After that, he turned toward the other supernatural beings in the room and attempted to appear more confident than he actually was. For the next hour or so, he dealt with multiple issues, ranging from a pride of lion shifters that needed his potions for the injuries they sustained after battling against the shadow people and all the way to a lightning fox shifter whose magic continued to crackle and burn all over her. He had never had to meet with so many people who needed his help in one single morning. The damn shadow people had been causing havoc everywhere. Meanwhile, there weren’t enough healers to cope with so many patients. He could better comprehend what Jefferson must be feeling lately. He heaved out a huge sigh of relief when Baltic entered his room moments later.
“Balt, I’m so glad you’re here,” he shouted to his brother while doing his best to utilize his water magic to set right a half-giant’s fractured arm. “Can you help me with the other patients, please? They haven’t stopped coming by since we opened earlier this morning.”
Baltic agreed immediately. “Of course. I can do it faster with my healing magic.”
“Thanks.”
Caspian didn’t utter another word for the next few hours. Instead, he focused on the growing number of supernatural beings stopping by. He was also astonished when Jefferson abruptly shimmered into the room, requesting some of his potions. The elf looked thoroughly worn out.
“I ran out of potions, Cas,” Jefferson disclosed when Caspian inquired the reason why the elf required potions from him. After all, Jefferson was a healer with his own garden full of plants and herbs. “I see that you’re inundated with plenty of patients, as well.”
Caspian shrugged as he searched for the potions that Jefferson wanted from him. “I’m not a healer. I’m a potion-brewer, but these people have come to me. I can’t turn them down. Baltic is the one with the true healing ability. I’m just doing whatever I can.”
Jefferson grabbed the potions from Caspian a moment later. “Thanks, Cas. I owe you one.”
“You’re my brother-in-law. Just take care of my baby brother and we’re even.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here,” Baltic scoffed from the center of the room while releasing healing magic onto a werewolf who had accidentally wounded himself in an attack from a shadow person. However, those wounds wouldn’t stop bleeding due to the nature of the shadow person’s dark and sentient magic, which fed on pain and chaos.
Jefferson chuckled and walked toward Baltic to kiss his mate on the forehead. “Sorry, babe. I need to leave now. My patients are waiting for me. I’ll see you at home later.”
“Okay.”
Caspian mock-gagged a little at the display of affection between Jefferson and Baltic, but he was delighted for them. However, it also made him miss Gavin even more. Not that he had any spare time to think about his own mate. He had plenty of supernatural beings who needed his assistance. He would have to deal with them first. After that, he had to come up with a way to stop the shadow people once and for all. They had gone too far now, and he was getting seriously pissed off. Something had to be done before the shadow people did anything worse and someone ended up dead. Caspian was determined to resolve the problem before it escalated. The shadow people would have to be taught a lesson once and for all.
Chapter 8
Before becoming a council member himself, Gavin was one of the best hunters for the council. One of his responsibilities was to handle everything related to the supernatural world on behalf of the council. However, he had never witnessed such grim expressions on their faces.
“This was terrible,” Zestus declared for the tenth or maybe eleventh time over the last hour or so. Gavin didn’t mean to count the number of times, but he was rather bored. He didn’t know why the council didn’t simply take actions on the shadow people. “The number of attacks has gone up considerably. We need to deal with the shadow people once and for all.”
No shit, Gavin thought to himself, but he kept an outwardly passive appearance.
Truth be told, the more he stared at the other council members’ expressions, the more agitated he grew. He worried about his fellow supernatural beings, but his number one priority would always be Caspian. Nobody could be more important than his mate. He was willing to do anything to keep Caspian safe. Nothing was off-limits to him.
Oveda sighed before responding. “We have no clue where they are. Shadow people aren’t the most powerful of supernatural beings, but they’re the most cunning. They’re able to evade detection, which makes it even more difficult to pinpoint their locations.”
Abruptly, the other four council members began to argue among themselves while Gavin stared at them without uttering a single word. He allowed them to continue for a moment before clearing his throat loudly to get their attention. He waited for them to face him before offering his suggestion.
“Jeff is a healer. His mate, Balt, has natural healing magic.”
Tarragon gazed at him in bewilderment. “What’s your point?”
He suppressed an irritated sigh before replying to the question. “Healers have the ability to help because they know how our bodies, minds, and magic work. Jeff studied to become a healer. I don’t know how in-depth his study was back then. Balt, on the other hand, is a natural. He will be able to control the mind, body, and magic of any being, including a shadow person. I’m sure if he has the permission from the council, he will be able to force a shadow person to confess everything.”
There was a stunned silence after that. Gavin could read the other four council members’ faces just fine. He was able to guess what they thought even without a mind-reading ability. Sombertooth proved him right moments later.
