by Marcy Jacks
Gold shook his head. “No, Rey’s. He wanted to find Aiden’s mother and father more than anything. I need to know what’s going on and, at the very least, let my brother know I’m awake.”
Sebby nodded. “He’ll be happy. He came over a couple of times to check on you.”
“Hmm.” Gold sounded thoughtful. “I’ll have to have another talk with my brother, let him know where you and I stand so he doesn’t think he has to watch over you when you’re taking care of me.”
“Oh, I don’t think that was why he kept coming over,” Sebby said, and he was happy to let Gold know about this. “Your brother was always nice. Lightning is a little more growly, which I understand, but everyone else seemed a little more…I don’t know, I guess they were willing to take a chance on me.”
Gold’s nose crinkled a little at that, but he nodded. “I don’t like it if Lightning’s going to be intimidating you, but I guess that’s all right.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I totally get it. I’m a warlock, and he’s an albino dragon. It’s completely fine if he doesn’t want to trust me. It won’t hurt me.”
Sebby had hoped that would be the end of it, that his mate would look at him with understanding and they could go back to having their nice breakfast.
Except Gold didn’t look at him like that. Instead, the expression on his face was one closer to pity. As if he didn’t want to hear Sebby so easily accepting this new situation he’d found himself in.
Sebby didn’t know how to tell Gold that he really was all right with not everyone in the clan accepting him for being a warlock. Sebby only needed Gold to accept him to be happy.
With that in mind, Sebby began chatting to his mate, desperate to cover the awkward vibe that had suddenly come over them and to make Gold smile again until they went out to find out if the mission Gold had gone on had been a success or not.
Chapter Five
Gold couldn’t believe it. He rubbed his mouth when Rey gave him the bad news.
Aiden’s mother had not been among the rescued omegas. Only his father had been pulled out of the building.
Horror filled Gold’s guts up and threatened to come out in the form of vomit.
“Christ, are you sure?”
She died in the fire. She died in the fire that you set.
Rey nodded quietly. Aiden wasn’t around. Gold assumed the man was sitting with his father back in Rey’s home right now.
“Yeah, and don’t worry, it wasn’t because of the fire. Aiden’s father, David, told us this himself.”
Gold sighed. It wasn’t right to feel relieved that a woman’s death hadn’t been his fault. He didn't even ask how she'd died, because he was so grateful it wasn't because of him.
And what kind of prick did that make him for thinking that? The point was that it had happened at all, and that was so utterly wrong that he had no words for it.
Still, at least now he could live with himself.
Sebby put his hand in Gold’s, gripping it tight.
The smaller man likely didn’t know what he was comforting Gold for, but that didn’t matter.
His mate was amazing.
“Actually, believe it or not, Gold, the man you went back for and nearly died to get out of that place was Aiden’s father.”
Gold blinked, coming out of his self-pitying trance. “What?”
He was almost put right back in that headspace. That mindset of desperation, where he needed to go after the one remaining omega, or die trying.
Rey nodded, crossing his arms. He looked toward the other men in the room. They sat around Silver’s dining room table while Gold got updated on everything that had been going on while he’d been puking and sleeping.
He still had yet to chew out Lightning, who stood off in the corner, arms crossed and watching the proceedings, as though he was trying to look cool or something.
Meanwhile, everyone aside from Lightning looked back at Gold as though they were mightily impressed with him.
“You saved my mate’s father’s life,” Rey said. He reached over, grabbed Gold’s shoulder, and gave it a hard shake. “Aiden is obviously upset, and he and his father are mourning, but they have each other again. At least Aiden has something. He has some of his family left. That’s because of you.”
Gold wasn’t sure he cared about that. He was still bummed out that he hadn’t been able to get there in time to do anything for Aiden’s mother, but…at least he hadn’t left Aiden’s father to die.
That was good news.
“I didn’t know two omegas could come together and have children like that.”
“David’s not an omega,” Erin piped up.
Silver’s mate and Gold’s brother-in-law. Currently he was glowing with the pregnancy of their first egg.
He seemed happy to have everyone back home safely, despite the bad news.
Then Gold caught what he said. “But I thought all the alphas were wiped out.”
That made the smile fade from Erin’s face quickly. “Yeah, well, most of them were. Some alphas are supposedly still alive out there, immune to whatever that disease was, but there are still a lot of betas.” Then it made sense. As he’d been carrying the man out of that smoky pit, Gold had thought he’d felt a little heavier, a touch thicker than an omega would be.
There were no alphas, betas, or omegas for dragons. Dragons were just dragons and whatever they were to be, tall, short, skinny, fat, high or low testosterone, was what they happened to be.
For animal shifters, people who could change into wolves, foxes, bears, big cats, and the like, things were a little different.
Gold wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, but he knew how to tell an alpha from an omega almost entirely on sight.
Back when there had been more alphas around.
They also had a very distinct smell compared to each other. It was no wonder Gold hadn’t been able to tell what was going on down in that basement with all the smoke. He couldn’t smell a fucking thing.
