Chapter Seventeen #2
I nudged Glacier’s shoulder, trying to convey how much I loved and appreciated him. He sent me a soft smile, and I had a feeling he’d gotten the message.
I was still in my yeti form because I felt safer this way, like I could more easily protect Dain if need be, and I knew some of the others in the room kept eyeing me.
I didn’t care. I needed… I needed to feel some sort of…
safety, feel some sort of control, after having my body and magic taken over like that.
I shivered at the remembered fear and did my best to push that away. It was over with. I was safe. Dain had my icicle in a place no one could ever steal it away from him. There was no point in panicking about it now when everything was fine… good, even, since my bond with Dain had grown so strong.
My brother leaned in and whispered, “Just so you know, the whole family’s on the way here. They saw everything on the news, so there was no stopping them.”
“Great.” I grimaced. Not because I didn’t want to see my family—I kind of did want to after being so terrified—but because I was worried about Dain being bombarded with my family members.
Inside my head, I heard Dain’s voice. “Don’t worry so much. It’ll be fine. If you can survive meeting the Ellwoods, I can survive your family.”
I snorted out loud. “You say that now.”
He laughed and leaned more heavily into me as we settled and looked at Anton, waiting for him to speak since he clearly had something important to say.
After another minute, everyone in the room quieted, and Anton said, “My son found the culprit responsible for stealing Avalanche Rudolphus’s icicle, taking over his magic, and causing so much mayhem.
Luckily, no one was killed, but there are several people en route to the hospital.
” He glanced at me and gave me a nod. “None of this is your fault, Lanche.”
I gave a grim nod back. Objectively, I knew this, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty when it was my magic that caused all of this. My magic had hurt people.
My heart felt heavy at the thought.
I knew it wasn’t my fault, but guilt wasn’t logical most of the time, and it was definitely rearing its ugly head.
Anton continued, “The culprit’s name is Vanessa Dawson. She’s a hundred-year-old vampire who was employed at my store.”
Dain jerked, and I felt his shock through our bond as he gasped out, “Vanessa? Are you serious?”
Anton nodded at him. “The day you received the icicle, she walked in to get my help after Lanche arrived. She must’ve seen it then. It’s the only time she was back there.”
Dain was quiet for a couple of beats. “Yeah… I remember. I just can’t believe she’d do something like this.
She was so nice to me the other day when I was upset about not finding it yet.
I just… I thought she was my friend.” The last part was said so quietly, almost to himself, and I hugged him tighter, kissing the side of his head in support.
Through our bond, I could feel how betrayed he felt, and it broke my heart.
Anton nodded. “She had us all fooled. Apparently, she used to have a fae lover who was a victim of a hate crime a few years ago. He died, and his assailants got off scot free because the laws back then allowed discrimination toward the fae. She’s never forgiven the city for it, and when she saw the icicle and saw Lanche, she realized she could get revenge. ”
I had so many mixed feelings about that. Of course I felt for what this Vanessa person had gone through, but that didn’t give her the right to take over my magic and try to hurt people.
“She had no right whatsoever,” Dain said through our link. “If I ever see her again, I’m going to wring her neck.” He sounded like he meant it.
I kissed his hair again. “I’m alright now, sweetheart. Everything’s fine.”
I glanced around the room, and when my eyes landed on our king, I could see so much guilt written on his face.
Over the years, he’d given some speeches and had done a ton of interviews explaining what had happened and why our territory had become such a horror for the fae, and I could tell how deeply that hurt him.
He could’ve done something about it if only he’d been paying attention to his kingdom rather than burying himself in grief.
But… he was doing so much good now.
I didn’t blame him for it. It wasn’t his fault that the people under him who were supposed to carry out his will had been lying to him for so long.
Just like it wasn’t my fault someone else had used me in such a horrific way.
Before I could contemplate anything further, Jed walked into the room, glanced around, and headed straight for Dain and me, even as he spoke to the room at large.
“She’s locked up in a cell here at the Tower.
She’ll have a trial soon—but we caught everything on video, and she confessed, so there’s no way she’s getting off.
She’ll be moved to the prison after her trial, and she won’t be free for a very long time. ”
Being a vampire meant she would eventually get out—we couldn’t imprison people forever—but it would likely be decades before that happened.