“Gav, that’s…that’s intrusive. The council can’t condone—”
“Do you have an alternative then?” Gavin interrupted while keeping his tone cool and calm. However, his mind was filled with thoughts of Caspian being potentially assaulted in the future, and he felt an immense sense of fear coursing through his entire being. Just the possibility alone was enough to drive him insane. “We’re all sitting ducks while the shadow people are unrestrained and out of control. I’m sure you’ve all received plenty of reports regarding the latest assaults on our community. This morning alone, I acquired no less than two hundred complaints from various water beings. We have to do something. There aren’t enough healers in our world who can cope with the number of injuries sustained on a daily basis.”
“But everyone survives—”
“For now.” Gavin cut Zestus off. He was running out of patience. “Are we going to wait for someone to die?”
The other four council members eyed him quietly for a moment before Oveda spoke up in the end. “Let’s vote on it. Shall we?”
Tarragon nodded. “Yeah. I’ll start. I agree with Gavin. Sombertooth?”
“Same as you.”
Zestus hesitated for a few seconds. “There really is no other choice. Both Jefferson and Baltic have my permission.”
Oveda bit her lower lip before bobbing her head up and down a few times. “I can’t let our people suffer anymore.”
“Me, too,” Gavin added. “Glad to know we’re all on the same page. I’ll talk to Jeff and Balt. I’ll also have to include Ed and Dray. Oh, and also my mate.”
“Why do you need to inform the others?” Sombertooth asked.
“The triplets will never allow any of them to go into battle alone. Their respective mates, including yours truly, can’t stand on the side while the triplets are involved in a potentially dangerous situation. It’s either the six of us or none at all.”
Oveda nodded. “I’m fine with it. Just do what you have to do.”
“I will. In fact, I’ll be leaving right now. I’ll see you next time.”
Gavin got up and bade farewell to his fellow council members. He exited the chamber in less than a minute. A portal of water materialized, and he clenched his fists before stepping into it. The shadow people had piss
ed him off for the last time. He was going to deal with them once and for all. He wasn’t going to show any mercy to the ones who’d rebelled. They didn’t deserve any.
Everything was easier said than done, though. When he managed to gather everyone together in the dining room of the triplets’ house, he didn’t expect for Caspian, Drake, and Jefferson to glare at him when he shared the plan with them. Edwin simply gaped at him while Baltic appeared to be stunned. Gavin thought the idea was great. They would be able to round up all the shadow people involved and avoid further casualties. He didn’t understand why the others were so quiet.
Suddenly, Baltic walked away from the room without uttering a single word while Jefferson got right in his face. “Can you be more insensitive?”
“How—”
“My mate used to be controlled by the siren magic within him. Now, you’re asking him to use his magic to essentially do the same to some other supernatural beings.”
Gavin face-palmed in horror. “Shit! I didn’t think about—”
“That’s right. You didn’t. You better hope my mate is all right. Otherwise, best friend or not, I’ll never forgive you for putting him on the spot like this.”
“Jeff, I’m so sorry—”
“Save the apology for my mate.”
Gavin heaved out a sigh of defeat when Jefferson left the room in search of Baltic. In his desperation to keep Caspian safe from any future attack, he had willingly put his best friend’s mate, who was also his brother-in-law, in such a horrible position. He didn’t do so on purpose. He just wanted the threat of the shadow people to be eradicated as soon as possible. It was the only way he could think of to shield Caspian from further harm. He glanced between the other three men remaining in the room with him. Caspian and Drake were obviously furious with him, but Edwin seemed more sympathetic.
“Cas, Dray, I’m sorry.”
However, they didn’t respond to him. They simply rushed out of the room, ignoring him completely. Edwin shifted closer to him and clasped his shoulder. At least someone wasn’t mad at him.
“Give them a little time, Gav. I know you’re stressed out and desperate to resolve this matter with the shadow people, but you, Jeff, and I are different from the merfolks. They’re kind and pure. Baltic will find it appalling to do as you’ve suggested.”
“He killed the evil sorcerer just fine.”
“In defense of himself and his mate. Merpeople don’t spill blood unless they’re protecting the people they love. You, Jeff, and I aren’t the same as them. The three of us have done a lot of things in the past, some of which were less than savory. I can’t speak for you or Jeff, but I’m grateful to be mated to Dray. He’s the light to my darkness. He makes my existence worth living for.”
Gavin expelled a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding. “I feel the same about Cas, but I’ve messed up. Big time. I need to fix the situation between me and him.”
“Give him a bit of time. He’s too angry to listen to you.”
Gavin wanted to protest, but he knew Edwin was right. “Yeah. All right. I’ll have a chat with him later.”
For the next few moments, he and Edwin sat in the dining room in silence. He had no idea what else to say, not when things had spiraled out of control in such a horrible way. He just hoped that he would be able to set things right with everyone.
* * * *
Caspian approached Baltic and Jefferson in the backyard. The two of them were embracing each other tightly. He didn’t want to disturb them, but he felt it necessary to apologize on behalf of his mate. A part of him could understand why Gavin had come up with such a plan, but it still pissed him off. Drake came up to him moments later, and Jefferson was the first to notice them. He waited as Jefferson and Baltic shared a brief kiss. Then, Jefferson pulled away before addressing him and Drake.
“I’ll leave you three for now. I need to talk to Gav.”
