Page 22 of Magical Midlife Rescue (Leveling Up #11)

Austin allowed himself a smile and gratefully took the seat. The guy on Tristan’s other side grabbed his drink and evacuated, taking his friend with him. Brochan waited for them to get out of the way before sitting next to Tristan.

“You buying me a beer wouldn’t pose a problem,” Austin told Tristan as the bartender, Carla, ignored a customer and headed their way.

“Here? No. In another pack?” Tristan lifted an eyebrow as Brochan settled in. “They wouldn’t look down on a beta buying an alpha a beer?”

Austin barely kept from rubbing his eyes, and then did it anyway. He’d been loosening things up in this territory to compromise with the gargoyle culture. While he didn’t often relax this far, with his two betas sitting here, he figured it couldn’t hurt.

“You’re right,” Austin admitted.

“Then I’d better get it in while I can.” Tristan gave his order to the bartender, followed by Brochan and Austin. “Keep it open,” he instructed, and handed his card across.

“What’s up?” Austin asked him.

“Jessie tasked me with two things—one was to send a connection request to the new cairn leader of Nikken.”

Austin inclined his head. She’d told him.

“Patty will send that out tomorrow, priority mail,” Tristan continued.

“I know for a fact he’ll agree to a meeting—the sooner, the better.

I’m sure we can negotiate a date. If we show reasonably well, we have a real shot at an ‘in’ with him.

I know you have a packed travel schedule planned, but we wouldn’t want to lose sight of the gargoyles.

We need to start putting ourselves out there if we want to have better status.

With better status comes more support for the convocation. ”

“Jess explained about the short window he has to feel us out.” Austin inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly. It could never be one thing at a time. For them, everything seemed to always happen at once. Last time, mages had interrupted their plans. This time, it was the gargoyles.

Hopefully, it was only the gargoyles.

“Most of my plans aren’t set in stone,” he admitted. “We can rework the schedule in some places. It’ll mean we’ll have to alter our travel, but it’s doable.”

Their drinks landed, and Austin took a greedy sip of beer.

“It’s a pain in the ass, I know,” Tristan said, and that small acknowledgement went a helluva long way for camaraderie. “The other thing is Gimerel. Jessie doesn’t want to destroy his production cairns because she’s worried about his people.”

“Noble,” Brochan said.

It was. Jess had a kind heart, and in this situation, that was damned unfortunate. Hitting Gimerel quick and dirty would get him off their backs and get them moving on to the next thing in an ever-growing list.

“She wants to humiliate Nelson, I know,” Austin said. “Assuming we can’t just kill him and be done with it, that is. He deserves it.”

“Or I do,” Tristan murmured. “But no, we can’t just kill him. That’s not how things work. But we can humiliate him, as she requested.” His smug grin spoke volumes. “He had no choice but to leave his bracelet here after his cairn’s visit. Do you remember?”

Austin’s head barely dipped. “The connection gift with all the gems, made by one of their productions cairns, furnished in part by one of their mines.”

“Correct. The cairn’s pride and joy. The envy of the gargoyle world. It’s a symbol of status and elegance and beauty.”

“That’s a lot of weight for a bracelet,” Brochan said. “Especially one without the value one might see in the Dick and Jane world.”

“That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw it,” Austin replied. “But I haven’t given it much mind since. Where is it?”

“Mr. Tom has it in his closet, hiding it from Niamh.” Tristan laughed.

“I was thinking, what if we fashion a matching necklace and earrings out of Ivy House jewels? We’d hire the best jeweler and choose the best stones—larger stones, obviously—to improve upon the design and quality and expense, but still have the pieces complement each other. ”

Austin furrowed his brow, then sighed when he felt the healing magic curl through him. Jess had clued in to his fatigue and was making it better. He loved that woman.

“And then, what, give it as a gift?” he asked dubiously.

Tristan’s smile grew as he shook his head. His glowing eyes glittered. “Not even remotely.”

Austin listened with growing respect for this gargoyle. Even Brochan started nodding, his posture full of mirth. The plan was simple, yet the effects would be extravagant if they pulled it off.

