Chapter 25
Later, after they’d finally gotten out of bed and gone downstairs, Seth left Petra in the capable hands of Judy and Anna.
They had cornered her the moment she and Seth had emerged from the bedroom with excited plans for cleansing the workshop and converting it into something useful.
His mate had looked slightly overwhelmed but determined, and he already knew she had genuine interest in the project.
Now he sat in what had been Abdul Kettering’s private office. The room would need more serious magical cleansing and near-total redecoration before it felt anything but oppressive, but it was a good place to work.
Seth opened his laptop and pulled up the secure video conference software he favored. He had a standing meeting with his employers for this time, so he sent connection requests to both Sam Kinkaid and Mark Peppard.
Sam’s face appeared first on the split screen, from what looked like his Houston office. Moments later, Mark joined from what Seth recognized as his office in Geneva.
“Seth,” Sam greeted him, his expression serious. “We got your initial report about the attack. Salazar is gone?”
“Completely unmade,” Seth confirmed. “Petra channeled the castle’s ancient defenses through the ley line nexus. Eight pillars of pure magical energy dissolved him and his two apprentices. There’s nothing left to reconstitute. Even his blood ruby ring crumbled to dust.”
Mark let out a low whistle. “That’s impressive. And Petra did this after knowing about magic for what, three days?”
“Two and a half,” Seth said, unable to keep the pride from his voice. “Judy taught her the invocation, but Petra had to have the bloodline connection to the castle, and the courage to actually invoke it.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly, his Alpha instincts no doubt picking up on something in Seth’s tone. “There’s more. What aren’t you saying?”
Seth took a breath. “Petra’s my mate.”
The silence stretched for several seconds. Then Mark’s face split into a wide grin.
“Well, damn. Congratulations.” Mark leaned back in his chair. “I had a feeling something was developing when you kept finding excuses to stay close to her instead of delegating.”
“Your reports were sounding increasingly protective,” Sam added, though his expression was warm. “I should have seen it coming. How’s she handling it?”
“Better than I could have hoped.” Seth felt the warmth of Petra’s presence through their connection. “She accepted it. No hesitation, no panic. She’s…” He struggled to find words. “She’s incredible. Brave and smart and adaptable. She makes my life better just by breathing.”
“The right mate will do that,” Sam said quietly. “Claudia changed my entire perspective on how I thought my life would be. Sounds like Petra’s doing the same for you.”
“She is.” Seth ran a hand through his hair. “Which brings me to the next part. I’m staying here at the castle permanently. It’ll be a good base of operations for my company, and with the ley lines being cleansed, it’ll be a major strategic asset for our side.”
“Sounds like a perfect plan,” Mark said. “I was going to suggest the same thing. Having a secure European base will make our operations across the continent much more efficient. And you’re right, the enemy will show up again. That place is too tempting to those who seek its power.”
“There’s another consideration,” Sam said, his tone shifting to something more businesslike. “Petra inherited everything from Kettering. That includes his business empire.”
Seth frowned. “Katja’s been working with the estate’s lawyers to sort out the legalities surrounding the manufacturing operations.”
“There’s more than just that.” Sam pulled up something on his screen, typing quickly.
“I’ve been looking into Kettering’s holdings since we learned Petra was the heir.
The man was worth somewhere north of four hundred fifty million euros, and that’s just his personal assets.
His businesses are worth considerably more.
Kettering Enterprises alone is valued at over two billion. ”
The number hit Seth like a physical blow. “Two billion?”
“Give or take.” Mark was grinning again, the bastard. “Welcome to the billionaire club, my friend. You’re mated to a woman worth megabucks.”
Seth sat back in his chair, his mind reeling. He’d known Petra had inherited wealth along with the castle. He’d understood the ancient home represented significant assets. But somehow, he’d been thinking in terms of a fortune, not an empire.
“I don’t want any part of Kettering’s money,” he said flatly.
“Doesn’t matter what you want,” Sam replied, not unkindly. “It’s Petra’s now. The question is what you both are going to do with it.”
“Especially since a significant portion of that empire was built on morally questionable activities,” Mark added.
