by Sydney Addae
Silas chuckled as everyone in the room stopped and looked at them.
“Oh Lord,” Jasmine said.
“I’ll talk to him later,” Silas told her.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Barticus said, his smile lighting his face. “If it’s alright with your parents that is. Asia and your mom are sisters, and you’ve done so much for my family, I’d be honored to be an honorary grandfather.”
Barticus looked at Silas and winked. “Seriously, it’d be an honor.”
“We can talk about it later,” Silas told him through their link. “My pups are a handful.”
“A handful I’d love to know better,” Barticus said as he wrapped his arm around his mate and pulled her tight. Amynta hadn’t moved too far from Asia’s side since they walked in. Silas knew she wasn’t timid, he assumed she planned to make up for lost time.
Angus strode across the room and greeted Barticus. They talked about places they’d been and acquaintances they had in common. Spending most of his life in America Silas experienced little of Europe’s or Africa’s historical events and enjoyed hearing accounts of his littermate.
Victoria greeted Amynta and asked her to sit with her. Amynta seemed hesitant at first but after a few minutes she and Victoria talked non-stop about Jasmine, having a den at an older age, and everything in between.
Now that the grandfather issue had been settled, Adam rejoined the other kids and they played on the floor circled by the adults. Jasmine returned to his side and they sat holding hands on the sofa while she, Danielle – Tyrese’ mate, Rose – Tyrone’s mate, and Asia talked about the holidays.
“We’re leaving on the 28th,” Danielle said.
“I’ve already packed, I’m so ready to lay on the beach,” Rose chimed in.
Silas knew the twins planned a holiday with their mates in the Virgin Islands to bring in the New Year. Jasmine didn’t say anything but he sensed a longing in her. One of the things she’d planned to do, before meeting him, had been to travel. His wolf whined that she wanted something he hadn’t given her, that a part of her wasn’t fulfilled. He would remedy that.
“I’m sure you’ll have a great time,” Asia said smiling.
“You and Hawke should come with us,” Rose said, leaning forward as if Hawke and everyone else in the room couldn’t hear.
“Not this time maybe another. My parents are only here for a short while, I want to spend as much of it with them as possible.” She paused. “But I like that idea, we might get away some time later this year.”
Silas made an effort not to look at Hawke.
The conversation flowed and went on to other topics. His mate participated but he sensed she had withdrawn. The lack of an invitation for her to travel smacked him in the chest. On one level he was grateful the conversation of travel had been brief enough none of his pups picked up on it. On the other, he wondered how much of life’s experiences would they miss because of his fear that something would happen to them.
The idea that he and Jasmine couldn’t protect the four pups was laughable, yet Elyria managed to take Sarita from beneath their noses. He’d made peace with the knowledge of what a child from his loins had done, even though he didn’t know her. That she could be so twisted disturbed him for a long time. The Goddess had warned Elyria would come between him and Jasmine and for a brief time she had. He’d been upset with the Goddess for not telling him about the child and with Jasmine for destroying his first born, even though she had to do it. His head hadn’t been right for days until after he buried Elyria and discovered the trail of blood she’d left across several continents. The world wouldn’t miss Elyria and neither did he.
His thumb brushed against Jasmine’s soft skin.
She shivered.
Silas couldn’t imagine his life without his mate, or his pups. His gaze lit on every face in the room. Jacques joined the conversation with Angus and Barticus. Victoria and Amynta who’s laughter drew several eyes in the room, especially Sarita’s. Tyrone and Tyrese stood near the kids, watching over them. Silas was certain they were in the middle of an internal conversation as well.
Family.
A few years ago he’d had no idea life could be this full.
Jasmine squeezed his hand, leaned over and brushed a kiss against his lips. “Love you too.”
He smiled and nodded. “I want to take you and the kids somewhere. Where would you like to go?”
She froze and stared into his eyes.
Had he done that? Robbed her of the joy blossoming in her gaze? Goddess he prayed not.
