Rafael and Mason walked together to Dante’s back yard. With talk of war amping up, Rafael had increased Mason’s sword training. It also helped the young Goyle alleviate some of his pent-up frustrations. Mason had a lot on his plate having figured out Willow was his mate. He had even more going on now that she was on board with the two of them being together, but she was also willing to wait until Mason was ready. As a Gargoyle, he was considered a man, but as a human, he was still thought of as a boy and would be for another year. Mason was spending time with Rafe’s assistant, but he never allowed himself to be alone with her. His hormones were running away from him, and his beast was demanding he take her and complete the bond. He confided in Rafael all of his feelings and worries, as Willow confided in Kaya. Of course, Rafael and Kaya compared notes once they were alone in bed at the end of the day.

As they approached the open area of Dante’s estate, the sound of metal on metal rent the air. Urijah already had training underway. As Rafael neared, Uri fisted his heart. “My King,” he spoke, bowing his head. When Urijah looked up, he reached out a hand to Mason. “Mason, good to see you again.”

“Welcome home, Uri,” Rafael said to the large Goyle. Frey had overseen training while Uri had been on the West Coast getting the new armory up and running. “How are things in California?” he asked, hoping Uri would be honest with him.

“The new armory is state-of-the-art. The swords I forged are some of my best work, if I do say so myself.”

“And Banyan?” Rafael left the question open-ended on purpose.

Urijah frowned, and instead of answering, told Mason, “Slade is waiting for you. Why don’t you go grab your sword, and I’ll be with you two in a moment.” Mason inclined his head and strode away. Uri fisted his hands at his sides. “Banyan is handling training now that I’m home.”

“I take it things between the two of you are not any better than before?” Rafael was fishing, but he wasn’t going to come right out and ask Uri what was going on between the two of them. Sin had already confided in Rafael that the two males were mates, yet one or both refused to acknowledge the fact.

“Things are the same as they’ve always been. The two of us do not get along, and it’s better when we keep at least two thousand miles between us. No disrespect, but if we’re finished talking about my personal life, I have much more important matters to tend.” Uri indicated the males training with a sweep of his hand.

“By all means,” Rafael said. Instead of picking up a sword and sparring, he sat on one of the picnic tables Dante had placed to the side of the training area. As King, he should be the first one into battle when and if they went to war. He should, but his brothers had insisted he stay in New Atlanta should the fight with Alistair take them to Greece since Kaya was pregnant with his heir. She would need him beside her when the time came for her to give birth, not have him half a world away. He was torn between his loyalty to the Clan and his need to watch over his Queen. Rafael knew every single member of the Clan would put their life on the line for Kaya and their unborn Prince, but he preferred to be the one keeping them safe. Kaya had told him to do what he thought was best for the Clan.

It had been over a week since anyone had heard from Donovan, the Clan’s Goyle inside Alistair’s compound on Ithaca. That in itself bothered Rafael, since Donovan was the only link they had to what the Greek King was up to. If they didn’t hear from him soon, Rafael was going to reach out to the twins. Carter and Hunter were loyal to Xavier, Tessa’s father; therefore, they were loyal to the Stone Society. Both males had helped the family on more than one occasion. Hunter most recently aided Sin when he traveled to Greece to meet up with Alistair. Not only had they not heard from Donovan, they still had no idea where Alistair was keeping Athena. Rafael’s mother had disappeared, and Rafe had no doubt his uncle was the culprit.

As Rafael watched Mason and Slade spar, Connor joined him at the picnic table. Dante’s son was quiet as he mimicked Rafael’s posture. Forearms to thighs, the seven-year-old observed the males as they swung their swords, his own small sword resting beside him on the table. Rafe couldn’t help but smile. He also couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the boy’s mind. He didn’t have to wait long to find out. “I saw something, Uncle Rafael,” he said, looking up with troubled eyes.

“In a vision?”

Connor nodded. “It was Grandma. I don’t think she’s with us any longer,” he stated seriously.

