Epilogue
Victor opened the door to the diner where he and his father had agreed to meet. He wrinkled his nose, catching the reek of corrupt magic that blotted out his father’s scent.
His father was sitting in a booth toward the back, away from the other customers, and Victor took a seat across from him. Two glasses of water sat on the table between them.
“It’s about time you contacted me,” his father said, his voice laced with disdain. “You’re too weak to handle this without me.”
Victor repressed a growl, but before he could reply, Elijah slid into the booth next to him. He inhaled sharply, glancing at the table, then said, “We’re doing fine on our own, thanks.”
Victor’s father snarled. “I told you to come alone.”
“Like fuck that’s happening.” Elijah gestured for the waitress to bring a third glass of water.
“Does he have you on that short of a leash?” Victor’s father stared at him with a cool gaze, and they fell silent as the waitress brought over Elijah’s glass.
When she set it down, Elijah switched it out with the one in front of Victor.
Victor shot him a confused look, and Elijah shrugged. “What? You know I don’t like ice. Yours has less in it.” He didn’t take a drink though, just kept his hands loosely around the glass.
What was he doing? Elijah didn’t mind ice in his drinks. But he must have had a reason, and Victor wasn’t going to question him about it, not right now. He turned to his father.
“You called me and said there was something you could help me with. If we did want your assistance, what are you offering?”
“I thought you were fine on your own.”
“We are. That bastard of a mage has to have realized his plan isn’t working, but we still need to know what he wants from our packs.”
His father scoffed. “What makes you think he wants anything?”
“The fact that he let spirits loose on our pack territories in an attempt to weaken us.”
“Spirits that showed up after Darius left town and your new little fuck toy moved in? Are you sure he isn’t behind it? You ran to him when you couldn’t protect my pack, and he got access to all their energy out of the deal. Nice and convenient for him, isn’t it? Probably even worth letting you screw him a time or two.”
“They aren’t your pack anymore.” Victor found he wasn’t bothered by his father’s comments about Elijah. None of it was true. The bond they had was worlds apart from whatever twisted arrangement his father had with that asshole mage.
“Why are you working with him?” Elijah asked.
Victor’s father stood abruptly. “We aren’t going to accomplish anything with him here. Contact me again when you’re ready to talk alone.”
He grabbed Elijah’s glass and downed its contents, then glared at Elijah for a beat before walking away.
“What the hell was that about?” Victor asked.
Elijah frowned at him. “You can’t smell that?”
“Smell what?”
Elijah held the empty glass up to his nose. “This. It’s so strong.”
Victor sniffed the air, but it was only filled with the usual scents of the diner—the fried food and sugary drinks. There was nothing special about that glass that he could tell. “It just smells like water.”
“No, it smells like the white flowers they broke into my shop to steal.”
Victor’s stomach dropped. His father had tried to poison him?
Elijah looked grim. “And now we have another reason we need Aran back. We have to figure out what that flower can do. Whatever it is, it isn’t good.”
“We’ll get him back,” Victor vowed with unwavering determination.
They already had the raid planned. Four more days, and they’d save Aran, no matter the cost.
End of Impulsive Connections (Elemental Bonds Book Two)
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