Chapter 12
VISIONS AND DEADLINES
brANDON
The next morning, Brandon was finalizing his list of relevant tomes and scrolls for Armand when Tedi’s unique magic swirled in the air around him and announced her presence.
Even from across the room, Brandon could see the flecks of gold and green swirling in her hazel eyes, an indication of the multiple planes of possibility operating behind them.
Behind her, Kristoff Avanescu filled the doorway with the casual menace only a vampire master could achieve. With his dark hair, and sculpted features, he had the kind of protective intensity that came with being a mated vampire.
Brandon understood that intensity more now than ever. He wondered if he gave off the same touch-her-and-die vibe when other males were in Muriel’s vicinity..
Kristoff's dark eyes flicked to Brandon's face, lingering for a fraction of a second on his eyes before understanding—and sympathy—played over his features.
“I hope we're not interrupting,” Kristoff said in his smooth, rich voice.
“Not at all.” Brandon closed his notebook and set it down, his empathic senses surging to the surface. Tedi’s emotions perfumed the air, unfiltered, a mix of sympathy, concern, and determination.
“Where’s Muriel?” Tedi asked, looking around.
“Upstairs.”
“Good,” Tedi said. “We need to talk.”
Brandon glanced at Kristoff, who gave a slight nod, which he took as both permission and warning, and sent back a silent message received in response.
Through the bond, he could sense Muriel walking around in the guest room, preparing for the day. He had perhaps ten minutes before she padded down the steps.
He waved his hand, weaving an auditory shield so anyone nearby would hear only low, indistinct murmuring
“Okay. What’s up?”
Tedi didn't waste time. “I had a vision. About you and Muriel.”
His chest tightened. “What did you see?”
“A mate bond, and a powerful one at that.”
Denying it was pointless. The vamps at the Masterson estate—which included Kristoff— knew. Ana and Ryssa knew. Pretending otherwise would only breed mistrust. Also, old news.
Some of the tension left his shoulders.
Tedi moved to a supple leather chair in the reading nook and sank into it, crossing her legs beneath her while Kristoff stood sentinel behind her. She regarded Brandon then—really looked at him—and tilted her head as if pondering a puzzle. “When did it happen?”
“A little over a week ago, when I attempted a resonance binding.”
“Quite a bonus, huh?” Tedi murmured. “It surprised you.”
“Yes.”
“But not her, because you didn't tell her.” Her voice was soft, more curious than judgmental.
“No. I wanted to, but…”
“But you didn’t want to betray her trust,” Tedi finished, nodding. “Especially since she doesn’t think very highly of mages. Or didn’t. You’re the exception.”
Brandon dragged a hand through his hair. That was the problem. Muriel believed him when he said she could trust him, and he’d turned around and tethered her soul to his. He said as much to Tedi. “She’d run away and never look back.” And he couldn’t let that happen.
Tedi leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Keeping this from her isn't protecting her. It's setting you both up for something worse.”
“I am going to tell her. Eventually. After the threat passes. After we've dealt with the Collectors and the Codex is secure. When she's safe.”
Tedi's expression shifted. “You don't have that kind of time.”
“The bond is stable—”
“I'm not talking about the bond,” she said as she stood and glided toward him. “In my vision, I saw Muriel consumed by power she couldn't control. Power amplified by a bond she wasn’t aware of, destroying her and everything in its path.”
Ice flooded his veins. “When?”
“I don't know. Visions don't come with timestamps.” Tedi's jaw tightened.
“But I do know what triggers it. Muriel discovers the truth during a moment of crisis. It makes her feel betrayed and powerless. And, since her magic is tied to emotion, she can't control what happens next. It’s catastrophic.”
Brandon's mind raced. “If I tell her now—”
“She'll be hurt,” Tedi finished. “And really, really angry. But she'll have time to process it before the crisis hits, so she won’t be caught unaware and panic.”
“Or she'll leave.”
“Maybe.” Tedi agreed. “But in every timeline where you wait too long, it ends badly. At least this way, you have a chance.”
Heavy silence followed her prophetic words.
Telling Muriel would shatter her trust but keeping the secret might destroy her. Destroy them.
Rock, meet hard place.
“I wouldn’t be telling you this if there was no hope,” Tedi said quietly. “You were there for me when I first came to Mythic. Let me be here for you now.”
The words squeezed his chest. “Tedi—”
“Three days,” she said firmly. “I'm giving you three days to tell her. After that, I will, because she deserves to know the truth, even if it's painful.”