Rafael’s heart seized at the thought of his mother being dead. His first instinct was to roar with grief, but Connor was just a boy, even if he was wise beyond his years. Reaching deep inside and calling on his shifter’s strength, he asked, “Have you talked to your dad about this?”

“No, Sir. It happened a few minutes ago. Da is at work, so I came out here when I saw you. I’m…” Connor didn’t finish his statement as tears welled up in his eyes.

Rafael put his arm around his nephew, pulling him close to comfort him. If what Connor said was true, Rafael was now an orphan, albeit an old one. His heart ached for his mother. If she’d died at the hands of her brother, it would have been a gruesome ending. They’d had their differences over the years, but she was still his mother, and she didn’t deserve anything Alistair doled out. This made talking to Donovan even more important. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Connor.” Rafael continued soothing the boy until he wiped his eyes and pulled away.

“I didn’t know how to draw it exactly. Grandma didn’t look sad. She looked like she was sleeping, and she was smiling.”

“No, you do not have to put it to paper. You never have to put things like that on paper if you do not want to. You can always tell us what you’ve seen. Okay?”

“Okay. I wish I only saw stuff that made everyone happy.”

“Me too. You are so very special, Connor. I do not know why the gods have gifted you with the ability to see things, but it means they feel you are worthy. You’re important to our Clan and our family. Please never forget that.”

Connor nodded, sniffling. Rafael patted the boy’s knee, trying to offer support. His heart hurt for the boy, having to see visions of death and the gods knew what else. Rafael needed to get used to feeling strongly for the well-being of children. Kaya would be giving him his own son to protect, and he honestly didn’t know if he was ready. Being responsible for something so tiny was daunting. His cell phone rang, and Connor said, “Tell Da I’m okay,” as he slid down off the table, taking his sword back into the house.

Rafael stood from the table to retrieve his phone from his pocket. He didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know Dante was on the other end. “Hello, Brother.”

“Rafe, is Connor okay?”

“He said to tell you he is, but honestly, I do not know how he could be. He had a vision. Dante, Mother’s gone.”

Dante sighed heavily. “Connor tried to convey as much to me moments ago. I was busy with a corpse and did not have my mind open to him. I was hoping, for once, our connection had been weak and I’d misread his thoughts.”

“I’m afraid not. He’s shaken up, and I do not think it’s only the vision. How do you do it, Brother?”

“The best way I can. Unconditionally. I offer him every ounce of support and love I have within me. He’s so young to be burdened with his visions.”

“He and I were having that very conversation only moments ago. I told him how important he was to the family even though I did not understand why the gods had given someone so young his gift.”

Dante coughed out a laugh. “I’m not sure I would call it a gift. I know it has helped us in the past, but honestly, Brother, I would not wish the ability on anyone, let alone someone so young. If Mother has truly crossed over, Alistair more than likely had something to do with it.”

“I need to contact Donovan. Connor mentioned that in his vision she was smiling. If that’s the case, she could have willed herself to cross over. If Alistair was holding her prisoner, it would be her way of taking matters into her own hands.”

“And if not?”

Rafael looked past the males in front of him, seeing his mother in his mind’s eye. “If not, Alistair was still responsible. Either way, this shit has gone on long enough. I believe it’s time we pay our uncle a visit.”

“You mean we as in a collective group of males and not we as in you as well, right?”

“Is it right for me to send any of you into battle and not be there fighting alongside you? I’m not the only one with a mate or a child on the way. Gargoyles have been mating and producing offspring for millennia. It’s never stopped one from going into battle as far as I know.”

“No, but you are not only my King; you are my brother. I do not know anyone I would rather have help raise my children in the event of my absence. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gregor and Sinclair, but you are the oldest and wisest among us all. It would be a tragedy on more than one front to lose you.”

