Orion’s phone rang,and Quentin glanced up from his assignment. From the look on Orion’s face and the way he stood to walk away, he knew something was wrong. He reached out with his magic, needing to find out if Kaine was safe.
Orion snarled and pointed at him. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know yet.” He put his phone to his ear and walked out to stand in the corridor, closing the door after himself. His voice was muffled but sharp as he spoke.
Quentin did a quick search for news. There was nothing in Mont de Leucoy, but there was a breaking story about a bombing in London. He clicked on the news article, only to find there were no details, not even on location. Not officially, anyway, but there were already snippets of videos people were posting to social media.
What were the odds of that happening at the same time Kaine was running a mission? Bad things happened all the time, and according to Kaine, there were always missions going on. Some small, some large, some involving other countries. The world didn’t sit still and wasn’t as stable as he thought it had been, and there was a hell of a lot more magic thrown about than he’d ever suspected.
“Change of plans. No library trip today.”
“It’s related, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Jacob is on his way. We are to keep you here until the situation stabilizes.”
“So I’m a prisoner? On whose orders?” He barely got the words out before his phone rang. Even though there was no number on the screen, he sensed it was Kaine because of the urgency. But he didn’t know what to say to him.
Refusing protection seemed like a bad idea—and his refusal wouldn’t go far. Orion wouldn’t put up with any bullshit. He’d probably find himself hog-tied and shoved in a closet.
“You’re going to want to answer that,” Orion said.
It was Quentin’s turn to stand and walk away, but instead of stepping into the corridor, he went upstairs to the bedroom. “Hello?”
“Orion told me about your meeting this morning.”
Quentin winced. “Yeah, it was interesting.”
“I need to know everything you told him.”
“He watched us arrive last night. He figured we were mates. That was it.”
“Nothing about today?”
“I don’t know anything about today except that you’ve been feeling anxious all morning, and now there’s stuff going on in London.”
“Was the Shadow Board discussed?”
Quentin closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “Only that I’m aware they are the bad guys. He was worried about the secrets you’re keeping and what you knew. He thought you might have sent me to become his friend.”
Kaine gave a bark of a laugh. “Does he know your magic?”
“Yes.”
He sensed Kaine”s agitation ratchet up another notch.
“Are you safe?”
“Yes. They know everything. They know all our moves before we make them. And some of those moves are only known to my brothers.”
Quentin didn’t need magic to feel Kaine’s pain at that statement. The words were enough, but the swelling ache and bitter taste of betrayal filled him. “You think it’s the prince?”
“There is a lot you don’t know about him in this life and past lives. He is young and reckless and has made some very bad decisions. When Jacob arrives, they are going to detain him. And you are the only mind reader I have available.”
Quentin blinked twice, not sure he wanted to understand what Kaine was asking him to do. “What are you saying?”
“You know what I’m asking. I do not want to make an order, but Gerrit has been forced to flee his lodge, and the bomb in London was outside a Coven location. I need to know what’s coming next before more people die.”
“Do you really believe he betrayed you to the Shadow Board?”
“I don’t want to. But it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t Gerrit or Dalmon. Who does that leave who knew everything? Who sat opposite me as we discussed the problem over dinner… I need to be sure.”
“What makes you think you won’t be next?” If the two other brothers had been openly attacked, it made sense that Kaine was next. Panic scratched beneath his skin. If Kaine died, then he’d die. Not immediately, but Orion had described rather graphically what it felt like when the pining process began.
“You can help make sure I’m not.”
Yes, he understood that. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified. “I don’t even know what I’m doing. I’m guessing.”
“Ask any witch, and they’ll tell you that half of magic is guessing. You’re smart, Quentin?—”
“If I was smart, I wouldn’t be messed up in this.”
“Yeah, you would be. I don’t know how it would’ve played out, but you were going to be always involved. Why else would you take a job opposite the Coven building?”
“I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know who you were.” He didn’t know anything.
“You have two ex-Coven agents with you. I trust them with my life.”
“Shouldn’t they be with you?”
“You are my life. It is my job to protect you.”
And his to protect Kaine, and the only way he could do that was to use his magic on the prince. “He’s going to have his bodyguards lock me up in a dungeon somewhere.”
“I doubt that since I picked his bodyguards.”
“You aren’t the one they’re fucking.”
Kaine grunted. “Is he doing both?”
“I didn’t pry. It feels wrong to pry. He’s the prince.”
“And I am the Chief of Security, and I am giving you permission to dig. Please.” The last word was carried on a wave of desperation.
“What about the mind reader who assessed me?”
“She’s a psychologist, and she’s needed elsewhere.”
“The one who taught me how to use magic?”
“She is not a mind reader. She communicates with plants, but she is an excellent teacher of many magics.” People were talking in the background. They were calling Kaine ‘chief’ and asking questions. “I need to go. If I need to make it an order, I will, but I do not want to.”
“I don’t want you to… I don’t know if I can do what you need me to.” A week ago, he hadn’t known about magic, and now he was being asked to use it to save his fated mate and possibly all paranormals. He could’ve given it up and walked away from all of this. Then he’d be sitting at home watching the news and wondering if he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. “I don’t want to fail.”
“I believe you can. Our paths crossed for a reason, and I don’t believe it’s because the Fates were messing with us.”
“He said you must hate having a mind reader for a mate.”
Kaine was silent for a heartbeat. “I’m used to keeping a lot of secrets, yet to you I am an open book. It’s uncomfortable. The bond is uncomfortable. I don’t like feeling like a crab without a shell. But I will get used to it.”
Quentin swallowed and took the chance to show he knew Kaine hadn’t told him everything. “Or I give up my magic, and then you don’t need to be uncomfortable.”
He muttered a curse. “I would never ask a witch to give up a part of themselves.”
“You didn’t give me that choice.”
“Because you can’t make that choice if you don’t understand what you’re giving up. I wanted you to understand who you were. And you were so excited to learn…” More talking and orders in the background. “I need to go. Orion will contact me if there are any difficulties.”
“You mean, if I can’t.” Quentin now understood what people meant when they said they had performance anxiety. He was pretty sure his magic had gone soft and crawled somewhere deep inside of him, never to be found again.
Kaine snorted. “Thank you for that rather graphic depiction.”
“I didn’t realize you’d get it.”
“Neither did I. The bond is still developing. Which means it’s hard to separate what is shared at the moment.”
Quentin stared up at the ornate ceiling, his eyes burning as if tears wanted to spill. “Be safe. Maybe I’ll be able to update you in real-time.”
“You be safe, too, because if I’m right, you’re in danger.”
“I hope you’re wrong.” Because he didn’t like thinking that Everest could betray his brothers. His family was shit in that he was an unwanted disruption, but neither of his parents had harmed him—growing up, he’d had friends in worse situations.
The call ended before he’d even decided how to say goodbye. The hand holding the phone shook, and he stood there, trying not to be afraid. He failed. And he couldn’t keep it within himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, and just when he thought he was going to break, it was as if Kaine held his hand, and reminded him he could do it. That he was a witch and magic was in his blood.
He heard Orion’s footsteps on the stairs.
He was out of time.