by Joyee Flynn
“I trust him, Jordy.” I leaned over and waited for Caven to pause in his conversation. “No siblings. Alpha found out he was trying to leave the pack and now he’s confined to the Alpha house and the bastard resigned from Jordy’s job for him.”
“Fuck that. Tell Jordy to pack what he can and be ready. We’re going to get him help and get him out of there,” Caven growled.
“I heard, thank you, Mareo. Thank Foma and thank the Alpha. I just want to be safe,” Jordy whispered sadly.
“Why didn’t you tell us this was going on?”
“And what would you have done? Come in and tried to rescue me? Pissed off a bunch of wolves and potentially ruined the fae’s alliance with the wolves in the area?”
“No, I would have called my Queen and she would have done it,” I chuckled, smiling fondly. I really did love that woman as did all of her people. “She cares not for the typical politics and games. We are all just people to her and if someone needs help and their own kind are not there for them then it’s our responsibility as those who can help to help if asked.”
“That’s nice. I wish more people were like that.”
“I get the feeling the coven here is like that,” I assured him.
“We are,” the few in the car from this coven agreed.
“That’s good to know,” Jordy giggled. “Thank them for me and I look forward to meeting them.”
“Will do.” I said good-bye and hung up just as Caven did. He sighed and looked at me with worried eyes.
“The Alpha there never told our council or elders that there was a Kappa born or transferred into the pack. He’s been hiding Jordy from everyone. I’m surprised he even let Jordy take the job at Caleb’s. Elder Dawson knows an elder in the area who’s going to handle it and get Jordy to sanctuary until the Queen can open a portal. She and Elder Dawson agree that they don’t want something happening in transit if we stick Jordy on a plane.”
“Thank you for agreeing to help and doing so this quickly,” I replied, letting my sincerity seep into my voice. “Jordy deserves a good life and to be happy. He’s been an asset to Caleb and knows how to work the system and all the rules well.”
“He might be a good Bevin to your Rylan, Caven,” Virgil suggested as he finished off his sandwich. “You were saying that you wanted an assistant to help you integrate the pack and handle the stuff you don’t have time for. I know you’re looking for Betas and enforcers like Tyler was, but it’s a start.”
“Yeah, that’s actually a great idea,” Caven agreed. He leaned forward and gave my mate a big kiss on the lips. “I love that you’ve started opening your mouth more. Anything else you’ve got for me? Can you go visit another part of the world and bring me back some badass wolves to be my Betas?”
“Actually, we might be able to help with that,” Foma hedged as I darted a glance to him in the rearview mirror. I nodded, letting him know I was okay with the idea. “You good with the French?”
“I don’t have a problem with French people. Don’t really know any either though. Why?” Caven raised an eyebrow and glanced between us.
“We spent a while outside Paris about a decade ago,” I explained.
Gabriel glanced between us, and seeing the chance to get to know his brother’s mates, he took it. “What were you guys doing there? Working?”
“Searching for our mate,” Foma answered honestly and smiled at Virgil. “We’ve been searching for six hundred years.”
“Wow. That’s romantic,” Caven whispered.
“I searched for you almost that long,” Gabriel growled.
“Yes, and I was totally worth it. But I get the feeling they traveled all over to search for their mate,” Caven replied.
“We did,” I admitted. “I met Foma before he was of age and we were mates. From that moment we took just about every available person on our plane to our bed in hopes to find our other mate. When we realized they weren’t there, we crossed into your world. Sure, we’ve gone back and looked—”
“And by looked you mean fucked them silly,” Virgil chuckled.
“I don’t know how you’re so cool with that and not a growling, jealous ogre,” Gabriel said with a tone of awe. “I still wig if I even hear that Caven was with someone.”
“I’ve been with people.” Virgil shrugged and I was proud of my mate’s sensibleness. “So have they. Doesn’t mean they’d rather be with anyone else but me. I look at it as they’ve had a lot of practice in perfecting all the moves that will bring me centuries of big, fat, dopey smiles.”