“Really? Seriously?”
Silas swallowed the block of fear and nodded. He had to trust they could keep the children safe. They weren’t prisoners. He’d make precautions but for the most part, they’d try to relax and have fun. Maybe drive and see a historical site or something.
Her face lit and she leaned against his chest. His fingertips stroked her hair and ran down her back.
“Thank you, thank you so much! I’ll think about it and let you know. It means so much to me that you offered. I love seeing new things and exploring, but I’ll be careful. I love you so much! What a wonderful surprise.”
“Don’t you know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make you happy? To see that light in your eyes. You’re my sun, and the center of my world, Sweet Bitch. You’ve enslaved me.”
Slowly she lifted her head. Her luminous gaze locked onto his, drowning in the love he saw reflected, he kissed her. Nothing tasted better than this woman. Nothing.
“I love you, Wolfie.”
“Love you too, Sweet Bitch.” How long they remained locked in each other’s embrace he didn’t know, but when they parted, that look was on her face. The one reserved for him alone. It fed and nourished him. Holding her close he glanced around the room.
The kids continued playing, conversations were in full force and no one paid them any attention. He’d experienced a world shaking moment that went undocumented by everyone except him and Jasmine.
Chapter 5
Damian leapt from the air boat onto the ground. Mud oozed around his boots. Rather than look at Rafe, the full-blood who owned the boat, he continued toward his truck. Another day he’d arrived late to discover a deserted rebel camp.
Why couldn’t a gator or snake bite those mangy bastards? He wiped his feet on the ground to remove the sludge, got some off but not all. The floorboard’s heavy duty rubber mat had been worth every penny. After backing out and onto the highway, Damian glanced at his watch. Barticus and Amynta should be at the compound by now, probably playing with Sarita or preparing to sit down to a nice dinner. His mouth watered over the possible menu.
Times like this he really missed being home.
Strange he considered a place he’d lived less than a year home, but he did. Home was Hawke his sire, Asia his mom and boss, and little Sarita, his sister. After living in a Liege lab all his life, the room with Hawke was a haven. Freedom to come and go at will without a tracker… words failed to express how dramatically his life changed.
Not his skillset, Damian realized he’d always be the soldier the Liege created. But his life had purpose, he used his abilities to serve La Patron, as should every wolf in the country. Those who refused were considered rebels.
The ones he tracked not only rebelled against La Patron, they killed innocent half-breed wolves and left their bodies where humans could find them. For that, they’d be exterminated… as soon as he found them.
No more than 20 minutes later he strode into the large house he’d rented in Homestead, near the defunct air base, once he realized this area hosted significant rebel activity. He’d shower and then grab a bite to eat before creating a report for Alpha Bartholomew and Asia. It ticked him off he hadn’t made more progress in the two months since his arrival. With the holidays knocking on the door to the New Year, he’d hoped to report the matter settled.
Clean and starving he headed to the buffet near the Big Mart near the expressway. He’d s
tumbled on the place by accident and always left a huge tip for all the plates he cleaned. But the food was plentiful, tasty and ready to eat immediately, all bonuses in his mind. He nodded to the half-breed manager who smiled and continued refilling entries on the buffet.
It didn’t take long to fill two plates with meat and a few veggies. He took a seat at the window with his back to the wall and cut into his steak.
Frowning, he sniffed the air and picked up a familiar scent. He’d just taken another bite of the almost rare meat when his gaze locked on two people he could’ve gone the rest of his life without ever seeing.
Randi and Raoul. What were they doing in the States? And so far south? Last he heard they’d ran away to Europe. They held plates and headed toward him.
“Can we join you?” Raoul asked. His blonde hair gleamed beneath the light as he met Damian’s gaze.
“No.” Damian wasn’t in the mood to deal with yesterday’s news. And as much as he’d like to hear the story behind these two, he didn’t see how it’d benefit him in any way.