He told himself it didn’t matter. Even if Aiden’s father was an alpha, a beta, or another omega, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was alive.
“You want to know something else pretty cool?” Silver asked, grinning. “We also brought home a warlock.”
Gold tensed. He felt Sebby do the same next to him. “You found a warlock?”
Sebby’s hand tightened painfully in Gold’s. He seemed to be hanging on for deal life.
Gold wanted to calm him, but he couldn’t. There wasn’t anything he could do while his mate was in this state except let the man cling to him as tightly as possible.
Silver nodded. “Want to go see him?”
Gold looked up at Lightning. The man sneered down at him. “What? I’m not going to see that prick. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.”
“Everyone you meet is lucky you didn’t kill them.”
Lightning still had Tim, a man who had also been apart of that building they’d raided, to watch after.
So many more people had come here. Where were they going to put them all?
“You don’t have to go see him if you don’t want to,” Silver said, no longer looking quite so excited as before. “Honestly, we’re not even sure what we’re going to do with him. He’s pretty violent.”
“Where is he?” Gold asked.
Sebby began to tremble a little beside him.
“In the basement.” Silver leaned back in his chair. “We’ve got him surrounded in salt. He’s not going anywhere.” Silver then looked to Sebby. “Actually, if you didn’t want to go, Gold, that’s one thing, but if we can get Sebby to identify him, that would be really helpful.”
Gold glanced at his mate, who stared with wide eyes down at the table. “Uh, this warlock didn’t look older, did he?”
What if they’d brought back Sebby’s father?
Silver shrugged. “He didn’t look much older. I think he’s in his thirties.”
Too young to be Sebby’s father. That was good, an
d it made him a little curious.
“Sure. I can go and take a look.”
Sebby looked at him.
Gold smiled softly, squeezing Sebby’s hand before bringing the man’s knuckles to his lips.
“Just to have a look. Don’t worry.”
Gold didn’t think it mattered anymore if the spell was removed or not. It was one thing for a spell to force the mating heat onto himself and to Sebby, but he didn’t think magic worked long term. He was positive there was no spell Sebby could cast on him that would last the rest of his life and that any feelings he now had for the man would be entirely his own.
And he was satisfied with that.
Maybe he needed to tell Sebby that when they had a private moment together because, right now, his poor mate looked as though he was getting ready to fly into a panic attack.
Silver nodded. “All right. I’ll take you down. Everyone else is dismissed. Go see to the omegas. Rey, go to your mate. I know he needs you right now.”
Everyone got up to head to his various duties.
Gold could only rise to his feet, as well.
Sebby pushed himself beneath Gold’s armpit, giving Gold more support as he walked, though the man continuously made sure to avert his eyes.
It made the inside of Gold’s chest clench. He didn’t want his mate looking like that. He didn’t want Sebby to doubt Gold’s love for him.
He was going to have to talk this out with Sebby, and very soon.
They made it to the basement, and Silver wasn’t kidding about the salt. It looked as though he’d yanked out the salt bags used in the wintertime and cut them all open to surround the enormous cage that had been set in the center of the room.
The bars were the kind that had come together from various different things. Dog cages, chicken wire, and even some bars that could be put over windows in the city.
It had all been welded together in preparation for when they would have a real warlock here, but it had never been used until now.
Gold wondered why he hadn’t used it on Sebby when he first brought the man here and then decided it didn’t matter. He was just grateful he hadn’t used it at all.
The warlock inside sat on the floor, his hands shackled together. The other end of the chain was spiked to the cement. Incense burned. Some jasmine scent.
Gold didn’t know much about magic, and neither did anyone else here, but everyone knew that surrounding a warlock in salt was enough to diminish their power. It was probably why he hadn't broken the chains. He couldn't.
Silver looked at the warlock, who got to his feet at the sight of Sebby before he looked down at Gold’s mate.
“I know you said you aren’t that good at magic, but do you think this is a good setup to contain him?”
Sebby looked at Silver then at Gold, as though making sure he would be all right before he stepped out from beneath Gold’s arm.
He approached the salt circle.
“You fucking betraying worm. Piece of rat shit,” hissed the warlock.
Sebby ignored him.
Gold inwardly promised the man a lot of pain for that.
Sebby looked at the circle. Then back at Silver. “That’s a lot of salt.”
Silver nodded. “I didn’t want to take any risks.”
Even from where he stood, Gold could see how high the salt mound was and at last a half a foot thick.
Sebby stepped across it before Gold could stop him.
The man’s back straightened suddenly, his eyes popped wide, and he shivered before stepping around to the other side of the circle again with a heavy shudder. “That circle is good. He’s not going anywhere.”
Gold frowned. “What was that? Are you okay?”
He held out his hand for his mate. Sebby came to him, still shuddering, as though trying to shake off several spiders.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He looked dubiously at the circle, shaking his head. “I just never thought it would affect me so much.”
Silver frowned. “What did it feel like?”
Sebby blinked hard, as though trying to gather his thoughts. “I guess like I was being drained. It was weird. I don’t know how to describe it. But if it did that to me, I think you guys are fine. I don't think he can pop the chains with that much salt.”
