Chapter Twenty-Two
The pack began arriving just after dawn.
Kolton and Simon translocated first, appearing in the cottage kitchen while Redford scrambled eggs.
Warner had gone to the Underworld with Consort Ali, who’d insisted on taking all the smaller mates and children somewhere safe.
Lord Hades himself would be keeping an eye on the situation from his realm, ready to intervene if needed.
“Warner cried when I left,” Kolton admitted, grabbing coffee. “He really wanted to come help.”
“Seven-month-olds, even with his heritage, do not get to fight ancient mages,” Simon said dryly, though his gargoyle rumbled protective beneath his skin. “No matter how insistent they are.”
JC arrived next, translocating directly into the castle’s courtyard. His dark hair was pulled back, his blue eyes already assessing sight lines and defensive positions.
Then the others came in rapid succession.
Lamont materialized with his characteristic grin, followed by Faron’s massive form.
Raoul appeared with Java, both looking ready for violence.
Cain and Beau translocated together, then Giorgio with Petrov, and finally Edgar, the quietest of the pack but no less deadly.
The cottage couldn’t hold them all, so they spilled into the castle’s courtyard. Twelve massive men who all shared certain features - powerful builds and eyes that occasionally flashed red.
Redford had met Kolton, Lamont, and JC before.
The others introduced themselves quickly, their greetings warm, but they were clearly focused on the upcoming fight.
They’d come because Damon called, but as they learned more about the sanctuary, it was clear there were a lot of protective instincts firing up.
Finn and Kara emerged from the west wing, drawn by the commotion. The young fox shifters stopped dead, overwhelmed by the sheer power radiating from the assembled hellhounds.
“How many…” Kara’s voice cracked. “How many are there?”
“Twelve including me,” Damon said, pride threading through his tone. “This is the entire original pack. And we can’t forget our extra gargoyle.”
Finn’s eyes went wide. “All of them came? For us?”
“For you and the sanctuary,” Kolton corrected gently.
The castle thrummed with awareness, its consciousness pressing against Redford’s. Curiosity mixed with caution as it evaluated each hellhound, cataloging their power, and assessing whether they posed a threat.
Twelve guardians, the castle seemed to whisper through the stone. Twelve protectors who answer one call.
Malcolm’s truck rumbled up the drive mid-morning, interrupting the strategy session. The contractor climbed out, completely oblivious to the supernatural tension saturating the air.
“Just checking on the west wing progress,” Malcolm called cheerfully. “Wanted to make sure…” He stopped short, taking in the crowd of massive men filling the courtyard. “Bloody hell, Damon. You didn’t mention your whole family was visiting.”
Damon smoothly stepped forward, blocking Malcolm’s view of Petrov, whose eyes had flashed red. “It was a last-minute decision. Everyone wanted to see the great work you’d done on the castle.”
“Well, you’ve got a fine support system,” Malcolm said, shaking his head in amazement. “All brothers, are you?”
“Something like that,” Lamont said with a grin that showed too many teeth.
Malcolm didn’t seem to notice. “I was going to talk to you about the east tower, but we can chat about that another time.” He clapped Redford on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine with this lot looking out for you. Nothing to worry about with family like this backing you up.”
Redford managed a smile. “No. Nothing to worry about at all.”
After Malcolm left, the pack reconvened in the castle’s great hall. JC spread documents across the table - information gathered through his network of contacts across Europe.
“The Keepers of the Old Ways would be an interesting bunch, if they weren’t being a pain in our collective asses,” JC began. “They’re not a sanctioned organization. Think of them more as a loose coalition of powerful paranormals who believe exposure equals extinction.”
“How loose?” Raoul asked.
“Loose enough that they operate independently, but organized enough to coordinate attacks on locations they deem threatening.” JC tapped the first document.
“Their leader is Magnus Kenric, an 800-year-old mage who specializes in control magic. He can bind other paranormals’ powers if they’re not careful. ”
“Hellhounds are immune to magic,” Beau pointed out.
“But gargoyles aren’t,” Simon said quietly. “And neither are fox shifters.”
JC nodded. “Magnus travels with Sergei Volkov. He’s a vampire and consequently is fast, strong, and has enough power to dominate most shifters through presence alone.
” He pulled out more papers. “The rest of their group varies, but intelligence suggests five others will accompany them tonight. All alphas of their respective species - wolf, bear, lion, eagle, and serpent. They’re used to commanding through dominance and intimidation. ”
“They’ll try to overwhelm with a show of force,” Cain said. “Make us back down without fighting.”
“They’ve clearly never met a pissed-off hellhound,” Faron growled.
The confidence in the room was almost tangible, and if the situation had been different, Redford might have felt sorry for the seven paranormals who were turning up thinking they could use intimidation alone to take or shut down anything they didn’t like.
“The castle will help,” Redford said, drawing everyone’s attention. “It has defensive capabilities, although we haven’t fully explored them yet. But I can feel them through the stone.”
“That’s right,” Simon added. “There are ancient protections keyed into the stone against specific threats.”
“Can you activate them?” Giorgio asked.
“With Redford’s help, we could, yes.” Simon grinned.
Damon’s hand found Redford’s. “We’ll need to show these idiots that we won’t back down, otherwise they’ll just keep coming back, so we do anything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. This isn’t just mine and Redford’s home, it’s a sanctuary for innocents and deserves our protection.”
“You’d better feed us first,” Beau said with a chuckle. “Did anyone think to zap up a barbecue?”
