Chapter 31
Chapter
Thirty-One
REID
I gaped at Warlock Birch, who was looking thoughtfully at the door. I hadn’t seen a non-shifter recognize their mate before. At least, not in real time.
I knew that warlocks had fated mates, but finding them was less common than it was for shifters because a warlock’s instincts were weaker. A simple scent exchange wouldn’t be enough to identify them, but something about George must have triggered this reaction.
“Tread carefully,” Zander said quietly. “George is a good man but he survived an attempted kidnapping only a few weeks ago. He may not be ready for a mate.”
Warlock Birch nodded. “I’ll be patient.” He glanced between us. “Can I leave you alone while I speak to him?”
“Of course.” Zander took off his hat and sank onto the sofa. “I think Reid and I need to have a conversation too.”
I looked down at my gloved hands. I didn’t want to talk about my birth coven or my parents, but if I wanted him to protect me then I’d have to.
“Reid?”
I looked up, surprised to find Warlock Birch still hovering there, his expression making it clear that he wasn’t leaving me alone with Zander unless I agreed to it. Something warm unfurled in my chest. I’d barely met the man and yet he was trying to keep me safe and comfortable.
Perhaps I didn’t need to be so wary of him.
“You can go,” I told him.
He searched my gaze for a long moment and I was awed at his willpower. Most shifters lost their minds when they first met their mate, but he was being very controlled. Hopefully that meant he wouldn’t frighten George.
I drew in a breath and summoned my courage. “Please don’t push him.”
Warlock Birch’s features softened. “A mate is a precious gift. I would never push. I give you my word.”
I ducked my head awkwardly. “Thank you.”
He left the room and closed the door behind him. I hovered, unsure whether to sit beside Zander or on the floor.
“Would you like a drink?” Zander asked, moving over to create more room on the sofa. “Or a snack? I know you had a shock.”
“No, thank you.” I slinked closer, settling onto the cushion beside him but keeping at least a foot of space between us. “Later. I don’t think I could eat now.”
“Just tell me when.”
“Okay.” I kicked my shoes off, lifted my socked feet onto the chair, and wrapped my arms around my knees. “I guess I’d better get talking, huh?”
Zander rested his elbow on the arm of the sofa and angled himself toward me. “Only share as much as you’re comfortable with.”
I bit my lip. At this stage, there was no point keeping anything to myself. He’d find out sooner or later anyway.
I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words. I felt adrift, unanchored at sea. Needing something to ground me, I shuffled closer to him and reached out.
As if sensing what I needed, he took my hand. His was so much larger than mine and hotter too. I focused on the sensation of his callused skin against my softer palm and used the connection to stay in the moment.
I couldn’t let the memories pull me under.
“My coven realized how powerful I was when I was very young.” My voice was startlingly loud in the quiet room and I dropped it to a whisper.
“In some covens, they would have trained me to be their next leader and used all of their resources to make me as educated and skilled as possible, but not in mine.”
He gave my hand a squeeze. “What happened?”
I looked down at our joined hands because that was easier than meeting his eyes.
“The High Priest was intimidated by me. He didn’t see me as a protégé but as someone who might usurp his place.
So instead of training me to use my power, he paid off my parents and the entire coven was allowed to use me as a magical battery. ”
“They what?” Zander growled, a soft menace in his voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I curled my fingers around him more tightly. “They created a room with a magical circle that allowed others to siphon my power. The High Priest used me most often and he put limits on how much others were allowed to take but as long as they stayed within the limits, he was happy.”
Closing my eyes, I warded off memories of that awful room. The chains drilled into the concrete to keep me in place when I fought. The spells that rendered me unable to protect myself. The utter hopelessness that would sink into my bones any time I was taken there.
I’d stopped fighting after a while. When I was complacent, I earned some small freedoms. At the time, I’d loved being able to leave the compound for short periods. Eventually, that was how I’d met Trent and ended up in a whole other form of hell.
“You said he paid your parents off, but where were they during all of this?” Zander’s tone was rough, barely human, and when I peeked at him, his eyes were amber, his bear close to the surface.
“Around. They were loyal to the High Priest. My father was one of his enforcers and my mother… Well, they might have been lovers at one point. I was never certain but she was closer to him than she should have been.”
“So they just allowed you to be used like that?” Zander practically vibrated with rage and part of me liked it.
I couldn’t help tensing because he was a strong alpha and those had never been good for me in the past, but he was angry on my behalf and that was kind of nice.
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
My clan will protect you. I’ll protect you. ”
A small flame of hope burst to life inside me.
I wanted to believe him.
I yearned for his words to be true.
“Thank you,” I whispered, leaning closer to him and drawing comfort from his presence.
Maybe this time would be different.
Maybe this man was different.
If so, my baby and I might be able to have a life I’d always been too afraid to dream of.
Zander lifted my hand and brushed his lips over the back of it. Goose bumps rippled down my arm.
“I have to send that asshole away,” he said. “I’m going to call Everett. Do you need a few minutes to process things first?”
“No.” The sooner Hephaestes was gone, the better. “I want to check on George.”
I didn’t think Warlock Birch would mistreat him but alphas had surprised me before and rarely in good ways.
We stood and I tried to pretend I didn’t notice that my hand was still in Zander’s as he opened the door and held it for me. The corridor was narrow but we fit side by side as long as we stayed close together.
Warlock Birch and George were in the kitchen.
As soon as we entered, a knot in my gut loosened.
All it took was a glance to see that Birch was already smitten and George seemed relaxed with him.
The human omega had a sparkle in his eye and a sassy sway to his hips as he moved that certainly hadn’t been there earlier.
George looked over and smiled. “Would you like a drink?”
“Can I get a glass of water?” I asked, offering him a hesitant smile in return.
He opened a cabinet, pulled a glass down, filled it and passed it to me. “Here you go. My mate tells me that you’ve been training with him.”
Ah, so that answered the question as to whether or not Warlock Birch had told him they were mates. The connection was even more difficult for humans to recognize than it was for warlocks, although I’d been told there was an undeniable draw to the person in question.
“We haven’t done much yet,” I replied, not wanting to give anyone the idea that I was more skilled than I was.
The side of Birch’s mouth hitched up. “We’ll get there. It’s all one day at a time.”
I looked between the two men and found myself hoping that he meant it, both for George’s sake and for mine.
Zander cleared his throat. “Reid, I’m going to ask Everett to come and wait with you while I get rid of that… monster.”