“I have a jeweler,” Austin said. “We can pick the stones and leave them with him. He’ll ship it to us when it’s finished. I’ll make sure it’s a rush order.”

“Yes, sir,” Tristan said, leaning back with his drink.

Brochan’s bearing changed to expectant. Apparently, he had something to discuss as well.

Austin nodded at him to go on.

“Alpha, about Jessie,” Brochan started, and worry gnawed at Austin’s gut. “She’s not getting it.”

Austin had glanced down the bar periodically, watching the lesson in progress. Jess’s growing frustration had made her more expressive instead of less.

“She’s much better at reading body language,” Brochan continued.

“There’s hope for her there. But hiding it?

No.” He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the bar.

“The thing is, she’s always one hundred percent genuine.

If she can’t do something, she’s honest about that.

When she’s uncomfortable, it’s usually for a good reason.

A noble reason. And sir…she’s not a shifter.

She’s not one of us.” His shoulders tightened, and his head tilted forward before he twitched it to the side. With respect, we’re wasting our time.

Austin took a sip of his beer, containing his disappointment.

He’d feared this would be the case. It would amount to one more problem when meeting the alphas who wanted nothing to do with him.

His past seemed to be a hard thing to eradicate in the alpha community.

His present would offer them red flags—as far as they were concerned, anyway.

“If I may,” said Brochan, “I think it’d be better that she continues as she is.

Push her to keep learning body language, but don’t ask that she change hers.

She’s always proven herself to shifters.

Even the naysayers in Alpha Kingsley’s pack stopped talking once she showed her might.

She’s different—she should act differently.

Show how comfortable she is in her differences.

She’s honest and caring and wants the best for people, and she’ll apply extreme force to keep them safe.

Let the other packs see that she can’t lie—that she doesn’t lie—so that when it comes to her anger or power, they’ll know she isn’t bluffing. ”

“I agree.” Tristan nodded. “Like the meeting with that pack in L.A. She had them worried by being worried herself. They’ll have heard what she can do. Let them disbelieve her. Let them push her. She gets volatile when she’s pushed.”

Austin drank again. Deep down, he’d always known it would turn out this way. He’d known Jess’s differences would make things harder for them, just like he’d known his reputation would drive a wedge between him and anyone willing to work with him. There would be no miracle fix for either of them.

“Well, hell, that’s terrible news,” he said with a release of breath.

Tristan laughed, and Brochan might as well have.

“We’re ready,” Brochan said. “To meet those other packs, I mean. I’m a strong alpha with trust issues, and I would walk into the fire for you and Jessie.

You’ve earned that loyalty, both of you.

No one has left this pack. Not one ,” he stressed.

“It’s hard work, long days, and barely controlled chaos, but even still, people trust that you and Jessie will keep them safe.

That’s unheard of. Trust me, you’ll see the diamond you’ve created here when you visit those other packs. Even the strong ones.”

“I don’t know about the shifters…” Tristan threw back his cognac and put his glass up for another.

“But I know our guardians are preening like none I’ve ever seen.

They think they’re in the best, most powerful cairn—not one of the best, the best. They follow a shifter leader because they respect you, a man who leads by example.

Who’s powerful enough to best them while urging them to rise to the challenge.

You’re an example. And Jessie…” His smile was soft.

“Jessie is the pillar of our people. The best gargoyles have to offer. She brings us all together and promises us victory. Once we get into those cairns, our guardians will talk us up. They’ll spread the word, not with stories, but with their bravado.

We’ll win them over, Alpha. It might take a second, but we will win them over. I know we will.”

“This convocation will work.” Brochan nodded. “We just have to have faith.”

“Did my posture scream he needs a pep talk or something?” Austin asked, mystified.

“Yep,” Brochan said with an uncustomary grin. Tristan outright laughed.

“That just leaves the mages.” Austin asked for one more beer before he wrapped this up and headed home to his mate. “For that, it seems our fate is in the hands of a hacker who looked about as shell-shocked as a person could.”

“She’s odd as fuck,” Tristan murmured. “I mean, even for that house, she’s odd. I didn’t think the Dick and Jane world could produce that kind of weird.”

Austin chuckled. “She is, at that. I think that’s a blessing. She’ll be able to hang with that house. There aren’t many who could. Not even me—for any length of time, I mean.”

