Chapter 38
Entering Jackson’s study, Steel found his mate staring out the window, something he did whenever there was a problem. “Hey, is everything all right?” he asked, sitting down next to him on the love seat.
“David told me about his childhood, and I can’t figure out how he ever survived it.
I thought I’d heard the worst when Dylon told me what happened to Theo, Norman and Kieran, but…
but...” Jackson said, shaking his head. “Call me na?ve but I never knew or even thought a shifter could treat another shifter…a pup no less…the way that bitch treated David. I’m disgusted to think how willing I was to order his death just because of some crap in a book.
I owe Logan a lot for talking me out of it. ”
Sensing his mate’s distress, Steel put his arm around him. “Listen to me, babe, the important thing is you changed your mind.”
“No, what’s important is that I was willing to kill Zane’s Fated Mate.
Do you know how cruel that would have been?
Thank the gods my brother had the good sense to flee with him ‘cause little did he know he was really protecting David from me, his Alpha,” Jackson said, guilt and worry etched on his face. “If it wasn't for Logan…”
“Stop it, babe. Don’t keep beating yourself up over something that never happened.
Yes, you thought about it, but then you pulled back and sought more information before making that decision.
You listened to everyone, you thought it through and then you made the right decision.
That’s a sign of a good Alpha and it’s all that matters. ”
Sighing, Jackson laid his head on Steel’s shoulder, and said, “Thanks, but I’m woefully unprepared for being our Alpha and sometimes I feel as if I’m drowning.
Each problem has so many possible decisions and I’m constantly worrying whether I’ve made the right one.
After our family was killed, it was so easy…
just stay alive…but now, look at what this pack has become.
Colton has the power of an archangel, Kieran is the most powerful shaman on earth, David is the High Priest, the moral compass of the paranormal world with a direct line to the gods.
And that doesn’t even include the gifts my brothers and their mates received from the Fates.
Oh, and lest we forget, we have the King of the Scottish Wolves, the last known royal in the wolf world.
And I’m supposed to lead this pack, keeping everyone safe from all the assholes out there who want to use or exploit my members. ”
“Mo chroí, you left out a very important fact,” Steel said.
“Your Alpha power. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but we need to.
It has been growing since you had Daniel and is now more powerful than my dad’s.
That’s saying a lot since he was always the most powerful Alpha on earth… did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t realize…he’s always been so easy going. I guess it never occurred to me…really?”
“Yes, really. My father is a gentle man but he can and does use it when needed. Do you remember what happened when Ian shifted? All your brothers heard his howls and rushed to the room to see what was going on. Then you walked in and when Ian’s wolf growled, everyone went into attack mode to protect you and our pup. ”
“Yeah, I remember. That’s when I got the shock of my life and found out Ian was royalty.”
“True, but who calmed down the situation?”
“Your father,” Jackson recalled.
“Uh-huh, his Alpha power forced everyone to bare their necks in submission.”
“I remember.”
“The next time he used it was when Theo and Norm wrecked Kieran’s room, and tried to run away. He stopped them in their tracks, and everyone felt the power in my father’s voice, except…”
“Me,” Jackson said.
“You know why? Because by that time, your Alpha power had surpassed my father’s. You are the perfect Alpha for this very unique pack, and don’t you doubt it. Now, where do we stand on the High Priestess’ demand for David?”
Feeling his mate’s love and support through their mind link, Jackson smiled. “I’m one very lucky Alpha to have a mate like you.”
“That, you are, and don’t you forget it,” Steel chortled, tickling Jackson and loving the sound of his laughter. Feeling the tension drain from his mate, Steel kissed those full, cock-sucking, red lips he loved so much, imagining the pleasure they’d be giving him.
“Babe, later,” Jackson whispered against Steel’s lips before giving them one last nip.
“Ohhh, not fair. You get me all hot and bothered and then tell me ‘later’?”
