Chapter 11
“Nervous?” Chatan asked, coming up behind Jacinda.
“No. Figure if you don’t like him, I don’t have to impress him.” She nudged his shoulder. “Your opinion is the only one I care about.”
He sighed. “I don’t hate him, but I don’t understand him. I do love him, but I can only take so much before I need a break. You know?”
Her head dipped. “Yeah, I get that. But no, I’m not nervous about meeting him. I just hope he can tell me more about my father.”
Chatan pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “He’s excited to meet you. I just wish I knew what to expect today.”
“Wish I could say we don’t have to worry, but this has to do with Thanatos. I have to deal with him.”
“We do.”
“We.” She turned in his arms. “I’m trying to get used to using we. It’s always been me. Even with Mom there.”
He swept his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. “This morning you meet my father. Tonight, I want you to meet my brothers. Dakota sent a text earlier. He’s setting up a barbecue for us.”
She smiled. “We should go.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Look, you’re going to see creatures you don’t see anywhere else at Pine Vale Reserve. Centaurs, satyr, there’s a lamia staying out there.”
“I’ve been to places where all those and more go. I’ve traveled, just not much up this way. Mostly to Edenton, because of A Good Book.”
“Well, chances are if Tremaine can’t get his hands on something you’re looking for, Brent can. He should be here.”
“Then why are we stalling?” she teased.
He shook his head and pulled her to the living room.
Brent looked up from his cup of coffee. “Morning, Jacinda, Chatan. Hungry?”
Chatan glanced at Jacinda.
She smiled. “Yes. And I think he can always eat.” She nudged his ribs.
One corner of Chatan’s mouth pulled up with a wry grin. “Where are we eating?”
“The Monsoon. It’s not far from here. They have excellent food,” Brent suggested.
“They do have good food,” Chatan agreed.
“Let’s go.” Food was food. As long as she didn’t have to think too much about it, she was easy to please.
* * * *
Breakfast was easygoing. Jacinda continued to open up. Little by little, Chatan understood more of her past. All while he closed down. Whatever they learned would be important, but his father’s cryptic warning had rattled him.
The drive to Pine Vale Reserve passed without a word from Chatan. He was too lost in his own thoughts to pay much attention to the things Jacinda and Brent discussed.
He knew she was telling Brent about her life, and he was telling her things Chatan had never heard. Then again, he hadn’t spent a lot of time with Brent.
Shaking his head, he looked at Brent. “Why didn’t you invite Eddie and Jackie?”
Brent glanced back. “They both have work. Wasn’t sure how long we’d be gone. Besides, I get the feeling this won’t be easy for either of you.”
“Probably not. More secrets. I get why my dad couldn’t tell me more. I was only two when he died.” Jacinda sighed and leaned her head against the glass. “Mom, well, I have a feeling she knew a lot more than she ever told me. I want to know why she kept so many secrets.”
“To protect you, I imagine. They were involved in something called the Branches of Emrys. Matoskah has more information. I imagine you’ll be seeing more of Robert and his friends too. Probably even Draecyn, who I understand is far up the chain of command.”
“Draecyn?” Jacinda asked. “I’ve met him, but I was just a kid.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.” He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “If they ask you to be part of the Branches, you need to understand what all is involved. There’s a problem. They don’t like to share information until they know for sure you’re going to say yes. It’s why I never joined.”
“What do you know?” Jacinda asked.
“That they guide big events, without being directly involved if possible. They’re shady, even if they’re supposedly saving the world. And the worst part is they never tell you everything up front. I couldn’t join with that little information.”
“And you couldn’t see enough into the future to tell if it was worth it?”
“Often things to do with the Branches are dark for me. I’m not great at seeing what I need to. The visions are generally random,” Brent explained.
Jacinda nodded.
“Do you want to see the future?” Chatan asked her.
“Only if it includes you,” she answered.
Chatan took her hand. “I know my future includes you. I don’t need to see it.”
“Because you’d follow.”
“Got that right.” He glanced at Brent. “And I’m willing to bet this is who you saw in my future.”
“Only, I didn’t realize she was my granddaughter.” He shook his head. “Brace yourself, Jacinda. The wards protecting this place can be jarring.”
