Storm of Shadows Ch. 17

This chapter grew arms and legs, though I have a fair idea I won't get many complaints about the extra page or possibly two? You lovely readers are always complaining that there is never enough in a chapter :) Lots going on in this one, catching up with what's been going on elsewhere as well as in Europe. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen

Dara walked beside Nors, hovering close as he was the one carrying the unconscious wolf down the mountainside. They were being ushered unceremoniously back down, Demetri's patience having come to an end a minute after she'd admitted her claim to the wounded male. She had to admit it was a minor miracle he'd managed to hold his patience that long. Their adopted uncle wasn't known for having any unless it was directed at Mara or Annie. She had to admit that it had settled her wolf down a bit more when the volatile vampire had muttered a curse and started ordering them all around. She'd needed some normality after everything that had happened.

Her thoughts were in chaos, her heartbeat still a bit elevated. When she'd followed Kothi to Europe it had been to help her friend and try to find Gard and Rayne. She'd never expected him to find his mate while they were over here, let alone find her own into the bargain. If Kothi hadn't lost his shit at his parents going missing there was a strong possibility that neither of them would have found their mates. That was a sobering thought and probably one their Alpha would need to consider given Elle and Kal were still to find theirs. It was something she might need to broach with him when they returned, and she wondered if that thought had occurred to the others.

Dara let her gaze travel over their group as they took a more sedate pace back towards civilisation taking into consideration Tali's insistence that she needed to build up her strength and she couldn't do that if everyone was carrying her around all the time. It had been a valid point and one that Kothi had surprisingly agreed to with ease though it had tightened Demetri's lips slightly before he nodded his agreement.

Freya appeared to be trying to freak Louis out by smiling at him and being downright pleasant to him. Dara's lips twitched in amusement as she caught her uncle's amused glance and realised her guess was correct. Yup, Freya was playing with the darkhaired vampire, and she had to admit it was quite amusing to see his consternation.

Her gaze wandered over to Kothi who was walking beside Tali and Mila with Dante on the other side of the petite vampire. Her lips twitched more as she watched both males all but hovering over the two females as if they were fragile China dolls. Her friend's overprotectiveness she could understand. He'd only just found Tali and it hadn't been that long ago she'd almost died. Add in the fact that Kothi was new to expressing his emotions and his silly behaviour was understandable, but she wasn't sure what it was that prevented Dante from accepting what was bloody obvious to all around him. He was head over heels in love with Mila and she clearly shared his feelings. They had to be soulmates, so why the hell were they dancing around each other and pretending they were just friends? There was a story there that she didn't know, but she was sure it would all come out in the wash at some point.

Gard and Rayne were a little behind them, Gard having borrowed her phone to call his sister. She hadn't minded allowing him the use of it, Annie had been beside herself with worry when she'd lost contact with her brother from another time. She needed this reassurance that both he and Rayne were fine. Joshua was walking on the other side of Nors, his body relaxed though his expression thoughtful. Dara found herself liking the blond coven leader. He had done a lot to help them on this trip into his territory. She would actually miss him when they returned home and that made her feel a little sad, but it was good to know that they had him over here keeping an eye on things, that they had someone they could trust implicitly.

Her gaze slid back to the unconscious male being cradled gently by Nors to minimise any further injuries to his already damaged body. He had still not regained consciousness and that was concerning her even as she was relieved that he was unaware of the amount of pain his ravaged body was causing him.

Holy fuck, he was her mate! Just the thought of that filled her with a joy she'd never experienced before just as it filled her with a fury that was almost uncontrollable. Her wolf wanted to kill every vampire on the European continent barring their friends, and whilst she could understand the animal's base instincts, she had to force her to obey her more practical side.

Yes, vampires had hurt their mate. Yes, it was completely unacceptable. But you couldn't tar every single vampire with the same brush as those who had hurt Fox. They had a shining example all around them of just how good and decent some of the vampires in Europe could be. Apart from that first, brief lapse of control, she was back to her usual level-headed self, trying to analyse what this would all mean for her going forward.

She didn't know Fox and he didn't know her either. He was also badly wounded and would take a while to heal from those injuries. She couldn't very well run around chasing him like a lovestruck teenager just because he was her soulmate. Fox needed time to heal and they needed time to get to know one another. Her wolf wasn't happy about that scenario but Dara knew it was the right thing to do. They had eternity to be together, a few more days or weeks wouldn't make that much of a difference.

Settling on her course of action, Dara allowed herself to relax a little more now that she knew what she was doing. This beautiful male was hers and there was no mistaking that, but she could wait until the time was right. Coming to that decision and seeing some of the bruises fading on Fox's body was enough to settle her wolf a bit more too, and Dara was able to leave her mate in Nors' care, heading over to join Kothi and his group a little further down the trail.

As soon as she reached them she could tell there was discord between Dante and Mila once more and she quirked an eyebrow at her friend in a silent question. Kothari rolled his eyes at her and gave a small shake of his head, telling her not to ask.

"Will you stop being so bloody pig-headed, Dante?" Mila said in a waspish tone which was so not like her. Whatever was transpiring between them had clearly been going on for a while.

"Me? Pig-headed? I'm not the one who's just announced that she's heading stateside with everyone when they leave, Mila. First arguing about going back up the mountainside and now this? I don't know what the fuck has gotten into you lately but I certainly don't like it." The darkhaired vampire's tone was a tad on the chilly side, his anger blatant for all to hear. There was also a touch of confusion in his tone, as if he truly couldn't understand why his friend of so long was suddenly becoming so obstinate.

Mila rounded on him, her own anger dancing across her pretty face. "I don't care if you like it or not, Dante Castillo. I've told you why I've come to this decision and that should be enough for you. I shouldn't even have had to justify my decisions to you in the first place, but I did out of deference to our long friendship. I'm not discussing this with you any further. I am going stateside and that is the end of it. You are free to do whatever it is your conscience feels is right for you. I'm not expecting you to follow me around like a little puppy dog."

The petite vampire stomped away from them, moving over to Nors and Joshua, her shoulders rigid with indignation. Dante stared at her open mouthed for a long moment and then he clamped his lips together and scowled darkly.

Kothari intense gaze fell on the vampire and he scrutinised him for a long moment, and then he turned to Dara. "Would you mind walking with Tali for a little while, Dara? I would like to have a private word with Dante."

That appeared to surprise the vampire and his scowling expression turned slightly alarmed as his gaze shot to the unpredictable Vârcolac. Dara could understand the vampire's sudden unease but nothing she saw in her friend indicated he was likely to cause the other male any harm. "You're not going to lose your shit again are you?" She sent down their Vârcolac mental link and almost laughed at the outraged snort that came back at her.

"I'm just going to give his ass a gentle kick, Dar. Nothing to be concerned about."

She kept her gaze on him for a moment longer, and then she smiled. He was being truthful with her. "Come on, Tali. Let's give the boys time to do some male bonding. Who knows, this might be the formation of a new bromance."

"Fuck off," Kothari laughed, genuine emotion crossing his face as he shook his head at his best friend. The laughter died on his lips as he looked at her, finally realising what it was she meant to him. Dara Romanov was his best friend. She had always been that to him even though he'd never vocalised it. All that time he'd been mooning about her calling her his Angel he'd put that down to the mating instinct. But it had never been that and she had still been his Angel. Because that was what his best friend was to him, an angel helping to stave off the devil he had cast Agony into the role of being.

"Luv you, Dar," he muttered softly, and her eyes widened in astonishment, and then filled with moisture that she quickly brushed away.

"Luv you too, Kothi," she replied in a soft voice that was full of emotion. "Even if you are a pain in the ass most of the time." She couldn't help it she had to poke some fun at him. Being sentimental with her friend just felt weird. She knew it was for Kothari too and his half smile let her know that he was grateful for her usual teasing.

They wandered off as Kothari hung back with Dante who had watched the exchange between the Vârcolac with some curiosity, knowing instinctually that sharing their feelings with each other wasn't the norm for them by their reactions.