Caspian nodded. “I’m sure Gav has his reason for coming up with something like that. Take it easy on my mate, please.”
Jefferson snickered. “I’ve known Gav for thousands of years. He’s more of the ‘act first, think later, and be damned with the consequences’ kind of guy. Don’t worry. I’m much calmer now that Balt is feeling better.”
Drake chuckled. “Don’t give Gav a hard time. Well, not too much.”
Jefferson chortled. “I know how to deal with him. I’ll let you three talk things through. Ed, Gav, and I will be upstairs in the dining room whenever you’re ready to join us again.”
Caspian smiled at the elf. “Sure. Later.”
After that, he and Drake stepped closer to Baltic. Neither of them uttered a single word for several moments until Baltic spoke up all of a sudden.
“I think I’ll do it.”
Caspian stared at Baltic in horror. “Hell no! We’re merpeople, baby bro. We aren’t the same as most of the others. You don’t know the true extent of what you’ll be doing. What if you end up annihilating the shadow people?”
“But I can’t allow them to continue with their tyranny. Too many have been injured.”
Drake slung one arm around Baltic’s shoulders. “I agree with Cas. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to do it. You’ve just resumed your full merman magic not too long ago. I’m not sure if you’re mentally ready to use your magic to control someone’s body, mind, and magic.”
“I know, but I also can’t stand knowing that I could have contributed something to stop the shadow people from causing more harm yet I’m not doing it.”
Caspian gazed at Baltic for a few seconds longer before speaking up. “Are you absolutely positive?”
Baltic opened his mouth, but shut it again. Caspian waited for Baltic to reply. Baltic inhaled and exhaled a few times before responding to the question.
“No, but if we don’t attempt it, there will be more casualties.”
Drake squeezed Baltic’s shoulder gently. “Whatever you decide, Cas and I will have your back.”
“I know. Thanks. Jeff told me earlier that I don’t have to make the final blow if it comes to it. He’s more than willing to do it.”
“Good,” Caspian said while giving Baltic a soft smile. “We aren’t the same as Gav, Jeff, and Ed. I’m not certain I can eradicate someone in cold blood unless I’m trying to protect my mate. It’s…it’s too much to handle.”
Baltic nodded. “Same for me.”
Drake sighed. “I still wish you didn’t have to do it, though.”
“I’m the one with the natural healing magic. Jeff’s skills are learned. He knows how to cure, but he has no idea how to utilize his skills to do the opposite. The difference is vast between us. I’ll be able to manipulate the shadow people with ease because my magic is inborn. Don’t worry. I’ll be all right.”
Caspian snorted. “You better be. Jeff will go ballistic if you’re harmed.”
Baltic guffawed while bobbing his head up and down. “You’re right. Anyway, should we return to the dining room now? The sooner we come up with a plan, the better.”
Drake hugged Baltic tightly before breaking away. “Of course. You better come out of this stupid idea alive. I’ll be mad at you if you end up dead instead.”
Baltic rolled his eyes. “You need to stop being so overprotective, Dray. We’re all mated now. Our focus should be on our mates.”
“I’ll always worry about you and Cas. I can’t help it.”
Caspian laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit. I thought you’d be more relaxed after getting bonded.”
Drake scoffed. “You’re one to talk. I expected you to be more mature after being mated. Apparently, it’s too much to wish for. It makes me wonder once again who the older sibling really is.”
“Whatever, old man. Let’s go back upstairs.”
Then, Caspian got between Drake and Baltic before reaching out for their hands and dragging them away from the backyard. He still had to have a chat with Gavin, though. They were mates, after all. He didn’t like the strain on
their bond at the moment. He could sense Gavin was hurting, and it didn’t sit well with him, but their private conversation would have to wait until they got back home. They had a more pressing discussion to deal with.
Chapter 9
Gavin stepped out from his portal of water right into the garden before turning around to wait for his mate. Seconds later, Caspian appeared. He had zero clue if Caspian was still mad at him. During the follow-up discussion earlier, his mate had been quieter than usual. He heaved out a sigh of relief when Caspian reached out for his hand and melted into his embrace.
“I’m sorry, babe. I should have thought about Balt’s past as a siren instead of simply suggesting such a plan without considering the impact it will have on your brother. I’ve been so worried about you that I don’t think too far ahead with the consequences. I’m desperate to keep you safe, no matter what. I’m not excusing my action, but I want you to know why I did it.”
Caspian pulled back a bit and shook his head. “It’s okay. I get it. I’m fine now. I also understand you’re exhausted from the meetings with the other council members and more than a little frustrated at the situation with the shadow people.”
“You’re right on both counts.”
“I still don’t think it’s the right solution to annihilate an entire group of supernatural beings, though.”
“We’re not doing that,” Gavin insisted while running his finger across Caspian’s right cheek. “Well, at least I don’t think we will get to such an extreme with the shadow people, and I hope we won’t have to. We will have to capture one or two of them. It all depends on what comes out during the interrogation. The one you caught didn’t give up much.”
The Pearl of the Dragon [The Triplet Mermen Trilogy] Page 7