Page 47 of Eternal Light (Fated in the Stars #5)

The Black King Commands (Leo)

“Leo, your smile is a little off-putting, considering you’re dressed for a funeral and plotting murder,” Rowan says, as he sits on the side of the nest and ties his black sneakers.

No small amount of envy burns as Leo eyes Rowan’s footwear—his leather dress shoes pinch, no matter how high-end.

His poor feet miss his beat-up Nikes at home.

Unlike Rowan, who hoards sneakers like dragons hoard gold, he owns eight pairs of shoes and wears three. Four, if you count funerals.

Ugh. Leo fucking hates all the pomp and circumstance. Leo has always been of a mind that a celebration of life was a better way to remember a loved one than sad eulogies and somber suits.

It’s the latter that had killed most of Leo’s day. Shopping for suits while pretending to mourn their beloved alpha had been an ordeal—and one worse than Leo could have imagined, even with his feelings about funerals in general.

Hauling Luca and the increasingly pissed-off Gideon to the high-end tailor in the heart of the city had been an exercise in patience and perseverance.

Color Leo surprised when it wasn’t Luca who proved to be the most difficult mate today.

He’d fully expected that wrangling Luca into a suit would be the worst thing he had to do today, but it had been surprisingly (suspiciously) easy.

When Luca had realized the suit had pants instead of his preferred skirt, he had still been a superstar.

Sure, in retrospect, Leo’s effusive compliments about how good he looked and how proud he was of his mate for forgoing a public boycott had probably fueled his manic, joyful rampage through the next department store—happily throwing packages of t-shirts and socks into the shopping cart until Leo and Gideon had to finally distract him with a latte so they could figure out what the alpha team was wearing to infiltrate Carnell’s fortress behind the scenes.

What did one wear to capture (kill?) a vicious magic user?

While he and Gideon had debated, Luca had wandered off with his 60% whipped cream confection into the children’s section, returning with an armload of onesies and pacifiers, as well as two stuffed toys: a little gray mouse and a rainbow butterfly.

Frozen at the sight, Gideon had stared into the cart like he was waiting for that mouse to scurry up his pant leg and bite him.

After that, well, it had only gone from bad to worse, with Gideon locked down in silence until Luca had taken the silent Gideon out to the CR-V while Leo had checked out.

Did he buy the stuff Luca picked out? Yes, he did.

But did he leave it in the car, wedged into the lining of the suitcase they’d also purchased? Of-damn-course. They were too cute to leave behind, and even though they gave him pause to think about being Leo-Dad, he was really excited.

Leo had decided—all alone, by the way—that Team Alpha would wear black t-shirts and cargo pants. Gear that wouldn’t draw attention and still be flexible enough to fight in.

It’s not his take-charge fashion choices that put that smile on his face, though; it’s those sweet plushies and soft baby pajamas.

Letting the smile in question slip away, he pats Rowan’s thigh.

“Just thinking about when this is all over.” He nods toward Rowan’s pants. “You okay in those? They fit okay?”

The t-shirt is stretched to its limits over Rowan’s ever-broadening shoulders and chest. Setting the Wolf free has somehow bulked Rowan up beyond even what he had been before they’d arrived in Florida.

A sight to behold—Leo has not a single complaint.

“Yeah, they pinch in the crotch, but it’s not the first time.” The younger alpha shrugs, standing so he can adjust the front of his pants.

Regardless of whether they’re comfortable, they certainly are flattering.

“Hey, baby, my eyes are up here.” Rowan tilts his chin up with a grin and a wink.

Oh boy. That wink and the growled baby do things to Leo that he shouldn’t be thinking about when, as Rowan had said, he’s dressed for a funeral and thinking about murder.

Finn appears in the door and points an accusing finger at them both. “Oh, no, you don’t. There is no time for that.”

Handsome in his matching stealth ensemble, he crosses his arms over his chest, broad shoulders and studious glasses not helping Leo get his dirty mind back on track—because whew . The all-black ensemble gives the alpha an unexpectedly dangerous air.

“Let’s go, you two. Jay is—” Finn makes his hands into claws before adding, “And Nix is no better.”

Sighing, Rowan kisses Leo before pinching his nipple and whispering, “Later, baby. See you outside, yeah?”

Yeah, later. Whatever that looked like.

Despite his early daydreams about the babies, Leo hasn’t let himself think about what’s going to happen after right now, limiting his thoughts to one minute at a time to ease his worry about all the million possible outcomes.

Grabbing his jacket off the hanger dangling off the curtain rod, he follows the rest of the pack out the front door onto the front step.

