by Erin M. Leaf
“He was a late bloomer. About five years after you left, he developed telepathy,” Brechek said.
Theo stared at Brechek in shock. “Oh, no.” He knew full well how awful it was to live as an Empath with someone as soul-dead as his parents. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if you could actually read thoughts. “What did Jamie do?”
“He never told your parents, or Robert. He stayed over his best friend’s house a lot, and then went off to college. During his freshman year, he went home on break, and discovered your father meeting with an associate. He came straight to the Council,” Brechek explained.
“That must have been a couple years ago, now,” Theo said, thinking aloud. “Why didn’t I find out about this when I became a Delegate?” He rubbed his face. “Hell, why didn’t he come to me? He had to know I’d help him.”
“He was worried that your father would find out, and use you as leverage against him, or vice versa,” Brechek said tiredly. “It was safer for you both if you didn’t know.”
“Need to know basis,” Nick chimed in. “You didn’t need to know.”
Theo glared at his bodyguard. “Are you shitting me?” He’d thought Nick was his friend. He thought of his youngest brother, and his heart seized up. Dammit, I should’ve tried harder to get in touch with him. He hated the thought that Jamie had to go through all that alone.
“Theo didn’t need to know that his father was plotting to overthrow the very Council he served as a Delegate, and that his little brother was a Council spy?” Guy said, climbing out of bed. He grabbed a pair of pants from the bench at the foot of the bed and yanked them on. “That’s bullshit.”
Remind me never to piss him off, Theo thought, watching his soulmate loom over Brechek and Jack. He was glad one of them was feeling well enough to stand up, because he had a feeling he’d fall flat on his ass if he tried to get out of bed. “Guy,” he said, hoping to calm him down.
After a long moment, Guy shook his head and sat down next to Theo. “I’m fine,” he murmured, putting his hands over Theo’s.
Theo relaxed the fists he hadn’t realized he’d made. “I can’t believe this,” he said, exasperated. He raked a hand through his hair. “Where’s my father now?”
Brechek looked down.
Theo felt the old man’s worry surge.
“Jesus, just spit it out,” Theo said, losing patience.
“He chewed an arsenic pill when he realized the device had hurt you. We believe he had no idea that John was going to shoot up the hospital and try to kill you,” Nick said, shifting his weight. “I don’t think he wanted you dead. You were more use to him alive, as a puppet.”
“Wait. What?” Theo shook his head. “My father’s dead?”
Brechek nodded. “Yes.”
“That makes no sense. He wanted to influence me, not kill me,” Theo told them.
“The problem with these people is that they tend not to follow the script,” Brechek said wearily. “They just like to make a mess.”
Theo sat back against the pillows. He could hardly believe that his father was dead. Gone. The man had ruled his life for years, even after he’d left home. And it took his death for me to realize how much of what I’ve done was in rebellion against him.
“You okay?” Guy asked softly.
“I don’t know,” Theo said, eying Brechek. The Council Head looked worn out. Theo thought about all the day-to-day Council tasks he’d taken over during the past few months. “You said you’ve known about this group for a while now,” he said, sure of it. He’d sensed undercurrents of worry and tension, but he’d chalked it up to increasing age. “That’s why you shifted all the other Council tasks onto me.”
“Yes. I know, Jack knows, Nick, and Delegate Duncan,” Brechek said, exhaling. “That’s it. We knew we had a mole, but we didn’t know it was John. We knew we had to flush the mole out. We couldn’t think of a better way to do it, and believe me, we tried. This was just the latest in a long line of attempts to find him.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I knew it wasn’t fair, but I couldn’t physically handle the regular duties, and deal with the possibility we’d been infiltrated.” He smiled sadly. “I’m not a strong Crafter. I don’t even have a specialty. It’s time for the next generation to take over. Duncan agrees.”
Theo barely heard him. “It was John.” Theo felt sick. “John was the mole.” He’d known there was something wrong with the man, but he couldn’t make accusations without evidence, and as far as he could tell, John performed his duties perfectly, if a bit coldly.