Giggling, Jackson murmured, “It’s called cock teasing.” Rising from his mate’s lap, Jackson moved over to his desk, picked up his phone, sent a text, and then said to Steel, “David gave me permission to share his story with you, Penn, and Dylon, who’ll be joining us in a minute.”
“How’s Zane doing?”
“Okay, but worried about David’s safety. One of the points he raised is why the High Priestess is resorting to a threat instead of contacting me to discuss the issue. That normally would be the first step.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know that.”
“Could be, but I don’t think so and, even if she didn’t, her lawyer certainly does. No, threatening to file a complaint against us if we don’t turn David over immediately is overly aggressive; I just can’t figure out what her motive is.”
“Money,” Steel said, shrugging his shoulders.
“When you get down to it, greed is the driving force for a lot of people. It can make a good person bad if an opportunity arises when they’re weak.
Remember Pablo, in Mexico? Figured he could make more money if he auctioned Colton off instead of killing him. ”
“Lucky for us,” Jackson said.
“Yeah, but it got him killed,” Steel said. “Which shows people rarely look at what could go wrong when they’re in the grips of greed.”
“So…” Jackson mused, “if it’s money she is after, maybe I should make an offer?”
“It might work, but let’s wait till we know more.”
A rap at the door announced Dylon’s arrival. “You wanted to see me?” he asked, opening the door after knocking.
“Yeah, come in,” Jackson said. “David told me his story including what’s happening to his mother right now.
While Penn is figuring out what he wants to use in his challenge, I need you to come up with a plan to rescue Mrs. Rossi, David’s mother…
who I just found out is human by the way…
as soon as possible. Zane is already researching the High Priestess to see who she is. According to Oracle, she’s a fake.”
“A fake?” echoed Steel, his left eyebrow raised.
“Your mother said it, so I’m assuming it’s true,” Jackson replied. “David’s mother is being held at the Convent of the Sisters of the Four Gods; he’s going to draw a floorplan for you.”
“That’ll be helpful. Does David or Zane know where she’s located in the convent?” asked Dylon.
“According to David, his mother is in his old room…collared, cuffed and chained to the wall,” Jackson replied.
“What the fuck!” exclaimed Dylon. “Another Arald, huh.”
“Not quite,” Jackson said, dialing Penn’s number. “Worse, by far.”
~/~/~/~/~
Fionn slowly woke up, bemused at first, but then remembered where he was and why he was back in the house that held so many bad memories.
Pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes, he rubbed them, trying to wake up fully.
Glancing down at the floor, he saw the folder with his mother’s pictures had fallen there while he slept.
Scooping it up, he placed it on top of the pile of folders he was taking with him.
Getting back to work, it took another hour until, finally, he had only two drawers left to go through.
If the midwife’s certificate wasn’t in either of them, he’d have to check out his father’s safe below ground.
Snorting, Fionn pictured his father’s face if he’d ever found out his son had the combination…
probably would have had a heart attack. Wait, can dragons get heart attacks?
Shrugging, Fionn went back to work, eager to finish.
Pulling out the last drawer, he nearly missed a folder that had slid to the very back.
Taking that one along with the others, he piled them on the floor, then methodically began going through each one.
Just as he got to the last one, he heard a door slam downstairs.
Rising quietly, he crept out of his father’s study and down the hallway until he was at the top of the staircase.
Peeking around the bannister, Fionn caught a glimpse of a large man, wearing a long black coat, who was mumbling to himself while pulling out drawers from his mother’s desk. Unable to hear clearly what the man was saying, Fionn sat down on the top step, cupping his ear.
“Fucking brother! What a fucking mess. If he had only changed his will like he said he was going to do. Instead, I have to take charge of his wimpy son. Dammit! Where is the fucking key?”
He’s my uncle! Suddenly, Fionn’s dragon warned him to get out of there.
Carefully and slowly, he quietly made his way back to his father’s study, slipping inside without a sound.
Quickly picking up the last folder he hadn’t looked at, he added it to the others and put them all on his father’s desk.
