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CAIUS WATCHED the young man slump to the floor with a mix of shock and dismay.

Instincts shouted at him to get a medic as the scent of blood filled his nose, but common sense stayed his hand.

He was no longer an acting colonel. Technically, he was a civilian now, and sitting in a mafia boss’ home wasn’t exactly the best place to reveal that he had connections to the armed forces.

He didn’t even want to be here, but as he intended to permanently move to Denver, and under shifter law he was technically alpha of a pack of three, he was required to make his presence known to any powers in play, including the underworld.

The last thing he’d expected walking into this meeting was to see Savino order his own son beaten and then murder someone.

He could smell Quinn’s anxiety and rage behind him, but he trusted Quinn not to interfere. As much as they both might loathe the situation, they didn’t have any power here, much less authority.

Still, when Savino motioned for one of his men, who pulled out a gun and aimed it at the unconscious man, Caius couldn’t stop himself from clearing his throat.

“If I may,” he drawled, sipping the tea he’d been given as Savino eyed him.

“If you intend to kill him, perhaps you’ll let me take him off your hands instead.

” He felt Quinn’s eyes boring into the back of his head, but he knew he didn’t need to explain.

They’d both seen far too many innocents die at the hands of those in power, and if he could finally save one, he’d do it.

Not that he could prove the young man was innocent, but he’d put money on him being more upstanding than his father.

Savino made no effort to hide his distaste when he eyed Caius. “You ask me for my own son?”

Caius smiled faintly and set his tea down. “As you’ve just disowned him, I believe he belongs to no one, yes?”

He considered pressing further, but the sudden Spark of magic in the room made his breath catch.

There was a mage here? Not just any mage, one who’d just come into their power, but he hadn’t caught sight or scent of any children on the premises.

No, when he followed the faint pull of magic, his gaze was drawn to the unconscious man on the floor.

Fuck. Savino’s own son was a mage, and by the looks of it, not a single other person in this room besides him and Quinn realized it. As they were all human, that wasn’t surprising. Shifters were far more sensitive to magic.

All the more reason to get his hands on Max. He may not have any sway in this city, but binding a mage to his pack before the Order found him would certainly change that.

He forced his heartbeat to calm and his face to show only mild interest. He couldn’t risk revealing how much he wanted Max. If Caius couldn’t get the mage out of here, Max would be better off dead than with the Order.

Savino grunted softly. “A trade then. You are looking to start a business in my city, yes? You take Max. You give me fifty percent of your earnings for five years.”

Caius bristled. No way in the seven hells would he let the mob have a finger in his businesses. He pulled out his wallet with a hum and tossed a few grand on the table beside his cup. “I’m willing to buy him outright, but a half-dead man who’s obviously suicidal isn’t worth more than this.”

Max was worth everything Caius had in the bank and then some, but only if he got hold of the mage first. Once everyone else realized what Max was, Caius wasn’t sticking around for the war unless he had a binding in place.

He pushed his chair back and stood, buttoning his suit jacket. “I’ve made you aware of my pack’s presence here. That’s all I came to do.” He tapped his fingers lightly against the cash. “Shall I leave this?”

Savino stared at him through narrowed eyes, too old and shrewd not to know there was a reason Caius wanted his son, but Caius hoped the old bastard assumed he was nothing more than a perverted shifter. Finally, Savino waved his hand with a scoff. “Take him. He is not worth the trouble anymore.”

Caius nodded, restraining his fierce smirk of relief, and motioned for Quinn to retrieve Max .

As soon as they were out the door, he pulled his phone out, searching for the nearest independent mage healer. Thankfully, there was one in the city, though over half an hour away from them.

While Quinn got Max settled in the back seat, Caius slid into the passenger seat and put the address into the GPS. Once Quinn was behind the wheel, they were off.

“I can’t believe you managed that,” Quinn hissed as they sped out of the neighborhood and onto the main streets.

“Neither can I,” he admitted, glancing back at Max, who was still unconscious. Not a good sign, but at least he wasn’t leaking too much blood. “He’s a bit old for his magic to Spark for the first time,” he added quietly, turning back to watch the road.

“Maybe it was waiting for someone who could keep him safe to show up,” Quinn said with a cheeky grin that Caius ignored. Quinn had made it clear he was a romantic from the first day they’d met, but Caius put no faith in higher powers.

He’d seen enough depravity to know that if gods did exist, they didn’t give a fuck about the people they toyed with. Which was why he had to do everything in his power to ensure the safety of his pack. If that meant binding a new, untrained mage to them, he would.

By the time they reached the clinic, Max was starting to come around, but at Caius’ request, the healer was kind enough to give him a potion that knocked him out again.

Caius stood at the end of the bed with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the healer work. At any moment, he expected the Order to show up, but even he knew they couldn’t show up that quickly. And any independent mage would have ample shielding and protections in place. At least he hoped.

His eyes tracked the healer’s familiar, a small white snake, as it slowly coiled around Max’s body, guiding the healer to the most severe injuries. He held his tongue until she finally sat back with a soft sigh and turned her attention to Max’s fingers.

“Can you put a block on him?” he asked, meeting the healer’s suspicious look with a calm gaze.

“Why? If he’s on the run—”

“His magic Sparked today.”

Her eyes widened, and she turned back to Max.

“I’d like to ensure the Order doesn’t force his hand.”

With a soft swear and a wince, the healer shook her head. “He wouldn’t survive them,” she murmured. “But it’ll cost extra.”

“That’s fine. Just get him back on his feet.”

Convinced Max would make a full recovery, he left her to it and stepped out of the room, finding Quinn slouched in a chair with his phone.

Caius stretched his senses past the doors, confirming no other mages were in the vicinity, before sinking into a chair next to Quinn.

Since they’d rushed from Savino’s place, he hadn’t had the chance to confirm if Quinn had managed his part of the job.

He might have been required to make his pack’s presence known, but he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to keep an eye on a criminal. “Did you get in?”

Quinn tipped his head back with a grin. “Of course,” he said. “Their security was a joke. Whatever plans they make, we’ll be able to see.”

Caius nodded, some of his tension easing.

He may have gone in with the vague intention of keeping an eye on Savino’s operation for when and if Caius built a pack strong enough to challenge him, but for now, he was only interested in making sure Savino didn’t have regrets about selling his son.

Or at least not acting on them if he did.

“What are you going to tell Lukas?”

Caius let his head fall back with a groan, tempted to bash it into the wall.

Lukas had served with him almost as long as Quinn, but he doubted the sniper would be happy to hear he’d swindled a mafia boss’ son from him.

Though he hoped the fact that the son was also a mage would be enough to appease him.

He doubted it, but he could hope. “The truth, obviously,” he said on a sigh.

Quinn laughed. “Good luck. Put him on speaker when you do. I wanna hear.”

That wasn’t going to happen. Considering Lukas was still dark from whatever mission he’d been sent on, Caius likely wouldn’t get a chance to speak with him until he returned home.

For now, he was more concerned with getting Max healed and settled so they could bind him before anyone else realized what he was.