His magic flared in protest—protective instinct and possessive need tangled together. But beneath that, in the place where his conscience lived, he knew Tedi was right.
“Three days,” he agreed.
Tedi's expression softened. “Trust in the bond. Fate knows what it’s doing. It’s when we ignore what it’s trying to tell us that we get into trouble.”
She looked at Kristoff then, who smiled wryly. From what Brandon remembered, Kristoff had done everything he could to deny his mate bond with Tedi and it had had nearly disastrous consequences.
“And who knows? Maybe she'll surprise you.” Just that quickly, Tedi’s expression cleared and she was wandering over to the new display of crystals. “Ooo, are those new?”
Kristoff watched her, smiled indulgently, then said to Brandon, “Well, that went well.”
Brandon's laugh was bitter. “Yeah, let’s go with that.”
Kristoff shrugged. “I know what a new mate bond feels like. I went through my own crisis with Tedi not that long ago, although our roles were reversed. I believed my intense attraction to her was the result of a spell she’d cast on me.” He smiled wryly at the memory.
Brandon winced and sank into his chair, exhaustion washing over him. “Ouch.”
“Yes. It went about as well as you'd expect. She was furious.”
“How did you fix it?”
“Time. Honesty. And groveling. Lots of groveling.” Kristoff moved to the window, his reflection showing in the glass. “Also accepting that she needed space to process everything without me hovering once I removed my head from my ass. That was the hardest part.”
“I don’t have much time,” Brandon muttered.
“Then you'd better make it count.” Kristoff turned back.
“My unsolicited advice? Don't waste it preparing your defense. Spend it showing her why you are worth keeping, with or without the bond.” He paused.
“And Brandon? When you do tell her, don't try to justify it. Just apologize, explain, and let her feel what she needs to feel. She's your mate. She’ll come around.”
“And if she doesn't?”
Kristoff's smile was sharp, knowing. “Then you'll spend however long it takes proving you're worthy of her trust. That's what mates do.”
Jason glided in just as Kristoff and Tedi were leaving.
“Rough morning?” the vampire asked, settling into the chair across from Brandon's desk with characteristic grace.
Brandon nodded. “You could say that. Are you here for those scrolls Armand requested?”
“Partly. I have news.”
Brandon straightened. “What kind of news?”
“The kind that confirms our worst suspicions.” Jason's expression turned grim.
“The Collectors aren’t just circling anymore.
They're actively asking questions. Specifically, they've been making inquiries around the Shenandoah pack lands about Muriel.
Apparently, one of Lucas's old loyalists—a wolf who's not happy with the pack's current direction—mentioned that she was best pals with Jessie Sablewolf, mate to the Mythic alpha.”
“Shit.” Brandon's magic flared hot and protective. “So they know she's here.”
“They suspect. But they don't have confirmation. Your resonance binding is doing its job—masking her signature enough that they can't pinpoint her exact location.” Jason's jaw tightened. “But the moment she has another uncontrolled surge...”
He didn't need to finish. Brandon understood perfectly. One burst of wild magic would be like firing up a signal flare. And if Muriel discovered the truth during a Collector attack—or during a surge—Tedi’s prophesied catastrophe scenario made horrifying sense.
“She's getting better at control,” Brandon said. “The training is working.”
“Good. Keep at it. But Brandon—” Jason moved back toward the desk, his voice dropping. “You need to tell her about the Collectors’ progress too. She deserves to know how close they are, if for no other reason than to keep her from doing something inadvisable.”
“I will.” Another weight on his shoulders. Another truth to deliver. Would fear of the Collectors be enough to keep her here even after he told her about the mate bond?
After Jason left, Brandon sat alone, listening to Muriel moving around upstairs. He could feel her happiness through the bond. Her growing confidence. Her cautious hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd finally found a place where she belonged.
In three days, he'd risk shattering all of that.
Three days before he might lose her forever.
Muriel descended the steps with a tray, her smile bright and genuine, though the shadows under her eyes suggested she’d had a restless night too.
“You didn't have to do this,” he said, taking the tray from her.
“Says the man who went out to the diner at midnight to get us dinner,” she said. “Besides, I’m happy to do it. Makes me feel less like a freeloader. Just go with it, okay?”
The simple generosity gutted him. She worried that she was taking advantage of him.
If she only knew.
“Thank you,” he managed.