“Arms dealing through legitimate channels, sure. But Kettering was also funneling weapons to groups he shouldn’t have been dealing with.
He had contracts with governments that use his equipment to oppress their own people.
His manufacturing facilities have produced components for weapons systems that violate international treaties. ”
Seth’s jaw tightened. “I saw some of that in the intelligence reports.”
“The good news is that as the new owner, you can help Petra change direction,” Sam said. “She can cancel contracts, restructure the companies, and redirect resources toward legitimate purposes. But it’s going to take effort. Serious effort. You can’t just walk away and let them run on autopilot.”
“You’re both going to need to coordinate the cleanup,” Mark said, and there was something almost gleeful in his expression now. “Which means board meetings, shareholder conferences, and all sorts of legal negotiations. All the things you’ve spent decades avoiding by being a mercenary.”
“That isn’t funny,” Seth growled.
“It’s a little funny.” Mark’s grin widened.
“For years, you’ve kept everyone guessing whether you were truly on the side of Light or just morally gray enough to be useful.
You took jobs that served good purposes but never committed to any cause or organization.
You deliberately kept yourself independent, mobile, and uncommitted to anything except your team. ”
“That’s called operational flexibility,” Seth said.
“That’s called commitment issues,” Mark shot back. “But now? Now you’re mated to a billionaire heiress who owns a castle built on top of a magical nexus, and half a dozen defense contractors. You can’t exactly stay in the shadows anymore.”
Sam’s expression was more sympathetic, but Seth could see the agreement in his eyes.
“Mark’s not wrong. This changes your position significantly.
The mercenary company is small enough to fly under most radar.
But Kettering Enterprises has government contracts in eight countries.
You’re going to have visibility whether you want it or not. ”
Seth felt like the walls were closing in. This wasn’t what he’d signed up for. He’d built a life based on autonomy, on choosing his battles, on staying mobile enough to disappear when things got complicated.
“I can see you spiraling,” Mark said, his tone gentler now. “Stop. Take a breath. This isn’t as bad as it sounds.”
“I’m about to be at least partially responsible for a multi-billion euro empire built on weapons manufacturing,” Seth said. “That’s exactly as bad as it sounds.”
“No, you’re about to be responsible for cleaning up that empire,” Sam corrected. “There’s a difference. Kettering built something corrupt. You have the opportunity to tear down the corruption and build something better.”
“And honestly?” Mark leaned forward. “There’s no better man for this job than you.
You’ve spent decades understanding how dark forces operate, what weapons they use, and how they acquire them.
You know the underworld, the black markets, and the legitimate channels that are constantly being abused.
Who better to identify which of Kettering’s operations need to be shut down and which can be redirected toward actual defense rather than oppression? ”
“You could sell everything,” Sam offered. “Liquidate the assets, donate the money to charity, walk away clean. That’s an option.”
“But?” Seth heard the unspoken caveat.
“But that would be a waste,” Sam said bluntly.
“These are functioning companies with thousands of employees. Most of them are doing legitimate work. If you liquidate, you might put all those people out of work, and someone else—possibly someone worse than Kettering—can buy the assets and continue the corrupt practices. Whereas if you take control, you can actually fix things and possibly do a lot to cut off the supply chain to our enemies.”
Seth looked at the screen, at two of the most powerful shifters in the world, and saw genuine belief in their expressions. They actually thought he could do this.
“I’m a mercenary,” he said. “I kill people and blow things up for money.”
“You’re a strategist who’s been fighting dark forces for decades,” Mark corrected. “You run a tight team, you make smart decisions under pressure, and you have principles even if you pretend you don’t. Those are exactly the skills needed to clean up Kettering’s mess.”
“Plus, you’re not doing this alone,” Sam added.
“You have Petra, who’s smart and determined and apparently can channel some rather intense magical weapons when threatened in her castle home.
And you have Katja, who’s one of the best corporate lawyers in Europe.
I suspect you’d be able to offer her a permanent position as the head of your new legal department and she’d probably jump at the opportunity.
You also have my network and Mark’s at your disposal. We’ll help you navigate this.”
