them. She couldn’t explain why, of course, and she had to feel the sting of the Fae’s rage.
Dominic, Pasquale, Adonis, and Ciro were also in the room. Torin had chosen to help fight against more portals opening and left them to take care of Heath on their own. There was enough testosterone to break the whole place down, but most of them were wolves.
They all knew his drive to get to his Fate; they’d be the same for their mates.
“Heath, you would have died,” Carlo explained, trying to reason with the Unseelie.
Heath’s dark eyes, filled with glowing silver specks, met Carlo’s. “I would have died happily to get to her.”
Carlo lifted a brow. “And then what would have come of your Fate?”
Heath screamed, falling to his knees, frustration and agony filling the small space. The surrounding men stood taller, taking the brunt, showing they were there for him. A soft knock at the door brought in another. He wasn’t a wolf, but he was one of them.
“Heath, man.”
Heath choked at Lorenzo’s greeting and lowered his head to the floor. “I can’t lose her.”
Lorenzo, now built on bulkier lines, his hair pushed back behind his ears, removed his suit jacket and dropped it to the side. Without a jacket, Carlo noted Lorenzo was armed with two handguns cradled underneath his arms in holsters. Lorenzo had grown into a protective, powerful man who protected his own mate, Cin, with steel and pure strength. There was a reason he’d been recently elevated to Made status among a shifter pack.
This man got on the floor, as close as he dared to the fire. “Look at me, brother. Right here.”
Heath forced his gaze up, and none of them drew attention to the tears. None of them joked that he was weak. Right now, they all understood. In fact, they stepped forward, blocking anyone outside from seeing the state Heath was in.
“I can’t. I messed up so much, L. Don’t let this be why she was taken. Fuck, I’d do anything.”
“Heath, you went into hell to get her. Do you think she’s giving in, or is she waiting for you to make a fucking plan and go get her?”
Heath blinked. “What?”
Lorenzo chuckled, but it was a sad one. “I know a man who called his best friend and told him he was the worst. Told him how bad things had gotten, even if that could have made his best friend hate him. But he did it. Then he went into the Chaos Realm and went through shit no one would believe. That same man came out and asked for one thing, just a chance to be redeemed. Fuck if that man deserves any other bad shit to happen.”
Heath sighed and opened his mouth, but Lorenzo cut him off.
“We all make mistakes, man, but you brought me Cin. You protected her until she met me. Then you protected me again when you left, made sure you did it in a way no one would be suspicious of me and only hate you.”
Heath jerked. “How did you know?”
Lorenzo rolled his eyes. “Because I know my fucking brother. I may have been pissed, but I know you. And you ran right ahead to get Asherah; I don’t doubt it. Could have never come back, but you ran to her anyway. Then you came back to warn us when you could have gotten your head chopped off.”
“Not many would have done such a thing,” Carlo agreed. “Hell, even sending a message to one of your wolves on this side would have been enough, but you came to fight alongside us.”
“And it went a long way toward bringing you back into the fold,” Dominic added.
“Don’t think Romano would have to trust you anywhere near his mate, Torin binding you to Silva be damned. He would have found some way to get rid of you.” Arturo cocked a brow and gave Heath a sidelong glance.
Heath stood, awe spreading over his features. Lorenzo got to his feet as well, rolling his shoulders and popping his neck. But he never took his eyes off Heath. “So now I can say, calm the fuck down and do what Heath does, not what Kieran did out of fear and holding half the fact.”
Heath had the grace the flinc
h, but he smirked too. “Low blow after the whole Kirk and Spock moment on the floor there. Way to kill the mood.”
“So can we talk about what we’re doing now?”
Heath chuckled. “You’ve made your point, Lorenzo. Lennox, I’m calm. You can stop the fire show now.”
Lennox said nothing as he lowered his hands and the fire melted away. His gray eyes surveyed the room before he nodded. The white hair and light eyes were stark on the guy, especially paired with his black suit.
“I’ll stay here in case tempers flare again.” The Trinity Council member stepped back and leaned against the wall.
“So we go in and head to the Forgotten Tower. I know the way now, and with Nanshe, we could teleport directly.” Heath crossed his arms and stood tall.
