A slow smile spread across his face and when he speaks his voice comes out all raw and scratched. “Well, well, what have we here? I never expected there to be two peas from your mothers pod?”
Bastian rips the door completely of the hinges and was on him in seconds. “You want to explain that remark?” He growls, holding him by the neck, either Bryn had a small neck, Bastian had large hands or he was crushing Bryn’s windpipe quite effectively.
Bastian shakes him, then asks him again. “Explain that remark!” Bryn flings his head back onto the bars smashing his head, knocking himself out, he slumps in Bastian’s grasp. He throws him to the floor like discarded rubbish and storms out of the room.
Cain and Steve pick up Bryn and cart him out and into another cell. Roan shouting to them as they left that he’d take over guard duty in five minutes.
I leave the cells looking around for Bastian. I see him enter the courtyard and find him pacing. As I stand watching him wondering how to approach him whilst he was in this mood I hear footsteps and turn to see Jared and Quinn coming in.
Jared has a strange look on his face. “Why did you and Ivy move away from England?”
“I don’t know what that’s got to do with anything.” I answer.
“I think it’s got a lot to do with it.” I turn to walk away and he grabs my arms. He grips me but not tightly, I could have moved if I needed to.
I look into his eyes and see that he needed to know too. His father, my father had instilled his love for us into Jared, he ached for a mother he never knew. “I don’t know my birthday, so The Guild guessed I was around one year old when they found me. My mother was murdered, they found me hidden under the floor boards and it was only my crying that alerted them to my existence, I’d been there around forty eight hours. She been dead for most of them, I never knew her, only what I found out from The Guild.”
Jared pulls me close and gives me a tight hug. “I thought when I found you that I’d found Ivy too. I’m so sorry, I’ve looked for you both for so long I just never thought I wouldn’t find you both.” Today was getting far too emotional for my liking, I pull back and smile.
“So why do you think me leaving England has anything to do with Bryn?” I ask, breaking the tense emotional atmosphere that had enveloped us.
Quinn answers for him. “Bryn said, ‘he never expected there to be two peas from your mothers pod’ surely that means the connection between you and the Fae is your mother? So I asked Jared, who said you had different mothers.”
“How did your mother die?” Bastian asks stopping mid pace.
“The notes Delaney gave me said she had gotten mixed up with a gang and they had decided to come after her, she hid me away and they came and slit her throat leaving her to bleed to death. I’ll get Aylesbury to fetch the file I have on her in my office, they never caught the killers.” I look at Jared and in a matter of fact tone told him. “This isn’t the link you’re looking for.”
I pull out my phone and dial Aylesbury, he was somewhere nearby I just didn’t know where. On the fifth ring he answers. “Red?” He queries knowing full well it was me, his cell has my caller ID.
“I need you to get something from my office next time you’re on duty. I don’t want you to make a special trip it might look suspicious to anyone watching.”
“And what makes you think that me fetching something from your office won’t look suspicious?”
“I know what you’re like. You’ve probably been using the bathroom and kitchen there making yourself comfortable. So anyone watching you will just think you come around all the time and aren’t actual surveying my office for my Demon stalkers.”
“Clever girl, I always knew there was a reason you were on my team. I’m on my way there now. What exactly do you need?”
“In the filing cabinet filed under M, there’s one file bring me that and on my computer download everything to flash drive, there maybe something useful. My password is agonising death, all one word, it’s not case sensitive.”
“Here I was thinking it would be fluffy bunny or cupcake, but no, it has to be something that epitomises your inner struggle with happiness.”
In a sweet tone I say. “Aylesbury you make me even angrier than I am and you will suffer an ‘agonising death’ get it!” I didn’t wait for any retort, I just snap the phone shut and turned back to Bastian.
“He’ll bring it over as soon as he’s done. It will probably be sometime tonight, he’s on watch.”
“In the meantime I really need to make a report to The Guild on the prisoners.” Jared said. “Shall we head back upstairs?”
Great more lies, I hope I can remember how much I keep telling or not telling The Guild, I don’t want to trip myself up.
Chapter Twenty Six
Jared was heading back to The Guild to inform them that we were retaining the two Fae prisoners for further questioning, Delaney was already pressuring us to press charges and hand them over or let them free. Unfortunately he also wanted to know exactly what was going on. Thankfully he couldn’t send anyone out here to me, they would just be held at reception and wouldn’t get anywhere without The Beast Masters admission.
So now I was currently sat back in Bastian’s office looking into all the technicalities and loopholes and laws The Pack had that I could use to contain the Fae before Delaney brought me in for withholding information.
I look up and again Bastian had snook in without me noticing. “I know it’s you’re office but you could at least cough or make some kind of noise so I know that your there.”
He pushes off the wall and moves to tower in front of the desk. “We have a meeting with the Coven of Isis. They have a High Witch who is an expert on the bonding ritual.” What he left unsaid was we were also going to be asking if this mating of ours was going to be a permanent fixture in our lives.
I switch the computer off and head downstairs to the garage following Bastian, he stops in front of the truck I’d stolen. As he gets in he says. “The coven have a building near the north of the city. If you need anything whilst we are in the city I suggest you get it on the way there.”
