Releasing Chaos Page 4

  Since someone felt compelled to send an escort to not only boot us out of the building, but to usher us out of Chicago, I held my tongue and didn't ask any questions. I was angry King Ignatius didn't even attempt to bargain with us, and disappointed we weren't allowed the opportunity to complete our mission. So without argument, Nacht and I exited to discover a tinted-window luxury car waiting next to the curb. Two more bulky guards stood next to the limo, looking just as dangerous as the one who pushed Nacht and me into the back seat.

  In the rear facing seat sat a gentleman who looked like an older version of Ace. His dark brown hair was perfectly combed to the side, streaks of gray along the temple. His deep green eyes were warm and calm as he carefully studied Nacht and me. My ire at the situation immediately dampened. Two bodyguards sat in the front seat, while two more climbed into the back with us, sitting on either side of Ignatius.

  Unlike Nacht and me—anyone could tell we weren't comfortable wearing suits—King Ignatius appeared as if he'd been born in his. For an older male, he didn't lack for attractiveness, and I thought perhaps the confidence he exuded added to his appeal.

  "My deepest apologies for the subterfuge, but the offices are being closely watched at this time. I wish we'd met under better circumstances. Ace tells me he's being treated well. For Prince Tristan's kindness, I'm ever grateful. I hated to send my sons on such a dangerous mission, but neither could we stand by and allow Her to cast the world into ruins. Has Ace told you about the mirror She seeks and what would happen if She succeeded in breaking it?"

  The chaos monster. I tensed simply thinking about the creature of lore. Even though Zahak the Serpent Shouldered was technically a man, his deeds made him into a monster people used to fear. I was unsure if him being forgotten over the ages was such a good thing. I mean, after all, he would destroy the world if he were set free. Several hundred years ago his arch enemy had bound him into a mirror. But like all cages, given enough time and energy, any creature could break out—or be released. Should we be proud the Goddess Inanna felt so threatened by the Lycans that she would recklessly destroy the world in order to win?

  In reply to Ignatius's question, I gave the barest of nods.

  He grimaced. "My people cannot cast off chains if they are no longer alive to do so. We all understand what would happen if She got Her hands on the mirror. Your ruler has taken mercy on my sons when he had no reason to. I am grateful, but I am also hopeful. Together we can overcome Her plotting and have a future much brighter than it is today." The bodyguard to Ignatius's right withdrew a tablet from his inner jacket pocket. "Now we don't have much time. I'm expected back in the office soon. They believe I spent the evening at my house to the north, and I'm driving in today from a great distance. Her spy has been led to believe you two are being taken to the airport and forced out of town. I've had your bags packed, and they are waiting for you on your flight. So we have exactly forty minutes to hash out an alliance."

  Since the Magi College had split, Devlin, Nacht, and I found ourselves leaders of our ragtag group. When Prince Tristan chose to meet with us the first time, and then continued to turn to us afterward, our position was reaffirmed with the Magi whether we wanted the notoriety or not. I'd never desired to be in charge. All I'd ever asked for was to learn and work magic without worrying about what the governing Triad wanted from us in exchange for the use of the college.

  But no matter what I wanted, we lived in a time of great change. The Magi College fell, and the corrupt ran from Prince Tristan and his retribution. The Order of Anat… imploded, I guess one could say, after our future king came forward to lead us. Heirs to the Seat of Zeev had been born. Dragons walked the Earth once more. The children of Tiamat would emerge from the shadows. Wild magic roamed the lands, and now, even the humans experienced the effect of curses brought upon them because they broke their vows.

  All of us had to roll with these changes and discover where we belonged again. It was the reason I'd agreed when my future sovereign asked me to negotiate with the king of the True Bloods. I spent time with Prince Tristan, learning what he wanted versus what he needed when I sat down with King Ignatius.

  Anyone who followed politics assumed negotiations took time. Hours. Days. Weeks. Months. Even years. In this case, the drive to the airport was long enough, since the forty minutes turned into an hour and a half with the Chicago traffic. We both had the same goal: Stop the Goddess Inanna. The True Bloods wanted out from underneath her yoke, and we wanted her to leave us be. If—when—we put a stop to her, then Prince Tristan and King Ignatius would sit down together and hash out a long-term peace treaty. By the time we reached the airport, Prince Tristan had been sent the signed documents affirming the alliance between our two peoples.