Silver nodded. “Good enough for me.”
The warlock smacked his chains on the floor. “You fucking traitor. You worthless sack of piss and shit! When I get out of here—”
“You’re never getting out of here,” Gold snapped. He would have yanked Sebby behind him to shield him from the sight of such a vile thing as was in that cage, but he was too weak, and he needed Sebby to help him keep his balance.
The warlock smiled, shaking his head. “You think this does anything to me? This is a distraction. I’m getting out of here soon enough, and when I do, you will be the first thing I come for. I’ll drink your blood raw and take your power.”
“There’s not enough power for you to take if you drink it raw.”
“I’ll do it for the fun of it, then.”
Gold sometimes forgot that just because his mate wasn’t the most talented warlock in the world it didn’t mean he wasn’t well educated on the rules of being one.
He and the warlock went back and forth with each other, saying things that held no meaning for Gold, going over coven laws and spells, the warlock making his threats while Sebby countered with how it was impossible to cast whatever spell he was threatened with for whatever reason.
Gold didn’t know, and he didn’t much care either. He just didn’t want to listen as his mate was threatened again and again.
“Where is my father?” Sebby asked suddenly. “Do you know that much?”
The warlock snorted and crossed his arms. He turned his nose away from Sebby. “Uncle was celebrating your death when your pet lizards came to the compound. I’m sure he must know by now that you live. He’s probably mourning that.”
“Uncle?” Gold glanced down at his mate. “You’re related to this cunt?”
He hooked his thumb to the prisoner, half wishing the man would just drop dead right there.
At least that would get him out of everyone’s hair and they could go back to helping out all the omegas who had just been set free.
Sebby smiled softly at the cunt comment, which was perfect because that was exactly what Gold had been going for.
“Yeah, we’re cousins. His name is Artemis. He’s pretty powerful. How did you manage to get him here?”
Gold wanted to know that, too.
Silver grinned broadly at the question.
“We found this little bitch hiding in the cafeteria. He was shivering and shaking beneath one of the tables when we showed up.”
Sebby jerked back at that. “Really?” He looked to his cousin who blew up at being insulted in such a way.
“Those fucking monsters attacked us out of nowhere! Unprovoked! What were we supposed to do?”
Sebby continued to stare at his cousin, as if he was seeing someone entirely different. “Father thought you were the one who would lead when he died. He loved you more than me. You couldn’t even go out and defend the coven?”
“Fuck you,” Artemis snarled. “He still loves me more than you. He’ll come to save me because he wants me at his side. You’re just dog shit beneath our boots. He couldn’t be happier to scrape you off and give you to these monsters.”
That last comment got Gold going for real this time. He nearly marched over the salt line and to the cage before his brother grabbed him, stopping him.
“Don’t let him get to you.”
“I’ll kill him.”
“I know, I know, but you’ll ruin the salt line if you go over there. Leave him to his misery. He can’t do anything to you or to Sebby.”
“Let the dragon come over here if he must. He can fight me fairly, like a real man.”
Gold was going to snap his fucking neck.
Artemis laughed, throwing his head back and cacklin
g like an evil villain before he suddenly stopped. “Wait, aren’t you the one my cousin spelled to love you?”
Gold stopped short at that. The air was sucked almost entirely out of the room as Artemis smiled.
Now he really did look like an evil villain. “I fucking knew it.” He crossed his arms. “It’s true. You did do that. Sebastian, I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“It was an accident,” Sebby insisted.
“Whatever. Even I wouldn’t have done that. Did you lay with this beast, or did you just bind him to you?”
“It wasn’t like that!”
If Gold had to listen to this anymore, he really was going to kill that weasel, that dumb motherfucker. He would rip all of his fingernails out before force-feeding them to the little cocksucker.
Since his brother wouldn’t let him go after the man, he had no choice but to leave with his mate before he ended up hurting himself or his brother trying to get at the man.
So he turned, grabbed Sebby by his hand, and with more strength than he had coming into this makeshift prison, he walked the hell out of there with Sebby in tow.
Chapter Six
The first person he went to find was Lightning, that fucking asshole.
He punched the man right in the face with all of his might, which turned out to not be worth all that much since the other man looked at him when he’d done it as though he didn’t understand what Gold’s problem was.
“You fucking told that idiot downstairs about my mating with Sebby?”
Recognition seemed to dawn in the man’s red eyes. “It was an accident. It just came out.”
Gold shook his head. “I can’t believe you did that, you fucking dick-sucking, asshole motherfucker. That wasn’t any of your business, and that shithead downstairs didn’t need to know it either.”
Sebby gently took Gold’s arm. “It’s okay.”
Gold yanked his arm out of Sebby’s hand. “It’s not fucking okay!”
“All right. I’m sorry. Okay?” Lightning raised his hands. He even looked to Sebby. “Sorry, Sebby.”
Normally that might have been enough, but not now. Gold was beyond furious. He wanted to fight the man, wanted to put him down on his belly and grab him by the throat for that.