A delicate snort came from outside the room. The wolves parted, allowing for Nanshe to enter, followed closely by Kallan, Teague, Eiravel, and Cynes. They were seething.
Carlo smiled at them, just because. “We don’t just run in. How long does it take to get to the Tower? Won’t she expect our arrival?”
“That trip isn’t short enough to keep my Fate from getting hurt. She can expect all she wants because I’m coming anyway. The Tethered and I are on the team and we go in.” Heath lifted his chin, showcasing his stubbornness.
Dominic rolled his shoulders. “Eiravel and Cynes are connected to my daughter, and it will destroy her if they get hurt. Also, you’re tied to Silva, who is tied to Kalinda. It wouldn’t make sense at all for you to go in there.”
“She is my Fate–”
“And we will make sure she comes home. But you are tied to more than just her,” Arturo argued.
“I am not going to leave her in danger. You didn’t sideline Romano. And Dominic was there for Zoey. Hell, Pasquale went on a mission with Giuliana.”
“Yes, and Romano almost lost Kalinda, and Pasquale and Giuliana weren’t mated yet. And even if they had been, their deaths would not kill others,” Dominic pushed back. “Don’t try to play that game.”
“I don’t answer to any of you. I’m sorry, and I didn’t want it to come to this, but I’m going in there.”
“Or we go in,” Nanshe interrupted.
Carlo groaned. He’d been letting the others speak some sense into the Unseelie, but there was no way he would now.
Woman, don’t do this.
She arched her brow but otherwise ignored him. “I can travel in with Heath and his Tethered men. My protection will allow him to get directly to the entrance of the tower.”
What? That was not happening. “You are going in there against Skuld with just five men. Are you mad?”
Nanshe shrugged. “I’m much stronger than them, and we only have to get into the tower.”
“I’d like to offer that I’d count for four times them by myself.” Romano smirked.
Arturo sighed. “Nanshe, I–”
Carlo didn’t hesitate to cut in on his Alpha’s argument. “I don’t care. That’s dangerous, and you made a point of coming to Encantado to get me, and now it’s perfectly fine to return?” Carlo was furious. This was madness. What sense would it make to do everything she had done just to jump into the fire again?
Taking a deep breath, Arturo spoke again. “I believe–”
“I can help,” Nanshe interrupted, the second person to completely disregard Arturo’s status.
Carlo wanted to grab her and drag her to the nearest surface. She was his, and now she wanted to leave? Something dark and rough reared its head inside him. “I said no, Nanshe.”
When she arched her brow at him, his wolf pushed forward with a growl. “I am not your property to do with what you want.”
“Carlo–”
He wasn’t listening to his Alpha, and he didn’t care. What was one more infraction? He stalked over to Nanshe, and the other wolves shifted, unsure of what was happening.
“You. Will. Not. Go.”
“You will stop this now!” Arturo’s Alpha call rolled out, pummeling the room.
Dominic and Pasquale struggled to remain on their feet, but Romano hit the floor. If it hadn’t been for Nanshe’s grip on him and her sudden glare at Arturo, Carlo would have been down beside him.
“I have had enough. Heath, you will take Kallan and Teague into the In Between. Dominic, you’ve got the compromise of Eiravel and Cynes remaining behind. Nanshe and Carlo will go with them so she’s protected as well. Lennox, can Kalinda spare you?”
Startled, the mage stepped forward. “I would assume so. And if Heath is going, protecting him would be paramount.”
“Then you will join. Nanshe, you can open portals. Can we have your swear that you will open one and send Heath back if he were to be in danger?”
“Yes, Alpha of the Moretti.”
They were all losing their damn minds. Nanshe didn’t need to be anywhere near that place.
“It was for our greater good that she came here. And now you want us to go back?”
“If you recall, I said you didn’t come to me, so I had to come here. But the need for you in the In Between is still the same.”
Carlo didn’t want to risk going into another damn portal. Not with everything he’d been through. He couldn’t do it. Fuck, when he’d been so ruined, he hadn’t been able to do anything. Did none of them understand?