As soon as everyone was out of hearing range Kothari turned to the vampire with a dark scowl on his face. His expression must have been worse than he'd meant it to be because the vampire immediately tensed as if expecting to be attacked. Kothari sighed and tried to dial back some of his aggression. He wasn't used to trying to be diplomatic with others and he was clearly failing at his first attempt with Dante.

He took a deep breath and tried to be less threatening. "Tell me truthfully, Dante, what did you think of me when we first met?" He was pleased with how reasonable his tone was and made a note of it so he would know the correct level of authority and confidence to use with others without being a complete ass.

Dante stared at the Vârcolac for a long moment wondering if he should temper his answer and then decided that it was pointless as Kothari would probably be able to tell that was what he was doing. "Frankly, you scared the shit out of me," he answered. "I made Louis send everyone away because I knew that you had the power to destroy the entire coven if you didn't like what you heard that day. I didn't know if either Louis or I would come out of that meeting alive. I was under no illusions that either of us could have stopped you from killing us if that had been your intent."

Kothari nodded in agreement. That was precisely how their first meeting had gone and Dante was correct. He had been a hairsbreadth away from killing the vampire. If Mila hadn't screamed that the pack he'd left Pippa with were under attack then Dante being here at his side might never had happened. He felt bad about that now but knew he couldn't change the past. It had taken him almost losing Natalia to understand that. It appeared to be a lesson his new friend needed to learn.

"You summed up our first meeting correctly," he sighed softly, "and this will likely be the only time I ever apologise to you for wounding you that day so file it away in your memory. I'm sorry Dante." He punctuated his bluntness by giving the other male a small smile.

"I do not know your story, but I will tell you a little of mine," he continued, staring out into the distance as if seeing something the vampire couldn't. "I have always walked in darkness, even before I took my first breath in this world. I have always battled with Agony, fighting to contain that darkness so I would never inadvertently harm someone I loved again. The only way I could do this was to hurt myself, the way you saw me hurt myself that day. Cutting myself, causing my body pain was the only way to focus my mind and make me strong enough to contain Agony."

Kothari hadn't known what he was going to say to the vampire, and he hadn't expected it to be something so raw and personal to himself, but he sensed a kinship with the darkhaired vampire, kind of the same way both Demetri and Freya sensed that kinship with him. They were particularly brutal with him when he needed his ass kicked. Kothari didn't know if Dante needed that level of brutality though. He guessed he would just need to play it by ear and see how he got on.

He smiled and it was a self-deprecating smile. "I thought I was so strong by doing that," he admitted, not bothering to hide the derision in his tone. "I wore my pain and bloodletting like a badge of honour when all the while I was deluding myself. I pushed everyone I loved away. I segregated myself from my pack. I held my parents at arm's length my entire life, hurting them day after day in my arrogant need to protect them. And then I lost them and Agony gained control and I came here and committed such atrocities all in the name of protecting those I loved. It was only when I almost lost Natalia that I realised just how wrong I had been, not about what I did here in Europe but what I'd been doing my entire life."

His grey eyes turned to the vampire who was listening raptly to what he said, and he could see a level of understanding in the other male's eyes, understood that he had walked a similar path of darkness for his long life.

"I learned that I cannot change the past, Dante. I cannot change the fact that I almost murdered my mother during childbirth, the event that started the whole madness of trying to contain Agony. I learned that the only way to become balanced was to accept Agony, to understand him, and to take a leap of faith with my beautiful mate. I do not know what caused your darkness, and truthfully, I don't know if I even care what it was. What I do know is that there may come a day when you will lose what matters most to you if you continue on the path you have set yourself, if you do not reach out and take what she so freely offers. Find a way to be at peace with your past Dante, before you lose Mila forever."

Dante stared at him, his brows drawing down in a dark scowl. What right did Kothari think he had to butt into his personal business? Even Joshua would never dare intrude on his personal space and they'd been friends for most of their lives. He'd known the Vârcolac less than five minutes and despite Kothari's turn of phrase just now they were most definitely not friends.

"You can scowl at me all you want, Dante. You can tell me to fuck off or try to ignore me. But we both know that there comes a time when there's just nowhere left to run. You think I believe myself superior to you? That I'm being an arrogant little shit giving you advice?"

Dante couldn't keep his expression neutral, his face giving away that he was thinking that very thing though he didn't verbalise it.

Kothari sighed, his gaze turning distant once more as he stared into the treeline surrounding them. "That couldn't be further from the truth," he said in a voice so quiet that no one would be able to hear if they tried, even with their enhanced hearing. "You've survived centuries carrying your darkness around with you and managed to remain sane. You've managed to not only form close friendships but sustain them despite the darkness that haunts your soul. I couldn't even last a quarter of a century with my darkness, Dante. And all I've managed to achieve was to alienate just about everyone who's ever loved me as I self-destructed."

He turned back to the vampire, his gaze intent. "So which one of us is the most superior, vampire? The man-child wallowing in self-pity and self-harming? Or the fierce, strong warrior who took his pain and darkness and honed it into a weapon, spending countless centuries seeking out the evil in this world so he could protect others? I know which one I believe to be superior. How about you?"

Dante's stopped walking his breath catching in his throat. The haunting melancholy he heard in the young Vârcolac's voice ripped at his insides, calling to the protector deep inside him that had championed countless thousands over his long life. This boy, this man-child as he called himself, may be one of the strongest, most ruthless beings to walk the planet, but right here, right now, it was a vulnerable boy who was opening up to him, sharing his own darkness with him so that he might find a way to finally forgive himself for atrocities he'd committed in the past.

Kothari wasn't lording his superiority over him as he'd first taken the other male's words. He wasn't shouting 'look at me, I'm the scariest badass to walk the planet' either. He was looking at him with a level of respect that Dante didn't feel that he deserved, but in context with the young Vârcolac's struggles throughout his life, he could understand because that was how he had looked at Abraham when they had first met, when he'd sensed his mentor's inner darkness that he'd successfully contained and remained sane despite it.

He could understand now why it had been so easy for Freya to redirect the boy when he'd lost his shit when Tali was hurt. He'd been reacting to the volatile vampire's strength at controlling her inner darkness, just as he'd seen Kothari submit to Demetri over smaller things. Like called to like, and there was no denying that Dante was cut from the same cloth as the other vampires and now this Vârcolac at his side.

Perhaps he had finally run out of places to run. Perhaps Mila's more frequent pushbacks was an indicator that he had finally hit that brick wall and there was nowhere else to go? She was slowly beginning to pull away from him, slowly starting to make decisions that didn't include him. And he was lashing out in anger, fighting to keep his hold over his beautiful woman when he'd never truly had her in the first place because he'd denied them both.

Dante took a deep breath and then another one, finding that strange random spot Kothari had to hide his gaze from the other male. It was only as he did so that he realised he was echoing the younger man and his lips twitched in a wry smile as he understood that it had been Kothari's uncomfortableness at being vulnerable with another being that had had the boy looking into the trees.

He finally turned his gaze back to Kothari, his wry smile still on his face. "Oh, you are most definitely the superior one, Kothi," he finally answered his question. "It took you far less time than it's taken me to realise what a fucking idiot you were being. I believe that makes you far superior in all things."

Kothari's expression was surprised for a moment and then he smiled slowly. There was respect in Dante's eyes as he looked at him, and it wasn't the wary type of respect that he was used to seeing from those who were afraid he was about to go batshit crazy. It was the respect of a male who viewed the other as an equal, someone whose view and opinions mattered. It was the respect that was the start of a budding friendship and for the first time he could remember, Kothari didn't open his mouth to push his new friend away, instead he shot him a cocky grin.

"Does this mean we have a bromance now, Dante?"

The vampire threw his head back and laughed loudly, startling the others who turned in surprise to see what was happening. "As long as that's the first and only time that you try to give me advice on my love life, boy," Dante quipped back, humour shining in his usually reserved eyes. "I seriously object to being given advice of that type from a mere child compared to myself."

