Chapter 22
The door closed behind the twins and Claudia with a soft click, and silence fell for a moment.
Marigold hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been holding herself until her shoulders sagged and the air rushed from her lungs in a shaky breath.
Robert’s words had hit harder than she expected.
For so long, the Rollins name had meant cruelty, betrayal, and often, her own bloodshed.
To hear one of them offer her a place in the family twisted something deep inside her chest.
Beside her, Gavin squeezed her hand, watching her carefully. “You okay?”
She swallowed hard, then gave a small nod. “I think so. I just never thought they’d really admit that they weren’t like the others. Being in line with the Rollins hierarchy was a way of life in that family. Anybody who didn’t kowtow was killed. Like my parents.”
Gavin brought her hands to his lips for a gentle kiss. “They didn’t deserve that. With any luck, Robert and Rowan really will guide the family in a better direction from now on.”
Marigold blinked rapidly, her throat tightening. “I really hope so.”
The door had barely closed behind Claudia and the Rollins twins when another opened.
Sam Kinkaid strode in, tall and solid, the quiet force of his authority filling the room more completely than Robert’s sharp edges ever could.
His gaze swept over the space, catching first on Gavin, then on Marigold.
“I saw them leave,” Sam said, shutting the door behind him. “What’s the verdict?”
Marigold straightened automatically, though her heart still beat too fast from the encounter. She wasn’t sure where to begin, but Gavin, steady as ever, answered first.
“They showed up, which is frankly, more than I expected. Robert played his cards close, Rowan a little less so. They admitted enough to prove they’re not entirely in line with the old ways.
” Gavin’s hand tightened around Marigold’s for a beat before he let go.
“But trust? That’s going to take time. On both sides. ”
Sam nodded once, listening without interruption. His sharp eyes turned to Marigold. “And you? How did it feel to see them again?”
The question caught her off guard. She blinked, heat rising in her cheeks.
“Strange,” she admitted. “I spent so long wondering if I’d been right about them.
” She hesitated, then drew in a breath. “They admitted they spared me, and that they didn’t follow the Patriarch’s orders when they could have.
It makes me think they might really be different than the others.
They could have so easily hurt me, but they didn’t, at great cost to their own magical energies.
Though, if they were hiding their true power levels all their lives, then they must have had a reason to hide their differences from the others. ”
Sam moved to the head of the table, resting his palms on the polished surface. He studied her for a long moment before speaking.
“Different can be dangerous too. A lion that hunts alone doesn’t answer to the pride, but it can still kill.”
Marigold’s stomach tightened, but she nodded. He was right, of course.
“They’ve offered to help stabilize what’s left of the dynasty,” Gavin said, his tone pragmatic. “I made the offer of a consult with Tilly about the legal stuff, which they took gladly. Claudia’s with them now to keep watch magically.”
Sam folded his arms, his expression going a bit hard when Claudia’s name was mentioned. Marigold wasn’t sure what that was all about, but she liked Claudia and wouldn’t take it kindly if Sam had it in for her or something.
“We’ll proceed with caution.” His gaze returned to Marigold, and this time, his tone softened. “You did well today. Facing them couldn’t have been easy.”
Warmth spread through her chest, unexpected and steadying. “Thank you, Alpha,” she whispered.
Sam inclined his head, the gesture both acknowledgment and dismissal. “Just so you know, you have a place with the Clan. You never need to go back to Rollins land if you don’t want to. For now, get some rest. This is just the beginning.”
*
The next days were filled with activity.
Claudia came every day to give Marigold lessons in how to control and tap into her power.
Gavin sat in on the lessons and began to learn a little more about his own magical heritage, much to his surprise.
Claudia caught on and had him join the class, such as it was, officially.
He had never realized how much magic he truly had. His shifter side had always been more dominant, or so he’d believed. As it turned out, Claudia found hidden depths to his magical nature that perfectly complemented Marigold’s Lightbringer talents.
His magic was protective in nature, which didn’t surprise any of them, but it was a very specific kind of protection that perfectly meshed with Marigold’s energies. It enhanced them and made her shields against evil even stronger.
When Claudia had them work together the first time, even she had been surprised by the result. So much so, that she called her mentor and asked Granny Tucker to come out and have a look since the power levels were way above anything or anyone Claudia had ever trained before.
Granny Tucker visited Gavin’s home a few days later and spent an enlightening hour or two working with Marigold and Gavin.
Then, the older woman had asked Claudia to drive her into the city for her meeting at the Kinkaid Industries headquarters with Sam.
Granny Tucker had also given Claudia instructions on how to proceed teaching Marigold and Gavin the next steps in the mastery of their newly discovered abilities.
Marigold had moved in with Gavin, transferring her few possessions to his home.
He had announced to Sam and the rest of the Clan that they were mates, and she’d been welcomed officially by the Alpha.
Gavin knew the party was already in the planning stages, but the Clan had decided to give them a little time together before bombarding Marigold with all the new faces, names and people she had yet to meet.
Gavin was glad for that. Marigold was still finding her way as a free woman, and he didn’t want to hinder that in any way.
In fact, he was doing everything he could to foster a sense of security in Marigold.
He wanted her to believe that she was safe with him, and his Clan.
He knew that belief would come in time, but he didn’t want anything to interfere with that natural process.
She’d been so sheltered until recently. Literally held captive most of her life.
He wanted her to find her wings and fly with him as her companion, of course.
The magic lessons with Claudia were definitely helping. As Marigold gained confidence in her abilities, and her control over them, she was blossoming into a confident, competent, beautiful woman. He loved watching her grow into herself and had vowed to do all he could to continue the process.
There were just a few niggling things still bothering him.
There were enemies out there, still gunning for him and his people.
As security chief for Kinkaid Industries, he kept himself apprised of all possible threats.