“I like it. Yes, we will go with that,” I agreed, reaching for his hand. He gave me a wink and I turned back to his brother and the Alpha. “We crossed onto this plane and have traveled all over. Every few years we’d go back and bring the Queen some of the rarest and hardest items to find that her procurers could not without great difficulty. That was our specialty. And she would pay us handsomely in gold and we’d go back on our travels to find our mate.”
“See, romantic,” Caven sighed. “Someday I want to hear all about the world. I can’t even imagine what you guys have seen.”
“For helping Jordy, I will make sure you even see the pictures we’ve taken over the years,” I chuckled.
“And my sketches,” Foma said quietly. I blinked in shock. My mate never let anyone but me see them. He met my gaze in the mirror again. “If Virgil can be brave enough to open himself up and be more honest about who he is, I can start too. These are our in-laws now and Caven’s shown to be a good person. He wouldn’t laugh or say I’m untalented.”
“Of course not,” I agreed, smiling at him, now proud of both my mates. “Especially because I’ve never seen a talent that even rivals yours. Maybe there is one Virgil would like to hang in his new house we’ll be living in?”
“Yeah, I’d love that,” Virgil agreed. “I think it’s sexy that you draw. I’d love to see your work.”
“Thank you, my mate. When I get my belongings from Greece you can see some but the rest we have in a storage unit in Germany.”
“You’re really going to move out, brother?” Gabriel asked quietly. “Have we really been that bad to you?”
“Don’t turn that around,” Caven growled. “I wanted to not live with all the people and all the pressure and you said you understood. It’s not about everyone else always but what he or I needed.”
Virgil nodded his head. “That’s fairly accurate. I think I just need space at least for a while and to get some things worked out with Ayden. But it’s not that you guys have been bad to me. You just don’t get me and never really tried to. Admit it, Gabriel, how many times can you even remember, off the top of your head, yelling at me when I was younger that I was a defective little freak and to go away?”
“Gabriel!” Caven growled as Foma followed the caravan into a long drive. This must be the High Council estate.
“I haven’t said that in years,” Gabriel admitted with a wince. “I was young, not even two hundred years old. And here’s this ten-year-old coming out where I’m practicing with all my friends, lecturing me on how to adjust my stance to brace myself for the impact of the strikes I was blocking so they didn’t stress my joints and I could react quicker to catch them off-balance.”
“I was trying to help.”
“It made me look like an idiot to them all,” he defended. “I’m sorry I was a jerk but that was a long time ago. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t love you.”
“No, it just told a ten-year-old boy that his older brother, who he loved and worshiped, cared more about what his friends thought of him than that his little brother loved him and wanted to help him stay safe,” Virgil said quietly in a broken tone that made my heart hurt. “And I promise you that that’s something that doesn’t just go away no matter how many years pass.”
He was out of the car the second Foma stopped it and I wanted nothing more than to comfort my mate. Foma and I both got out in a hurry and went after him.
“You’re a dick, Gabriel,” Caven said loud enou
gh for us to hear ten feet away where we were by our mate. I smiled as the little Alpha got out the same side I did and slammed the door. “I know exactly what happened. You were being big, bad, testosterone-filled warrior showing off and looking cool for his friends. That was your kid brother! I can tell you Ayden would never have pulled that on me no matter what I said or did.
“That’s not what family is supposed to be about. No sex for you! You’re an idiot who doesn’t think before he speaks and you should know better. I bet that’s exactly what all of your brothers have done to Virgil and now Riley has! I don’t blame him for wanting to move out. Hell, I want to move out for him.”
“See, you know you’ve got three people on your side,” I said to my mate, kissing him briefly. He smiled as we watched Caven storm over to us.
“He’s an idiot and he doesn’t think but I know he would give his soul to keep you safe,” Caven said quietly to Virgil so only we’d hear. “You take whatever time you need and I got your back, bro.” Then he raised the level of his voice to normal. “And I’d love that kind of help any day you have available. Maybe I’ll finally beat King Rylan in sparring with the wooden sticks if I get help taking the force of his blows better so I can turn around and whack him.”