"Agreed," Kothari grinned back at him, pleased with his first foray into given someone an intervention. His friends made it look so much like hard work but he'd appeared to master the process quite well for his first attempt. "We'd better catch up with the others," he added. "Mila looks like she's not sure whether to come intercede with us or stay mad at you."

Dante's gaze turned to the woman he had loved for almost a millennia, her beautiful face half scowling half fearful as she stared over at them. He couldn't have stopped his feet moving if he'd wanted to, striding purposefully over to her and picking her up as she squeaked in surprise. His mouth found hers in a kiss that held centuries of repressed longing, his lips taking hers with a passion that erupted between them and threatened to consume them.

Mila returned his kiss with a passion that matched his, her heart thundering wildly in her chest as her beautiful vampire finally took what was his in a hot, possessive, demanding manner that sent tremors running through her body and the breath to leave her completely. Her beautiful Dante had finally stopped running. He had finally claimed what had been his since the moment they had first met.

When he pulled back, he tilted his head so she could capture the raw emotions on his face with her unique sight. "I love you, Mila," he whispered softly and she laughed and cried at the same time, framing his face between her hands as her joy bubbled over.

"About bloody time, silly vampire," she whispered back and then she kissed him, a slow loving kiss that held promises of love and laughter and happy ever afters that he'd never believed he'd deserved. "I love you too, Dante Castillo."

Kothari couldn't help looking smug when everyone gaped at him, especially when he saw the happy tears in Natalia's eyes as her friends finally connected as they were always meant to do. He scooped his mate unprotestingly up into his arms and then grinned at Demetri. "Enough dilly dallying. Let's go home."

He took off down the final part of the mountainside, feeling freer than he had ever felt in his life. It was time to go home and he'd likely have to face some serious issues with his Alpha, but he could face anything with Natalia at his side, and his parents and friends. He would take whatever punishment Rafe had in store for him, but he would never regret coming to Europe. He'd found his parents and his soulmate. How could anyone ever regret that?

Caleb had arranged for a private jet to be waiting for them at Brasov International airport. That brought about a discussion on how they were going to get the injured wolf onboard without anyone seeing until Kothari took the big male from Nors and shadowed himself. They all gasped when the wolf shadowed too, winking out of existence with the Vârcolac.

"Have you done that before?" Dara asked, a bit peeved that she hadn't realised that they could shadow someone as long as they were connected to them physically.

"No," Kothari's disembodied voice said a bit further away than he had been. "I just thought I'd give it a try and it worked."

They quickly boarded the plane and the wolf was settled into the smaller of the two bedrooms at the back. Dara loitered as he was carefully strapped in by her friend and then the covers pulled over his body.

"He's strong, Dar," Kothari said quietly coming to stand beside her. "His heart is beating much stronger than when we found him so he is in the process of healing. Just give it time."

She nodded and gave him a grateful smile, a hint of amusement crossing her face. "I think I like this new version of you, Kothi, though I must confess it's a little disconcerting too. I kind of miss your haughty looks of distain as well as your carefully constructed boredom."

"I'm finding it disconcerting too," he admitted with a strained smile. "I'm sure I'll start growling at people once we're back on pack lands. For now, being less volatile is soothing a lot of strong personalities who've just fought a mini war and are still waiting for their adrenaline to lower to normal levels. Once we're home I'll likely be annoyed because I won't be able to steal Tali away to some secluded spot to be alone together. And there's no telling what Rafe is going to do to me for disappearing. Somehow, I don't think I'll get anything as tame as cooking meals for everyone like Lily did."

Dara snorted out a quiet laugh. "No, Rafe would never be that cruel to the rest of the pack," she agreed with more of a twinkle in her brown eyes. "I'm sure whatever Rafe decides will be firm but fair, Kothi. He's a good Alpha. He'll understand. I intend to speak to him about the fact we've both found our mates over here. I'll put in a good word for you."

