Madd
SIXTEEN
Conrad didn't speak on the drive back.
He sat beside me and stared at his hands.
Our mating and marks didn’t allow us to feel each other's emotions or read our mate’s mind.
But any observer would have shared the absolute horror he must’ve been experiencing.
Instead of sunshine, the world felt grim, and there was smoke on my tongue, the result of Aldric’s assassination.
There were no words to remove the abomination we’d witnessed, and more so for Conrad, so I didn't try to talk to him. I put my hand on his knee, and he didn't push it away.
Ranger drove fast, and Flint was on the phone issuing instructions. He was mobilizing people around the homes of his family. Everyone was preparing to do double shifts, and none of the brothers' mates and children were allowed out of their homes.
By the time we reached headquarters, it was early morning, but the compound was buzzing.
The pack headquarters had been moved in the last few months from a building in the center of the city close to the park.
The new compound was both office and accommodation, though none of my family lived onsite, preferring their own houses.
Everyone not protecting the family was here. Being a relative newcomer to pack life, I didn’t recognize many of the La Luna Noir members. But everyone stared at Conrad, and I assumed the word had spread as to his identity and that we’d mated.
Conrad showed no emotion, and he stared straight ahead as we made our way to the meeting room on the second floor. There were no windows in this room, it was soundproof, with multiple cameras situated outside, and it was swept for listening devices before any meeting.
Hunter strode in, and he gave me a hug and Conrad a brief nod. Grandpa and Rudy were already seated. Grandpa had brought coffee and sandwiches because feeding people gave him a purpose.
Conrad didn’t sit but leaned on the wall by the door. I hoped he wasn’t planning on escaping, because he’d demonstrated he was good at that. But maybe he positioned himself there because he wasn’t sure he'd been invited to stay.
Ranger and Flint arrived, and Alpha told my mate to sit. It wasn’t a request, and Conrad slumped into a chair on the opposite side of the table to me.
Flint stood at the head of the table and looked at each of us in turn.
“Here's what we know. Evander has killed his father and taken control of the Solari. He has at least twelve dragons loyal to him, probably more once the rest of the flight falls in line. He declared that Conrad mated outside the flight without authorization.” He paused.
“Evander also believes Madd belongs to him.”
The room was so quiet it was as though everyone had stopped breathing.
Hunter looked at me. Gods, no, I knew what was coming, but there was no way to avoid it because my mate’s father had been killed because of Evander’s desire for what he considered his. Me.
“Does he?" Hunter asked. There was nothing in his tone that suggested he was trying to provoke me.
But before I could speak, Conrad yelled, “No.” He glanced up at me before shifting his gaze to Hunter. “Madd and I are fated, but because Evander and I are identical, his biology responded to Madd’s scent. What my twin experienced was a faint echo.”
Now I was the one breathing harshly as air rattled in my throat.
I gripped the table so hard, I scraped off some of the varnish.
It hadn’t occurred to me that Evander experienced even a hint of what I felt for Conrad.
One fated mate was enough, especially considering who he was and how we’d met, but the possibility of a second was suffocating and terrifying.
I sagged in my chair, but Conrad was at my side, propping me up, and once I was sitting up straight, he placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me. Now I focused on my family, and their faces were a mixture of horror and pity.
“Can you prove that Evander is not Madd’s mate?” Flint asked.
How did we do that? We couldn’t say what was inside Evander’s head or his soul. And there was no contract. I was going to be sick.
“We're marked. You watched us do it. What more evidence do you need?” Conrad’s voice rose as he pulled his collar aside, and I placed my hand on the mark that was on my shoulder. “The bond is sealed. It's not transferable.”
“But Evander doesn't accept that.” Ranger placed both hands on the table. “And that is a problem.”
I was tempted to say, “You think?” But that was too flippant for this conversation.
Flint paced. “Evander is coming for one or both of you. He has resources and dragons, and he just proved he's willing to kill those closest to him to get what he wants.” He glanced around the room. “What are our options?”
