Loch & Key (Miracle: Salvation Isle #7)

12. CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

It killed Aban to leave his still-sleeping mate behind, but he knew it had to be done. He had to find Terrence. If there was anyone else the Council or the Miracle Alpha and his inner circle had known to call to help them out to be an Alpha to a new town, he couldn’t have kept what he had known secret.

There was no way to be certain Terrence wouldn’t work out until Aban had at least spoken to him. Based on Terrence’s past, he worried his friend would never be amenable to helping them, but he honestly did not know who might know if there was anyone else to help them.

The tiny island Terrence had made for himself was basically postage stamp size. His house was even smaller. It was pretty much a one-room house with a glorified kitchen with a sink that required Terrence to plug and bring in water from the well.

That the island provided a small spring of fresh water was surprising, but then again, as a shifter, it wasn’t surprising that Terrence had discovered it.

There was still no heat for the water, but with the fire pit just outside the door, it was possible for Terrence to provide some hot water, but still minimal enough that Aban hadn’t really wanted to think too hard about it.

“No,” he heard Terrence scream before he was suddenly cut off.

Wings spread with a strong wind pushing him forward, Aban flapped harder to get to one of his best friends before he was killed. Relief filled him when he saw Terrence on the rocky beach, and the culprit, who he assumed, tried to attack him on the ground with blood surrounding his body.

Before his claws hit the ground, Aban shifted, standing before one of his best friends, naked as the day he was born. “Sorry,” Aban had blurted out even as his hands tried to cover his dick.

Terrence, being who he was, turned to head back onto the back deck. He tossed a pair of shorts at him. “Dress and come in.”

They weren’t exactly warm, but with Terrence, he wasn’t that surprised. Then again, Terrence had always been extremely secretive. Still, never once had he considered Terrence a nut job who needed to find another calling. Now, he was thinking he’d been wrong.

But if he—or, for that matter, the Council—hoped to make a difference, Terrence was the key. “We need you.”

Okay, it was probably not the greatest way to announce that, and it could have been timed better, but—in all honesty—Aban did not know what else to say. Maybe he should have brought someone like his mate, Nessim. He probably would have gotten through to Terrence with his Omega way.

It certainly didn’t help that the moment Aban had recognized Nessim as his mate everything had changed. And that was a complete understatement. He would literally do anything that he needed to keep Nessim safe.

“Let me guess,” Terrence chuckled, seemingly unconcerned that he’d just been attacked. “You found your mate.”

Since there was no reason to deny it, Aban didn’t bother to, yet he’d also eyed his old friend for not seeming to care that someone had just tried to kill him. That said, even then, there was no way to stop the grin that curved his lips upward at the thought of Nessim.

“And he’s perfect,” Aban announced as he walked into the little cabin Terrence kept. “Actually, he's more than perfect,” Aban admitted.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Terrence admitted as he slapped Aban on his shoulder even as he led him into his home. “But I have to admit, I’m wondering why you’re here now. Shouldn’t you be with your mate?”

As much as he wanted to blurt out everything to Terrence, Aban knew damn well it wouldn’t be wise. Mostly. Sort of. Fuck.

He couldn’t lie, because Terrence would sense it instantly. At the same time, he damn well knew he couldn’t just blurt out what was happening. No. He had to cautiously approach his friend, but he wasn’t exactly certain how, without terrifying Terrence before he told him everything.

Even then, Aban had no clue how his friend would react. If it were him, Aban was fairly certain he’d run. Then again, he wasn’t half the Alpha Terrence was. The biggest question was how Aban was supposed to help Terrence accept Saber’s offer.

He had thought he would have come up with some sort of clue before he’d arrived, but apparently, Aban wasn’t that bright. Unable to answer, Aban stared at his best friend.

Yet, instead of being upset with him for remaining silent, Terrence tilted his head and said, “Does this mean you don’t want me to meet your mate?”