“You’ve already got an elder helping you,” King Rylan said as he darted over to us. I realized Caven had known he was close and could hear, saying it then intentionally. “If you’ve got another ace in the hole that’s not fair. You’re getting close to my level already. Soon we’ll be at swords and there’s no way I’m letting you kick my ass then.”
“Hey, you’ve been training since like diapers and I’m new to this,” Caven defended. “If I need two people helping me with their mad skills to catch up then it’s only fair.” He looped his arm with Virgil’s and smirked. “Besides, he’s my brother-in-law. You can’t ask him to help you beat me.”
“But he’s my mate’s best friend,” King Rylan shot back. “Virgil has been to our home many times and is quite close with Ferris. They are like brothers too. I’ve heard them say it. He would never keep whatever special fighting knowledge he has from me. He’s too honorable for that. Besides, we need more instructors now that we’re opening the shifters’ training center. He could teach us all and then we’d just be on even ground.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Caven agreed with a smirk. He shot Virgil a wink and strutted off to the front door.
“He’s good,” Rylan drawled, realizing he just got played. Then he glanced at our mate. “What is it you know that he baited me into wanting to learn?”
“I was like ten,” he mumbled. I bumped his shoulder and shook my head.
“Tell him the truth. He asked and no one’s judging you here,” I pushed gently.
“It’s a velocity and impact thing,” Virgil sighed. “If you brace yourself the right way for blows when sparring or fighting you’re able to distribute the impact better throughout your joints so that no one takes the full force. Which allows you to react faster and catch your opponent off guard. But you guys are already wicked fast so I don’t know if that works the same.”
“But we’re also smaller so balance is that much more important,” Rylan said slowly. “I like it. I want to see it soon.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes at himself. “After your honeymooning and all that. I know we’ll have recon or whatever the High Council decides and you’ll want to get to know your mates. But I was serious that we’re looking for instructors.”
“Really? All the training positions at the warrior compound are filled currently,” Virgil hedged, looking excited. He glanced at us with a big smile. “That would keep me local unless there was an emergency. I know we’ve not gotten that far into discussing what comes next for us, but I assume you wouldn’t want me traipsing all over hunting demons.”
“No, most certainly not. Unless we were with you,” Foma agreed as I nodded.
“Like you couldn’t take any of our jobs if you wanted,” a man whose name I didn’t remember snickered as he walked by. “I’ve never seen anyone best you in a sparring match in all my years, Virgil. You’re the best and undefeated champion and you know it. If the coordinator found out you were mated and wanted a teaching position he’d toss whichever one of us out on our asses to have you take our place.”
I glanced at my mate and knew it was probably true with the way he turned twenty different shades of red. Impressive. Smart, sexy, good fighter, sexy, gorgeous, kind, sexy, and all ours.
Chapter 7
Virgil
“What is this about now?” Father asked as he and Mother walked up with Victor, Malachi, Micah, and Riley, most of my other brothers and their mates right behind them.
“Isaac, please,” I hissed, not wanting to make this a thing.
“My mate, I do not wish to embarrass you but I would like to know very much what this man is talking about,” Mareo said. I glanced at him and saw pride shining in his eyes and a heavy dose of lust. “You wouldn’t want to keep something from me when we’ve been so open with you, would you?”
Oh, he was good. “Fine, but I expect something in return later because you know this will be embarrassing for me.”
“Anything and everything you wish, my mate,” Mareo promised me in that deep voice that sent a thrill through me. I nodded for Isaac to go ahead as he glanced between us, looking rather confused.
“Virgil’s got a bunch of records no one can beat,” Isaac hedged. “You guys didn’t know that?”
“No, and why didn’t we?” Father asked as he glanced at me. I shrugged. “What kind of records?”
