Chapter Eleven
Orion's thoughts were in disarray as the made the journey to Evenfall. He hadn't thought he'd be returning so soon and with the news he was bringing. He'd found his mate, or rather, his mate had found him and then promptly tried to have him killed. The more he thought about Nix's words, the less sense they made.
He travelled day and night, too agitated to stop and sleep. It was late evening when he reached the house. Thane was the first person he met, jogging outside to greet him, and waiting while he shifted.
"Back so soon? Has something happened?"
When he caught sight of the injuries that had yet to heal, he cursed.
"Ambushed by two dozen coyotes on my way to set a trap for the coyotes."
"Orion, we can't let this go on any longer."
"You're right. But it's more complicated than you know."
"Let's get inside. You look exhausted."
"I haven't slept in three days. I needed to…"—he almost said get away, like he was running from Nix—"…come home. I need your help."
He wound up in the living room, sitting on a chair next to the fire with a cup of hot soup in his hands. Cal, Thane, and their mates joined him, as did Leona, Simon, and Faye, who were visiting. He told them everything, speaking long into the night, until he was hoarse from talking.
"You're sure he's your mate?" Fionn asked again, seeming aghast at the idea that a true mate could do what Nix had done.
"I'm certain. He's... magnetic. Even now, I want to be where he is. That's why it was so hard to accept what I was seeing, the disgust in his eyes, the anger. It all makes more sense now even though I don't fully understand what's going on."
"And how are we going to tackle the coyote problem? It seems to me that has to be our first priority, now that we know where to find them."
"That's the other reason I returned. I'm afraid if I went up there with the shifters I'd been working with, that we'd just be walking into another trap. I might be able to fend off a coyote attack en masse, but a group of wolves would have been slaughtered. I need shifters who are stronger and more able for the mountain terrain."
"You need us," Cal said.
"But not just you," Dylan added. "You said the Metatherians have some form of magic, so you'll need to bring some magical back-up too. I know Fionn won't want to leave Caspian but I'm willing to go."
"That's kind of you to offer, Dylan but I wouldn't expect—" he started to say, feeling Cal wouldn't want to risk his mate.
"Dylan is right," Cal said, interrupting him. "Strength alone might not be enough. How is it that these coyote shifters have lived in that mountain for so long without detection? How is it the Metatherians did so too and you didn't know about it? I mean, we don't all know every inch of our territories, but it seems strange that their presence has somehow been masked."
"You're worried about the Darkness," Leona said, speaking for the first time. "And I think you're right to be. It's clear from what we've seen that it has been working away these past decades, quietly infiltrating the world of magic. An isolated place like the Bremen mountains would be a perfect place for the Dark to thrive."
They contemplated her words in silence.
"I've had some dealing with Metatherians in the past. I would be keen to meet this Nix and gain some sense into how he can recall events that never happened."
"You're welcome to come and meet him but I wouldn't recommend coming now with things in the territory so unsettled."
"What about Damon?" Dylan suggested.
Orion had only met Dylan's father once, when he'd come to Evenfall after Emily's birth.
"Would he be willing to join us?" he asked, recalling how acclimated cat shifters were to mountain terrains.
"Of course. And he's not too far away, he's visiting Shay," Cal said. "We could travel there and bring him back with us."
The plan was starting to come together, finally. After years of feeling like he was chasing his own tail, Orion felt he was at last operating from a position of strength, three bears and two tigers, one half Wiccan, were a force to be reckoned with.
"What will you do about Nix?"
He stared down at his hands, letting Thane's question hang in the silence. What would he do about his mate? He couldn't kill him, he'd never move past taking such an abhorrent action. But neither could he force him to be something he so clearly didn't want to be.
"I don't know," he said eventually, watching the shadows of the fire dance across his skin. "I just don't know."
Saying goodbye to Emily was never easy but Dylan had at least begun to get used to it. They didn't leave her often, opting instead to bring her with them when they traveled. Damon was always happy to care for her when he was in the territory. But not this time. They needed Damon to fight by their side and they needed Emily safe. Simon and Faye were returning to Sable and would take Fionn and the children with them. It was a weight off his mind to know they'd be safe while he and Cal were gone.
He and Cal shifted and made the journey in their animal skins, knowing it would be faster. Though they made quite a sight, a large brown bear followed by a white tiger with blue eyes. They other shifters were well used to them by now but they'd heard rumors from nearby human towns that suggested they'd been spotted once or twice.
When they were a few miles from Shay's house, they changed back, pulling on the clothes they'd brought with them.
They walked on, Dylan distracted thinking about the busy time they'd had the past few weeks, between Caspian's birth and Orion's troubles. And then there was them and a problem that had been weighing on his mind.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Cal asked. "You're looking awfully serious."
"Sorry, Cal. I just… are you disappointed?"
His mate gave him an unreadable look. "Disappointed? How?"
"It's been three years, and I haven't gone into heat again. I know you want more children…"
Cal slowed to a stop and turned to him. "I adore Emily, Dylan. And I do want more children, someday. But if it's not today or tomorrow or this year, then I'm okay with that."
"What if it's never?" Dylan's voice was a quiet whisper.
"That's what I thought when I first met you and look where we are now." He stepped closer, cupping Dylan's cheek. "It will happen in its own time, Dylan. There's no rushing these things."
"But Fionn and Thane…"
"Are Fionn and Thane. They're not us. And we don't need to be them. It's not a competition. And it's not like we're short on time. We have decades to grow our family. But saying that…" He stepped closer, slipping a hand under Dylan's shirt. "You in heat was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
His free hand tipped Dylan chin up and he leaned in to kiss him before pulling away slowly. "I wouldn't mind seeing that again some time."
