Chapter 37
“Galen! Eamon! Come down here, now! It’s time to leave!” Remy shouted, standing at the foot of the staircase.
“Gotta find our swords!” Galen yelled back, his voice slightly muffled since he was in his bedroom closet.
“Didja find ‘em, Gally?” Eamon asked, while peering under his bed. “We can’t go treasure huntin’ without ‘em.”
His brother was right, they needed their swords.
Flipping up the toy box lid, Galen pawed through it before deciding to empty it.
Throwing the contents haphazardly on the floor, he finally found their weapons.
Shouting with happiness, he said, “I got ’em, Eamon!
” Backing out of the closet, he turned around to face his brother, triumphantly holding the swords in the air.
Rushing toward Galen, Eamon grabbed his sword from his brother’s hand before brandishing it as he danced around the room. “Treasure huntin’ time!”
“Galen and Eamon! Get down here, now!” bellowed Remy.
“C’mon,” Galen said, “Let’s go so we can find the treasure.”
Following his brother into the hallway, Eamon whispered, “Gally, are you scared?”
Stopping, Galen looked at his brother. “Bout what?”
“Goin’ to a new place. What if they find us again?” whispered Eamon, his eyes wide with fear.
His brother’s question brought back everything Galen had tried so hard to forget. The sounds of their mother crying had haunted his nights for months and it wasn’t until Carsso came that his nightmares ended and, with them, his fear. “Nah…Carsso killed them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup. Carsso’s wolf killed them cuz they gone now.”
“Why didnja tell me?”
“I forgot.”
“If you boys don’t get down here this instant, you’ll miss the first clue.”
His eyes widening at Remy’s threat, Galen grabbed Eamon’s hand, and pulled him down the hallway. “C’mon…I want that treasure.”
~/~/~/~/~
Jackson was standing on the front porch when his mate stepped out of the house to join him. Feeling Steel’s arms snake around his waist, he leaned back against him, enjoying a few moments of quiet before everyone arrived.
Kissing his mate lightly behind his ear, Steel murmured, “Ready for the invasion?”
Chuckling, Jackson turned around, his eyes full of merriment. “Our puppy pack is growing…Daniel, Jake, Jessica, Lory, Lili, Killi, Galen, Eamon, and Rune…and soon there’ll be more.”
“Not what you expected a year ago.”
Shaking his head slowly, Jackson replied, “It all started when you stopped to pick up a naked hitchhiker.”
“Best decision I ever made,” Steel said, grinning.
“You might change your mind when Carson and Remy show up with Galen and Eamon. According to Hunter, they can be quite a handful.”
“They won’t be a problem,” Steel said.
Jackson smirked. “How can you be so certain?”
“Cause kids love me,” Steel replied, grinning.
“Uh-huh…good to know,” Jackson said, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. Then, at the sound of the front door opening, he looked over his mate’s shoulder to see who it was.
“Good, I’m not late,” Cody said, moving next to Jackson. “Dylon’s with Jessica, Jake, and Daniel. We thought it would be better if Galen and Eamon initially saw only me.”
“Makes sense,” Jackson murmured just before he saw a shimmer in the air. Smiling at the people that appeared, his eyes went first to Carson holding the hands of two small boys before taking in the rest of the members of the group.
“Hey, Jackson,” Carson called out. “We made it without any problems. You already met my mate Remy…”
“Alpha.” Remy bowed his head for a moment before looking up. “This is Mrs. Beasley…and this here is Rune…”
“So you must be Galen…and you’re Eamon…did I get that right?” Jackson asked softly, looking at the two young boys.
Peering up at Jackson, Eamon nodded, hiding quickly behind Carson. “Gally,” he whispered, “is he gonna hurt us?”
Galen slowly shook his head, all the while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Jackson.
The powers coming from the man reminded him of those his parents had hidden him and his brothers from, but there was a difference.
He could sense the man meant them no harm, unlike the men who attacked his parents while he huddled with his brothers in the dusty space under the floorboards.
Having made that assessment, he nevertheless decided to be careful.
Raising his sword, he asked, “Who are you?”
Chuckling, Cody murmured, “Pull your power back, bro…or prepare to be slayed.”
“Galen!” Remy’s voice betrayed his embarrassment at his brother’s behavior.
Slowly walking down the steps with his hands held high, Jackson approached Galen, falling to his knees in front of him. “I’m Jackson, Carson’s brother…and you are?”
Studying Jackson for a moment, Galen was satisfied he and his brothers were not in any danger. Lowering the sword, he replied, “I’m Captain Galen…and I’ll make you walk the plank if you hurt Carsso or Remee.”
Nodding, Jackson looked into the young captain’s eyes before holding up his hand. “I swear, I’ll never do anything to hurt Carson, Remy, your brothers, or you.”