“We were hoping you’d sense something,” Jack told him. “We had no intel on who the mole could be, but John bothered a lot of us.”
“He bothered me too, because he had almost no emotional signature.” Theo snorted. “He’s either a sociopath, or a rogue Empath, and given how rare Empaths are, my money is on sociopath.”
“Was,” Nick said. “He’s dead now. I found him operating from the top of the parking garage across the street from the hospital. I took care of him.”
“Of course,” Theo murmured, thinking about the carnage at the hospital. He wasn’t even shocked that Nick had as much as admitted to killing John. Anyone capable of so much irrational destruction needed to be stopped. “Was anyone else hurt?”
“No. Your mother is being held, however,” Jack said.
Theo nodded, unsurprised. “My mother did whatever my father told her to. What about Robert?”
Brechek shook his head. “He’s gone. We don’t know where.”
Guy shifted his weight. “Was your retirement a ruse, then? Because I’m not particularly impressed with the way the Council set Theo up. You could have asked him to help, instead of throwing him into the deep end of the pool.”
Theo glanced at his soulmate. Guy was not happy right now.
“We had no choice. We really had no idea who the mole was,” Jack protested, but he quieted when Brechek put a hand up.
“It was my decision to use Theo. And yes, my retirement is entirely legitimate. This is a young man’s job, and I’m happy to report that the rest of the Delegates agreed that you are the best replacement as Head, Theo.” Brechek gestured to Jack, who pulled another folder from his briefcase. “Here are the ratification papers. I’m officially a Delegate Emeritus, no longer Head of Council.”
Jack held out a blue folder.
Theo stared at it. The last he remembered, it was Friday night. How could the Council have ratified anything? “What day is it?”
Jack smiled knowingly. “It’s Sunday. The two of you slept for over twenty-four hours.”
Numb, Theo reached out and took the folder. When he opened it, he swallowed. The paper on top contained the ratification document, with all of the Delegates’ signatures.
“That looks pretty official to me,” Guy said.
Theo nodded. “It is.” He looked at Brechek. “How did you know I’d agree?” He took the pen Jack held out, and paused with the tip over the line he needed to sign.
“Because you’re an Empath,” Brechek said, smiling. “And you’re a good man. You’ll notice that this isn’t an elected position. It’s a Council appointment, and it’s permanent until you decide to step down.”
“Jesus,” Guy murmured.
Theo knew exactly how he felt, and not because he was an Empath. This was a huge responsibility.
“You were born to be Head of Council,” Nick said, nodding at the paper. “Sign it. We haven’t had a true Empath leading us in fifty years.”
Theo glanced at Guy. “Well? This affects you, too. You’re my soulmate.”
Guy put his hand on Theo’s wrist. “Is this what you want?”
Theo smiled wryly. “Want? No. Is it what I feel I should do? Yes.”
“Then sign it, and I’ll help you do what you must,” Guy said, calm and steady.
Theo inhaled deeply, surrounding himself with Guy’s strength. “Okay,” he murmured, then scribbled his name on the line.
“Witnessed
,” Brechek said, reaching for the folder.
Theo handed it to him and watched the former Head of Council sign the document. He handed it to Nick.
“Witnessed.” Nick signed the second witness line, then closed the folder and handed it to Jack. “It’s done.”
Theo nodded. “It certainly is.” He turned to Guy. “No going back now,” he said, holding up his hand with the soulmate ring.
Guy touched the ring, then wrapped his fingers around Theo’s. “No regrets.” He leaned in.
“No regrets,” Theo said, meeting him halfway. Their kiss felt like the beginning of something entirely new.
Epilogue
“Nick finally arrived in Massachusetts,” Theo told Guy a few weeks later, reading the latest brief from Rose. “She says he’s settled in a hotel and is meeting with the local cops first thing tomorrow morning. And he’s meeting with the son of the couple that was killed.” He grimaced. “I don’t envy him this job, especially now that the trail is weeks old.”