The two friends stood silently staring at the prone wolf for a moment longer, and then Dara slowly closed the door, and they headed back to the others, taking their seats for take-off.

~~~~~

"We don't need a chaperone." Elina's derisive tone indicated her displeasure even as her expression remained neutral. One lone white-grey strand of hair framed her right cheek, curving gracefully just beneath her chin, the rest of her red and gold streaked hair secured in a messy bun at the nape of her neck.

"I know," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes even as a wide grin danced across her face. "But, we're actually getting to do something other than sit in the compound while everyone else is out doing important things."

"I was not the one banished to the compound. I could come and go as I pleased."

It was so typical of Elina to point out the obvious, but did she have to sound so haughty and smug when she did? The apple didn't fall far from the tree in the Eriksson-Alexander household though it would have been nice if a little more Alexander had rubbed off on her friend. "Did any of Dayton rub off on you apart from that grey streak?" Lily sighed again.

"What?" Elina countered, a ghost of a smile brushing her lips. "Am I not speaking the truth? It's not my fault your mate is overprotective. It is your fault though that I have to be subjected to that utter buffoon of a male."

Lily threw back her head as laughter bubbled up. "Buffoon? Buffoon? Who uses words like that, Elle? Are you sure you were born in this century?"

Her friend's expression turned resolute. "Well he is, as is your mate. You are more than capable of taking care of yourself. Your current condition doesn't impact on your abilities. Even if it did, I am with you. I could neutralise any threat before that idiot was even aware there was one."

It was hard for Lily to argue with her friend; however it was the price they had to pay to keep Mac happy. There was also the enjoyment value of Elina's reaction to Karn coming to the Hanlon pack with them. It wasn't that Lily didn't empathise with her displeasure, but something told her that Elina protested just a little too much about how much she disliked the vampire.

"You don't have to come with us if you don't want to, Elle. As you said, I am more that capable of taking care of myself despite my bump." Lily ran her hand over the new life growing in her abdomen, her heart swelling with love as she felt the answering flutter of her daughter to the shaft of love she sent telepathically to her.

"Leave you under his care alone? I don't think so."

"The truth of the matter is she can't wait to spend some quality time with me," the object of her displeasure laughed as he leaned against the doorjamb.

There was no indication of how long the huge sandy-haired vampire had been there but Lily was fairly sure he had overheard most of their conversation. "It's impolite to eavesdrop, Karn," she admonished, but there was a twinkle in her eyes as she noted Elina's shoulders stiffening.

"You expect far too much from him, Lily. Manners and propriety are not something a vampire such as he could understand."

"And that's why you can't wait to spend so much time with me, Princess," Karn retorted, devilment in his eyes. "You need someone to help knock some of that stick out of your ass."

Elina turned around, her glare frosty. "Be mindful of what you say, vampire. The last time there was some knocking being done between us, it was I knocking you clear across the room. You wouldn't want a repeat of that incident."

Only someone who really knew Elina well would have detected the slight change in her body language that indicated she was ashamed of her past actions when she had lost her temper under Karn's baiting and pushed him clear across the room. Lily could though, and her initial pleasure in her friend's discomfort started to wane. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea having Karn along with them. If she talked to Mac, maybe he would reconsider.

Karn merely laughed at Elina's implied threat, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "What? That little love tap? I think you can do better than that, Princess."

In response, Elina chose to ignore the vampire, turning back to her friend. "Let's go. The sooner we get to the Hanlon compound, the sooner I can be away from this idiot." She strode out of the living room, marching out of the front door and down to the waiting SUV.

"Karn, do you have to bait her at every second?" Lily asked with a stifled groan. "You're going to make this trip an utter nightmare if you're riding Elle's back the entire time. We have serious work to do."

"Yes, give it a rest," Mac agreed, entering the room to scoop his mate up and kiss her soundly on the lips. He looked around at his second in command. "I mean it, Karn. This isn't a pleasure jaunt."

"You two should be talking to Miss Snooty Pants," his friend retorted with a snort. "She's the one with the attitude problem. It's my job to make sure any of these little defects get rectified."

"With the Praetorians, stupid," Lily laughed, giving him a quick hug to take the sting out of her words. She adored Karn almost as much as she did her mate. He was firmly a part of her extended family. "Elle isn't a Praetorian so leave her alone."

"It's my job to protect the Vârcolac too," he argued. "And that girl has some serious issues that she needs to deal with." He raised an eyebrow at Mackenzie as if daring him to disagree with him. "Look what happened with Kothari because no one dealt with his issues. I am not going to let that girl down because it makes everyone feel a little uncomfortable when she gets irritated."

When he put it like that, he did have a valid point. Was Elina in danger of having a break as Kothi had? Lily didn't think so but she couldn't say for sure that her friend wasn't teetering on a rocky precipice ready to fall one way or the other. Now that Liam no longer needed her to help him control his mental defences, Elina had no direction, nothing to anchor her own existence.

"Just keep it to a minimum," Mackenzie said, scooping Lily up for another quick kiss. "And make sure my mate and growing child come back without a scratch."

"Mac!" Lily laughed and hugged him tightly. He was so overprotective, but she understood the deep fear he fought every day. He had lost his wife and young daughter so many years ago. It was hard for him to battle those memories and the pain, even though he knew that she was so much stronger than the frail human lives that had been lost. "You know we will be fine, my love."

"I know," he sighed, resting his forehead against hers. "I can't be the big, bad Praetorian Leader without issuing some implied threats though, can I?"

"You're incorrigible. You're as bad as he is sometimes." Lily pointed at Karn as she laughed.

"You don't need to be so insulting..."

Lily laughed loudly as both Mac and Karn spoke at the same time. "Come on, let's go before Elle starts leaning on the horn. She's very impatient when she is made to wait."

"Hmmm, think I fancy a coffee..."

"Karn!"

Now it was Lily and Mac who spoke at the same time, earning a loud chuckle from the sandy-haired vampire. "Just kidding."

With another kiss, Mackenzie released his mate into Karn's care. Lily and Karn headed over to the SUV, Lily automatically climbing into the back seat. It gave her more room to stretch out.

Karn opened the driver's door. "Shift over, Missy."

Elina turned wintry eyes on the vampire, her hands resting on the steering wheel. "I am driving. I know where we are going."

"Shift over." Karn's tone brooked no arguments. Gone was the playful baiting and in its place was the hard steel of a vampire used to being obeyed.

For a long moment, Elina just stared at him. Then she climbed out of the driver's seat and got into the back beside Lily. "Yes, you may chauffeur us, vampire."

Lily rolled her eyes but sighed with relief when Karn didn't rise to the bait. He climbed in and started the engine, heading out of the Praetorian Compound towards the Hanlon Compound.

"It's not like you to back down," she spoke telepathically to her friend, knowing it would irritate her if Karn were privy to the conversation.

"Father always says you should pick your battles. Mother says you should fight every battle. This battle wasn't worth fighting. It would just have held us up longer and the end result would likely have been the same because I would have conceded so that you could go to the Hanlon Compound, Lily. You did ask me if any of my father had rubbed off on me earlier. I think you could say maybe a little."

"Thank you, Elle. I know that was difficult for you. I do appreciate it." Lily gave her hand a squeeze, smiling as she felt the pressure returned.

"We are pack and we are Vârcolac. We do what is best for each other."

They settled down in silence as the car sped along the forest road towards the wolf compound and the task they had been assigned to accomplish. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence so the journey to the Hanlon pack didn't seem to take very long even though it was almost an hour away from the Praetorian Compound.

Before long, Karn was pulling into the huge circular heart of the compound, parking close to the Alphas' large log-built home. There were a few wolves prowling around in animal form but none of them paid any attention to the SUV after a cursory sniff of the air.

"Elina!" The door to the Alphas' house opened and a tall darkhaired woman appeared, a smile turning her already beautiful face into something quite exquisite.

"Hi Millie." Elina allowed the Alpha to embrace her in a warm hug, though her body language remained rigid.

It didn't appear to faze the other woman who merely smiled more and placed a hand gently on her cheek. "Rafe called to say you were coming. You know we love having you here with us."

Elina's grandparents and aunt and uncles were part of the Hanlon pack so she was treated as an honorary pack member and tended to be the one who visited the other pack the most when she came to see her family. Lily hadn't had as much to do with the other pack but she had spent a little time with Millie and Jared and was greeted just as warmly.

"This is Karn. Apparently he's my bodyguard." Lily introduced the vampire. She had no idea if he'd ever been to the Hanlon pack before or met the Alphas but she thought it best to presume they didn't know him.

"Welcome to the Hanlon pack, Karn, please come inside." Millie stood back to allow them to enter, rolling her eyes at Lily, and muttering, "Men," under her breath.

Lily giggled. She'd always liked Millie and was glad to be able to spend a little more time with her and the rest of the Hanlon pack.

"We've arranged rooms for you and Karn here at the house, Lily. Or I should say we were instructed by Mackenzie to ensure that you were in the safest place within the compound," the Alpha was saying as she led them towards the living room. "Elle, I presumed that you would want to stay with Charlotte and Ian as you usually do?"

"Yes, that will be satisfactory, Millie. Their feelings would be hurt if I did otherwise."

Karn growled. "I would prefer all of us to be centrally located together," he said, keeping his tone respectful as his gaze connected with Millie's.

"Then it's just as well that we're in the Hanlon compound and not in the Praetorian one, vampire, because your preferences don't count here," Elina remarked coolly, giving him a wintry smile that was all about letting him know just how insignificant his desires were in her opinion.

"I'm tasked with protecting you regardless of where you are, Princess, and that includes here. So, if I deem it necessary that we are centrally located together then that's how it's going to be," Karn replied, his expression hard as he pinned her with his pale blue gaze.

"Surely you're not implying that my pack cannot protect our own people, Karn?" Jared Hanlon asked from the doorway, a frown on his face as he walked into the room having overheard the last part of their conversation. "Elle routinely visits us and often stays overnight with her grandparents with no need for any Praetorian to enter the compound. I fail to see why now is any different."

Elina's expression turned smug as she quirked an eyebrow at the vampire, watching his expression turning frustrated at the turn of events. Jared was perfectly correct in his statement and anything Karn said to contradict that could cause a potential incident between the Praetorians and Hanlon Alpha and that would not go down well with Mac or the Triumvirate.

"Nothing could be further from my mind, Jared," Karn replied smoothly, his eyes flashing dangerously as they didn't leave Elina's smug expression. "I've patrolled the pack every time Elina has been visiting with her family and am well aware of the pack's abilities to protect her. I just thought that as we are facing some unknowns that it would make more sense if we were all together so that should something untoward happen we wouldn't have to run around trying to find each other before we responded to the threat. However, if you deem that won't be an issue then I am happy to abide by your decision."

Elina wanted to growl in frustration as the vampire eloquently batted his demand back at the Alpha in such a reasonable fashion that Jared would be hard-pressed to take issue with it. His words had set her hackles up too. He'd been on her guard patrol for every trip to the Hanlon compound? He'd been dogging her steps as if he viewed her as some weak female requiring his protection? Just who the hell did Karn think he was? She'd already shown him just what she was capable of. She didn't need his or anyone else's bloody protection.

Jared's cobalt blue gaze swung between his honorary pack member and the vampire who were glaring at each other with such intensity he could almost cut the tension in the room with a knife. His gaze swung to Liliana Romanov who was rolling her eyes as if she witnessed this all the time before she headed over to one of the large brown leather sofas and sat down. Millie was biting her lips as if she was trying not to laugh, and she shrugged her shoulders and decided to sit this one out by joining Lily on the sofa.

Running a hand through his black hair, the Hanlon Alpha had to concede that he wasn't going to get any help from his mate or the other Vârcolac. With a resigned sigh he stepped between the two glaring at each other and raised his hands.

"Elina, Karn does have a point," he said, halting her with his raised hand when she went to instantly object. "There's a good chance any possible attacks or incursions would be during the night when most of the pack is asleep so it makes sense for you all to stay here, but that doesn't mean you're tied to the house. This is your home just as much as the Armand-Hanlon pack is and you're free to go wherever you please without having your movements curtailed by anyone."

His hard gaze connected with the vampire who was the one that was now looking smug at having gotten his way about the sleeping arrangements. "If Elle's visiting with her family that means you back off, Karn. You are not to invade her private family time unless you are expressly invited. The Alexanders don't get to see as much of their family as they'd like too. I will not have any of my pack complaining that you're invading their precious time together. Are we clear on that?"

Karn was still smiling as he nodded his agreement. "Totally clear, Alpha," he said smugly. "No gate-crashing family time unless expressly invited."

Why did Karn's expression not soothe her concerns when his mouth was echoing Jared's decree and agreeing with the Alpha? Elina felt a tremor of irritation rush through her at the sight of his smile and it make her palm itch to slap the silly smug smile from his face. Not that she would do that, not after what happened the last time. She was still trying to work out why she had lost her temper and hit him that day not so long ago. She'd never wanted to hit anyone before let alone actually do it. She knew she had to get away from Karn before she gave into the temptation to do it again.

"In that case I will go and visit with my grandparents for a few hours. As you said, Jared, they don't get to spend as much time with me as they would like." Elina kept her tone reasonable and Karn did his best to keep his expression carefully neutral but she saw a flicker of annoyance in his eyes at her announcement and her lips twitched just ever so slightly in response.

"I'm sure Ian and Charlotte will love that, Elle, but before you go I have some news on our European contingent. Gard and Rayne have been found and everyone is safe and well. They're on their way home now and they're bringing a few friends with them. Your parents are both well and send their love. I told Rafe to let me know when everyone was back and had a chance to catch their breaths and we would go over to get a debrief dependant on everything being quiet here."

A small smile did cross Elina's face at the news, not that she had been concerned for her parents' safety, but she had missed them when they were away so it was good to know they were on their way home. Lily snorted out a laugh which had her friend looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't that just typical? We come here because nothing's happening in our pack and the moment that we do, things ramp up there and we're over here not getting to see Rafe kick Kothi's ass."

Though there was no malice in her words, Karn shot her a disapproving glare. "It wasn't so long ago that boy was saving your ass, Lily Romanov. Perhaps you should be thinking more of how to protect his rather than gloating that your Alpha was going to kick it."

She mock pouted at him, not the least offended by his rebuke. "You know I adore Kothi," she laughed softly. "And yes, he did save my ass when I fell off that cliff. But that doesn't mean he can get away with scaring the crap out of all of us by going AWOL like that. We are pack, Karn, and there are rules to be obeyed, ones that I've been made blatantly aware of by Rafe. Kothi needs to learn those same rules, grumpy. What would you do if it was one of your Praetorians."

He grinned at her and there was a hint of evilness in his pale blue eyes. "Oh, they wouldn't be Praetorians any longer," he admitted.

"Then stop growling at me and acting all disapproving," she laughed as Elina blew out a deep breath and turned away.

"Now that is typical," she remarked as she started heading out of the living room.

"What is, Missy?" Karn growled, frowning at her back.

"You are, vampire," she retorted. "It's always do as I say and not as I do with you. Idiot." Elina left the house closing the door quietly behind her.

There as silence for a long moment and then Millie laughed softly. "Well, that's interesting," she commented, rising up to slide her arms around her mate with a speculative glance at the vampire. Jared was also looking thoughtful as his shrewd gaze searched the granite expression of the vampire.

"Very," he agreed.

Karn said nothing, choosing to look over at Lily who was giving him one of her disapproving looks. "What?" he growled, already tired of being stuck in a roomful of wolves staring at him as if he was an ant being inspected.

"You promised Mac you'd stop baiting Elle," she sighed, rising from the sofa and gathering up her pack. "You know what happens when you push her too far, Karn. Do you seriously want more cracked ribs?"

"Elina hit him?" Jared's expression turned shocked. In all the time he'd known the girl, this had been about the most emotion she'd ever shown. She would have had to have lost control to lash out at the vampire and he just couldn't envision that ever happening.

"Clear across the room," Lily grinned as Karn said, "It was just a little tap."

Jared frowned and then let out a long sigh. He was well aware of what was going on here just as Millie was, but it appeared that Lily was still a bit clueless on the matter which was surprising given she was newly mated to Mackenzie.

"If you can keep the little taps to the minimum while you're here that would be appreciated," he finally said, having to concede that it wasn't his place to intervene with what was going on between the Vampire and the Vârcolac.

"That will be up to Elina," Karn replied, picking up his own pack. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Millie, could you show me where I'm bunking for the next little while?"

Ever the perfect hostess, Millie disengaged herself from her mate and smiled. "We've put you in the west wing. There's three bedrooms in that section of the house. I made up two of them but we'll get the third one made up for Elle when she returns. There's a small refrigerator in your room, Karn, for your nutritional needs."

He hadn't expected that and was surprised at the news and also grateful that he wouldn't have to leave the pack for his food, not that he needed anything right now. He'd fed before he came here but he didn't know how long they were going to be with the Hanlon pack so it made sense to arrange for some bottled blood just in case it was longer than anticipated.

"That's very kind of you," he smiled, deciding he liked Millie and Jared Hanlon. Though he had no issues with wolves, he didn't have a lot of contact with them but he could see they were good people, and willing to try to accept his boundaries. Perhaps being stuck in a wolf compound wouldn't be as challenging as he had first anticipated.

His gaze swung to the closed front door as he followed Millie upstairs with Lily chatting away with the Alpha as if she'd known her forever. He hid his smile not wanting her to see how proud he was of how far she'd come since they'd first discovered her duplicity at inveigling her way into the Praetorians under false pretences. He was genuinely fond of Liliana Romanov and would be just as proud of her even if she wasn't Mac's mate. He wouldn't let on though, no way! She'd be manipulating him like crazy if she knew she could get away with it.

Yes, he was proud of Lily, but it was the other Vârcolac who was constantly on his mind. Elina Alexander was a hairsbreadth away from cracking as Kothi had, and there was no way in hell he was going to let that girl self-implode without doing everything in his power to prevent it. He had to, there was just no other option. Because Elina Alexander owned his heart as no other ever would and there was no way he would ever fail his exquisite woman, not when it had taken so long to find her.

