Chapter 4
After they gave their order to the waiter, Carson asked, “Do you guys know why Henri suddenly acted so weirdly?”
“He ignored me ,” replied Hunter. “That was strange.”
“Yeah, I noticed that,” Carson said. “All he did was stare at Fionn, then gave some crazy bow…are you royalty…like Ian?”
Fionn glanced at Carson, then turned to Hunter. “No, at least as far as I know…right mate?”
Shrugging, Hunter replied, “Oracle didn’t say anything but maybe we should ask her that question. I agree with Carson…that bow was weird.”
“Maybe…” Fionn said quietly, before his voice trailed off.
“Go ahead pet,” Hunter urged, “maybe what?”
Looking down at his fidgeting fingers, Fionn didn’t want to talk about his involvement the night his father died.
It still haunted him even though he had no regrets about it, but to say it out loud in front of his mate, that was something he did fear.
It was part of his past Fionn wanted to forget, but after Henri’s response—particularly his cold stare—it led him to believe his action was about to come back to bite him in the ass.
As far as he knew, only Kieran, Logan and Jackson knew about his decision to kill his father in order to save his new friends, but now he was uneasy about others knowing as well.
“Fionn, is there something I should know before I meet with Remy?” asked Carson softly, not wanting to upset the dragon or his cousin .
Picking up on his mate’s distress, Hunter moved closer to Fionn. “Hey, take it easy, pet. No one’s going to hurt you, I swear,” he said, placing his arm over his mate’s shoulder, hoping his touch would help. “You know there’s nothing you can say that’ll change how I feel about you…right?”
Giving a brief nod, Fionn did know that Hunter would still love him, but what concerned him more was what his mate would think of him once he found out.
Deciding he owed his mate the truth rather than hiding behind lies, Fionn began, talking in a low voice, explaining what happened that night.
After finishing, he waited, tears gathering in his downcast eyes, afraid he’d hear condemnation in his mate’s voice.
“Fionn, please look at me,” Hunter murmured, waiting.
And when his mate finally did, he lovingly said, “Pet, I know you’re brave ‘cause no one who isn’t could never have survived the shit your father did to you.
But now I know the extent of your bravery.
It must have been so hard for you…knowing there was only one choice you could make if you wanted to protect your friends.
You acted quickly, with no thought of what it would cost you personally, saving all of them from the evil your father could have, would have, inflicted.
That makes you an extraordinary person…makes you a hero in my eyes. ”
“Hunter’s right,” Carson said, quietly. “Doing the right thing, no matter how hard, is the thing that makes you a hero…and someone I’m proud to know.”
“But what if Henri, Remy and the others who worked for my father hate me for what I did?” Fionn whispered. “Maybe that’s why Henri acted that way…maybe he blames me ‘cause he thinks he’s going to lose his job?”
“He’s not going to,” said Carson. “Maximus agreed to your request that all the workers would keep their jobs. ”
“Henri doesn’t know that…no one does,” murmured Fionn.
“Good point, pet,” Hunter said, then looking over at Carson, added, “Maybe you should announce that right away.”
Pausing, Carson thought about his cousin’s recommendation, before saying, “I agree, especially if it helps Fionn, but it will also put the workers at ease, making it easier for me to get their cooperation.”
Just as the waiter arrived with their food, Carson’s stomach growled loudly, and laughter erupted from his dining companions.
Smiling sheepishly at Hunter and Fionn, he waited until their server left before picking up his fork, and digging in.
A small groan escaped from him as he took the first bite. “Oh my gods, this is so good.”
“Not as good as Theo’s,” Fionn mumbled around a mouth full of scrambled eggs.
“Or Kota’s,” Carson added. “But it’s damn close.”
Nothing more was said, until Fionn, setting down his fork, announced, “I’m stuffed, mate…and I need a nap.”
“I’m not surprised,” chuckled Carson, “you were up most of the night.”