Satisfied that the man had taken his threat seriously and meant him and his brothers no harm, Galen asked, “Are you a wolf shifter like Carsso? Me and Eamon are warlocks but Remee won’t let us do any magic.”
Smiling, Jackson replied, “I’m a wolf shifter just like Carsso…and so is my son, Daniel.”
“Can he become a wolf like Carsso can?” asked Galen.
“Yup…do you want to meet him?” asked Jackson.
Nodding, Galen asked, “Can I now?”
Peeking out from behind Carson, Eamon exclaimed, “I wanna, too!”
Rising, Jackson held out his hand. “Then let’s go meet Daniel.”
Hesitating, Galen glanced up at Carson, and after seeing him give a reassuring smile, took Jackson’s hand. “Can Eamon come too?”
“Of course,” Jackson replied, holding out his other hand for Eamon. “Is it all right if Remy and Carson come with us also, Captain?”
“And Mz. B and Rune?” Galen added.
“Right, everyone should meet Daniel.”
Letting Jackson lead him up the porch steps, Galen kept a tight grip on his sword, keeping it handy in case it was needed.
Regardless of what Jackson promised, Galen knew better than to give his complete trust to any adult except Remee and Carsso.
He’d learned that lesson the hard way, especially after hearing the cries of his mother as he tried to keep Eamon and Rune from making any noise.
The memory of soothing his brothers for hours after his mother’s cries had ceased, while hearing nothing but silence above them, had been the scenario in many of his nightmares.
And when hunger finally drove them out, Galen found his mother and father dead, leaving him to care for his brothers until Remy showed up.
After entering the house, Galen paused, his eyes searching the room. Spying three kids playing near the couch, he grinned at them, letting go of Jackson’s hand as he headed straight for them. “C’mon Eamon…we got a wolf to meet.”
Following his mate into the great room, Remy found the source of magic he felt the last time he’d visited. Slowly advancing towards the trio of children, he murmured to Carson, “Why didn’t you tell me there’s a magic user in the pack?”
Over hearing the comment, Jackson said, “Are you referring to Daniel’s ability to conjure?”
“He has magic, too?” asked Remy, doubtfully.
“I don’t know about magic but he’s conjured up a rabbit a couple of times,” replied Jackson. “We were worried he might conjure up an animal who could hurt him so Mystia cast a spell to keep him from doing any magic…at least until we can figure it out.”
“Interesting,” Remy mused. Then holding out his arm, he closed his eyes, while his hand began to glow.
Glancing at Carson, Jackson raised his eyebrow before asking, “What’s he doing?”
“Trying to find out if Daniel has any magic,” Carson muttered.
“Why is he doing that?” asked Steel.
After the glow receded, Remy dropped his hand and opened his eyes. Turning to Jackson, he said, “Daniel has no magic…well other than the magic all shifters possess allowing them to turn into animals. However…”
“That can’t be right,” Cody said. “I saw him conjure up a rabbit.”
Raising an eyebrow, Remy stared at his mate’s look-alike brother. “Other than yourself, was he alone when it happened?”
Scratching his head, Cody thought back to the moment the rabbit appeared, frowning slightly. “No…Daniel was playing with Jake and Jessica.”
“Daniel was alone the first time he did it,” Steel said.
“Do you know that for sure?” asked Remy.
Steel shook his head. “No…but who else could it be? We know he can speak to animals…which is magic if you think about it.”
“Babe,” Carson asked Remy while giving Jackson a quick glance before continuing, “if I got it right, Daniel doesn’t have the magic needed to conjure things…like a rabbit, correct?”
“Correct…while he may be able to talk to animals, he can’t summon them to appear.”
Seeing the looks of confusion on the faces of his brothers and Steel, Carson said, “But there is someone who does, correct?”
Nodding, Remy pointed to Jessica. “If I’m not mistaken…she is a first tier magic user.”
Cody’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Then, glancing at Carson, he asked, “How can that be? Jessica’s parents were Tundra wolf shifters…
I don’t mean any disrespect, but that’s impossible.
And another thing…since Mystia placed a spell on Daniel, there haven’t been any more rabbits…
or for that matter…any other animal appearing out of nowhere. ”
“No idea,” replied Remy.
“Why didn’t Mystia sense Jessica’s magic?” asked Jackson. “And how come you can?”
“My mate is the Keeper of All Magic,” Carson said.
“And that means…exactly what?” asked Steel.
“There’s only a finite amount of magic on earth and my mate is responsible for it,” Carson replied. “In order for him to perform his duties, he has the ability to determine who has magic and how much of it they have.”
“But I thought magic users always know other magic users…like shifters can always scent another one,” Jackson said.