Page 36 of Eternal Light (Fated in the Stars #5)

He tells Ignatius just that. “I’m not without sin.”

Ignatius shrugs. “I can only tell you what Elysia has told me. Your soul shines uniquely bright. Your pack is lucky to have you. The world could do with more Leo Costas’s.”

“Fact!” Nix says before bumping his shoulder.

It settles him a little. He can’t figure out if he’s happy with the news or not. It feels weird to be complimented for something he has no control over.

He’s just Leo. That’s all.

The odd little man tilts his head to the side, assessing the impact of his words before he grins and adjusts his hat, spinning to bow to Jay.

“I must fly. There’s food on the stove from the school’s kitchens and more for later in the fridge. Make yourselves at home. Tomorrow is here already.”

“Thank you, Master Parvolio.” Jay bows and everyone follows suit—except Rowan, who presents himself for ear rubs one last time.

“Oh, Rowan. Yes, yes. Pat, pat, pat,” the older man says, as he does in fact pat, pat, pat Rowan on the head.

It seems to satisfy the wolf, who turns tail to smell the mattresses and baskets of clothing.

Shit, if he pees on anything, they are screwed.

Gideon must think the same thing, because he puts grumpy Luca’s feet on the floor so he can remind Rowan he’s not marking territory in that way, with a hand in his ruff.

“I’ll be off. Feel safe here, and rest well.”

Ignatius gives a final wave before he exits through the door, steps up into the air, and flies away, his dressing gown flapping behind him.

“Well,” Jay says, before sitting in the room’s only chair.

Gideon hadn’t come to the door to say goodbye, choosing instead to familiarize himself with what was in the fridge and pantry.

Luca is lying on the very top of the stack of mattresses, squirming and calling for the queen, as his bed is too lumpy, and surely there must be a boulder in the stack somewhere. Maybe his mate had missed his calling as a Lifetime drama actor instead of the world’s best lyricist.

Nix appears by his side, with a bowl of beef stew and two thick slices of crusty bread with butter. They’re all still a bit damp from the rain, and the hearty food will go a long way toward warming them up.

“Thanks, Nix.”

“My pleasure. You okay?”

Is he okay? Leo does a lightning-fast physical check-in, and besides his still-sore butt, being damp from the rain, and feeling like they dodged (and didn’t dodge) a flurry of projectiles today, he is remarkably okay.

“Long day. But yeah, I guess I am. You?”

Shrugging and accepting his stew from a now-naked-but-transformed Rowan, he sits on the floor against the couch within touching distance of Grayson, with his toes outstretched so he can wiggle them up under Jay’s pant leg.

If Leo had to guess, it’ll be a while before Nix and Jay feel good about being more than a foot (ha!) apart for the foreseeable future.

A decade-long lesson in grief and loss is hard to unlearn, and today, they’d had the worst of reminders about how fleeting life can be. They all had.

“Yeah. Now that we’re all here together. I’m good.”

“It’s better when we’re all together,” Grayson mutters, putting his empty bowl on the floor beside him before laying his head down on Leo’s thigh.

“I’m sorry again,” Jay says, dropping his spoon back into his half-finished bowl. “If it weren’t for me thinking I could get Carnell to talk to me…why did I think he would be reasonable?”

“To be fair, the last time you saw him, he offered you tea. Who could imagine he’d pass social-psycho and fly right into delulu-land?” Luca says, still atop his princess perch but now accepting tiny bits of bread dipped into the delicious gravy as tribute.

“Kittens, tell me what he talked about. If you can remember the exact words, it might help me get a handle on what set him off.” Gideon takes Jay’s bowl and rests it, along with his own, on the small table beside him.

Nix uses his bread to sop up the last of the soup and smiles as Rowan clears the bowl, finally returning with his own. Dusting the crumbs off his lap, he crosses his legs and closes his eyes.

“He thinks Jamie is dead. I’m not sure how long he will, given that someone is bound to figure out that a celebrity being alive despite their reported death is big news.”

“The hospital staff is under Oath, but who knows who recognized you in the halls. For now, though, the public is still mourning your loss. The fans are inconsolable,” Finn says, scrolling through the various social media apps.

Leo does not want to imagine the content being created as tribute to Jay’s dimples and smile.

Lauren had been in contact with Margot—who had been understandably frantic—bringing her up to speed about Carnell and the shooting, vetting the key personnel, and developing a plan to protect the pack.

Both women believe it is better to ask for forgiveness in this instance. It wouldn’t be Leo’s first choice to potentially alienate their fans, but the pack’s well-being has always come first.