 Rafael didn’t know what to say. Out of all his brothers, Dante had always been closest with Gregor. “I appreciate your kind words, Dante. I would be honored to help Isabelle with your children, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I need to get in touch with Donovan and make sure Connor’s vision was accurate. If it was, I’ll call a Clan meeting, and we’ll decide then how many males we need to send to Greece.”

“I agree, even though we both know Connor is never wrong. I am leaving the hospital now. Trevor can handle things here.”

“Training is almost over, but I’ll remain here until you arrive.”

“Thank you, Brother. I’m going to call Isabelle and see if she can break away from the Pen as well. Connor might have said he is okay, but he is just a boy. I will see you soon.”

After he disconnected, Rafael waited for the males to disburse before getting Mason’s attention. He and Slade walked over to where Rafael stood. “Slade, if I could ask you for a favor.”

“Of course, my King.”

“Please take Mason back to the office for me. I need to remain here until Dante arrives, and he and I have some things to discuss.”

“I’d be happy to. Mason, you ready?”

“Yes. Rafael, I’ll see you later?” Mason asked.

“You will. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Mason frowned, so Rafe asked him, “Would you rather Slade stay with you?”

“No, Sir. I can handle my beast.”

“Very well.” Rafael clapped him on the shoulder, praying the young Goyle was right.

Urijah, who had joined Rafael, was watching the two males walk away. Rafe didn’t know if Uri was concentrating on Slade because the male was gay or if he was lost in some other thought. Neither one mattered at that point. Rafael needed Urijah to be on his game. He was the best fighter they had, and Rafe would be asking him to lead the Clan in Greece. “Urijah, war is upon us. I need to make some phone calls to be certain, but it seems like my mother is dead. We do not know if Alistair killed her or if she willed herself to cross over. Either way, I have made the decision to act sooner rather than later.”

“It’s what we’ve been training for. If you would allow it, I would like to be there. I would like to be among those you send to defend our Clan.”

“I will allow it, Uri. And I would have you go one step further and lead our Clan into battle. You are our fiercest warrior.”

Urijah fisted his heart and bowed low. “It would be my honor to lead our Clan. Thank you, my King.”

“I will call a meeting soon. We will decide then how many males are needed and which ones will be chosen to go. Since you’ve been in charge of training, I would appreciate if you would be thinking on those among the Clan most likely to come away with their heads intact. I would also appreciate if you would put your personal differences aside with Banyan. If he is one of the best, I want him to be among the numbers.”

“I promise you I will choose the most worthy.”

“Then that is all I can ask of you. Now, I need to get inside and check on Connor. I will talk to you soon, Uri.”

Urijah inclined his head before striding off to the storage shed. Rafael trusted no one more than the large male to lead their Clan into battle. With a heavy heart, Rafe made his way into Dante’s home to check on his nephew.

 

 

Donovan was ready to take Alistair’s head. The fucking King wouldn’t let him out of his sight for five minutes. If the bastard didn’t trust him, he shouldn’t have made “Darian” his first in command. Then again, it might have something to do with the way Donovan reacted to the news that Athena was dead. He wasn’t even supposed to know Alistair’s sister was being held at the compound, so his outburst at her demise could have given the King cause for concern.

There was no Donovan trusted among the males to cover for him long enough to try to get word to Rafael. He couldn’t even get a message to the twins. Now, he had a decision to make. Stay at the compound like he was supposed to where he could keep an eye on Alistair, or leave, never to be able to come back. Well, he could come back, but it would be on the other side of the battle lines.

Donovan had worked with the Greek Clan long enough to know their strengths and weaknesses. He knew their numbers. He also knew all the entrances and exits where The Stone Society could sneak into the compound undetected, but that was only if he was there to post guards where he wanted them. Without him to secure the entrances, Rafael’s Clan would have to storm the gates, so to speak. If he remained where he was, Donovan was going to have to figure out a way to get a message to Rafael.