“Please Damian, we have to talk to you,” Randi said, her blue gaze locked onto his. She wore her thick blonde hair in a long pony tail, displaying her long, lean neck. His wasn’t the only one checking her out.
He waved to the seat in front of him and they sat. No one spoke as they set their plates down. Raoul cut his steak and took a bite while Randi’s gaze slid from her brother to him.
“I suppose you’re wondering what we’re doing here,” she said with hesitation.
Damian opened his mouth to say not at all.
“Pretend that you are,” she said before he could say anything.
He shrugged and continued eating.
“When we last saw you… in the temple and realized the mistake we’d made.”
Damian snorted. They’d delivered his grandmother to an evil priest who wanted to kill Amynta. Barticus’ rage over their actions is what made them leave the country. It didn’t matter that they’d been his adopted children most of their lives, when they turned on his mate, they turned on Barticus.
Randi ignored him and continued. “We left for France, we had family and friends there.”
This time Raoul snorted.
“At least we thought we did. Turns out once everyone heard what happened with Lord Barticus’ mate, every door was closed to us. We were forced to leave the continent. Mother returned to her home to live out her days in shame.”
Damian’s glance flicked over Raoul’s second plate. Meat, just like his.
“When we arrived here we hoped things would be different. Every job I applied for, I was turned down. How was that possible? My credentials are impeccable. That’s when we fully understood Lord Barticus’ reach and his anger.”
“Excuse me.” Damian pushed back, placed his two empty plates on another table and went for more food. A few seconds later, Raoul did the same. Neither spoke to each other, instead they filled their plates with more meat and very little veggies.
When they returned to the table Randi had eaten her two plates and sat drinking a glass of water. She eyed him with a different kind of hunger.
“New York ate a huge hole in our savings, we bought a vehicle and traveled south trying to find work. We made it to Georgia and things got bad,” she said. Her eyes took on a haunted look and Damian became curious even though he’d cut out his tongue before he asked a question.
“A full-blood claimed her. Said she was his mate and tried to take her one day while I worked as a day laborer,” Raoul said.
Damian didn’t know which to address first. Randi’s mate or Raoul doing manual labor. He thought back to the time he’d first met these two spoiled brats. They had the best of everything and now they were on the run. Talk about karma.
“So we left and went to Orlando, got work. We stayed there a month and then we heard of you.”
Damian’s brow rose.
“Not you by name, but you’d hired someone to run your offices in that area, I’d thought of applying for the job until I discovered your name,” Randi said. “I couldn’t believe it was you.”
“It’s me,” Damian said dryly unsure what they wanted. He leaned back in his chair and looked at them. “What do you want?”
Randi’s cheeks reddened.
Raoul clenched his jaw.
“I want my daddy back,” Randi whispered as her eyes filled. “Goddess I miss him so much. You can’t believe how many times I’ve wanted to share something new with him. I’ve picked up the phone, called him and was never put through. I just want to tell him I’m sorry and that I love him.”
“Have you forgotten I can smell a lie?” Damian said unmoved even though he knew she spoke the truth.
“I’m not lying you asshole,” she snarled. “I miss him.”
“More like you miss the status of being his heir and his deep pockets,” Damian said. “You’ve followed me and interrupted my dinner, now either tell me what you want or I’m gone.”
“Seriously, we’d like to apologize for what we did. It was wrong. If you can get him on the phone that would be sufficient,” Raoul said.
“Why should I call my Grandfather for you?” Damian said.
Randi’s eyes widened. “Grandfather?”
“Asia is my mom, married my sire which makes Barticus my Grandfather. You’ve fallen way down the line to inherit if that’s what you’re after. Asia plans on having lots more children, so is Amynta, my Grandmother. You remember her? Barticus’ mate?”
Raoul waved his hand. “Good for them. I wish them the best. Barticus deserves to be happy.”
Damian marveled at the sincerity in Raoul’s words. He looked at Randi. The color left her cheeks and her eyes filled.