~~~~~

"So, how did you and Lila become such close friends?" Kallum Romanov strode confidently through the city streets, his brown eyes alert as he took in the scents and sounds surrounding him as he walked. He didn't look at the vampire at his side knowing that Brandon was a bit on the touchy side about everyone questioning whether he was fit enough to be out and about on so important a mission.

By everyone, he meant Mackenzie. Mac had frowned when Kallum had suggested Brandon accompany him into the city, offering him another of the Praetorians who hadn't been subjected to Liam's emotional backlash as a companion instead. The Vârcolac had detected the slight stiffening of the darkhaired vampire and his lips had tightened at the other male's distress at his fitness being questioned.

Mac must have noticed it too because he'd waved a hand in an instant dismissal of his words and accepted Kallum's choice. Kallum's respect for his sister's mate rose higher, not that he hadn't respected the vampire in the first place. But it took a good leader to know what was right for their people, and this was what Brandon needed after being laid low for a week and feeling helpless.

"I think she views me more as her partner in crime," Brandon laughed quietly, amusement crossing his handsome face. His hazel eyes twinkled as Kallum's gaze turned to meet his in surprise. "Your sister has a bit of a wild streak in her. It just so happened that I shared that same wild streak too. We connected instantly and the rest I guess is history."

There was something very likable about Brandon and it was clear to see how much he cared about his sister and how much she adored the other male. Kallum couldn't help liking Brandon and wanting to help him complete his healing. He had been there for Lily when she'd needed a friend.

"You're much more than that, Brandon," he sighed softly, his expression warm. "I don't think you quite realise just how special you are to Lila, or what you have given to her that she so badly was in need of."

The vampire appeared a bit surprised by his words and a little unsure on how to react to what he'd said. His gaze swept around the area before he gave him a half smile and a confused look. "I haven't done anything particularly special, Kallum. Not that I can recall."