  "Next time we meet, I will show you the real Chicago." King Ignatius gripped my hand firmly. Surprisingly, after all I knew of the Servants of the Glorious One and their centuries long quest to terminate the royal line, today's meeting had taught me that not all True Bloods were like the assassins. I looked forward to meeting King Ignatius when everything was over. He wasn't what I'd imagined their leader would be like, especially after dealing with the religious fanatics among his people.

  When I crawled out of the limousine, Nacht was already on the phone to Devlin. In a few short hours, we'd land in Oklahoma City and we were excited to see our bond brother again. One would think we'd been away from each other for weeks when it'd only been a little more than twenty-four hours.

  Trailing Nacht, I listened to him talk animatedly with Devlin, watching his ass. Nacht shed his jacket and tie, rolling up his sleeves and releasing the top two buttons of shirt. I wondered if he'd allow me to indulge this dress slacks kink after the trip. Really, the tailored pants outlined his ass perfectly. Damn. Around the house we usually wore sweats for comfort. When Nacht worked, he often donned a dark cloak and loose-fitting clothes. The other times he wore dark jeans, which weren't half bad at showcasing what a fine rear end he had, but Nacht liked them baggy. Devlin and I had both attempted to get him into a pair of cowboy wranglers, but he always laughed and walked away. Perhaps if I promised him extra smexy times he'd wear more dress slacks. It would be a fair trade, so I thought.

  Nacht glanced over his shoulder and caught me staring. I wasn't one to be embarrassed, because really, Nacht was completely stare worthy. His dark eyes flared with heat as he gave me a crooked smile. "Jynx is ogling me in the middle of an airport." Nacht laughed at Devlin's reply. Perhaps I'd get lucky on either the flight or drive home?

  The private jet was ready to go when we boarded, which gave me pause. The expediency with which our flight had been readied was slightly scary. Who knew King Ignatius had that kind of pull in Chicago?

  My hopes of being ravished after takeoff was thwarted by Prince Tristan's call. I fielded all his questions: from what King Ignatius looked like to what his expression had been when I asked for certain things. By the time I disconnected, Nacht slept soundly. I sighed with regret.

  Rest wouldn't come, so I stared out the window as the plane cut through clouds, passing over land that resembled a checker board.

  So much had transpired, and more would come. I put my faith in Prince Tristan, trusting he'd lead us through the coming danger. With luck, we'd emerge on the other side alive. Which brought me to the unspoken subject of Gregori's incomplete circle. Our Sami was the strongest Magi to be born in five hundred years. That he hadn't formed his circle and yet hadn't self-destructed amazed me. Although, I had seen signs he struggled with his power, even though he reassured us he was fine. Sometimes, I believe he forgot I knew when he lied.

  As the leader of our growing Magi population, I had to find a way to help him. Even though I'd been ecstatic when he allowed himself to bond with the warrior, Juan Ybarra, Gregori needed to add more people to his circle. Hell, he probably needed the full twenty-one. On top of Gregori's magical strength, I believed he possessed a specialty he hid from us. I imagine he feared being used. After all, that was
all the old Triad ever did. Use and manipulate the Magi for their gain. After researching some of the specialties that haven't been wielded in quite some time, I'd collected a list of possibilities, and all of them scared the hell out of me. Even if he hesitated to confide in me, I could still help him find suitable people for his circle.

  Now, I wasn't usually someone who set my friends up to see if they made a connection. In this case, however, if I didn't try something, I'd lose a good friend and the greatest Magi of our time. I might not have been able to do anything to stop Kevah and the Triad from terrorizing the students and destroying the Magi College, but I could save Gregori.

  "What are you thinking about?" Turning my gaze from the window, I grinned at Nacht. Yeah, I was going to convince him to wear the rumpled suit look again, and often.

  "I was thinking about what I could do to help Gregori."