Everyone else is milling about in the small courtyard, where the coach lamps create a pocket of gold light in the night, aided by the large full moon.

Just as Finn had said, Jay is pacing, his agitation revealing how pissed he is at having to stay away from his mates lest he transfer his scent.

Nix is doing the same, but in the opposite direction—pissed because everyone is wearing scent blockers and he can’t smell them.

Between the two of them, they’d had to be outside as soon as possible with someone willing to enforce their separation (Gideon), so as not to set the entire pack off into a re-bonding scenting frenzy.

This was already fucking hard.

What were the next few hours going to be like?

Leo shuts the cottage door with a hard pull, and abruptly, all eyes are on him.

“Okay, teams. Let’s hit it,” he says, tossing the keys to the CR-V to Gideon.

It’ll give the alpha something to think about besides Carnell.

Seems the rest of Team Omega had already said their goodbyes, because Luca and Nix give a synchronized last wave before following Gideon into the SUV.

In seconds, Leo is squeezed in between Grayson and Finn.

Not sure he has the words, but in the end he decides on the simplest, “Kick ass, Gray.”

“You, too. I’m ready.” He grins, waving as he walks away, letting a few sparks snap and sizzle on his fingertips.

Not at all reassured, Leo turns to the one man he can always rely on to keep his head.

“Finnie, just…”

“Don’t let Rowan do anything stupid. Yeah, but you have to know only Grayson can do actual magic.”

Finn means for Leo to laugh, but he can’t bring himself to do more than gift him a small smile.

“No, I mean yes. Please do that. But also…keep them alive, yeah?” Leo looks into Finn’s eyes, wishing he could smell his sweet berry scent one last time before they go. He’s truly worried most about Jay throwing himself in front of another bullet—real or magical.

“It’s my top priority.” He hesitates and glances over Leo’s shoulder at Gideon. The other alpha is staring straight ahead out the windshield, jaw clenched.

“You, too. He’s waited a long time for this confrontation, and I’m worried he’s going to do something dangerous.”

Yeah, Leo worries about that, too—they’d be stupid to think Gideon didn’t have a plan.

Why he thought it was a good idea to just walk right in the front door, he’ll never know. It just seemed like it’s the right thing. The best way to finish Carnell once and for all—the way it’s supposed to go.

Shaking the feeling off, he squeezes Finn one last time.

“We’re following you as far as we can. Text me and keep your head down. Carnell is watching for you, too.”

“We will. Text me when it’s done.” Finn smiles as he walks backward toward the vehicle, before climbing into the passenger seat.

Jay is still standing by the Buick’s driver’s side, watching them, his hands clenched at his sides. He opens his mouth to say something, once and then again, before shaking his head. Finally, he smiles.

“Be good, baby. Bring them back to me.”

“Yeah, just don’t fucking die this time.” Leo points with a fierce look at his Pack Alpha. “Love you.”

Sliding into the driver’s seat of the red SUV, Jay rolls the window down so he can lean out. “Love you, too.”

From the back seat, Rowan’s voice rings out with a cheerful, “Have fun storming the castle, boys!” just before Jay shifts into reverse.

As the car rolls away, a heavy ache settles in Leo’s chest as he watches them go. Letting them leave without him is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

Team Omega is quiet when he gets in, Gideon following the other vehicle before Leo even has his seatbelt on.

Luca and Nix are cuddled up in the back seat, with Luca sitting in the middle so they can be as close as possible.

“What’s the plan?” Luca asks.

“Follow my lead, stick together, and don’t do anything risky. We’ll try to get Carnell alone at some point,” Leo states.

“He’ll be full of charm and sly innuendo. But he’ll want to solidify my return before he speaks to me privately. He’ll want an audience for as much of this as possible,” Gideon explains.

If what Leo knows about Carnell is true, he’ll think Gideon is less likely to cause a scene in front of others.

As Leo has said before, Carnell is an idiot.

Nix nods. “We’re ready, and we’ll back you up. We know who we’re dealing with now.”

The words send a slither of premonitory dread down his spine.

Do they, though?

It’s not long before they’re winding their way toward the coast, where modest homes give way to sprawling mansions and gated estates.

The address on the invitation shows somewhere on the coastal road overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. It had been hand-delivered by Ignatius, who had shared a few quiet words with Jay, of all people.

Though Jay had looked a bit taken aback, he hadn’t revealed what they’d discussed.

The invitation, printed on sleek black paper with shimmering gold leaf lettering, feels as luxurious as the neighborhood they’re passing through.