His friend might have been joking, but Aban hadn’t missed the seriousness of his expression.

“I would love for you to meet Nessim,” he said as he sat down on one of Terrence's two chairs. “But you might need to invest in another chair before I bring him here.”

Even he could hear the falseness in his tone, which caused him to cringe a bit as he waited to hear what Terrence had to say.

Never one to disappoint, Terrence handed him a cup of coffee even as he stood close enough to tear out Aban’s throat before he reacted. “Talk.”

It wasn’t a request, but a command, and Aban felt compelled to comply as strongly as he had whenever Saber had requested things of him. Not once in his life had Aban truly considered the hierarchy of Alphas, but he had to admit—at that moment—he wondered if they were all to fight who would come out on top?

Then again…when there were Alphas like Saber, Edrick, Kirill, and Terrence, was there meant to be anyone on top? And were there more like them?

In some ways, it scared him that there were because not everyone was good at heart. Then again, only four in the world? As far as he was concerned, that didn’t even begin to complete their needs. Edrick and his inner circle were still building Miracle to fit all who needed a place to stay.

Aban silently berated himself. Who was he kidding? There might never be enough with the number of people already living there. From what he’d seen six months ago, people still lived in tents. That didn’t equate to ‘housing.’

But to keep adding…? Not exactly plausible.

Edrick, Saber, and Yosi were right. There was a damn good chance the humans had planned to force them into one living space to take them out. When one factored in the human government's deciding things, it made it doubly so.

Which meant convincing Terrence to be the Alpha he was, was more important than ever.

“I need a huge favor,” Aban said as he took the tin cup filled with hot tea from Terrence. He already knew none of it would be easy, but he also wasn’t about to let that stop him. Terrence was the ideal candidate to run the new town, whether or not his friend knew it.

“But I also need you to have an open mind.” Even as he said the words, he could see Terrence’s stiff posture take over.

Yeah, none of what he was about to talk about would go well. Of that, he was certain. Still, Aban had to try.

He might be an Alpha, yet Aban knew, without a doubt, that he didn’t have the strength it would take to lead an entire town. For that matter, he hadn’t the ability to lead his rookery.

Maybe, in some way, he had known who could and could not lead a large group. For that matter, he wondered if that was what made him think of Terrence, a hippo shifter. He might not know if Terrence would even consider it, but instinctually, he’d known the hippo shifter would be the perfect candidate.

“I know your initial reaction will be ‘no,’ but I need you to hear me out.”

It surprised him when Terrence nodded his acceptance of Aban’s stipulation. But as he’d laid out the Council—well, technically, Saber and his inner circle, Edrick and his inner circle, and Yosi and his inner circle—he was noticing Terrence wasn’t pulling away like he’d assumed his friend would.

If anything, it appeared as if Terrence was…interested.

Maybe.

Once he was done, he stared Terrence right in the eyes. “So, what do you think? Are you willing to help the Council develop another town? Because I have to admit, there is only one other person I could see doing it, and he won’t leave because his mate’s best friends live in Miracle.”

Terrence said nothing as he washed out both of their cups of tea. When he turned back around to face Aban, he didn’t show any emotion at all, leaving Aban to believe he was about to refuse. But he was surprised when Terrence said, “I’ll think about it.”

Knowing that was likely the best he would get at that point, he stood up to leave with a bit more confidence than he’d probably have shown. “Just remember, the sooner you confirm to being Alpha, the more input you’ll have with the new town. You know, in case that matters.”

Not waiting for a reply he knew wouldn’t happen that soon, he shifted at the door and took off for home. The need to not just see his mate but hold him in his arms, was too strong to wait any longer.

That thought alone made him smile as he flew through the skies. He’d always laughed at those mated and their need to get home. At the same time, it had killed Aban not to know what it felt like to have someone waiting for him.

It had been his strongest dream. Now that it was reality, he had to admit it was better than anything he could have imagined.