Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Corbin
Taking Karsyn in the middle of the meadow relieved some of the anger boiling inside me.
There was no way I could pull myself back if I wanted to after witnessing first-hand how she connected with the earth.
If my brothers saw what she did, they would know that it can never be spoken of.
I won’t allow it to get out. It could endanger her, and that cannot happen.
She didn’t just connect with the earth, and I don’t think she even knows it, but the instant she started glowing once again, her body sent a wave out, calling out like a beacon.
Like it was calling to the animals in the area.
My wolf had come to the surface to watch her as well, and together we took her right there, not giving a damn who could be watching.
My brothers would know better than to watch mates when it becomes apparent, as it did for Karsyn and myself.
It also didn’t help that what happened to her at Dyrk was still fucking with my head.
I didn’t like the fact she passed out the way she did.
She’d all but zapped her energy to do what she did.
Realizing exactly what she did, I’m torn between fucking her again and putting her over my knee.
If I do that, though, I’ll still end up fucking her, I know it without a doubt.
Now, walking Karsyn back to the clubhouse, she refused to allow me to carry her (she wanted to walk barefoot through the woods), knowing what I’ve got to do when I get her there is going to keep me from doing things I promised I would.
I still need to take her and Sage shopping to get things she needs and wants, but I also have to meet with my brothers.
They need to know what’s happening, and I still need to speak with Big Daddy before he leaves.
I’m sure by now he’s ready to go see my brother and niece.
When he goes, he can tell Cyrus that his mate now also has the protection of the vampires.
Which confuses the fuck out of me because how the fuck would they agree to protect her when they’ve yet to meet her.
Hell, I don’t even know who the fuck she is other than the fact she’s a witch we helped save alongside Jazmine.
But I’m willing to bet Karsyn knows who she is.
“How did you know my brother’s mate’s name?”
“What?” she asks, tilting her head back and cocking it slightly to meet my gaze.
“You knew the name of my brother’s mate, how? He hasn’t even met his mate yet.”
“I don’t know exactly. I just did.” Her brows furrow, and she sucks in a breath. “There are times when I just know things. It’s like they just come to me, similar to a vision.”
Like the one she showed me.
The whole damn magic thing is confusing, and I think it’s high time we learned to understand it.
This way, we can’t be caught by surprise.
I definitely want to understand it, not just because of Karsyn but my daughter as well.
I haven’t forgotten what she admitted the day before.
Sage was gifted with something special, and it’s a gift that needs to be protected.
No one can know. If they find out, she’ll be hunted from all over.
The blood witches would stop at nothing to get their hands on her, just as they’ll do whatever it takes to get Karsyn back.
This is something I refuse to allow to happen, and I’m not about to let it. To get to either of them, they’ll have to kill me first, and again, that’s something they’ll find hard to do.
“You go ahead to the room and get cleaned up. I need to speak with Big Daddy and my brothers. Once I’m done, I’ll take you and Sage out.” Not that I want to take her anywhere right now, knowing what I now know, but she needs to be normal as she’s never been before.
The danger surrounding her is a risk I’ll have to take. Karsyn should be able to get the things she needs and pick them out herself.
“Okay, but maybe you should just take Sage out and spend some time with her. I’m okay with what I have right now. Dane picked me up several things. More than I’ve ever had at one time, to be honest, and . . .”
“Syn, I’m taking you with us, so don’t even finish that shit.
” The truth of her statement pisses me off, and I don’t want to hear any more.
“I’m going to talk to them, then come find you and Sage.
After that, we’ll go out. Later,” I lower my voice, tugging her firmly into my front and holding her securely, “later, when we’re alone again, I’m going to slide inside you.
Fuck you deep and sleep with my cock inside you. ”
I watch her expression, see the way her eyes dilate, the way her nostrils flare, and her lips part on a breath.
She’s quickly become everything to me, and doesn’t even realize it.
I hadn’t even accepted it completely until we were in the meadow, and I saw the remarkable sight of her.
The sweet scent of her arousal hits my senses, and my wolf snarls in my head, demanding I take her here and now, be damned anything else.
Tilting my head down, I brush a kiss against her mouth, keeping it brief and letting her go. “No, before I take you here. The wolf in me wants out, and I’ve got other shit to do before I can let him.”
”Okay,” Karsyn breathes, steps back, furrows her brow, and cocks her head slightly.
“What is it?” I ask, keeping a close eye on her.
“A part of me, the one I haven’t really known . . .”
“Your wolf, what about her?” She might not be able to shift, never will be, but that part of her is still there. I can sense it now more than the first time I saw her.
“The idea of your wolf taking control.”