“And think about the opportunity,” Mark said, warming to his theme.
“Kettering Enterprises manufactures surveillance systems, right? Imagine redirecting that technology toward helping law enforcement catch actual criminals instead of helping authoritarian regimes spy on dissidents. Imagine retooling the weapons manufacturing toward defensive systems. Imagine using some of those billions Kettering made illegally, to fund operations against the Venifucus.”
That last part caught Seth’s attention. The Venifucus was well-funded, with resources that seemed bottomless. Having access to comparable wealth to fight them sounded really enticing.
“You’re manipulating me,” Seth said.
“Is it working?” Mark asked cheerfully.
Despite everything, Seth felt himself smile. “Maybe.”
Through the bond, he felt Petra’s curiosity. She’d noticed his emotional shift. He sent reassurance back and felt her settle.
“Talk to Petra,” Sam advised. “She’s equally affected by this. Maybe she has thoughts on what to do with the empire she inherited. But Seth? Don’t run from this just because it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes the best way to fight darkness is to take over its resources and use them for Light.”
“Very poetic,” Seth said dryly.
“I have my moments.” Sam’s expression turned serious. “But I mean it. You’ve been fighting this war from the shadows for a long time. Maybe it’s time to step fully into the Light and fight it from a position of real power.”
“I’ll think about it,” Seth conceded. “And I’ll discuss it with Petra. She’ll have the final say, since it’s her inheritance.”
“Talk to your mate. I bet she’ll be on board with all we’ve discussed just based on her actions so far,” Mark advised. “And Seth? Congratulations again. Finding your mate is a gift. Don’t let the complications overshadow that.”
“I won’t,” Seth promised.
They discussed logistics for another thirty minutes. Seth needed to transition some of his current contracts, and relocate the rest of his team to the castle, among other things. By the time they disconnected, Seth’s head was spinning with both possibilities and concerns.
He sat in the oppressive office for several minutes, processing everything. Then he felt Petra through their bond. She was drawing closer.
A moment later, she appeared in the doorway, still dusty from whatever she and Judy had been doing in some unused part of the castle. They’d set off to explore earlier and find all the nooks and crannies that needed both magical and physical cleansing.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Come here.” Seth held out his hand, smiling at her.
Petra crossed the room and let him pull her into his lap. She fit perfectly there, her head tucked under his chin.
“I just finished a long and eye-opening video conference with Sam and Mark,” Seth said. “We need to talk about what you inherited.”
“The businesses?” Petra tensed slightly.
“The empire,” Seth corrected gently. “Petra, Kettering was worth billions. And now all of that is yours.”
He felt her shock ripple through the bond. “Billions? As in, more than one billion?”
“Yep.”
Petra was quiet for a long moment. Then she said in a small voice, “I don’t know what to do with billions.”
“Neither do I,” Seth admitted. “But we’re going to have to figure it out.”
She pulled back to look at him, her eyes searching his face. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to dismantle everything corrupt that Kettering built and turn it into something that actually helps people,” Seth said.
“I want to use his resources to fight the very forces he was supporting. I want to make sure that every weapon his companies produce goes to legitimate defense and not oppression.”
Petra’s smile was fierce. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“It’s going to be complicated, and time-consuming. We’ll have to attend board meetings and deal with shareholders and—”
“We’ll handle it,” Petra interrupted. “The same way we’ve handled everything so far. Together.”
Seth kissed her, slow and deep, pouring everything he felt through the bond. When they finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers.
“How did I get so lucky?” he asked.
“I ask myself the same thing every day,” Petra replied. “Now come on. Judy and Anna have plans for the workshop, and apparently, I need to approve them. Something about converting it into a magical forge for defensive artifacts.”
“Of course they do.” Seth stood, setting her on her feet. “Lead the way, mate.”
As they left Kettering’s office behind, Seth felt the weight of responsibility settling more firmly on his shoulders.
But for the first time in his life, it didn’t feel like a burden.
It felt like he finally had a true purpose.
And with Petra’s hand in his and the mating bond warm between them, he was ready to face whatever came next.
Even if it meant board meetings.