His puzzlement made the Vârcolac like him even more, and his answering smile was warm and open. "You gave Lila your friendship, Brandon. And it wasn't because she was a Vârcolac and you wanted to be a Praetorian. I don't think you realise that that was the greatest gift you could ever give my sister, a gift that none of us knew she truly craved. That's what makes you so special, Bran, and that is why you will always have my eternal gratitude and I will do everything in my power to be there for you if you ever have a need."

Brandon looked a bit embarrassed, as if he wasn't used to someone saying nice things about him. It made Kallum wonder at just who the vampire had been before he was turned to this life, and what his human life had been like, and who had mentored him through the first harsh years of being a vampire.

"Lily's the special one," the other male answered, looking down at his feet. "My entire life I've either been ignored or berated for not taking life seriously. If I've been told once that I was worthless and wouldn't amount to anything then I've been told a thousand times. Andrea Ruminskey was the first person I met who didn't look at me with distain or disappointment in her eyes. She not only saw me as a person but she actually fucking liked me."

His tone was slightly bemused, as if he was still trying to work out why Lily had liked him in the first place. And then he gave a small shrug. "Lily seeing some worth in me helped Karn see me in a different light. He stopped looking at me as if he expected me to fuck up again and started investing more time in my training. Your sister is an amazing woman. I'm lucky she counts me as a friend."

Kallum had to agree with him. His Lila was special and he was incredibly proud of how she had grown so much since she'd gone to live with the Praetorians. She had blossomed into who she was meant to be, and now she was mated with her first child on the way. It was one less person that Kallum had to worry about. Now it was only Kothi and Elle that he was still trying to work out how to help. That's if they would allow him to help. They were both so closed off in their different ways, and who knew what Kothi was doing over in Europe at the moment. Perhaps his friend would find some inner balance once he found his parents. Only time would tell, and for now they had other things they needed to be vigilant about.

"I think Karn would have discovered you were worth investing more time in, even without Lila's friendship with you," he answered Brandon, letting his gaze flow over the various humans, weres and vampires going about their daily business. "I know I don't know him well, but he certainly appears to have his finger on the pulse of everything around him and he's very intuitive when it comes to people."

"When he's not knocking me around maybe," the vampire grinned, but it was evident that he didn't mind his mentor's chastisements. He was probably honest enough with himself that he knew he needed some of his little defects corrected every now and then.

Kallum looked at him again and smiled. "He visited you every morning, lunch time and then sat with you into the early hours of the morning when Mac made Lily go to bed," he told the vampire. "He visited all of his people but he always ended up taking Lily's vacated chair when she left. Don't let him know I told you but I even caught him reading some of that book you love to you when he thought no one was about. You mean a great deal to Karn too, Bran. No matter what was said to you in the past, it's who you are now that matters and you have Mac, Karn, Lily and my respect. That's what you should focus on, not idiots from your past."

Brandon pondered the Vârcolac's words and he had to admit that he was feeling a tad stunned. When Kallum had invited him along on this mission he had jumped at the chance to be doing something worthwhile after having been laid low with his mind shattered. He hadn't considered that he'd be spending so much one on one time with Lily's brother. He hadn't expected Kallum to be so interested in his relationship with his sister or to seemingly care about what happened to him. He was beginning to understand just why his friend was so close to her brother. Kallum Romanov was a good man with a strong sense of moral integrity about him.

"Thanks for that, Kallum," he finally said in a quiet voice. "Joining the Praetorians has been just about the only good thing that's happened in my life and I've kind of felt like I was there just because of Lily's patronage. It means a lot to know that there are some who believe I am there by merit, and that I am possibly even considered by them as a friend."

"I count you as a friend, Bran," the Vârcolac answered solemnly. "You helped Lily and were willing to die for Liam and the rest of those I love. How could I count you as anything less?"

The flicker of movement caught his eye and he turned his head to look over at the vampire nightclub the Dive as Cassia slipped out the doorway, laughing when Pietro pulled her back into his arms to kiss her soundly.

Brandon hadn't met Cassia and Pietro yet so Kallum headed over in their direction. "I'd tell you to get a room but then Cass would be late for work," he laughed softly, interrupting the mates who didn't appear to care that they were drawing many a scandalised glance from the more prudish humans passing by.

"Fuck off, Kal," Pietro growled good-naturedly, reluctantly letting his woman go as she giggled at his possessiveness.

"Who's your friend?" she asked, fluffing her curls to try and sort them after her vampire's fingers had been messing them up.

"Brandon Oliver, ma'am," the vampire said giving her a small bow of his head. "And you're Cassia Romanov which means this fine Elder is Pietro de la Rios."

Pietro snorted a rolled his eyes. "You're one of Mac's boys? What are you two doing out and about this early in the morning on your own."

"Top secret, need to know mission, sir," Brandon answered, giving the vampire a cheeky grin and Cassia burst out laughing at her mate's disgruntled expression.

"So, this is Lily's Bran, is it? I can see why she likes him so much. He's as free-spirited as she is." Her gaze went to Kallum and she quirked an enquiring eyebrow at him. "I take it Rafe's got you checking out the area about the wolves?" Cassia kept her voice low so that no one would overhear her.

Kallum nodded. "Jared's got people out and about in the Hanlon city area, and Bran and I are checking out here. We figured that as we're both relatively unknown in the city we wouldn't stand out as being too obvious to prying eyes. I take it neither of you have seen anything since we got the warning?"

The mated couple shook their heads in the negative. "I've got a few hours to kill while Cass is at work before I have to start prepping for opening tonight. Do you fancy an extra set of eyes?" Pietro offered.

Kallum look to Brandon who was surprised that his opinion was being sought on the matter even as a warm heat spread through him as he realised that Kallum was treating him like an equal and not a tag along. "Cool with me. As long as you don't start thinking you're Karn and start slapping me about the head. I've just recovered from a coma. My head's still tender from that one."

Pietro gave him an intent stare and then his lips twitched in a small smile. "Fuck knows how you made it to Elder status with that mouth on you, boy," he laughed softly. "But if you wind Karn up enough to earn yourself a clip around the back of the head, then you're okay in my eyes."

"The hazel or the black one?" Brandon quipped back and for a moment everyone tensed, and then Pietro threw his head back and roared with laughter.

It was the first time anyone had actually made a joke about his mismatched eyes, everyone always dancing around the damage or pretending it just wasn't there. This young Elder had a set of balls almost as big as Demetri's, and for some reason he found himself liking Brandon's lack of deference.

"I like this one, Kallum. Here's hoping he doesn't say the wrong thing to the wrong vampire and ends up losing his head."

"That would indeed be a bad turn of events," Kallum agreed, his expression serious. "Lily counts him as one of her best friends and I've decided he's one of my good friends too. Brandon just needs a good example to follow, and we all know Lila's too impetuous for that."

Brandon frowned about to defend Lily when he realised that there was some hidden meaning behind the Vârcolac and the other vampire. Was Kallum warning Pietro off? Cassia was looking a little tense now he came to think about it, and he wondered if perhaps he had been too disrespectful to the scarred vampire who was mated to the pretty blonde.

"Fine, I'll keep an eye on him when he's out and about," Pietro sighed, giving Brandon a wry smile. "When you get time off from your Praetorian duties make sure you let your hair down here at the Dive. Some of the other establishments are rough and your smart mouth will get you into trouble. I run this place for Andrei and Alexei. No one will mess with you here."

And just like that everyone was smiling and relaxed again and Brandon realised that he'd just gotten himself another powerful Elder as a sort of mentor. He was quickly starting to build up some pretty powerful benefactors. If he'd had any doubts about Kallum's words a few minutes before they were quickly being put to bed.

Cassia kissed Pietro again and then jumped into the waiting SUV beside the sidewalk. Brandon nodded to the three Praetorians who peeled away from the shadows briefly and then vanished from sight. Already slipping away to start the long run back to the Armand-Hanlon pack tracking the SUV as Cassia headed off in that direction.