“He’s really forgotten about us? Me? He called me his princess. I know he loved me,” she said in a harsh whisper. “I know what I did was wrong but family makes mistakes all the time, you don’t just… cut them off like that.” She looked at him for confirmation but everything he knew of family he’d learned in the past six to nine months.
“I don’t know,” Damian said into the silence.
“Please, can you just call him? Ask him if he’d talk to us for a few minutes. It’s Christmas,” Randi begged. Her long fingers reached across the table and touched his hand.
Damian didn’t like the pressure they placed on him, it made his response gruffer than necessary. “Give me a number to reach you and I’ll contact you later.”
Neither said anything.
Damian looked at Raoul.
“We don’t have a number, we’ll need to buy a phone and then activate it.” He held Damian’s gaze for a few moments. “I know you don’t owe us anything, and we aren’t asking for charity. I have some information that may help.”
“Raoul, no,” Randi said. Her eyes wide as she turned to her brother. Fear oozed from her pores as she begged Randi with her eyes not to say more.
Damian leaned back in his seat watching them. Inhaling he searched for the truth. Whatever Raoul wanted to do scared Randi and that surprised Damian.
“It’s about a guy…”
Damian held up his hand. There were full bloods and half breeds in the restaurant. “Outside.”
Raoul nodded.
Randi looked around as if expecting someone to walk in any minute.
Damian slid from his seat and tossed a $20 on the table. Randi and Raoul followed him out the door. When they reached Damian’s truck he stopped and looked at the two.
“First, you have to agree to contacting our Alpha so we can apologize,” Raoul said.
“I don’t have to agree to anything,” Damian said crossing his arms and meeting Raoul’s determined gaze.
“If you want to know some inside information on a particular rebel in this area you do.”
Damian’s gaze narrowed as he straightened. “You’re dealing with rebels? In my country? My back yard?” Damian growled. His fangs lengthened as he leaned closer to Raoul.
“No. But I have infor
mation. Something I overheard during our travels.” He glanced at Randi. “My sister hasn’t been completely honest.”
“No shit,” Damian murmured. His outburst earned him a glare from Randi.
“She’s scared. This… this American full-blood is a rebel and he wants her. He’s sent men after her repeatedly, it’s the reason we continue to move and aren’t in the best of finances right now.”
“That’s why you want Barticus? To fix this?” Damian asked.
Raoul chuckled, it was a hollow sound. “No. I’d like to talk to the man who raised me before I die.”
Chapter 6
Dinner had been a wonderful affair. The children had been on their best behavior appreciating the opportunity to eat with the adults since it didn’t happen often. Although Adam hadn’t said anything more about Lord Barticus being his grandfather, Jasmine knew the matter wasn’t forgotten by the sly looks he sent the man. The children would probably discuss it later before approaching her and Silas about the possibilities.
“Thank you so much,” Amynta said hugging her again. Jasmine met Asia’s I-told-you-so gaze as she returned Amynta’s embrace. “Your family’s so warm, loving and kind. I owe you more than you can imagine for all you’ve done for Asia and Sarita.” Amynta shook her head. “You’re a real gift of love to the wolf world.”
Touched by the heartfelt sincerity ringing in the words Jasmine blinked back moisture and smiled. “Thank you. But Asia is my closest friend, I cannot imagine life without her. Ask Silas, he’ll tell you.” She grinned and looked across the room where he stood talking with Barticus, and the other men. “Asia’s blessed my life in ways that I am constantly thanking God for. And Sarita is a true joy. I can’t imagine this world without her brightness.” Her voice caught as memories of recent events emerged.
Silas gaze scorched her cheeks but she couldn’t look at him, not yet.
Amynta squeezed her hands. “I know. When someone messes with one of yours they get more than they bargained for. Makes me happy knowing my girls are here with you. Now Damian, that one.” She shook her head. “He’s still young and wild, needs to get a lot out of his system. I can’t wait to see him.”