Chatan squeezed her hand. “They’re worse than crossing into Wanatoga.”
She dipped her head but didn’t flinch.
Chatan flinched.
So did Brent.
“Nothing?” Chatan asked.
“Been through similar,” she answered. “It’s familiar. But the last time I came to a place like this, I was challenged.”
“For what?” Brent asked.
She sighed. “When I’m not careful to hide my magic, and I stay somewhere with other powerful Others, I’ve been challenged. Usually as a warning that they’re the big dog.”
Chatan growled slightly. “You’re a guest of my father’s, their current leader. I doubt anyone is stupid enough to challenge you.”
Brent snorted. “I don’t know. There are a few who would. Where in the abyss have you gone that you were challenged like that?”
Her nose scrunched. “In places less civil than Edenton. I just don’t know what to expect in a place like this.”
“If there is a challenge, I’ll deal with them,” Chatan stated.
Jacinda glared at him. “No. I’ll deal with them, or I won’t gain their respect.”
“I don’t like this,” Chatan snarled. “Why did we have to come here?”
“May not be a problem,” Brent offered. “There are others coming, and usually, Pine Vale is a civil place.”
Jacinda offered Chatan a tight smile. “I’ll try to keep my magic locked down tight.”
“Why?” Chatan asked.
Brent smirked. “Power is what draws a challenge. And some of these assholes are looking for any reason to fight. Her magic, unchecked, would definitely draw a battle.”
“I’m trying. Let’s hope my concentration continues to be strong.” She glanced out the window, seemingly unfazed.
Chatan tried to think of a way to prevent a challenge. But the fact they weren’t staying should be enough reason for no one to insist. He hoped.
Then again, she could certainly handle herself. He could trust her.
He rubbed at his face. Would he get used to seeing her fight? Not likely.
Brent parked in front of the longhouse.
Chatan would have access to his old Volkswagen Bug. It was old but reliable. He flexed his hands when he noticed the tremble. He shouldn’t be planning his escape so soon.
Snapping out of the worry, he hopped out and held out his hand for Jacinda.
She took it with a smile and closed the distance, wrapping her arms around him. Leaning up, she whispered, “Relax. Doesn’t matter what he says. I’ll still love you.”
Chatan’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when Dad cleared his throat. The little his Dad said had Chatan’s head so twisted up he didn’t know what to do.
Dad said, “Welcome to Pine Vale Reserve, Jacinda. It’s good to see you well, and with my son.”
She stepped back with a smile Chatan knew to be fake. “Hello, Matoskah.”
“You are beautiful.” He met Brent’s gaze. “Hey, Brent. I hope you’ll all come inside. I think you’ll find some familiar faces, and a few new ones.”
“How many people are here for this?” Chatan asked.
“More than enough. There are a lot of us who would like to help,” Matoskah answered.
“Damn it,” Brent muttered under his breath. Apparently, he didn’t like the set-up any better. And Jacinda shifted her weight from side to side before taking Chatan’s hand and pulling him toward the door, resolved.
There were so many things he wanted to ask. But he’d wait for his father’s plan to play out. Hopefully coming to him wasn’t a huge mistake.
* * * *
Jacinda couldn’t fathom what Chatan was so nervous about. He grew up with the man. And all she sensed from him was nervous energy and secrets. Okay, he was hiding something, but weren’t they all?
She still didn’t fully understand why he was so bothered by his father moving on. Okay, it was fast, but Jacinda couldn’t remember a time she hadn’t wished her mother could find another man. Not to replace her father, but so Mom wouldn’t be so lonely.
Whatever, they weren’t there for her to impress Chatan’s father. They needed the journal and to find out how he could help. She was getting used to the idea of needing help. If Thanatos was something like a spirit, then it made sense they needed sorcerers on their side. And if the wards in certain places could keep him at bay, well, they needed to know if it was possible to replicate the magic in case they couldn’t stop him.
There had to be a way to stop him. And hopefully it wouldn’t take forever to figure out how and when to do that.
Matoskah closed the distance and took her shoulders, taking a long look at her. “You have Tyrell’s eyes and your mother’s freckles.”