/~/~/~/~/
They spent the afternoon preparing. JC mapped defensive positions while Redford and Simon reinforced the castle’s wards. The other hellhounds established a perimeter, their combined presence creating a barrier that made the air itself feel thick with power.
Finn and Kara stayed in the west wing, but Redford caught them watching from the windows. Kara’s defensive aggression had softened into something closer to hope. Finn’s fear remained, but it was tempered now by the sight of twelve massive protectors treating their safety as non-negotiable.
“We’ve never…” Kara started when Redford brought them dinner. “We’ve never had anyone stand up for us before.”
“You do now,” Redford said simply. “Now, look, after you’ve eaten, I’d like you to both stay in your rooms – you can stay together, but this will give the castle the chance to ward this wing off, so that you’ll be safe.
If anyone, and I mean anyone who shouldn’t gains access to the castle, one of the hounds will translocate in and take you both to safety. I promise you that.”
“We trust you,” Finn said, and Redford could see that Kara felt the same way.
Nodding, because it wasn’t seemly for a former FBI Special Agent to be seen showing emotion, Redford managed to say, “Thank you,” before he quickly left. Damn dust in my eyes.
As evening approached, Redford descended to the crystal chamber alone. He needed to speak with the castle directly, without the pack’s overwhelming presence interfering with the connection.
The crystals pulsed anxiously, their light flickering in patterns that spoke of fear and uncertainty. Through his gargoyle, Redford felt the castle’s consciousness pressing against his awareness.
“Tonight, people will come who want to hurt you, control you, and use you.” Redford placed his palm against the largest crystal. “But we’re not going to let that happen. You’ve seen Damon and me work together. Tonight, you’ll see what it means to have an entire pack’s protection.”
The crystal’s light stuttered. Memories flooded through the connection - violence at the gates, Alastair’s final stand, the sensation of failure as its last keeper fell. The castle had locked itself away after that betrayal, unwilling to risk being used again.
“You didn’t fail,” Redford said gently, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
“You were betrayed by someone you trusted, and he really didn’t mean to do it.
But this time is different. This time, you have guardians who won’t betray you, and a pack that will stand with us.
” He pressed harder against the crystal, letting his gargoyle resonate through the stone.
“Trust us. Let us protect you the way you protect us.”
The crystal’s pulsing slowed. Not quite trust yet, but something close. Hope, maybe. Or the desperate wish to believe.
Redford stayed until the crystals’ light steadied, then climbed back to find Damon waiting at the top of the stairs.
“Is it ready?” Damon asked.
“Getting there.” Redford pulled his mate close, breathing in stone dust and fire. “Are you?”
“I was born ready to defend what’s mine. It’s basically my life’s purpose.” Damon hugged him tight.
They gathered in the courtyard as midnight approached. The pack formed a loose circle, each hellhound’s presence magnifying the others. Through his connection to the castle, Redford felt its consciousness hovering, watchful and waiting.
Moira had called an hour ago with final confirmation. Seven hostiles inbound, expected arrival at midnight exactly. The Keepers of the Old Ways operated with a show of force that was meant to intimidate before they even spoke.
At three minutes to midnight, Redford and Damon walked to the edge of the courtyard together. The pack remained close to the castle, hidden but ready. Redford felt Damon’s confidence, and his hellhound’s eagerness to show these intruders exactly who they’d chosen to threaten.
Seven figures materialized at the top of the driveway precisely at midnight.
Magnus Kenric led them – a tall, severe man, with silver hair and eyes that glowed with magic. Sergei Volkov stood at his right shoulder, his presence alone making the air feel colder.
Behind them were five alphas - a wolf shifter built like a tank, a bear who topped seven feet, a lion whose human form still radiated predatory grace, an eagle with eyes too sharp to be fully human, and a serpent whose movements carried an unsettling fluidity.
On any other day, and in front of anyone else, they would likely be considered powerful, confident, and definitely intimidating.
All Redford felt was annoyance. He stepped forward, his FBI training sliding into place. “This sanctuary operates under full Paranormal Council authority. You have no jurisdiction here.”
Magnus laughed, the sound cold and dismissive.
“The council is weak, scrambling to maintain a status quo that no longer serves us.” His magic flared, tendrils of power reaching toward the castle stones.
“Sanctuaries make our kind vulnerable, and could expose us to human discovery. We’ve come to shut you down, peacefully if you’re wise, by force if necessary. ”
“You’ll do neither,” Damon said, his voice carrying his hellhound’s growl.
Sergei blurred forward with vampire speed, stopping just ten feet away. “One hellhound, no matter how powerful, cannot stand against all of us.” His smile showed fangs. “We respect your strength, but you’re outmatched.”
“That’s debatable,” Damon said calmly. Through the pack link, he sent one word: NOW.
Eleven hellhounds translocated simultaneously into the courtyard.
All in their shifted forms, they were massive black hounds with shoulders as high as a man’s chest, eyes that flashed red in the darkness, and a presence that made reality itself feel heavier.
They formed a protective semicircle around Damon and Redford, around the castle entrance, around everything they were protecting.
The Keepers of the Old Ways froze. Magnus’s magic sputtered and died.
Sergei lost his vampire stillness, his instincts old enough to recognize a threat beyond his capacity to fight.
The five alphas behind them all took a step backward, their dominance crumbling in the face of power that dwarfed their own.
One hellhound was formidable. The entire original pack together was completely unbeatable. Through the pack link, Damon’s voice carried to all his brothers: Protect the sanctuary. And as one, all eleven hellhounds growled.