“We fight.” That was always Ranger’s response when confronted with a problem.
“We can't take on a dragon clan head-on.” Hunter shook his head. “We're wolves. They fly and breathe fire.”
“We can if we choose a land battle.” Ranger pushed off the wall.
“It doesn't work if they choose the air.” Flint folded his arms. “Which they will.” He turned to Conrad. “What's Evander’s first move?”
Waves of heat were coming from Conrad’s body. Maybe that happened in moments of stress and I should be prepared for it.
“He'll consolidate first. The clan needs to accept him as leader and some of them won't, not immediately. He just killed their Alpha in front of witnesses. He has maybe a week before his authority is stable enough to act.”
“And then?”
“He'll come here. Not with a full assault. He’s not stupid. He'll send Vasik or someone like him to locate Madd and me. Once he knows where we are, he'll plan the extraction.”
“Extraction.” Ranger snorted. “That's a polite word for kidnapping, something our family is familiar with.” He grinned, but everyone glowered at him. “Sorry. Not the right time.”
I ignored Ranger as I tried to process that the gentle twin who’d brought me food had burned his father alive and walked out without trembling.
“They'll look for us here first.” It was the obvious place to start.
“They'll look at every La Luna Noir property.” Conrad stiffened.
“I compiled intelligence on your pack for years, and Evander has access to all of my files. He knows about this compound, the country estate, the safe houses, and the apartment, plus where each family member lives. I even know where your kids go to school.”
Ranger flung himself toward Conrad, and I leaped up and got between my mate and my cousin. Ranger barreled into me, and I grunted at the force. But with adrenaline surging in my veins, I held him back and yelled at him. He glared at Conrad who’d now moved in front of me.
“That was my job. Are you telling me you don’t know what I ate for breakfast most mornings? If you don’t, you’re either a liar or your intelligence gathering is shit and outdated. And apparently it is because you didn’t know I existed.”
“Enough.” Flint wasn’t standing for any petty bickering.
“We can't use any of our properties,” Hunter noted.
“The pair of you need to go somewhere that isn't ours.” Grandpa put down his coffee cup. “Evander's looking for wolves protecting a dragon, so he'll watch our territory and our people. But if Madd and Conrad aren't here, he's chasing shadows while Flint negotiates.”
“I don’t like it. And what is there to negotiate?” Ranger asked. “The guy just killed his own father. Besides, sending Madd and his mate away leaves us vulnerable. Evander might kidnap one of our children so we’ll spill.”
“He’s unstable enough to make mistakes.” Grandpa's voice was calm. “But only if he's distracted. Give him something to chase that leads nowhere and work the politics while he's busy.”
Flint looked at Conrad. "Do you have somewhere not connected to your family?”
My mate nodded and explained there was. He’d rented it years ago in a fake name and paid in cash.
“I was always hoping to leave but didn't know if I’d get the chance.”
Oh, Conrad. My chest ached, but it wasn't the shoulder wound. He’d spent years maintaining a hiding place just in case.
“You leave tonight.” Flint straightened. “You’ll have no phones and no contact with the pack until I send word.”
The others got up and left, but Conrad and I didn’t move.
“Did you ever go there?" I asked.
Conrad was still standing behind me. “Once. The day I signed the lease. It was enough to know it existed.”
I gripped my mate’s hand, the same man who’d paid rent based on hope.
“Now you've got a reason to go back.”
Ranger drove us two hours north, and we picked up a rental car under Conrad's false name.
The apartment was on the third floor of a building in a non-descript small town.
I stood in the doorway and looked at the space my mate had kept secret for years.
It was small and bland with minimal furnishings.
This is what our life had become. We had to blend into the neighborhood.
There’d be no loud music or singing. We couldn’t go to a football game and cheer, though I suspected my mate had never been near a stadium.
We had to keep our laughter to a minimum.
We were going to be just like this lonely-looking apartment.
“Home.” Conrad attempted a smile.
I closed the door behind us.