“I had to have your mate help me tie my shoes. Remember that?” Carlo forced out, glaring at Dominic. While outwardly he’d been unaware and bumbling, inside he’d wept. His mind couldn’t even hold on to the simplest of what he’d learned.
Zoey had been beautiful, not bringing attention to it but quietly helping him so he wouldn’t trip as she spoke about the weather. She’d even spent an hour helping him learn to do it on his own after she tied them. It was the most amazing moment with her, but one of his greatest shames.
Dominic sighed. “I know, my friend. I know. And that woman is in danger now. Her daughter could die; our packs too. We need you now.”
Nanshe stepped closer, her warm scent soothing his wary edges. “I will be with you,” she whispered. “As I’ve been before.”
A moment flashed in his memory. Soft hands on his face, heated breath on his lips, but it was hazy and shot away too quickly for him to see the entire picture.
Arturo softened his tone from earlier. “I am asking this as your Alpha and as family, Carlo. I know the terror in your heart, but we can’t lose the city. I don’t want to command you.”
But the threat to him would remain, and the ensuing change to their relationship would be irrevocable.
Carlo closed his eyes and bowed his head. It seemed fate had already decided for him; it didn’t matter what he did.
“Then we’ll go, Alpha. I wouldn’t put my fear before my family.”
“No, Capo, you never have, and I didn’t doubt you for a moment.”
At least, in Arturo’s words, there was thanks. The world had changed them all.
Back into Chaos Carlo would go.
Chapter Nine
Carlo clenched his hands to hide his shaking. He was inches from a portal—one Kallan, the Unseelie with green starbursts in his black eyes, had opened with Nanshe. They chose to do it that way to hide her signature. He’d open the portal, and then she would direct it to Ashes, Nanshe’s tower. From there, she could use her space to cover them getting directly into the Forgotten Tower.
But he couldn’t focus on that move just yet. A glittering, purple and blue miasma swirled in front of him in a sweeping whirlpool. As it traveled to the center, it darkened to black. No, black wasn’t the word; it was too insipid, an incorrect description of what was before him. It was the abyss, trapping pulsing magic older than time.
“Breathe, Carlo. It is not what you think it is.”
He snorted. It’s worse.
Nanshe sighed in his head, reaching for him. Her hand, soft and warm, wrapped around his. “Magic is not something to fear. It should be respected, come to correctly. There are things you just don’t understand.�
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Kallan turned, holding his hands toward the portal. “Are we going?”
“You can release your gift. The portal will not close with me stabilizing it,” Nanshe answered.
“Oh.” Kallan gaped at the portal as he did what Nanshe said. “That’s amazing.”
“It’s sort of my thing.” Nanshe smiled.
“I can see that.” Kallan’s answering grin was warm. Too warm.
A growl ripped from Carlo before he could stop it. Jealousy spread through him like a heatwave, burning away any sense of what was in front of him. He pulled Nanshe closer, tucking her under his chin. Her soft curves fit him, puzzle pieces perfectly matched, and her cinnamon-tinged scent wrapped around his cock.
Fuck, he was stiff against her, craving more. Jealousy shifted to desire, tightening his balls and tensing his muscles. He wanted her, right here, right now. He didn’t fucking care who saw it.
Kallan threw up his hands. “I meant no harm, Carlo.”
He didn’t give a shit about the male’s words either. He snarled, wanting him to shut up, to move away from his mate.
“Leave,” he ordered.
“Carlo, we need to go into the portal and save Asherah.”
No. He needed his mate right now. The fact anyone would try to stop him pissed him off. Fury rushed in next, and his wolf pulsed to the surface. As the bones in his face popped and twisted into a muzzle, he took one threatening step toward Teague, Kallan’s partner for the trip. The Unseelie with the purple flecks in his eyes didn’t have a weapon at the ready, but his voice was good enough. His gift of song granted to him as a bard could obliterate an opponent.
“Bring it, you fucking fairy,” Carlo forced through clenched teeth. “I said for you all to leave.”
“Carlo,” Nanshe whispered, but Carlo shook his head.
“I’m snapping necks next.”
Kallan jumped in front of Teague. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Mated to the Chaos (Portal City Protectors Book 5) Page 7