Dylan reached for him, tugging him back into the kiss, letting his hands roam under Cal's shirt and along his smooth back. They broke apart slowly a few minutes later.
"We should keep going," he said, with reluctance.
"Are you ready?" Cal asked him, slipping a hand into his. Dylan nodded slowly. Things with Shay weren't perfect, but they were better. The first year of their mating, they'd had no contact with him, but early in the second year, Shay had left a message with Gavin at Laurel Coven, asking Cal and Dylan to come and see him. At first, Dylan had balked, refusing outright to answer Shay's request. And with them busy with Emily, it was easy to let it go. It was Damon who had formed a bridge between them. He'd gone to visit Shay on his way to Evenfall and found him a man lost in grief.
When Damon returned, Dylan came with him, listening to the words of remorse and apology that fell from his grandfather's lips. It wasn't easy to find forgiveness in his heart for Shay but if Damon could, after everything that Shay had done to him, then Dylan could too.
He always hesitated at the fence of his childhood home, only now seeing it as the prison it had been. A prison of the mind as much as of the body. Cal squeezed his hand and opened the gate, ushering Dylan in ahead of him.
They found Shay and Damon in the kitchen.
"Emily's not with you?" Shay asked. His face always lit up at the sight of his great-grandchild and through her he'd become more accepting of the magic that made up who they were.
"No, Shay. It's not a social call, I'm afraid," Cal said.
"We're here to ask for your help," Dylan said to Damon.
Damon set down his cup, nodding. "Of course, I'm at your disposal. I take it there's a problem."
They explained the circumstances surrounding their visit.
"Orion is right. There was a tiger shifter who spent winters in the Bremen mountains. I believe he moved south. These Metatherians though, I've never heard of them."
"It seems you're not alone in that. They're not present in huge numbers and they keep to themselves."
"Dylan, are you sure you need to be involved in this? Emily needs you."
"Emily will be fine with Sable Coven until we return. And yes, the Metatherians have magic on their side so we need it on our side too. Especially with Fionn indisposed."
They stayed another hour, eating a meal with Shay before they left. As they said their goodbyes, they promised to bring Emily for a visit once things had settled down. Cal put his arm across Dylan's shoulders as they crossed the yard, Damon following behind, and Shay watching them from the door.
He turned back when he reached the gate, raising a hand to wave goodbye to Shay. He was looking frailer at the years passed, showing his age. Or maybe Dylan just had enough distance to see it.
"He's not perfect," Damon said, voicing thoughts that often came to Dylan's mind too.
"But he's family," he replied.
"And in the end, family is what matters," Cal said.
Fionn packed some things for the children, making a mental list of what they'd need for the few weeks he imagined they'd be there. As he folded clothes, Fionn couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He checked on the girls, who were playing hide and go seek around the house. He checked on Caspian, the baby fast asleep in his crib. Simon and Faye were outside, walking by the lake. They were going to drive them to Sable, making the journey a lot simpler. Lastly, he checked on Thane, who was poring over maps in the study.
As Fionn stood in the doorway, he watched Thane. There were lines across the Alpha's face, a combination of the tiredness that came with a newborn and the worry they'd all carried about Orion this last while. Fionn was speaking before he realised what it was he needed to say.
"I need to come with you."
Thane lifted his head. "Hmm?"
"I have this feeling, in the pit of my stomach. That we're missing something, that we don't have the full picture. I need to come with you. You need more magic on your side."
"We have Dylan," Thane said, straightening up and letting go of the map.
"If it is the Darkness, one half-Wiccan won't be enough."
"Caspian and Annabel need you."
"Annabel will have the time of her life in Sable. She loves it there. Caspian… Caspian will manage without me for a little while."
"He needs magic, just like she did as a newborn."
"Sable Coven aren't exactly low on magic. Simon and Faye will be more than able to take care of him. Besides, it'll be good for them to have some practice before their own little one arrives."
"No, Fionn, it's too risky. You should stay with the children."
"I'm not a child, Thane, and you're not my parent. What use is my being in Sable if something happens out there and I lose you? I feel it, right down to my bones. I need to come with you."
Thane guided him to a chair and sat down next to him.
"I don't want you in danger, especially now."
"What about you? You're the one insisting on running into trouble without as much firepower as you can carry."
"We don't even know the Darkness is involved."
Fionn bit his lip before he answered. "I've been having the dreams again."
Thane closed his eyes, his hand clenching into a fist.
"How long?"
"The past few weeks. I thought it was just with the birth. You remember how worried I was before Annabel was born?"
"I remember."
Fionn took Thane's fisted hand in his and slowly uncurled it, straightening Thane's fingers before stroking lightly across Thane's palm.
"I need to come with you. Dylan and I, we're stronger together. Our magic works well in tandem."
Thane knew that, he'd seen it with his own eyes more than once, but Fionn still felt the need to say it.
"I need you to be careful."
"Always."
"Annabel and Caspian need you back in one piece. So no taking unnecessary risks, no running headlong into danger."
"Never," Fionn agreed.
"And no dying on me like last time. I don't think my heart would survive that a second time."
Thane stood and Fionn followed, wrapping his arms around the Alpha and pressing his head to Thane's chest.
"I won't leave you like that again, I promise. There's too much at stake now."
"Good," Thane said, hugging Fionn back tightly. "Let's go break the news to Simon and Faye."
"They won't mind. Caspian's adorable."
"They might not think so at three in the morning when he's screaming at the top of his lungs."
"A little magic soothes him right back to sleep. They'll be fine." Even as he said it, he felt a pang of sadness. Caspian was so small, the last thing Fionn wanted was to leave him. But Thane needed him more than Caspian right then and Fionn would always be there for his Alpha.