  "I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? You meant we, right?" Nacht frowned. "Why would you believe you should shoulder the responsibility alone?"

  I shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable, because yeah, normally we did everything together. "Devlin has been preoccupied with the baby." The thought of him and little Becca made me smile. Since we'd found her at The Center, no one had come forward to claim paternity. The three of us were granted guardianship, but we wanted to become little Becca's fathers. "And Prince Tristan needs your help more now than before. Of the three of us, I'm the only one who has time on their hands."

  Nacht stared at me for the longest time, until I finally glanced away guiltily. "If I were you, I'd come up with a better excuse before Devlin meets us at the airport."

  Groaning, I closed my eyes and thumped my head on the back of the headrest. With his small stature, blue hair, and shy smile, people assumed Devlin was a pushover. Poor suckers. When Devlin finished with them, they limped away to nurse their wounds. He'd hand me my ass when we landed.

  "Or I could tell him you have some suggestions about what we can do to help Gregori." I opened one eye to peek at Nacht and see if he was pulling my chain; his grin was broad and toothy. "Anyway, I don't really believe you'd try to do something on your own. You're too grumpy when you're separated from either one of us." He was correct: I would have eventually circled around the issue to include them. I despised splitting up during the day as we handled our obligations. Once I'd discovered how long this little project could take me away from Devlin and Nacht, I would have spilled and then dragged them along with me.

  "That sounds better." I finally conceded. Nacht's grin broadened as if he hadn't expected me to say anything else.

  "What did you have in mind?" Nacht asked. "Gregori has Juan now, but I don't believe the two of them will welcome the interest of a third person in their intimacies. And his circle will need to be much larger than six or nine Magi."

  "I was just thinking about that. It means the next person will have to be someone he can come to think of as a brother. Finding someone who can invoke that type of relationship will be much harder to find. He doesn't spend much time with anyone other than Prince Tristan, Prince Ushna, Jory, Prince Brian, and Stan. After what happened before Stan left to become an Ophidian, I don't know whether Stan would be a good fit for Gregori's circle, even if his energy is close to Gregori and Juan's. Jory's isn't a match, and the other three are… turmoil will follow them for some time and disrupt the stability of a circle."

  Nacht ran a hand over his bald head. Devlin had been bugging Nacht to grow his hair out just a little, but Nacht was too comfortable to change. "Gregori doesn't spend time with the other Magi long enough for us to compare energy signatures." He grimaced, and I had an idea what he'd say next I wouldn't like. "Did you notice the True Blood brothers have very similar signatures?"

  I mimicked his look of distaste. We knew virtually nothing about the True Bloods. Even though King Ignatius made a great first impression, I was unsure if I wanted to pursue one of his sons for our Sami. But ultimately, Gregori and Juan would make the final decision about whether or not someone from the Cimarron bloodline would be a good fit for his Magi circle. Perhaps we'd get lucky, and none of them would be interested in becoming bond brothers with Gregori and Juan. They probably wanted to go home and do whatever it was True Bloods did in the human cities. Could we get that lucky?

  *~*~*

  Devlin waited for us at the gate. Our little pup was swaddled and strapped into the car carrier with a glaring array of bright rainbow ruffles. Devlin smiled widely as his gaze swept over Nacht and then me. The lingering appreciative glance he gave Nacht told me I'd have an ally in the get Nacht in trousers campaign. Nacht and I embraced Devlin, cautiously watching the humans who passed us by. We knew better than to put our love for each other on display. Now, with a child in our care, we were doubly wary of attracting negative attention. We'd save our affection for a time when we had more privacy.

  With Devlin between Nacht and me, we walked to the luggage drop, each of us taking turns chucking Becca under her chin and making noises only those with small children would understand.

  "No baby talk you two," Devlin chastised. "Speak to her normally. I read that…"

  I listened with half an ear. Ever since the little angel had come into our life, Devlin had read dozens of books on the care and feeding of— "Oww! What was that for?"

  I rubbed the sting out of my arm where Devlin had pinched me.

  "You were being rude." One blue eyebrow raised as if he dared me to lie.