“I’m fine.” I get in the truck, buckle in and sit in silence for the entire trip there and it wasn’t a short journey but what was I going to do, if I started up a conversation I was going to make one or both of us angry for some reason or another. Instead I sat and thought about the mating.
When we arrive I’d still not come to any conclusions on what I wanted the outcome to be, if I got my hopes up though I just knew I’d be disappointed. Which part did I want to get my hopes up about the ending of the Mating or the permanence?
Bastian gets out and enters the building, I follow shortly behind. As I walk up the steps and inside I find he is already talking with someone.
The woman was tall, slim and was animatedly gesturing at Bastian, she probably fancied him. I walked over to them and was met by a cold glare from the overly made up woman.
“If you’d like to take a seat madam I will be with you when I have finished with this lovely gentleman.” Stupid, stupid woman sucked in by his looks, if only she knew what an ass he could be.
I smile and say to her in a really sincere voice. “Sweetie there is nothing lovely or gentleman like about this man.”
Bastian rolls his eyes. “She’s with me, if you could just show us where Miranda is we’ll both be out of your hair.”
That earned me another glare from the woman, as if it was my fault he was giving her the brush off. Come to think of it, it probably was.
She points to a door and tells us to go straight through and that we were expected. I open the door and find myself in a really big kitchen, a really big Witches kitchen. The whole place was wood and slate, the walls were filled from floor to ceiling with glass jars filled with herbs and all sorts of other things. I wonder if they really use eye of newt and bat’s wings. I’d never been in a Witches kitchen before, it was fascinating.
A woman was stood at the stove adding items from an arr
ay of jars to the big black pot in front of her. She looks up as Bastian comes in to stand behind me.
“Hello dears, you must be Bastian and Scarlet, Alexi has told me all about you.” She smiles and motions for us to come and sit at the counter.
She carries on adding to her pot, as I study her. She kind of looks just like Alexi except she has black hair, cut in the same style, she even wore similar clothes.
“I hope you don’t mind meeting me here, I have a lot of potions to keep on top of and I prefer to work while the ingredients are fresh, it makes a much better spell.”
I smile at her and Bastian says. “That’s fine.”
“Alexi was telling me on the phone that congratulations are in order, so I decided to cook up a batch of love cookies while you wait, the spices in them are just perfect for a nice night in alone, if you get what I mean.” She winks at me. I just gape.
“Actually…we want to talk to you about our mating, but first, we would like to know if you could re-work a curse if you hadn’t got either the original curse or the potion used with it?”
“Hmm, well that would be fairly difficult for even the most skilled of witches. Have you seen this potion?”
“Yes.” I answered.
“What is the basis of the potion? Was it a brownish colour or fairly transparent?”
“That’s easy it was red a deep wine coloured red.”
“Oh.”
“What do you mean, oh?” Bastian asks.
“Well we haven’t even got to the curse yet but if the potions red, that means it’s made from blood, and without knowing who’s or what blood there’s no chance you can even try to duplicate the curse to make a counter curse.”
“Oh.” I echoed. “Well we are just going to have to do some more research, I’m sure we’ll find a way around this.” I say to Bastian trying my hardest for enthusiasm.
Bastian ignores me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes definitely. I might not be able to help with your curse but you said you need some advice on your mating?”
Oh great, here we go, explanation time. Bastian looks at me then speaks. “Our mating was an accident on my part. I was trying to save Scarlet’s life by giving her blood, I infused it with my life essence which triggered the bonding ritual. Is there any spell that can be performed to reverse it?”
“The bonding ritual is performed in three parts, the first two parts consist of a blood exchange where you share your life essence and link yourselves and the third completes the ritual by consummating it. Once you start the process there’s no reversing it, the need to complete the ritual will drive you both mad with want. I can give you something to ease the need, but it won’t be a permanent solution you will both need to come to an agreement of some kind.”
“Others will want to bond with you Scarlet. An unfinished bond is too tempting for some. You can choose someone else to end the process but you will already be driven by a desire to mate with Bastian. It has never worked out well in the past. The original couple are usually driven mad by a want they cannot fill and the new bonded mate is driven mad by jealousy.”
“Well that’s just great.” I fume in Bastian’s direction. He glares at me.
I get up and accept the small package Miranda gives me. “It contains a form of relaxant so don’t take too much and only take it when things start getting to you.”
We both get up and head to the door offering our thanks for her help. As we reach the door she says. “An exchange of blood with life essence wouldn’t have started the process if the two people involved weren’t already deeply attracted to one another. Be careful Scarlet an unfinished bond around Lycan’s can be dangerous.”
I thank her again and walk out Bastian trailing behind me.
Well I was definitely in trouble now, how was I going to distance myself from Bastian if the mating would drive us closer whether we wanted to or not. At least I knew now the attraction had been there before. Well at least I was actually admitting it to myself.
Bastian grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. “I get it, you don’t want this. You need to accept it though. We can’t keep fighting each other.”
“I’ll keep fighting you as long as I can. You got us into this.”
