Chapter Four #3
While Dermot and Bastien were talking, Rowan had taken his phone out and placed it on the counter.
He’d dialed a number and was now talking to Dominic, the Whitedell pride alpha.
It seemed like Clay had won the argument.
The council would be involved, but it would be through the pride, not through the council members themselves.
“I agree that sending spies in would be a good idea,” Dominic said, his voice booming over the line. “But if he really has Celeste, she might not have that much time.”
“We don’t think he’ll kill her,” Rowan said.
“There are many ways to kill someone, and not all of them involve actually dying. Even if he doesn’t kill her, he’s going to hurt her, and from what she said, he’s definitely going to use her. Is that something you’re willing to risk?”
Rowan rubbed his forehead. “What do you suggest, then?”
Dermot cleared his throat. “We have the information Celeste gave us, right?” he asked.
He hadn’t been part of those conversations because his main focus had been to protect the clan itself.
He suspected that if Rowan and Clay hadn’t noticed that something was going on between him and Bastien, they would’ve asked why he was there.
He might have wanted to know how Celeste had left the clan, but it really wouldn’t be that hard to figure out.
The shield protected the clan from outside threats, but it didn’t stop clan members from leaving.
“We do,” Rowan confirmed.
“And I know Parrish, too,” Bastien offered. “I haven’t seen him in years, but I can probably help when it comes to knowing how he thinks.”
“I’m going to start getting my people together,” Dominic said.
“I’m glad you contacted me, Rowan. Emory is part of my family, and I want him to be safe.
Parrish is a danger to him and to you, and I don’t like the thought of him being allowed to hurt people the way he has been.
I know that historically, the council has stayed out of Krsniks and Kudlaks business, but maybe that needs to change.
There aren’t enough of you left to defend yourselves from all the Kudlaks out there, especially Kudlaks like Parrish.
We should look into making you or another Krsnik a council member. ”
Rowan looked horrified at the thought, which wasn’t a surprise.
He’d always wanted a peaceful life. From the few conversations he and Dermot had had, Dermot knew that Rowan had never wanted to become a clan leader.
The only reason he was one was that they’d needed someone to step up, and he had.
He and Clay were good people, and they were dealing with this mess the best way they could, but neither of them had been trained to lead.
Still, they were doing a good job, and Dermot didn’t want either of them to step down, especially not to become council members.
“We’ll talk about that another time,” Rowan said, clearly trying to change the subject.
Dominic laughed. “We will. It was just a suggestion, so if you have someone better in mind, you can let me know. I do think that you and your people need representation on the council, though. It would make it easier for you to deal with this kind of situation.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong.”
“You’re just saying you don’t want the job. I’m not surprised. You and Emory seem to be more similar than you probably think.”
“I don’t know that we are. We’ve lived very different lives since we lost our clans.”
“Have you? You both found your mates. You both have loving clans and homes. You’re both ready to do anything in your power to protect those things. Even though your lives might look different from the outside, you’re very similar.”
Dermot was curious about this Emory, and maybe one day he’d get to meet him. The village couldn’t stay closed the way it was forever. No one wanted that to happen, which was why they had to get rid of Parrish.
Maybe this mess with Celeste would be the way they finally got to the Kudlak.
They still didn’t know what had happened with Celeste, but he decided that it didn’t matter.
They needed to get Celeste back, find out what had happened with Rose, and hopefully kill Parrish, and they would only be able to do that by working together.
That included Dermot, even though he had no idea what he was doing when it came to fighting.
But he was a Krsnik’s mate. He’d seen how Krsniks and Vila could work together when they were bonded, and if there was even one chance that he could help Bastien come out of this in one piece, he wanted to take it.
“Anyway,” Dominic continued. “I’ll get my people together.
I can send several of them to spy on Parrish and his people, but it would be good if you could start moving things on your end.
If you get information faster than I do, we can plan how to get to Parrish and Celeste, and how to get Celeste out again without her getting hurt. ”
“Parrish isn’t going to let her go easily,” Bastien commented.
Dominic didn’t ask who he was. It didn’t matter. Since he was on this call with Rowan, it meant that Rowan trusted him.
Rowan wouldn’t have let Bastien in if he didn’t trust him.
Maybe that was what Dermot should’ve focused on instead of what Bastien was.
Bastien might be a Krsnik, but he hadn’t done anything to show Dermot that he couldn’t be trusted.
If anything, it was the opposite. He’d given Dermot time and space, and even though everything was going to hell around them, he still was.
He’d even forgiven Dermot, or at least, it looked like he had.
It might take a little more time, but that was okay.
Dermot was sure that once Celeste was back with them, he and Bastien would have all the time they needed to get to know each other and learn to be together.
But that meant that the sooner they got Celeste back, the better it would be, and not only for Bastien and Dermot. It would be best for Celeste, who wouldn’t have to get hurt by Parrish any further. It would be best for the village and clan because it would keep them safe from Parrish.
The only person it wouldn’t be best for was Parrish, and Dermot couldn’t wait for the man to suffer. It wouldn’t be the way he’d made others suffer, and it wouldn’t be nearly enough, but it would be something.
Dermot was definitely looking forward to that.
* * * *
“HE’LL BE SURROUNDED by his minions,” Dermot said.
Bastien frowned. “I don’t know. When I met him, he was alone.”
Dermot took a sip of coffee as he nodded.
“Which makes sense since he was trying to convince you that he was just a guy who happened to be your sister’s mate.
How would you have reacted if he’d appeared with a bunch of people following him?
From what we know, they were probably in the area, waiting for him. ”
The thought made Bastien want to throw up.
Back then, he’d truly believed that his sister would be happy.
He’d had his doubts about Parrish, but he never could have imagined that Parrish would use the bond with Celeste the way he had.
He’d told himself that even though he didn’t like Parrish, he didn’t have to like him.
Parrish wasn’t his mate. He was Celeste’s, and Celeste had been happy, focused on the future, and Bastien had wanted that for her.
They’d both thought that she and Parrish would settle down, maybe have some kids, even though Parrish had been a Kudlak.
“You know, initially, when we met Parrish, we didn’t know what to think,” Bastien said.
“I mean, he’s a Kudlak. My life’s mission, the reason I was born, is literally to hunt Kudlak.
It’s one of the reasons Celeste kept Parrish a secret for a while.
She wasn’t sure how we would take it, and she wasn’t wrong to feel that way.
When she first told me about him, I wasn’t happy.
I knew this was going to be a disaster, and I was right.
At the same time, though, he’s her mate.
I didn’t have a choice because of the laws, but then, he’s my sister’s mate.
I couldn’t keep them separated, not if I wanted Celeste to be happy. ”
“He fooled you. He fooled a lot of people.”
“I know. He’s a smart man, and I know that finding out that Celeste was his mate probably delighted him.
” If Bastien had to guess, Parrish had already started thinking about how he could use her.
He’d known that she would have Krsniks in her family and that he’d have to work around them to get to her, and he’d succeeded.
He’d been apologetic about what he was and had explained that he’d lost his family, too.
He admitted that he’d fought Krsniks and had killed some of them, but then, what Krsnik could say that they hadn’t killed any Kudlak?
He’d begged to be allowed a fresh start with his mate, and Bastien and his family had agreed, not for Parrish but for Celeste.
She’d told them that she wanted Parrish, and it had made sense at the time.
It still didn’t sit right. She hadn’t known what kind of man Parrish was, and the only thing he’d shown her was what he knew she wanted to see. Their bond had done the rest.
And here they were. Still dealing with the consequences of all of that years later. For a few glorious days, Celeste had been free. She was back with Parrish, though, and no one had any idea how to get her out of there.