  As bond brothers, we knew when the others spoke an untruth. Sometimes I wished we could hide small parts of ourselves from each other so little things like inattention wouldn't hurt another's feeling. Devlin and Nacht both shared the desire to have children. I didn't care one way or another. I wasn't a heartless bastard about the subject, but if we'd never had children, I would have been content with just the three of us. But they wanted a family. Devlin, especially, wanted a large one. Adding more children to our household would be something we'd negotiate later. A couple of children I could see, but the way Dev sometimes spoke, I imagined a den of ten pups, and the image always caused me to stress more than a little.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to be. You know, I think you'd be a wonderful father without the help of how-to guides. You have a good heart and instincts. Everything else will fall into place."

  Devlin's scowl softened into a warm smile. I noticed Nacht didn't back me up, remaining on the other side of Devlin, suspiciously quiet as he turned his face away, but not before I saw the smirk he attempted to hide.

  "You think?" Devlin said, a wistful tone to his voice. Devlin only knew the fanciful tales his mother had told of the male who sired him, and then later left her to discover what the world held. Once, Devlin confided he worried he'd be just as uncaring, uninterested in the welfare of his own child. Many times I wished he could step outside of himself and see what I did. The moment he'd set eyes on little Becca, Devlin was hooked. Barely one month old and he was wrapped up in her innocent snare. He'd be a far better father than I… I simply wished he could see it.

  "Yes, I know." I gave him a one-armed hug as we waited for the luggage. "Have you heard anything about the father?" I hated to ask. Our guardianship would become permanent shortly, unless someone stepped forward. There was a good possibility the child's father was dead, like her mother. Even with my reticence about becoming a parent, we'd do whatever was necessary to make sure we'd always be a part of Becca's life. I refused to allow Devlin's bond with her to be broken.

  "Not yet. Jory is still filtering through the information from The Center. He's supposed to give us a call if they identify the donor." The glint of worry in Devlin's eye told me his smile was forced.

  Was it terrible that I hoped they wouldn't find her biological father? We picked up the luggage and headed for the car. Once outside the airport terminal, I took the baby carrier from Devlin, locking the device in the back seat while Nacht took advantage of Devlin's empty hands to steal a kiss. A rather long one since they were still entwined when
I finished situating Becca in the car. With a quick glance around, I gently pushed Nacht over so I too could properly greet Devlin. He always felt so fragile between my palms, a facade to be sure, but when I bent to cup his face, I did so gently. His lips were soft and pillowy, his low moan stirring my blood, making me wish I could take more than a simple kiss.

  When I finally stepped away, the lust-dazed expression on his face was very satisfying, and I grinned when he scowled.

  "The two of you are nothing but a couple of teases," he groused as he walked around the car to slide into the seat next to Becca. He tossed his keys to me, and before long, we cruised down the interstate, heading west from Oklahoma City.

  I'd spent most of my life in Tribe Enkidu, my wolf running through the protected forests surrounding the city of Bahbelle. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed I'd take to the flat, open spaces, dry air, and red dirt of the Southwest. If I were a poetic man, I would have said that watching the sun rise and set without obstructions blocking the horizon resurrected a hope thought long dead after spending so many miserable years in the Magi College. Choosing to search out Prince Tristan gave birth to an existence far more fulfilling than the one I'd left behind. But I wasn't poetic, so I had no clue where that crap came from.

  "On the plane, we were talking about Gregori's circle." Nacht turned in his seat as much as the seatbelt allowed to talk to Devlin.

  "I've been thinking about that, too."

  I glanced at Devlin in the rearview mirror to see him chewing on his lower lip. As a Finder, a specialty not highly regarded by some, Devlin found what was lost or routes to travel through danger. What no one knew, but for Nacht and me, was that Devlin also found possibilities. I believe the expansion of his gift came from his father's bloodline. Both Nacht and I encouraged him to hone the skill and practice where he could. Devlin kept meticulous journals of his trials and errors. Sometimes he spoke to us regarding his findings, but we never read his private notes. Sharing our life, thoughts, and emotions with two others at all times could be harrowing. Personal space and privacy was valued and respected.