Pietro and Kallum noted them too and looked at Brandon who merely smiled. "Old habits die hard," he admitted. "Mac's orders. If there's spare people not patrolling the packs then we need to be protecting any Vârcolac who are out and about in the cities. Whether they need it or not."

Pietro was looking a tad offended, and Kallum could understand the vampire's feelings. He was recently recovered from his own traumatic ordeal and still a bit sensitive to anything that indicated that others felt he wasn't up to the task of protecting his mate.

"How many are now over at the Hanlon pack besides Karn?" he asked, biting his bottom lip to not smile at Pietro's offended expression.

Brandon burst out laughing. "With Lily being over there? Mac has doubled the number necessary... quietly though so Lily's not aware. She'd read him the riot act if she was aware of just how many Praetorians her mate deems necessary to protect his mate even with Karn being with her within the compound."

The younger vampire's answer had Pietro relaxing and his lips twitched in a small smile. He'd known Mac for over twenty five years now. If the Praetorian Leader was going overboard protecting his own mate despite having his most trusted friend with her, then he should be thankful that he was continuing to protect Cassia too especially considering the warning that they'd been given.

"Okay, I'll stop being an idiot," he grinned. "Let's go see if we can spot any of these invisible wolves. I'll feel more comfortable if I know that we don't have any of them hanging around when Cass is over here."

The three males took off back down the street that was quickly beginning to get busier as the morning wore on, their gazes alert as they walked without speaking. After half an hour Kallum suggested they split up so they could cover more ground and the two vampires agreed.

Pietro was moving through the more seedier part of the downtown area when he spotted a tall male with short blond hair ducking into a dark alleyway. His senses became more alert as he followed the male into the darkness. Part of him was aware that he should be more cautious but the protector within him was immediately furious that this male was so close to where his mate slept when he was working.

He expected to have to hunt for the blond but found him leaning against the dirty brick walls halfway done the alleyway. Pietro's footsteps halted and he let his suspicious gaze sweep the darkened area, looking for any signs of a trap. There was no one else in the alleyway, just him and the wolf halfway down.

There was something about this wolf, a vague memory that was teasing at the back of his mind. The wolf reminded him of someone and then the memory slotted into place and he strode purposively further into the alleyway.

"What do you want?" he growled at the male who was watching him with cautious brown eyes.

The wolf looked around and then turned back to him. "You won't find them in the city limits," he answered, his tone clipped. "They're too smart for that."

The vampire had been coming to that conclusion himself after a couple of hours of searching had turned up no signs of any interlopers. "Why are you still here? Your Beta indicated he was returning to Europe," he asked. He'd recognised the wolf as being one of Fox's companions the day they had first met, the day Cassia had talked with the darkhaired wolf and he'd wanted to rip the fucker's throat out for being so close to his woman.

"Fox reckoned that if one of us stayed behind and appeared dodgy then perhaps the other wolves would try to recruit him. I volunteered."

That took Pietro by surprise and he stared at the blond intently, seeing the same expression in his eyes as he'd had all those years ago when he had volunteered to try to infiltrate the European vampires. The decision that had cost him so much but had brought him his beautiful Cassia and brought Liam his own mate too. There was bravery and integrity in this male and that was something he could relate to.

"Be careful," he said quietly, his own gaze reassuring him they were still alone with no prying eyes. "Overconfidence will get you killed or badly injured."

The wolf straightened, his posture less stiff. His brown gaze tracked the scar on the vampire's face and the ones he could see peeking out of the top of his T-shirt. "Is that what happened to you?" And again Pietro tensed.

This was the second time in only a handful of hours that someone had commented on his beautiful imperfections as his mate called them. It was gut reaction to feel angry that they would dare, but then his fury quickly waned as he realised that only a brave male would risk his wrath to discuss his marks so conversationally. That, he could accept. Being ridiculed was what risked the other party losing their heads.

"Yes," he answered simply, not elaborating any further and the other male accepted that.

"Noted," the wolf replied. "Though if I may be so bold once more. Those scars... on a vampire. They make you look scary as fuck. We wolves can carry scars and even have tattoos and shit if we cut deep enough, but to see a vampire walking around with them is something else. You probably haven't heard the whispers already going around but there are a fair few speculating about what a crazy bastard you must be if you've survived the amount of damage it would take to scar a vampire and still be walking around as if nothing had happened. You're gaining quite a reputation."

That surprised Pietro and he was vain enough to preen a little too. They had better be afraid of him, because if anyone came anywhere near his mate he'd fucking rip them apart piece by piece. His expression must have turned fierce because the wolf was looking a little uneasy as if he was wondering if he'd been too bold.

Pietro gave him a slow smile deciding that he liked the temerity of the European wolf. "Pietro de la Rios," he said, introducing himself.

"Malcolm Fynnley, but everyone just calls me Fynn."

"Got a phone?"

The wolf pulled out his cell phone and passed it to Pietro when he held out his hand. The vampire quickly entered his number and then called his own phone so he had Fynn's number. "You find or hear anything, you call me," he said handing the phone back.

Fynn nodded his agreement as he put his phone away. "They're sneaky bastards, Pietro. They're European wolves too. Unlike here, we only survive by being nomadic and moving frequently. They're adopting that same tactic here, and even though it's what I'm used to, they're still miles away by the time I track their locations. We split up before the others returned to Europe and even with four of us we couldn't track them. It was almost as if someone is shielding them somehow, but we were never able to work out how."

Pietro filed the information away. He didn't know if it had any significance but the more information they had the better Annie and the others would be able to try to work out a way to track these hidden wolves. His gut instincts told him that there was a clear and present danger coming their way. He didn't know when it would happen but he was sure that when it did, it was going to be something extreme.

"If you've been around for so long why is this the first time you've contacted us?" He was curious as to why the wolf had chosen today to reveal himself.

Fynn frowned and the earlier unease was back in his eyes though this time it didn't appear to be anything to do with the vampire he was with. "Fox has gone dark," he finally said, looking uncomfortable as if he felt he was betraying his head Beta. "He called when they landed in Europe and I haven't been able to reach him since. I'm supposed to check in daily. I called Fox and the others and received no response. I can't even reach out to our Alpha. She's been out of reach for a number of weeks now though I know Fox was recently in contact with her because they returned to Europe on her instructions."

That didn't sound good and Pietro could understand the wolf's unease. He was pack and stuck in an alien world to him with no contact with his chain of command. The only thing Fynn could do was continue on with the mission he'd been set by his head Beta. But he was alone with no backup, no one to assist him if things went bad. The only thing he had that he could rely on was Fox's apparent trust in Cassia and himself. Pietro understood what it felt like to be alone in a dangerous situation.

He was aware of what had happened in Europe so far. He suspected that Fynn and Fox were part of the wolfpack that was destroyed over there. It wasn't his place to say anything though so he held his peace, but he would speak with Caleb and Annie, to see if they could bring Fynn into their inner circle.

"You can check in with me," he finally said. "You shouldn't be out there on your own. I need to speak with some of my people but I'm fairly sure that they'll be willing to give you some help if you need it."

There was a look for relief flashing across Fynn's face briefly and then it was gone. Wolves were not meant to be solitary creatures, Pietro had been around the pack long enough to realise that. His phone vibrated and he quickly read the message and typed back before putting it away.

"I need to go, my friends are looking for me." Pietro turned to go and then stopped looking back over his shoulder. "Why did you wait until I was alone to show yourself, Fynn?"

The wolf appeared uncomfortable again, a small frown marring his brow. "That big guy with you, the one with the brown hair. He makes my wolf antsy."

That had Pietro's eyebrow rising in surprise. "Kallum? He's the last person that would ever hurt another wolf, especially not one who is on our side."

That had a smile curving the other male's lips. "I didn't say he made my wolf afraid, just a bit antsy. There's something about him... something my wolf reacts to. I figured it was best not to test out what that was."

Pietro grinned, his respect for the wolf rising. "Smart," was all he said before he made his way back out of the alleyway, heading towards the others to let them know what he'd learned.