Dain gave him a nod, tapped my arm so I’d release him, and once free, he gave Jed a big hug. The vampire seemed surprised but happily hugged my viramore back. A part of me wanted to growl at the contact, but I didn’t truly feel any threat from Jed.
Maybe because I knew him a little and knew he and Dain had absolutely zero interest in one another.
Or maybe I was calming down a little and getting back to normal… and my normal didn’t typically include growling at people, no matter who they were or what they were doing.
As soon as Dain released the vamp, my viramore stepped right back into my arms, letting me hug him tight again.
Jed shot me a small, knowing smile before refocusing on Dain. “She told us where she got the spell that broke through your wards, but it was off the black market, so finding the culprit is going to take some time. We’ll be starting an investigation right away.”
Anton sighed. “Jed, are you taking point on that?”
Jed looked at his sire and nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.”
I’d thought Jed worked at the bookshop, so I was a little surprised he was taking charge of an investigation.
Inside my head, Dain said, “He only helps out at the shop when he’s not doing investigations for Garrick, which he hasn’t really been doing lately.
He basically only takes bigger cases and only when Tan and Garrick ask him…
kinda like Anton and the rest of his children.
I don’t know all of the details, but they’ve all known each other for centuries, so I guess they just… work where and whenever they want?”
Huh. I supposed it made sense. I certainly only took jobs I actually wanted to do, and I wasn’t nearly as old as any of them.
Anton quickly wrapped up the meeting and told everyone to go home, so I turned to my brother and said, “Can you please run interference? I really want to take my mate home. I’m exhausted and need to get out of here.”
The last thing I needed was being swarmed by my family. Ten minutes ago, I would’ve happily seen them, but now, all I could think about was taking Dain to a safe place… and nowhere was safer for us than my den.
Dain turned to me with wide eyes. “Won’t they be upset? I don’t want them to think I’m stealing you away from them or something.”
My heart warmed. He wanted my family to like him. That was so sweet of my little grouchy werewolf. “We can see them in two days for Winter Solstice… if that’s okay with you?”
Ailin and Sebastian overheard me, and Ailin said, “Your entire family is coming to our home for our Solstice celebration.”
He said it like a statement, not a question.
Glacier’s eyes widened. “Um… we always do our own family dinner thing.”
“And you still can. But our celebration lasts the entire day. So come to ours for a little while in the morning and afternoon, then do your own.”
Sebastian sighed. “That wasn’t a demand, by the way.
This one”—he pointed at his viramore—“doesn’t understand how to ask nicely.
We would love to have you come—Dain, this invitation includes your brother—but we understand if you can’t.
But please… please come. We would love to get to know you all better. ”
Dain and I glanced at each other before looking back at Sebastian and nodding, and Dain asked, “Are you sure it’s okay if Paxton comes too?”
“Absolutely.”
Dain, Ailin, and Sebastian kept chatting, and my brother leaned into me, whispering, “The only reason Mom and Dad aren’t in here right now is because the Tower’s being guarded by a billion king’s guard.
They keep texting me. So… if you want to avoid them, you need to leave now through the back entrance before the king opens the Tower back up. ”
I nodded, and Dain, who must’ve overheard us, said his goodbyes to the Ellwoods, to my brother, and to the rest of the congregation, most of whom were apparently a part of Dain’s family.
Which was something to think about. I would be taken into the fold…
with the king of Sedoba and the infamous Ellwoods of Brinnswick.
That was… way too overwhelming to consider at the moment, so I pushed that away for the time being. I could freak out about it at another time… when I wasn’t recovering from the horrors of today.
It took us a lot longer to free ourselves than I expected, but luckily, the king waited to open the Tower back up, and we were able to sneak out the back.
As soon as we were free, Dain said, “Um… my car is three blocks away.” He glanced at me. “But I don’t think you’ll fit in that form. I’m sorry.”
“That’s fine. I’ll shift when we get to your car.”
“I think I have some clothes in my car. They’ll be small on you, but they’ll have to do.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Dain sent me a small smile, laced our fingers together, and tugged me along.
He knew I’d follow him wherever he went.