Alistair was already paranoid on his best days. Now, the King was inviting Donovan to share his females. While Donovan wasn’t opposed to a good fucking, he was opposed to taking a woman to bed while Alistair watched. Ever since Athena had died, Donovan hadn’t been given more than ten minutes alone other than to shower and sleep. The first morning he awoke to find a guard outside his door, he stormed into Alistair’s office demanding an explanation. The King lied through his teeth stating he couldn’t have his best warrior unprotected. If he was the best, he didn’t need protection.

Donovan had gone from having free rein to being put on a leash. He ate his meals with Alistair instead of with his fellow warriors. A male had been ordered to follow him everywhere he went, only giving him enough privacy to shit and shower alone. When Donovan tried to make nice with the males assigned to him, he’d found his words falling on deaf ears. Alistair was a scary motherfucker, so Donovan didn’t blame the Goyles for doing as they were told.

He sat down at the table to the right of where Alistair sat. Donovan’s posture should have told the King he wasn’t in the mood for any more of his bullshit. Obviously, it didn’t. “Darian, I would like for you to join me tonight in the bedroom.” Alistair didn’t bother looking at him when he spoke. Instead, he unfolded the linen napkin and placed it on his lap. Donovan was still getting used to being called by a different name, but it was similar enough he could wing it if he forgot.

“I’m afraid I have other plans.”

That got the King’s attention. “What kind of other plans?”

“I need to get away from all the testosterone. I’m hitting the pub.”

“I do not think so,” Alistair sneered.

“You can have your lapdogs follow me if you don’t trust me. I’m going to the pub and relax. Away from the compound. Away from the fighting. Away from you.”

“You would do well to remember who you are speaking so irreverently to.”

“And you’d do well to remember I am a well-trained warrior who is probably almost as old as you. If you want me to continue to be your right hand, I suggest you loosen the leash a little.”

Alistair’s face darkened. If Donovan wasn’t certain he could best the King in combat, he’d have kept his mouth shut. “Are you challenging me?” Alistair roared, slamming his hands on the heavy wood table, silverware and china jumping out of place. The servants backed out of the room, wide-eyed and trembling.

“Take it however you wish, Your Highness.” Donovan’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “I have been a faithful and loyal servant who has given you no reason whatsoever to doubt my loyalties. Unless you’ve taken a fancy to seeing me naked, I don’t understand why you suddenly decided to put me under twenty-four-hour lockdown.”

“And I do not understand why you were so interested in my sister!” Alistair’s voice shook the walls.

“Your sister? Everyone knew you were keeping Athena in the chambers below. That was common knowledge. I was surprised to find out she’d died. So what? Anyone else would have reacted the same way. I just happened to be the one standing there when that little tidbit of news was shared.”

Alistair glared at Donovan, probably trying to determine whether or not he was lying. Donovan sat completely still, willing his breathing to remain calm. He even slowed it on purpose. He refused to be the one to break the stare-off they seemed to be having. Arching an eyebrow, Donovan sighed, letting Alistair know he was tired of the game.

“Fine. Go to the pub. But you will take Demetri with you.”

“Fine.” Donovan pushed back from the table. “I’ll go find him now. And Alistair, no more fucking together. That’s just weird.” He didn’t miss the low growl that escaped from the King. It wasn’t until he was in the north section of the villa that he let his guard down. He fully expected Alistair to follow him and attempt to take his head for the disrespect he’d shown, but when he made it to his bedroom, there was no one behind him. He didn’t have to go in search of Demetri. The Goyle was waiting outside his door.

“You’re with me tonight. I’m going out, and I’ve already spoken to the King about it. If you want to change your clothes, do it now while I shower.” Donovan quickly showered and changed out of his training gear, putting on something suitable for a night out. He would go to the pub, but he had other plans as well. By the time he was ready, Demetri was waiting outside his door, still wearing the same clothes he’d had on. Donovan rolled his eyes and said, “Let’s go.” If things went his way, Donovan would be able to ditch his babysitter and find someone to get word to Rafael.