“Most consecutive sparring matches won,” Isaac answered, scrunching his eyebrows together as if trying to remember them. “Undefeated sparring champ in swords, staffs, gloves, sais, maces, and pretty much anything else we spar or train with. All the climbing drills and obstacle courses.”
“You’re that fast?” Foma asked me, eyeing me over appreciatively.
“No, not really,” I admitted, my face heating up even more. “I just know geometry well enough to get over or around anything the best way. The distance courses I don’t ace. The ones with all the stuff in the way I do.”
“Who are you?” Damian blurted out, his eyes going wide. I felt whatever pride I’d built up at the recognition I’d finally gotten dissolve just like that.
“No one of importance apparently,” I mumbled and headed towards the doors.
“Virgil, don’t,” Mareo said gently as he grabbed my arm. “He’s just stunned at the development and learning all of this.”
“You know what? Don’t side with them,” I growled and pulled away. “When we’re done here I’ll show you the warrior compound. You can see how hidden the records and awards I hold are. Isaac fucking knew and I bet it wasn’t just because he’s an instructor now. Why was he the only one who knew?”
“I knew,” Victor said quietly as he glanced around at the rest of my family before walking over towards me. “You know I knew. I’ve always been supportive and proud of your achievements.”
“Yeah, you just never knew what to do with me otherwise,” I mumbled, feeling like a little boy again who worshiped his older brother who was like the best warrior ever.
“We never had that much in common but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love you,” he said fondly. “I was old by the time you were born and off on missions but I still made time for you every time I was home and we had fun. It wasn’t forced or because I felt I had to. I liked hanging out with my little bro Virgil because you were different. You saw things differently and I thought it was cool.”
“Thanks, Victor.” I was glad that at least one of them acted like they knew me or liked me. After what Riley said it was like the floor had opened out from underneath me and I was reassessing everything I’d ever known or ever felt about my relationships with people.
“Now go kick some ass and show the Council who Virgil Marius is and why you saw what all the rest of us couldn’t.” He gave me a w
ink and I nodded.
“Go ahead, I’ll be right in,” Mareo said, giving me a quick kiss. “You prepare and check your equipment. I’ll find you.”
“Okay.” I nodded and headed off with Foma, thinking that was weird. Oh well, of a day of total bizarre and new realizations I couldn’t deal with every little concern or potential issue. I’d lose what was left of my mind that way.
* * * *
Mareo
I watched as Victor Marius held up his hand to his family, checking until Virgil was out of hearing range before turning on them.
“You will stow your shit and fucking act like adults. Our brother is hurt and hasn’t felt he could come to us all these years. Do you really think that’s his fault? No. We screwed up. We let one of us slip through the cracks. Anyone here not love him?” He waited until everyone shook their head. “Okay, good. That’s what I thought. Virgil’s quiet. We’ve all known that always. He’s not a bragger. We should have been paying better attention because I bet he knows all about us.
“So not one more word of shock that he’s finally opening up or being different than he always has. Not one more guilt trip about him getting space if he wants to move out. He wants to move ten minutes away. You keep fucking pushing or guilting him and he’ll move across the damn country or start over somewhere in the human world. He’s a middle child and even I know enough about psychology to recognize that part of what’s going on is some middle child syndrome.
“But it’s way beyond that. Gabriel did something that hurt him, I know he wasn’t the only one. I caught part of what happened in the kitchen and Virgil thought Mother and Father believed he was an abnormal child in a bad way. There was a lot he heard or misunderstood as a child that led him to think we feel about him the way he does. I get that. But it won’t get fixed if we don’t handle this better. Savvy?” He narrowed his eyes especially at Riley.
“Yes, I screwed up. I’m sorry. I’m going to apologize,” he agreed with a sigh. “I didn’t mean he wasn’t smart enough to figure all this out. I just wanted to know what sparked the maps and tracing all of this for him. I was trying to use that as a lead-in to apologize for what I said before that hurt his feelings. It went to shit. I suck. I reacted like his mate said and it was my pride that lashed out. I will figure out a way to fix it.”