Then, he turned off the lights, pushed the button in the desk drawer to shut the doors of the secret room and, after sliding the drawer closed, called for the portal.
Grabbing the folders, Fionn stepped in and disappeared—just as his uncle turned the doorknob.
Stepping out, he collapsed onto the chair he’d made out of his gold bricks; his heart pounding at nearly being caught.
Breathing deeply, he slowly exhaled, willing his heart to stop hammering in his chest. Finally, he grinned at his close escape from his uncle.
The same one who never came to see me or even acknowledged my existence on my birthday.
I wonder why he was there? And what key was he talking about?
After recovering from the illnesses that plagued him through childhood, Fionn had spent hours exploring, finding all the secrets the house held.
His father was often gone, and his mother was so busy managing the household on the pittance doled out by her husband, that Fionn was left to his own devices.
Bored and angry, it became his mission to discover his father’s secrets, among which were the file room and the safe combination.
Wondering how long he’d been gone, Fionn checked his phone and glanced at the time. Shit, it’s fucking late! Hoping he hadn’t been missed, he rose and placed the file folders on his golden chair for safe-keeping before calling for his portal, entering the location of the hotel, and stepping in.
~/~/~/~/~
Zane glanced over at his mate who’d curled up on their bed and fallen asleep.
Turning his attention back to the screen, he poured through the information his dark web shifter friends had found about Michael and the High Priestess, aka, Brenda.
So far none of it was good; his fear for his mate’s safety kept growing the more he read.
The fake High Priestess was immoral, greedy, and just downright evil.
And it ran in the family. Her brother, Tyson, had a rap sheet a mile long, but he’d escaped serving any jail time.
How did he do it? Zane’s gut told him Brenda was behind it but how she pulled it off was still a puzzle he had to solve.
Skipping over the information about Michael—since he was now out of the picture—Zane concentrated on the brother and sister team.
Opening one of his programs, Zane imported all the charges filed against Tyson, the names of judges and prosecutors who handled each case and the final verdicts.
Hitting start, he sat back, waiting for the results.
Closing his eyes, Zane reviewed everything he’d read so far, singling out certain pieces of information he needed to do more research on including who had purchased the old Italian fortress and converted it to a convent.
After David had pointed out its location on a map, Zane found several old drawings that showed the configuration of the rooms. After his mate pointed out the one his mother was in, Zane circled it, scanned it and sent it to Jackson.
Whoever chose the location for the fortress, knew what he was doing.
Built on a cliff that jutted out over the Mediterranean Sea, it was impossible to access except by a front entrance, reached by a heavily wooded path.
Zane hoped Dylon could think of a way in, other than the front door, or else they’d be sitting ducks for anyone who wanted to repel them.
Opening one eye, Zane quickly sat up when he saw the program had finished.
Scrolling through the data, Zane grinned; his hunch was correct.
All of Tyson’s cases were handled by the same judge, making it more than a coincidence.
Someone had to be paid to assign his cases to that judge, insuring Tyson would get off with little more than a slap on the wrist. Printing out the results for Jackson, he added it to the growing pile.
Launching a different application, Zane entered Brenda’s phone number David had given him and, after choosing the information he wanted to retrieve, clicked ‘start’.
Then, moving to Logan’s laptop, he entered data in another of his programs and watched as it began to search.
Brenda’s bank account appeared along with copies of all her transactions which, he bet, would show payments to the judge in exchange for letting Tyson walk free.
Thinking back, he remembered scenting the other wolf in the woods while hunting Michael.
Shooting a quick text to Slate about the frequency used for the bio-trackers, he smirked when Dakota replied with the information instead, informing him Slate was otherwise occupied.
Downloading the tracker app, Zane entered in the numbers and watched as a red dot appeared in Tuscany, moving away from the convent.
Then he switched the location to Scotland, not expecting to see any dots except David’s.
Growling when he saw a cluster of red dots surrounding their hotel, he bolted out of the room to Logan’s bedroom, knocking frantically at the door.
When no one responded, he flung it open.