“Nick knows what he’s doing. It might not be an easy task, but he has the experience to handle it,” Guy said, sliding a steaming cup in front of Theo, next to a box of ginger cookies. “And you have the experience to know when not to micromanage one of your people. Put your phone away and relax. Nick’s got this.”
Theo looked at his soulmate, then took a sip of his tea, silently conceding the point with a wry smile. He was still learning his way into his role as Council Head, and he had a tendency to overthink things. I’m getting better at relaxing, though. Being here helps. They were in the kitchen of Guy’s house. My house. No, our house. Theo mulled over that change in status as he sipped his drink, then grabbed a cookie. He’d moved in the week after he’d signed the documents accepting his position as Head of Council. He liked it here. He liked knowing that he shared a home with Guy, and that he was now part of Guy’s life, good and bad. He looked at his lover and smiled. Guy’s quiet strength was evident with every movement as the WoodCrafter moved the teakettle to the back of the stove.
“I saw that you went to visit Pamela’s grave today,” Theo said, reluctant to break the peaceful silence, but knowing they needed to talk about the past. It wouldn’t be right to ignore how much Guy’s wife had influenced his life. He didn’t want to ignore her memory. From what Guy and Jonathan had told him, she had been a wonderful woman. And I owe her everything, he mused, rubbing his soulmate ring with his thumb. The slick wood felt warm and alive, and he loved the slight energy buzz he could feel in it, connecting him to Guy.
Guy went still, facing the stove. “How did you know?” he asked without turning around.
Theo shrugged. “I drove past the cemetery on my way to the grocery store earlier.”
Guy turned around, and Theo sensed his worry.
“I saw you there.” Theo smiled, trying to put his soulmate at ease. He wanted this to be a good conversation, not something Guy needed to feel guilty about. He already carries too much guilt around with him. “You had flowers.”
Guy walked over and slid into the seat opposite Theo. “I’m sorry, I would’ve invited you—”
Theo cut him off. “No, you don’t understand. I know you weren’t trying to shut me out.” He put his cup down and reached out to Guy. “I’m an Empath, and I’m your soulmate. I can feel you, in here.” He thumped his free hand against his chest. “I could feel that visiting her gave you peace. And I can feel that you’re even happier to be here with me.” He shook his head. “I don’t need words.”
“But you deserve words. It’s wrong of me to just assume you’ll understand everything.” Guy had tears in his eyes, unusual for him. “I was saying goodbye to her.”
“You don’t ever have to say goodbye to her, Guy,” Theo said gently, willing Guy to understand that he’d never ask that of him. “I don’t want you to say goodbye.” He glanced at the photo of Guy and Pamela on the sideboard. He’d insisted that it stay when he’d moved in. For some reason, it soothed him. Guy was so young and happy in the photo. “She’s important to you, and that means she’s important to me.” He ran a finger over the back of Guy’s hand. He’s always so stoic, but I can feel everything he tries to hide from the world, Theo thought, grateful for his gift. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be bonded to Guy without the insight his empathy gave him. He inhaled, and decided to lay it all on the line. Guy deserved his honesty. “I like to think that if she’d lived, I’d have fallen in love with her, too, along with you.”
Guy was silent for a long while. Theo waited, sifting through the complicated emotions he felt from his soulmate. He knew Guy was still grieving. He knew Guy still struggled with coming out as a bisexual man. And he sensed Guy’s surprise over his words, but the strongest emotion was love. Theo had never met anyone with such an infinite capacity to open his heart. And people think he’s gruff. If they only knew.
“I felt like she gave us her blessing. It was strange. I talked to her, and usually I just feel alone when I do that, but this time the strangest sense of peace passed through me,” Guy finally said, voice hushed. He looked up, eyes dark with memories. “She would’ve loved you, Theo.”
Theo nodded, feeling Guy’s sincerity in his bones. “I think I felt it, too. I’d just gotten out of the car, and suddenly I felt this sense of…” He paused, thinking. “I don’t know. Tranquility or something. It was the damnedest thing.”