“Thanks.” She looked past him, into the main room of the longhouse. Tremaine and Robert sat with a woman who held a little boy. They had the same curls in browns, reds, and blonds. Preston wasn’t far from them. There were two more familiar faces. Draecyn and a woman who had been with him when she met him, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember her name or anything she’d said.
There were more she didn’t recognize.
“What the hell?” Chatan whispered. “What is he doing here?”
She followed his gaze to a man with dark hair and striking pale brown eyes. She didn’t recognize him. There was a lot of strange magic in the room, though. It bubbled up and charged through the place.
“Any of those from the reserve?” she whispered to Chatan.
He shook his head. “Not unless they’re new. I think this might be some of the Branches of Emrys.”
Then she may not have to deal with a challenge. Not with that many people packing so much power. And she had hers tightly bound.
“Don’t worry, these are friends,” Matoskah said.
Brent let out a sigh. “I only recognize half.”
“Comforting,” Chatan muttered.
Not in the least, Jacinda thought to herself.
The man Chatan watched smiled. “I see you do know the fiery young woman.”
His eyes narrowed. “How do you know Jacinda?”
“Watched from afar for many years. I promised her mother I wouldn’t interfere, as long as she stayed out of trouble.”
“Excuse me,” Jacinda asked.
“I’m Olivier Montreux. An old friend of your mother’s. And I met Chatan one night at a truck stop. He was trying to warn me away from a certain strigoi and her goons.”
Chatan shook his head. “We know Mason and Butch managed to take someone from the bus. Who were they? What happened?”
“Unfortunately, they had followed. And considering they were as human as they come, I hadn’t realized we were followed. They took a young woman we saved from another monster who was using her as a blood slave as well as a toy. One he treated poorly. At least she had a quick death and was put out of her misery, though I would have preferred to save her.”
Chatan shifted his weight and shook his head. He’d been watching over Jacinda? This man with magic similar, but very different than a mage. And he was part of the Silver Council. Confused didn’t begin to cover it. Then again, he’d already learned that the Magister of the enforcers, and his lieutenant weren’t even all mage.
“That’s why my mother knew about the strigoi?” Jacinda asked.
Olivier smiled, then glanced at Robert. “We had been watching Josephine for many years. She had developed an obsession with a mystical dagger Draecyn had hidden away. She badly wanted to use the relic to gain true magic, but she died when she stole it. And her fool husband was a talented enough necromancer, he managed to reanimate her, but it had been so long something else tagged along, making her something else.”
Robert shook his head. “You knew about all of that, and you didn’t share it with the rest of us?”
Olivier sighed. “I may be part of the Silver Council, but at the time I didn’t know if I could trust you. And with my role, and the undercover investigations, I didn’t have a chance to talk to Draecyn or anyone since they brought you in.”
“A bit more communication would be helpful,” Robert snarled.
Chatan had to strangle back his laugh. He’d only met Robert McCallister a few times, but he always seemed composed. And now, he was tense.
Chatan was starting to understand why the Branches of Emrys bothered Brent. Too many damned secrets. It made him worry about what secrets had been kept from him. His parents had been part of the Branches. Hell, he’d heard of the group all his life and never realized anyone in his family was a part of it until now.
“Wait,” Jacinda interrupted. “You told my mother about the strigoi?”
Olivier nodded. “I told her to warn you when I knew you headed to Wanatoga. But you didn’t need to know about me.”
Jacinda looked at Chatan. “The night you came to me as a dog?”
“Uh, yeah.” Chatan shoved his hands in his pockets. “You said you were going to go through the journal. I didn’t want to be alone.”
She slipped her arm through his. “I’m glad you came to me.”
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to his side.
Brent sighed, and she glanced over. “Should I be worried?” she asked.
“No. I’m curious to see how all this plays out.” Brent walked over to Tremaine and took a seat.
She found it interesting he felt most comfortable with Tremaine. He was a close second to Chatan. She couldn’t say she was totally comfortable with her grandfather yet.
Maybe soon.
Matoskah moved to the center of the room, facing the half circle of people gathered. All there to help her with Thanatos. God, everything was so bizarre.