“Me neither,” Tristan said.

“Truth,” Brochan agreed. “Fred—” He huffed, then bowed.

The grin was back. Normal men would guffaw.

“She makes the absurd seem justified, somehow, while also highlighting how absurd it really is. It took her agreeing that I should be called Sue for me to realize it. For Jessie to realize it as well. It’s strangely…

This is going to sound crazy, but it’s strangely comforting. ”

“Gargoyles have never understood the shifter culture of being assigned a name.” Tristan sipped his fresh drink.

“When you head up a new cairn, you don’t get assigned a new name.

You have a name. People call you that name.

” He paused expectantly. “Because it’s your name.

” He grinned. “Her choosing Fred…” He shrugged.

“Might as well choose one you like rather than other people choosing one you don’t.

I didn’t bat an eye at that. Or Mr. Tom.

Or Steele or Ironheart. Whatever. The fox roadkill, though… ”

Brochan looked at Tristan for a long beat, the humor draining away from him. “I was Spencer in my old life. In my old pack.”

Tristan jerked in surprise. Austin had known that, having heard the rumor from someone else, but Brochan had never mentioned it.

“Spencer Whitman. I wasn’t technically a generational alpha, but my birth father had been revered in his day, and since I challenged into his old pack, I allowed the people to pass his name to me. Whitman. It seemed the best for morale. Fred would think that name was very dull, I imagine.”

“As dull as the man,” Tristan joked.

“Hmm,” Brochan said noncommittally. “It wasn’t until…

after…” After the attack. After he’d lost everything.

“I kept my position long enough to reestablish the survivors in a safe location. To help them pick up the pieces and start over. During that time, they dubbed me Brochan. No last name, no remembrance of the name before it, real or assigned. Just Brochan. It’s how we all felt. It fit.”

“And Sue?” Tristan asked, his tone light but his eyes solemn.

“Sue was an accident. The best accident. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was a lifeline. It makes me just as odd as that Ivy House crew.”

“It’s your membership card,” Tristan surmised.

“Must be. One I will always hold on to with a tight grip. Names for alphas result from circumstance, half the time. I don’t have much in common with Spencer Whitman anymore.

I’m no longer that man. I’m not Brochan anymore, either.

That was a name for a different alpha. A directionless, hopeless, futureless alpha.

I have plenty in common with Fred, though, as odd as she is.

With Jessie Ironheart and Alpha Steele, starting over, come what challenges may.

Trying to pick up the pieces and make something of themselves.

With Mr. Tom, trying to look after his people.

Like that vampire—” He shook his head. “Nah. Step too far.”

Tristan blurted out a laugh. “Good catch.” He tapped his glass with a finger. “I didn’t get a membership card.”

Brochan—Sue, now?—lifted an eyebrow. “You are your own membership card. Changing your name would be that step too far. Nice eyes, by the way. Where’d you get them peepers, again?”

Tristan’s lips twisted to the side. “Touché,” he said quietly, still the dark mystery of the group. Not even Niamh had been able to piece his clues together. Rumors in the gargoyle world came up empty. This gargoyle-monster had done a great job hiding his past.

Austin didn’t think he’d be able to hide forever.

Brochan shifted the conversation gracefully.

He no longer seemed worried or even interested in Tristan’s past. Somewhere along the way, Tristan had shown the untrusting alpha-turned-beta that he was in this genuinely, that he cared about protecting Jessie and the convocation. That he could be trusted.

“Regarding Fred—she’s in,” said Brochan. “She might be shell-shocked for a while until she gets used to all this, but you should’ve seen her light switch on when she worked with Niamh earlier. Hook, line, and sinker.”

“Will she be able to help us infiltrate the mage world?” Austin asked, leaning forward. He could get all the shifters in the convocation, Jess could bring in all the gargoyles, but if they didn’t have a way into the mage world, it would be all for nothing.

Brochan met his gaze. “Her light wasn’t the only one that came on. Fred opened the door, and Niamh waltzed right through, like it was her own personal theme park. I think we’re about to see what that puca can really do, and I don’t think the mages know what’s coming.”