Magni
My hand stroked my red hybrid when I saw it again. The impressive machine had been designed for me a few years ago and had cost me a fortune.
Getting back in the pilot’s seat was a little bit like coming home. I looked around to make sure everything was just the way I’d left it a month ago.
Firing up the engine, I put it on automatic drone mode with the Gray Mansion as the destination, while I reached for my wristband to see what messages and calls I’d missed.
While muttering curse words to myself, the lines of worry on my forehead grew deeper with every message I read. My month away had left a gigantic mess at home and I had a lot of cleaning up to do. I started by calling up Khan.
“Magni, is that you?” His voice came through loud and clear, sounding frantic.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Tell me where you are.”
“I’m in Alaska, just like I told you I would be.”
“You need to come home, right now!” He sounded desperate. “I’ll give you anything you want, as long as you come back to work.”
“You sound tired. Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not fucking okay. I haven’t slept for a month and everything is in chaos.”
“I’m sorry to hear it. I truly thought you and your new co-ruler would be better off without me as the third wheel.”
Khan groaned. “Don’t start, Magni. Pearl can never replace you and you know it. She and I are strong strategists, but your expertise is in controlling the soldiers. No one does that better than you, and the men are loyal to you.”
“I’m not interested in coming back to work, if Pearl is going to outrank me.”
“That won’t happen for at least ten years.”
“Good, then you have plenty of time to find a solution without me.”
“Magni, for fuck’s sake, just come back and help me get things under control. We’ll figure out a solution once we get there. Pearl had an idea although it’s a really bad one.”
“Tell me anyway.” I scrolled down and grew nervous when I counted at least twenty calls from the school. “Is Mila okay?”
“Yes, Mila is fine. She just misses you a lot.”
“And Laura?”
“Everyone is fine. And we all want you to come back home.”
“I’m waiting to hear Pearl’s idea.”
He groaned as if it was painful to say it out loud. “She suggested we’d make a Council to include you as an equal to both her and me.”
“Pearl said that?” I lowered my wristband and looked out the window over the snow-covered trees beneath me.
“Yeah, but I told her ‘no’ of course.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a fucking bad idea, Magni. The only reason to make Pearl a co-ruler in the first place is to honor the demand from the Motherlands Council that equality will go both ways. Setting up a Council in the Northlands with only three people won’t offer equality since it will still be you and me outweighing Pearl as the only female.”
“I see.”
“We would need at least four members in the Council and two of them would need to be female.”
“Hmm.”
“Now you see why it’s such a bad idea? Pearl is opinionated enough – we don’t need another strong woman like her to complicate things further. She’s already threatening not to sleep with me if I don’t release the Huntsmen.”
I froze and lowered my voice. “What are you talking about?”
“Franklin and seven of the Huntsmen were convinced that I was holding you prisoner, and they came to rescue you. The fucking fools held Pearl, Laura, and me locked in my office demanding to know if I had killed you.”
“Why didn’t you tell them to fuck off?”
“Because they were holding a gun to my head and wouldn’t listen to reason. Laura fought one of them, and I thought he might kill her.”
“Who?”
“Did he hurt her?” My voice rose as my heart pounded in my chest.
“No, at the time I was afraid he would, but looking back I can see that it was never his intention. She hit him hard with my marble cube when he tried to restrain her.”
I whistled. “Good for her. The Huntsmen must’ve known they were risking everything.”
“They said you would’ve done the same for them.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, it was Pearl who finally convinced them that we were as concerned about you as they were. After that, they let us go.”
“What did you do with them?”
“What do you think? They were waving a gun close to my pregnant wife’s face. I want to hang every one of them.”
“You didn’t tell me that Pearl was pregnant.” My tone softened. “Congratulations.”
“I would’ve told you if you had been around. But you don’t have to act surprised. You knew about it before I did.”
“Ahh, you two really tell each other everything, don’t you?”
“Pretty much.”
“It sucks that she won’t sleep with you. Maybe you should give her what she wants.”
“You’re only saying that because the Huntsmen were fighting to get to you.”
“You’re right about that. It’s nice to know that some people are still loyal to me.”
“I guess. Not sure you deserve it, though.”
I lowered my chin. “Why not?”
“You’re not exactly showing much loyalty yourself, are you? You left the Huntsmen not knowing what had happened to you, and you left your wife to fend for herself, not even appointing a new protector for her.”
“Boulder was there, I knew he would protect her.”
“He already has Christina to protect, and I’m busy enough trying to keep together the pieces of this country. Finn lives in the Motherlands now, and Archer has a school to run with a pregnant wife to protect. Do you realize what that means?”
My jaw hardened. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that the only male available to be Laura’s protector was Marco.”
“You made an unmarried man her protector?” My voice was frosty.
“You didn’t give me much choice and with you choosing to leave there’s the question of your divorce and Laura’s future with another husband.”
“Another husband.” My heart almost stopped. “Did she sleep with Marco?”
“All I know is that she has slept here in your suite most nights. The other night she has slept at the school.”
“With him?”
“I can’t confirm or deny it, but I was told that Laura isn’t sleeping alone.”
“Where. Is. Laura?” The three words were pressed out through my teeth.”
“She wasn’t here for breakfast, so I assume that she is at the school.”
My nostrils flared and fear burned in my chest. Marco was handsome, charming, and easy-going like Finn. I had always thought of him as nothing but a big boy, but he and Laura were the same age. Boulder and Finn had both married the women they protected, and I was no fool. Laura was lonely and felt rejected by me. I’d left her open and vulnerable for Marco to seduce.
“So, are you coming back or what?” Khan asked.
“Yes, I’m coming back. In the meantime, do as Pearl told you to and release my men. I’ll deal with them later after I’ve dealt with Laura.”
“These are truly troubling times if you and Pearl team up against me,” Khan muttered and ended the call.
I pushed accelerate and was grateful that I had the fastest hybrid in the Northlands.