The vampire headed back the way he'd come, his gaze still alert despite the wolf's intel on the others of is kind. Just because they had been hiding in the outskirts since they'd got here, it didn't mean they wouldn't change their tactics.

Pietro spotted Kallum and Brandon close to the Dive and beckoned them to follow him inside as he opened the door. His human bartender Bill would be in shortly so he took them downstairs to Andrei's office.

He paused when he noticed the vampire sitting at his desk going through the manual record of the club's accounts. Andrei was old school about some things, and though they kept electronic accounts, he had a separate set where things that couldn't appear in the accounts submitted to the government were meticulously recorded.

"Kallum? What are you doing slumming it in my club?" Andrei laughed, totally surprised to see his son in his establishment. "I thought you were checking out the city for any unknown wolves."

Kallum grinned at his father and moved over to give him a hug. "We are, Dad. Pietro was helping us out and we split out to cover more ground. I think he might have found something?"

Andrei's gaze was on Brandon who had paled significantly when he realised he was face to face with one of the scariest vampires to walk the planet, and Lily's father to boot. He didn't know if Andrei Romanov was aware of any of his interactions with his daughter.

"Oh sorry, Dad. This is Brandon Oliver. You remember, Lily's friend and one of the Praetorians Liam almost killed?"

Brown eyes speared the vampire intently, and Brandon wondered if he was about to get a taste of Andrei's legendary temper. And then the older vampire smiled and there was faint hint of amusement there.

"Oh stop looking as if you're about to pass out, boy. I've been made fully aware of how amazing Bran is and how much my daughter adores you. Even I'm not stupid enough to upset my Lily Rose by being mean to one of her BFFs I believe she terms it. Come, have a seat and let us hear what you've all discovered."

They sat down on the sofa and Andrei pulled one of his guest chairs over to sit beside them. Kallum gave a quick recount of the areas he'd searched and Brandon threw in where he had looked. All eyes then turned to Pietro who was looking rather smug when the others announced they'd come up with nothing.

"I came across one of the European wolves who'd been with Fox the day Cassia and I first met him," he said smugly. "Malcolm Fynnley aka Fynn. Apparently, he was left behind to try to infiltrate the rogue European wolves, kind of like when I tried to do the same over in Europe to gain intel on what was happening over there."

Kallum pursed his lips, nodding his head in approval. "I wish I'd met this Fox character. He appears to be very intelligent and possibly a good person to have on our side."

"When he isn't trying to steal my mate from me," Pietro grumbled but he was smiling as he said it, able to see the funny side of the whole thing now Cassia was most definitely his. "Anyway, Fynn said the wolves are nomadic and always seem to be one step ahead of him. He's used to the way European wolfpacks work but even he hasn't been able to catch up with them. He likened it to they were somehow being shielded or something, though how he wasn't sure. I was going to give Annie and Caleb a call later but you can probably pass this onto them, Andrei."

"Interesting," the honorary Ancient said, his expression turning thoughtful. "Speculation true, but each day new knowledge of old abilities are coming to our attention. Who knows if this is something similar to that."

Pietro nodded as that had been his first thought too. "He also mentioned that Fox has gone dark since the others returned to Europe. He's supposed to check in daily with his head Beta but he's receiving no response. That got me to wondering if perhaps Fox and the others were part of the wolfpack that was all but destroyed over there? The one Ava was part of? If Fox had been getting too close to our unseen enemy could he have orchestrated the decimation of the pack and been waiting for the rest of them to return home?"

"Fuck!" Andrei growled, his expression turning thunderous. "Our people are over there, my niece among them. If anyone lays a fucking finger on them I'm going to make Kothi look like a fucking choir boy. I will fucking exterminate every vampire on that continent."

Kallum frowned too, his own concerns for his friends and packmates rising exponentially. He could understand his father's fury but the one thing they didn't need was Andrei Romanov losing his shit right now.

"Dad," he said, keeping his voice low and soothing. "You know Dara and Kothi can take care of themselves. And Demetri, Nors, Freya and Dayton are with them too, not to mention the other friends they've picked up along the way. Our enemy may be powerful but so far they've been trying to pick us off one at a time or in small ambushes. My gut feeling is that the reason Gard and Rayne were taken was to test what our response would be, not to try to kill any of us per se. We should work under that premise for now, until we know any different."

Andrei stared at his son for a long moment and then his black eyes shifted back to brown and he huffed out an irritated snort as he noticed the deep gouges his talons had scored into the armrests of his chair. "Order me some new chairs, Pietro," he sighed deeply. "Make them blue this time. I grow weary of the red."

Pietro rolled his eyes and made a note on his phone to replace the chairs, though he gave Kallum a thankful nod for calming his father down so quickly. "I gave Fynn my number so he could report daily to me," he said after putting away his phone. "Apparently his Alpha is incommunicado at the moment and only Fox had any direct contact with her. That's what makes me think they're of the same pack. Wasn't Ava's Alpha away on some secret mission when they were attacked?"

Kallum nodded, his expression both surprised and thoughtful. "I've never heard of a female Alpha before," he commented. "Do we have any over here?"

The vampires shrugged. How the fuck were they supposed to know shit like that? Up until the hybrid matings, they didn't care what the wolves were up to or who their Alphas were.

"Fuck knows," Andrei growled and Kallum filed the information away to ask Rafe or Jared at a later date.

"So Fynn is now reporting to us?" he asked, surprised at Pietro's offer to support the wolf. Clearly he must feel some kind of kinship with the lone wolf, having been the lone vampire in Europe for so long.

"I was going to speak to Annie and Rafe about that too," the vampire answered his gaze on Andrei. "If there is some connection to this wolf and we're helping Ava, then I believe we should be helping Fynn too, though if they say no, I'll just keep an eye on him personally."

Andrei sighed and rolled his shoulders to loosen some of the tension out of his big body. "Leave it with me. I'll see what I can do when I pass on the other information. Good work, Pietro."

Kallum laughed. "Yeah, good work, uncle P," he added facetiously. "Bran and I come into the city to try to track down the hidden wolves and we come up emptyhanded and you bring in all the intel. Figures!"

Pietro shot him a smug smile. "You might be some super-duper Vârcolac but there's no accounting for years of experience," he laughed back.

Anything further Kallum might have said was cut off by Lily brushing his mind just as his father's cell phone rang and he stood and walked away to take the call. "Kal, are you busy right now?"

"You know I always have time for you, Lila. What's up? Everything okay over at the Hanlon pack?" He didn't think anything was wrong by his sister's mental tone but he still asked anyway.

Lily gave one of her inelegant snorts. "Apart from Karn pushing Elle's buttons at every conceivable chance, it's all good over here. We're bunking down at Jared and Millie's place, and Elina isn't happy because Jared agreed with Karn that it made more sense for us all to sleep at the same place so she can't stay with Ian and Charlotte. She's in a fair old snit about that."

Kallum couldn't help laughing. He could just imagine Elle' expression and Karn's I don't care less face as she glared at him. "So, what's so important that you needed to contact me?"

"They're coming home, Kal!" Lily's tone was joyous and relieved at the same time. "Jared told us they've found Gard and Rayne and that everyone is safe and well and they'll all be home soon with some friends."

The small knot in Kallum's gut released and the worry he'd had for everyone slowly melted away. "That's brilliant news, Lila. I think Rafe just called and told Dad because he's looking a bit less volatile than he was a little while ago. I'll fill you in later about what we've been up to. I need to go now."

He felt Lily fade out of his mind and smiled as his father reiterated what he'd just learned from his sister. He made the appropriate happy remarks as the others but his mind was half elsewhere. Yes, they were coming home safe but he knew they couldn't fully relax. There was no telling what their enemy had learned about them from this encounter in Europe. Kallum was sure that this was just another opening salvo in their enemy's game plan. He could feel things ratcheting up with each move the other side made, and knew it was only a matter of time before the main attack arrived and they discovered if they were up to the fight that was coming their way.

To be continued...