Chapter Five #3
“We’ve got him,” Mitch vowed.
Wylder gave his waist one more squeeze before he drew away. Theo immediately wanted to call him back. It seemed like forever ago that he’d seen his mates.
“Listen, Theo.” Alek said gently. “Listen to me closely.”
Theo swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“You control the magic. You’re letting it control you. Pull back on it,” Alek told him.
“I don’t know how!” Theo shouted. “Help me.”
“We are, little one,” Dario said. He wrapped his fingers around Theo’s right wrist as Alek did the same with his left. “Breathe for me.”
Well, he was obviously breathing. Or was he? Was that why Theo’s vision was blurry? Theo sucked in a sharp breath before he blew it out.
“Again,” Dario encouraged.
Did the magic let up? It might have. At least a little bit.
“Again,” Alek urged.
As Theo continued to breathe in and out, it did seem like the flow of magic lessened.
“That’s it. You’re doing so good,” Dario told him.
“I know this is scary,” Alek said. “But there is so much power radiating from you. You can do this. I know you can.”
Closing his eyes, Theo tried to pull back. Take the magic he was throwing at his brother and keep it for himself. He didn’t even know how he was using magic. Or where it came from. It was like he’d unlocked something that had been taken from him.
“That’s it.” Dario kissed Theo’s temple. “You’re doing it.”
Was he? Theo pictured the magic from that crack in his chest. What would he need to repair a crack? If he had broken something open maybe he could place a little bandage over it?
“Perfect,” Alek whispered. “Almost there.”
Theo didn’t want to give away all his magic. Now that his mates were there, they could take care of Bramley and keep him safe. Theo hadn’t had magic before and he wanted to see if now that he used it once, there was a way to learn more about his unseelie side.
“I’m so proud of you,” Dario said. “So proud.”
“Just a little more,” Alek added.
His magic. Theo had needed protection in the past that he hadn’t had. He still loved being a feline shifter now there was just more to him than that. His magic! It was his and Bramley wasn’t going to take any more away from him.
His!
Suddenly Theo’s chest felt tight and his knees buckled.
Dario caught him, lifting Theo as there was a crash on the other side of the room.
“Oops!” Wylder shouted. “Missed him. It’s okay. I think we knocked him out.”
Exhausted, Theo blinked his eyes, trying to force himself to keep them open. “Baaaad…” Why was he slurring?
“Shh,” Dario hushed him as he bent to kiss Theo’s forehead. “Just rest.”
Theo shook his head. Or at least he tried to. He was just so tired. “Bad…brother…”
Dario stiffened. “What? The unseelie king is your brother?”
“Ye…yeah. Killed…killed my mother and father,” Theo managed.
“Shit!” Wylder shouted. “Where did he go?”
“He portaled away,” Mitch said with a growl. “I thought he’d knocked himself out.”
“Save Gar…Garrett and Bo. The brownie too,” Theo whispered as the darkness took him.
* * * * *
Alek
Looking at his little mate being held tight against Dario’s chest made Alek want to take his men home right away. But Theo’s words held enough information that Alek knew that had a real concern.
“He’s unseelie?” Dario asked. He was staring down at Theo with tears in the corners of his eyes.
“I can smell it on him. His brother must have done something to unleash it,” Alek said.
Mitch was fiddling with the lock to the cell as Wylder joined him.
“How can he be unseelie?” Wylder asked. “He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”
“Unseelie doesn’t necessarily mean evil. Just more prone to causing chaos, aggression, and cruelty. But my fathers debate nurture over nature when it comes to good and evil.”
“He couldn’t be evil even if he tried,” Wylder said fiercely.
“Theo’s not evil. Being unseelie just means that he does have magic. If the current king is his brother, that means that the previous was his sire. The prior king Jasperkin was a fair man. It is because of him that the treaties were agreed upon,” Alek shared.
“What do we do now?” Wylder questioned. “It can’t be safe for Theo if his brother can summon him back here anytime he wants.”
“My fathers are working on that,” Alek replied.
Mitch busted the lock on the cell and the three creatures rushed toward them.
“Friend Theo?” Garrett leaned over the small shifter.
“Garrett?” Wylder grabbed the gargoyle’s arm. “What happened to you?”
Garrett’s little bat ears turned right and left. “We do not know.”
“A gargoyle doesn’t belong in fae,” Dario said. “They are unnatural to the realm, so this is the form he is given.”
“It’s good to see you, friends,” Garrett said.
“More friends?” the big troll asked as he stomped forward.
Garrett turned to the troll. “Yes, these are friend Theo’s mates.”
The troll nodded. “I am friend too.”
“You’re a big guy,” Wylder said. “The troll from the bridge?”
“Bo is my name. I left my bridge to travel with my friends,” Bo said.
“And this is Aurelia.” Garrett picked up the little brownie.
“Hello, Aurelia. Aren’t you cute?” Wylder cooed at the little creature.
“We need to get Theo home,” Dario stated. “We don’t know how long his brother will be gone.”
“The unseelie king will need time to power up. He does have an army at his disposal,” Alek responded. The unseelie king’s reputation was not that of his sire.
“I’ll portal us home,” Mitch offered.
“What about—” Wylder waved his hand at the troll and brownie. “Theo’s new friends.”
“I go with my friend,” Bo stated.
The brownie chirped and nodded.
“Uh, how are we going to hide a troll?” Wylder asked.
Alek smiled for what felt like the first time in days. “If we take him into the human realm, he will transform into a gnome. Easier to hide. Garrett should return to his form. The brownie should be fine if we give her tasks to perform.”
Leave it to Theo to be stolen away from his home and everything that he’d ever known and collect friends along the way. Creatures that would both support his unseelie side but also give Theo people to care about.
Theo might not realize how important this was for their little family.
There was still so much that Alek still needed to share with his mates about being the chosen, but it appeared things had a way of working out. The chosen grew their families by the connections they made.
“Let’s go home,” Alek ordered.
Mitch kissed Theo’s cheek then opened the portal.
Dario walked through first, still carrying Theo. Wylder took the brownie from Garrett and followed with Garrett and Bo on his heels. Alek took one last look around.
“We won’t let this happen again,” Mitch told him.
“I hope not. But I think we need to look at the bigger picture,” Alek confessed.
“Theo’s connection to the unseelie,” Mitch said.
“It’s been kept secret for a long time. We can’t rely on that to continue. Just our presence here is going to stir up gossip,” Alek reminded him.
“Then we’ll have the unseelie court negotiate for their soldiers back,” Mitch said.
“And they could give out intel that we want to keep hidden.” Alek shared his concern.
Mitch hummed, rocking back on his heels. “It would be a shame if something happened to them while they are being held.”
Alek snapped his gaze over to his mate.
Mitch grinned. “I want to check on Theo and make sure he is comfortable. Then I’ll bring some friends back with me.”
It was a calculated risk. In the end, nothing was more important than protecting Theo. Alek nodded.
“Since your fathers had an agreement with the seelie court, I won’t tell you more,” Mitch said.
“Agreed,” Alek told him.
Strolling over, Mitch grabbed the front of Alek’s suit and yanked him forward. He kissed Alek with so much passion that it took his breath away. By the time that Mitch drew back, Alek was hanging on to him.
“You take care of the politics and I’ll get dirty,” Mitch said.
Alek cupped Mitch’s face. He loved seeing his mate in his true form. “Theo is going to want to see you like this. Don’t be afraid.”
Mitch nodded. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“Yes, we will. Let’s go home.” Alek grabbed Mitch’s hand pulling them both through the portal where their mates had gone.