A growl rumbles in my chest loud enough to cause her to stop speaking, and a bright blush rises on her cheeks.
Leaning in, I press my nose to hers, knowing she can see the wolf in my eyes and I can see the one inside her.
“Tonight, baby, you’re mine, now go.” The order comes out more animalistic than I mean it to, but it gets her ass moving, not in fear.
She’s just listening to the animal that wants her as much as I do.
Switching my focus to the task at hand, I search out Big Daddy and jerk my chin upward as I make my way across the room to him. “You need to go to Cyrus’s clubhouse, tell him that his mate, Harmony, now has the protection of the vampires.”
“You want to explain how that’s come about?” Big Daddy demands, planting his hands on his hips.
“Let’s just say Karsyn cast an enchantment over all of Redwich.
Those within the town limits cannot be mind fucked by the blood witches,” I answer and leave it at that.
“Just tell him if he needs to know more, he can call me. Otherwise, he can figure out the rest for himself. Also, inform him that after he finds his mate, the future changes, and Death is now mine to handle while he takes on his own bullshit.”
Big Daddy sucks in a harsh breath and shakes his head. “I’ll tell him,” he says. “I’ll call you later to check in on Sage.”
“Right,” I mutter, knowing he would. Big Daddy is all about his granddaughters. Loves them nearly as much as Cyrus and I love our daughters. I might not be a fan of my brother, but we share this in common, and that’s never gonna change.
I wait for him to leave and turn to find Justice leaning against the bar, a beer in hand, watching me. “Church. Now.” I don’t wait for any of my brothers to respond. Turning on my heels, I make my way to the room in which we all meet.
It was designed and built by Big Daddy and those who came before me and my brothers who now, sit at the table.
The table is solid oak, carved within it predator animals snarling.
It’s long enough that each and every one of my brothers has a seat.
Not just those of us who hold rank. On the walls, it’s some of the same but with color added to it and the moon bright over the preying animals.
This room is where we meet and proves regardless of the animal within us, we’re brothers.
One and the same. No matter what we hold inside.
I take my seat at the head of the table and wait for the others to fill the room.
Each and every one of them is silent as they take their seats.
Justice takes his to my right. Dane on the other side of him.
Abel sits to my left, Tucker next to him.
The door closes behind Salem, who takes his seat next to Tobias at the other end.
“I know you all are wondering what the fuck is going on around here,” I state, glancing around the table and seeing the hardened eyes of my brothers.
“You all know I now have a mate. It’s no secret as to this.
She’s a hybrid. Wolf shifter and earth witch.
You all also know that she’s Daniel’s daughter, Dane’s half-sister.
What you don’t know is that she’s far more special than any of you realize.
Those of you who were with me today witnessed it and can attest to this.
” Leaning forward. I brace my elbows on the table.
“Karsyn has the ability to disappear and appear in other places. She doesn’t have a handle on this as it’s never happened to her before, but I believe she will.
” I give them a few more details about her abilities, leaving out the part about the bond between the two of us.
That’s something they don’t need to know.
No one does. They don’t need to know her life and mine are all but one.
”During the meet with Orpheus, Karsyn appeared just after he asked me to speak with her about an enchantment to protect the vampires from the blood witches. ”
“What the fuck?”
“Why the hell would he ask that?”
“Vampire business is just that, vampire business. Same as shifters.”
Several of my brothers muttered.
“Let Prez finish,” Justice orders, and a terse silence fills the room.
“As I was saying, he asked for her help casting an enchantment. In return, he’d grant her protection.
I told him I would speak with her. At that moment, she made herself known.
She further casted the spell needed over Redwich.
But it wasn’t just for vampires, but shifters alike.
All of those within the town are protected from blood witches getting to them using their minds.
” I give them all a moment to let that sink in.
By doing what she did, she’s protecting not just a few but all of these men and the shifters who aren’t a part of the club or the life we all live.
She did what she could to ensure that they would always be able to think for themselves.
“The last thing I’m going to share with you all is something that doesn’t leave this fuckin’ table.
If anyone outside this room learns of it, it could endanger my mate,” I inform them and finish off by telling them about what happened in the meadow and how she connected with the earth.
The rest of church we spend discussing protection. All of my brothers understand the importance of Karsyn’s safety. By the time we finish and I check the time, I inwardly groan at what I’ve got to do next.
“Now, I need Tucker and Dane, because she’s your sister, and you can deal with the ultimate torture alongside me, along with another few of you to go with me as I take Karsyn and Sage shopping,” I announce, banging my knuckles on the table wrapping up church as the room fills with groans and grumbles.
In the end, I know the majority of them all will be out there, if not directly with me, then close enough to sniff out any danger coming for either my mate or daughter.