Gavin was keeping a close eye on what was left of the Rollins family, but everything he’d seen so far indicated that Robert and Rowan were doing a good job consolidating their power and guiding the remnants of the family into a new direction.
Still, Gavin would remain watchful. They were the closest threat to his mate, and she had a bad history with a few of those Rollins survivors.
But there were other enemies out there that really needed to be caught and dealt with.
Mrs. Entwistle being among the highest value targets.
She’d been summoning demons all over the country on her way to Texas, and there was proof from within the Rollins households, handed over by Robert and Rowan, that she had been teaching that vile art at the Patriarch’s request.
They’d been so close to catching her the day of the demon summoning when old Jeremiah had been defeated, but she had escaped.
Having a powerful witch like Mrs. Entwistle in the wind was a dangerous thing.
She’d already proven that she had it in for just about anyone who served the Light, with a particular hatred for anyone with the last name Kinkaid since they’d done a lot to foil her plans in recent times.
Then, there was Abdul Kettering. The slimy illegal arms merchant who lived in a castle in Germany yet still had his fingers in many illegal, immoral, and downright evil plots around the globe had been positively identified as being involved with the Venifucus.
He also had it in for some recent additions to the Kinkaid Clan.
He’d have to be dealt with sooner or later, if he came within reach of the Kinkaids.
Gavin monitored what he could of the situation, using his old mercenary contacts, hoping to find an opening to get to the man who’d caused so much strife and hardship, and who planned even more.
Kettering was involved with the murder of two Kinkaids—a mated pair—in Connecticut through mages he supported, which had gotten him added to the list of enemies of the Kinkaid Clan.
The actual mage responsible for their deaths had already been dealt with, but her mentor and a few others who were working directly with Kettering were still out there.
They were still on the enemies list that Gavin kept for the Clan.
He had hoped to go out there and find everyone on his list and deal with them himself, but now that he’d found his mate, she came first. He wouldn’t deliberately put himself in danger or leave her unprotected in any way.
So, Gavin had come to the reluctant conclusion that he had to delegate. Much as he didn’t like the idea, he’d have to expand his reach a little bit and ask other qualified members of the Clan to help him track down and deal with their enemies.
He also had to get back to the office at some point.
Ever since Marigold had come into his life, he’d been working out of the apartment’s office or his home office, but there were things in his office at Kinkaid Industries that he needed to reference, and it was just more efficient.
He had people and resources in that building that made things a little easier for him to do his job.
Not to mention that he was also responsible for that site’s security, and he wasn’t ready to delegate that to his second in command just yet.
For now, though, he would make do. He wanted to be wherever Marigold was, and if that meant a little bit of inconvenience, so be it. Sam was willing to let Gavin use his best judgment, and so far, he was getting things done from home.
He went back to his email and started answering questions from his staff.
Sometime later when he looked up, Marigold was sitting in the chair across from his desk, watching him.
He was a little taken aback because he hadn’t realized she’d come in.
Normally, his inner cat would’ve been well aware of his surroundings and warning him of every little thing.
Apparently, his mate wasn’t seen as a threat by his subconscious, which made sense, but was also a little strange.
He hadn’t thought the habits of a lifetime could be broken so quickly or easily.
Gavin sat back in his chair and smiled at his mate. He loved seeing her anytime the day. Or night.
“Something on your mind, Goldie?”
Her nose scrunched up. “I need a job.”
Her disgruntled expression, coupled with a semi-disgusted tone, made him chuckle. “What brought that on? You don’t have to work unless you want to, honey. I make plenty to support us both.”
“It’s not a question of money. It’s more that I am bored to tears and don’t know what to do with myself.
I feel like I should be doing something productive.
All those years, I was kept locked in a room, and I told myself, if I ever got free, I would do things.
I would go places and talk to people. I’d make a difference in the world, somehow. ”
Gavin started to understand what she was talking about. He searched his mind to try to figure out a way to help her. There were lots of things she could do under the Kinkaid Industries umbrella, but he wasn’t sure what she would enjoy most.
“Do you have a particular kind of job in mind?”
Marigold shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m pretty good at research.
I spent a lot of time on the Internet, learning things and researching stuff that interested me.
Jeremiah let me go to school virtually. I actually have a master’s degree in library science.
The Patriarch pulled some strings so that I never had to actually go to the campus.
He had a lot of connections in high places. ”
“I didn’t know that about you, but it makes sense.
You have a very inquisitive mind.” He grinned at her before proceeding.
“You know, we have a corporate library at Kinkaid Industries. The man who runs it is very old and would probably enjoy having a pretty young apprentice to help him out. I know he takes on a bunch of the interns every year, but they move on pretty quickly to other departments after learning the ropes from him. A more permanent assistant might be just the thing.”
Gavin was gratified to see her eyes light up with excitement. Marigold clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled.
“Do you really think it’s possible?”
“I’ll give them a call and see what he says.
But knowing him, I think you’ll be more than welcome.
Old Theo is a sweetheart, and his mind is sharp as a tack, despite his advanced age.
Everybody loves him, and I think you will too.
He’s like the entire Clan’s grandpa, whether he’s actually related to you or not.
Though, he did have a lot of children and grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, so he is related to a large percentage of the Clan. ”
Gavin made the call and set up a meeting for the next day.
Theo was more than happy to entertain the idea of putting Marigold’s degree in library science to good use.
He’d heard about Gavin’s mating and congratulated them, indicating he wanted very much to meet the Clan’s newest member.
The fact that she could help him with the library was an added bonus.
It looked like he was going back to the office. It all might’ve been a big coincidence that he had just been thinking about how best to do his job from home and Marigold’s sudden desire to be productive, but Gavin thought he saw a little bit of the hand of the Divine working in their favor.