Hunter smirked at Carson, then gestured to the waiter for the check. “I think there’s a two-hour drive to the chateau, so we can all catch some shut-eye in the car.”
“Sounds good to me, mate,” Fionn said, yawning.
~/~/~/~/~
Frowning at his computer screen, Remy stared at the total for all the damage that had been done to the different companies.
Ever since Artur died, there’d been a string of incidents, small at first, but now the acts had grown enough to impact profitability and their bottom line.
The Dire Industries’ representative would certainly expect an explanation about the losses, but Remy didn’t think claiming black magic was going to be satisfactory, especially, since its use had been forbidden by the Witches’ Governing Council.
Nevertheless, after the shock he received when he touched the fermentation tank, there wasn’t any doubt.
Seizing on the first and only clue as to who might be behind the sabotage, Remy opened the computer files of all Chateau des Flammes employees, both past and present, to search for any magic users.
Waiting for the results, he leaned back in his chair as his mind wandered back to Fionn MacDùghlas, wondering if he was like his father—or even worse, like Artur’s sadistic brother, Eideard.
Hopefully, Fionn isn’t like that bastard.
Sighing, Remy sat up, deciding it really didn’t matter what Fionn was like since Dire Enterprises was taking over and would be, at least for a short while, Remy’s boss.
Turning back to his computer, he checked the results of his search, only to find another dead end.
Other than himself, there weren’t any witches or warlocks employed.
Not that Remy really expected to find any since his boss had always made his opinions about magic users very clear.
His mind flitted back to the day he stood in Artur’s office, sure he’d blown his chance for a very well-paying job by admitting his powers.
It was only when Artur was satisfied that Remy wasn’t listed in the top three tiers of witches and warlocks that he was hired.
It was the first time in his life that his lack of magic worked in his favor.
Smiling to himself, Remy remembered how proud his parents were when he called them about getting the job.
It confirmed that his decision to go to college instead of witches’ school had been the right one, even though his choice disappointed his parents.
But he knew, deep in his soul, he’d never be a top tier warlock, regardless of what his parents believed.
When it was time to select a major at college, he picked business and never looked back.
His parents trusted him, never disagreeing with his choice, but he sensed they worried about him working among non-paranormals, afraid he’d slip up and use the little magic he possessed.
Remy knew it would never happen; he’d spent his whole life hiding who he was—the magic world regarded warlocks like him as good for nothing other than servants.
Luckily for him, his parents refused to accept that, instead, raising him to believe there was something more he could contribute to the world.
Knowing how he’d be treated in the world of magic, they home-schooled him, teaching him to disguise his weak powers when around other magic users.
As he grew older, he finally understood why they’d kept him hidden—to protect him from those who would only enslave him.
When it was time for college, he picked a human one to attend.
That way, he figured, not only would he learn about his chosen area of study but also about how to interact with those in the normal world.
On the day of his graduation, just after his parents watched him walk up and get his diploma, an email from the university job placement administrator showed up in his inbox; there was a job opening at Chateau des Flammes that seemed perfect for him.
During their celebration dinner, Remy shared the message with his parents, who excitedly told him who the owner was.
Finding out it was owned by a paranormal—a dragon, no less—threw a damper on Remy’s happiness until his parents assured him he would not be in danger.
Trusting them, he sent off a reply, packed up four years of stuff he’d collected and flew to France.
He hated leaving his family in America, but promises of lots of phone calls and visits helped him forge ahead with his new life and, as he discovered, a perfect job to go with it.
Once hired, Remy spent his days, and some nights, too, learning everything about Artur’s businesses until he knew them as well or better than his boss.
His dedication so impressed Artur that, for all practical purposes, Remy was soon given total control over everything, allowing him to implement new cost-saving measures.
And the more profit the businesses showed, the happier Artur was.
The only thorn in Remy’s side was Artur’s brother, Eideard, who insisted on micromanaging everything Remy did, until one day his interference nearly cost the lives of several workers.