Guy pulled him in and kissed him softly. “That’s exactly what I felt. I told her all about you.” He sighed. “I haven’t visited her grave in a long time. It was always too painful.”
“And today it wasn’t,” Theo said, feeling certain.
“Today it wasn’t,” Guy agreed, smiling. He sat back and sipped at his tea. “Anyway, in other news, Jonathan said Rose is settling in just fine. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she moved in with him so quickly.” He grinned at Theo. “You moved in here less than a week after we met.”
“That’s a pairing I didn’t see coming,” Theo said, still bemused over his assistant’s bond with Jonathan. He’d had no idea that Rose had any Craft potential, and neither had she. “She told me that she can feel Craft energy now, but she can’t really do anything with it.”
“She had enough energy to bond with Jonathan.” Guy shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if she can’t do more with her power. She already has a job. Very few of us specialize in something.” He took another sip of his drink. “And at least you won’t be getting any more flak over having a non-Craft assistant from those anachronistic diehards on the Council.”
“True.” Theo laughed. “But I have to give her more days off now, because she actually has a life outside of working for me. Damn it. This is all your fault because Jonathan is your son, and he snatched her up.”
Guy grinned. “What a shame,” he said, clearly not meaning a word.
Theo rolled his eyes. “I’m a very busy and important man, Guy. I’m Head of the Craft Council. I can’t have my assistant working normal hours. Think of my image.”
“Your so-called image will survive,” Guy said dryly. “Anyway, I think that maybe your younger brother Jamie could work with Rose as your assistant when he finishes college. He’s clearly loyal, and not insane, like the rest of your family.”
Theo sat back in his chair. “That’s actually a very good idea.” He smiled. “Two Frasers on the Craft Council. That might go a long way to redeeming the Fraser name.”
“Craft Council,” Guy snorted. “That title sounds like you’re the head of a knitting guild or something. Whoever thought of calling our gifts ‘Craft’, anyway?” Guy pushed his cup to the side and grabbed a ginger cookie. “It sounds silly.” He took a bite and chewed, eyes twinkling.
Theo eyed his soulmate’s forearm. He knew exactly what it felt like to run his fingers up that smooth skin. “I have no idea. Probably some self-important Delegate from two hundred years ago came up with the name.” Theo didn’t really care. He’d suddenly lost all of his interest in tea and cookies. He’d
much rather spend the rest of the day snacking on Guy.
“I know that look,” Guy said, eyes gleaming. He dusted his hands off and closed the cookie box.
“What look?” Theo said innocently. He stood up.
Guy leaned back in his seat. “That look that says you’re done talking.” He angled his seat so that he no longer sat under the table. Theo’s eyes dropped to his soulmate’s groin. The obvious bulge there chased all thought of tea or cookies right out of his head.
“You’re done talking, too.” Theo strode over to him, then dropped to his knees and put his hands on Guy’s thighs. Warm muscle met his fingertips. Oh yeah, this is what I want.
“Oh, what’s this?” Guy asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You know I’m on break. I don’t have a lot of time before I have to get back to work.”
“You know exactly what this is,” Theo told him, sliding his hands up to Guy’s hips. The tightness of Guy’s jeans told him that his soulmate knew damned well what Theo was doing on his knees in the kitchen.
“It’s three in the afternoon,” Guy said. He glanced down the hallway towards the shop.
“It’s a Monday. It’s your slowest day. Your customers will understand.” Theo leaned in. Guy’s arousal felt like a slow-burning bonfire against his empathic senses. “This is one of the perks of owning your own business, and also being one of the few WoodCrafters in the country who can create soulmate rings. You’re always going to be in demand.”
“And you think they’ll understand my extra-long afternoon break?” Guy asked, voice going low.
“They’ll understand your soulmate’s desperation to fuck you,” Theo said, baldly. His own cock already hurt from being shoved up against the placket of his pants.