“We’ll ask for forgiveness with a full explanation when we’re out the other side. What else did he say?”

Nix frowns. “‘My plan requires your cooperation and…attendance.’” The tone is almost identical. It’s creepy.

“No. No. Don’t do that, please.” Luca shakes his finger at Nix from his perch. He’s on his belly and, unsurprisingly, without pants.

At least that has stayed the same.

“Sorry, baby. What else? He said that Gideon is the true leader of our pack and that he needs to show us a firmer hand.”

And not in the fun way, Leo assumes. Even if Gideon were to lead, he would never see his mates as anything but his equals.

“Oh, and the alphas would have to go. Gideon wouldn’t want to harbor ‘backstabbing alphas’ in his midst.”

“That sounds like him.” Gideon lets his head fall into his hands. “His own organization had very few alphas.”

“So we’re on his priority hit list?” Grayson asks.

“For sure. But he doesn’t know about your magic, Gray. And he sure as fuck hasn’t seen Rowan-wolf.”

Grayson’s hair swirls in a non-existent breeze again, spreading his burnt-basil-vanilla-patchouli scent throughout the room.

“He still thinks you have magic? Withers, I mean?”

“Yeah, they’re both idiots. Neither one figured out about the babies. Like, do I need a Babies On Board t-shirt?” The omega’s wolf is always offended at the idea that the babies are not celebrated—even by their enemies.

No , Leo thinks, that is the worst idea yet .

“That’s good, though. It seems we have a better idea about what Carnell is up against than he does. Now, if we could figure out what Withers can do, I’d feel a whole lot better. Shit, Gray, you’ll have to try that protection Nimue showed you today on the rest of us.”

“I’d feel a lot safer knowing he can’t make us jump out a window or drown myself in the bathtub.” Luca shivers.

That sounds worryingly specific, and given the look Luca shares with Nix, Leo is sure the two of them are keeping certain details of their captivity to themselves.

“I can do it now. Don’t stop on my account—I can work around you.” Grayson approaches Jay, intending to start with protecting his leader first. It’s not long before he’s made the rounds, each time faster than the last.

“There is something to do with the soul magic, too, right? Poor Ansel…and you thought James Senior might have sold his soul, too.”

Jay stiffens at the mention of his father and how their afternoon ended up.

Leo squeezes his shoulder in silent comfort, understanding that it’s not his death that has him remorseful, but the part he played in the whole debacle over the past decade—and finally, with his mom.

“Dad was the worst I’ve ever seen him. Decayed. Like you told us Withers is. Why wasn’t Ansel like that?”

“Good question,” Finn says. “I think it has something to do with him being a child. Ignatius said today that people who sell their souls are often tainted already. Losing bits of their soul continuously in a bargain like that would only make it more…visible on the outside.”

“But if Ansel was coerced or manipulated, that wouldn’t be his ‘sin’, right?” Nix says.

Grayson nods. “Right. Winnie said her father had gotten worse and worse after his mate died. Do you think he would have sold his soul—and Ansel’s?”

The words render the mates silent at the idea that someone could sell a child’s soul for gambling money or to pay a debt.

It’s even more frightening to think about the person who would offer such a deal.

Nix finally shifts uncomfortably. “Gideon, Carnell also said some stuff about Hayes.” He says the name firmly. It had been something he’d conquered right away with therapy. The name of a person didn’t have the power to hurt you unless you let it.

“I’m sorry, Kitten.”

“Carnell’s words are not your fault,” Nix says, and there is no doubt he means it. “Yeah, he intended to undermine me with memories today, but Luc helped.”

He smiles at his twin, who blows him a kiss.

There’s no doubt there were threats of violence on Nix’s behalf. “No…I’m not sure you want to hear this right now, or ever, but…Carnell said Hayes was his son.”

There’s a minor commotion as Grayson sits up and Finn fumbles the phone in his hand. Leo’s heart picks up speed in response to what has to be the shock of a lifetime for his mate.

But Gideon doesn’t look shocked—he looks ashamed.

Gideon goes to his knees at Nix’s feet so he can press his forehead to the floor in abject apology.

The rest of the room is frozen in horror.

This is the most humble of positions for a Were—saved for the gravest of apologies or the highest degree of respect, sometimes both.

Given Gideon’s usual self-confidence, his view of the world as a general nuisance, this is heartbreakingly unfamiliar.

“Gideon, no!” Nix exclaims, going to his knees so he can lift Gideon by the shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Nix. Sorry my father and my brother have been responsible for the worst things in your life. My blood. Ignatius confirmed it: our souls hold the stain from the things we’ve done. Mine must be the worst—corrupted from birth by blood.”