“Actually Miranda just told us that the bonding ritual would have started itself based on our mutual attraction, so that puts the blame partly on you too.” He says looking smug.
I get into the truck and wait for Bastian to join me. “Stop looking so smug. I said in the woods that I found you all attractive, emphasis on the all.” I said, knowing it would get his back up.
“And I’ve told you before do not provoke me, the animal in me knows you’re mine and I will not share, understand.”
Thankfully my phone chose that point to break the silence with its shrill ringing. I flip the phone open and answer. “Yes.”
“Red, Red, Red, how many times do we have to talk about your phone etiquette? In fact I’m not even going to get into it. I’m back at The Manor. Where are you?”
“On my way back, I’m with Bastian, we’ve been to see the Coven of Isis.”
“And?” He asked unnaturally impatient.
“No go. What’s the matter you don’t sound right?”
“I think I’ve found something but you need to see it for yourself.”
“Okay, did you get the file?”
“Yes, look I’m going to do so more research I’ll spend the night here in your room if need be.”
“Okay, we won’t be too long.” I shut the phone down and looked at Bastian.
“Did you get all that?” I ask him.
“He’ll be staying in your room over my dead body!”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Chapter Twenty Seven
Once we got back we headed straight up to the lounge. We found Steve and Dante with Aylesbury sat at the table poring over my file. Some people really didn’t have a care about other people’s privacy.
Bastian moves to read over their shoulders. “What did you find then?” I ask when Aylesbury doesn’t look up.
He looks up, startled. “Sorry I was a little engrossed. We need a computer.”
“We can use the one in my office.” Bastian says, moving so he can get up. Aylesbury grabs the file and follows us along with Dante.
In Bastian’s office I waited for Aylesbury to take the seat at the desk to show us what he wanted us to see.
“I think you need to sit down Red. Log into The Guild database and into your mothers records and tell me what you see.”
“Why has she got to do that, surely what’s in their system is the same as what’s in the file.” Dante queries.
“It’s something she needs to see. Just do it Scarlet.”
I log into the system and go to the archived files, doing a search on all cases related to my mother simply named Ivy. As usual it only brought up the one file. I went in for a quick look and all seemed fine.
“Everything seems okay.” I said.
“Now I want you to log in as me, keep in mind we have the same security clearance.”
Okay this was just weird, I have no idea where he is going with this. “I have no idea what your username or password is.”
He rolled is eyes. “I know yours, your username is your name, badge number and the year you joined, which is the same for me and your password really takes the biscuit. I thought agonising death was bad but torture. What are you some kind of masochist.”
“I was going for a theme to help me remember.”
“Well The Guild psychiatrist would have a field day with your passwords.”
I was about to reply again when Bastian coughs. “What’s your badge number then?”
“And here I was thinking you were one of the best Hunters I’d worked with.” He gives me the number and the password. His was actually blue dragon. How pathetic was that.
I shake my head then type the same information into the search engine again. When I hit enter a message fla
shes up instead of Ivy’s file name.
No files exist within the parameters set.
I look back at Aylesbury, confused. He says to me. “Just log back into your account one more time and check the print outs you have word for word.”
Again I log back in. Bastian moves forward to read over my shoulders.
The information on screen wasn’t quite right, words were missing and sentences just didn’t make any sense at all.
Bastian was still too close, when I turn around I almost send him off balance. Aylesbury looks grim. “What’s going on?” I ask him.
“I know a few of our other colleagues passwords and I’ve tried them all, you’re the only one that has access to that file, and normally when a file is there but you don’t have the access it will bring the name up and access denied at the side. The file you have access to is starting to corrupt and loose its data.”
“What are you saying?”
“The file you have access to is just a computer programme tagged onto your login, designed to stop you looking any further. Just like the orders you had to stop you looking for your family.”
“You’re actually saying The Guild planted this stuff to stop me looking for my family and mother?”
“Yep, Red I am. For them to have gone to so much trouble means there will be an original file. We’ve just got to find it.”
I get up. “I just need a minute to think, I’ll meet you all upstairs.” I walk out and head for my room.
I stand in front of the window and look out at the late afternoon sky. Could everything I’ve ever believed be a sham? When I joined The Guild I was given the case file on my mother’s murder as a gesture of good will. It had told me what I’d always wanted to know, exactly why I’d spent seventeen years in a Guild orphanage unwanted because of my heritage.
The file I had on my mother was the only thing I had that told me who I was and where I’d come from, until recently I’d no family and I’d had to struggle to come to terms with my heritage all on my own.
I feel strong arms come around me, I knew it was Bastian but instead of pushing him away I lean back into him. My life was changing so quickly. At the moment the only thing I knew for certain was that I was mated to the Lycan King and there was no escape from it. I turn around in his arms and lay my head against his hard chest, I hook one arm around his back and place a hand over his heart. I enjoyed the feel of his muscle twitching slightly under my hand but he just held me his arms firm and supportive, he didn’t speak or move. He just gave me the comfort I needed right then and there.
Hunted (Scarlet Dawson Book 1) Page 17
