Chapter 42 #2
There wasn’t a chance in hell Brady was going to be able to sleep—and not just because his mate was finally in his arms. No, his insomnia had more to do with the upcoming meeting with the Witches’ Governing Council.
Watching the dancing shadows on the ceiling, Brady’s mind tried to ignore the feel of his cock nestled between Lucius’ curvy cheeks.
It wasn’t easy, especially every time his mate moaned in response to Brady’s cock twitching, but Brady was determined to keep his dick under control.
His mate deserved the best and that meant making love to him when his mind wasn’t preoccupied with a problem, and when both of them were awake and rested.
Sighing, he turned his thoughts back to Dylon’s plan.
Brady had to admit it was a brilliant one.
Reviewing it for the tenth time, he couldn’t find any fault with it, finally giving him hope that this time he would be successful in his goal of restoring the rights of the low-level magic users.
He only allowed himself a moment to relish the happiness success would give him, before remembering his grandmother’s warning not to count his chickens before they hatched.
He smiled at the memory before turning his attention back to another matter at hand. And that was his mate.
After seeing Lucius’ reactions to the events of the day, Brady had to agree with Jackson that his mate’s lack of knowledge about his “new” world, could trigger actions that weren’t appropriate.
Luckily nothing dreadful had happened, but the sudden onset of Lucius’ blood rage was something he couldn’t risk happening again, especially in front of the Witches’ Council.
It would be tense enough when Zohar spotted him by Remy’s side, but exposing his mate to Zohar’s verbal attacks against him, sure to be thrown at Brady, was a recipe for disaster; Lucius would surely react with anger, thinking he had to defend his mate.
And then there was his fear of Zohar discovering he had a mate.
No, the best place for Lucius was here, at home, where he felt the safest. But knowing that and then trying to convince Lucius was the problem he still hadn’t solved.
On the other side of the coin, Brady wasn’t comfortable about leaving his mate alone, unprotected from any attack.
And even though it was unlikely, there was still a chance someone in the magic world had gotten wind of his agreement to help the Ruler.
Sighing, he thought about Zohar’s plan to kidnap Mystia’s husband, Jimmy.
What if, somehow, he found out about Lucius and where he was?
Brady would not make the same mistake of underestimating Zohar again.
The first time resulted only in his banishment, but this time the stakes were so much higher.
Finally, after analyzing every possibility, he reached the decision that was the only right one…
and which would protect his mate. Feeling Lucius shift closer to him, Brady tightened his hold on him, burying his nose in his mate’s hair and inhaling his special rose scent.
“Go ahead, ask me,” Lucius said, his voice heavy with the remnants of his sleep.
“I didn’t wake you did I?” asked Brady.
“Sorta…you’re tense…not like you were when we went to bed.”
“Sorry,” Brady said softly. “I was thinking about the meeting…and what I should expect.”
Turning over so he could see his mate’s eyes, Lucius asked, “What did you come up with?”
Reaching up, Brady lifted a lock of his mate’s hair, twirling it around his finger, considering how to answer the question.
Rubbing it between his fingers, it was as soft as it looked, reminding him of a child’s fine locks.
But his mate wasn’t a child; he was an adult who’d paid a terrible price for an innocent decision made in the heat of a moment.
Letting the hair slip from his fingers, he returned his mate’s gaze.
“Even in the best of scenarios, it won’t be pretty.
Once he sees me, Zohar will use every weapon at his disposal to discredit me before the Ruler and the Mystic Guardian. ”
“I thought Mystia said they promised to protect you?”
“She did…and they will. That’s not what worries me.”
“Then what does?”
Brady hesitated for a moment before replying. “I’m worried about Zohar finding out I have a mate, what he will do to you…and also your reaction when he does his shit to me.”
It took him a moment but Lucius suddenly understood what his mate wasn’t saying.
Brady was afraid for him…afraid he’d do something that would endanger both of them.
And if he was honest with himself, it was his fear, too.
If he’d learned anything yesterday, it was that he was ill-prepared for life without Valerian.
Not that he wanted that life back, but neither did he want to unknowingly put his mate at risk because he lacked the basic knowledge of how to cope with his new life.
The fact that Brady understood this made him feel more secure—something he wouldn’t have expected—and reassured him he’d never be left on his own to figure out everything.
Smiling at his mate, Lucius said, “This is me speaking up for myself. I know I told you I wanted to be by your side, but honestly, I’m not ready to do that just yet.
And before I can, there’s a lot I have to learn, not only about my new world, but also about being a vampire.
I don’t know what happened today that caused Jackson to use his Alpha power, but whatever it was, wasn’t good.
I saw the fear in your eyes…and in the eyes of everyone else in the room.
I don’t ever want to see that again. So if you don’t mind, I’ll stay here… waiting for you to come home to me.”