A Touch of Magic, page 16
part #8 of True Mates Generations Series
Sabrina’s grip on him tightened again. “We’ll find a way to stop them.”
“First, you must come clean to the Alpha,” Daric said. “Lucas is tough, but he will listen to you and your reasons.”
“And we’ll be there with you.” Meredith said, sending him a reassuring look.
Lucas Anderson wouldn’t be happy about this, but like his father said, he was a reasonable man. If his Alpha meted out any punishment, it would be well worth it if it meant keeping Sabrina safe and defeating the mages. “You’re right.”
“I’ll call the office and check where he is, then explain the situation.” Meredith reached for the mobile phone on the couch. “Then we can arrange to meet him.” As she dialed on her phone, she strode away from them, heading for the privacy of the kitchen.
“Your Alpha … he’s like your leader?” Sabrina asked.
“Yes. He’s the leader of the entire New York clan.”
Her brows wrinkled. “He’s mad at you for what you did. For helping me forget. And because you didn’t hand me or the ring over to him.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “But I don’t regret protecting you, Sabrina. I would do it over and over again. You’re my priority.”
“We’re … mates,” she said. “We were meant to be together.” Her head snapped up. “Maybe that’s why I couldn’t forget you.”
He smiled. “Yes, that’s probably why.” Her words earlier still shook him to the core. Three little words that turned his world upside-down. “When you took that potion and forgot about me, I felt like half a person. Which is strange, because I never felt like that before I met you.” He’d often wondered if the potion dulled the bond between them as well. He wanted to tell her how he felt, too, but not now, when he was surrounded by his family. Later, when they were alone, he would tell her.
“Cross, I—”
“He’s at Muccino’s,” Meredith said as she strode back into the living room. “He’s not alone. But he says we should come anyway.”
“Will you be all right, son?” Daric asked Gunnar.
“Yes, you should go now,” Gunnar said. “There’s no time to waste.”
“We can use the alley in the back.” Meredith looped her arm through Daric’s. “Lucas should be done clearing it by now.”
Cross turned to his brother. “Gunnar … thank you so much.”
“You’re thanking me?” Gunnar offered him a rare smile, his face looking much younger and less burdened than it usually did. “I’d thought you’d be cursing me by now.”
“I could never do that,” Cross said. Gunnar’s gifts were a part of him, and he loved his brother.
His smile didn’t fade as he turned to Sabrina. “It’s lovely to meet you. I hope it won’t be a while until we meet again.”
“You’re the one who can see the future, why don’t you tell me?” she asked.
“I like her,” Gunnar chuckled. “In case it’s longer than we expect …” He leaned down and brushed his cheek to hers as he put an arm around her.
Cross thought he heard his brother murmur something to Sabrina, but even his sensitive ears couldn’t pick it up. When she pulled away, there was a quizzical look on her face, but she nodded.
“What—”
She grabbed his hand and wrapped it around her waist. “We should go,” she said.
It gnawed at him, but he knew there were more important things right now. He offered his hand to Jonathan. “Let’s go. The Alpha will need to talk to you too.”
A few seconds later, they arrived in the alley behind Muccino’s. Cross had expected the Alpha to be there, and although Meredith had mentioned he wasn’t alone, he didn’t think there’d be this many people.
Aside from Lucas, his wife and the Lupa of New York, Sofia was there, as was the Beta of New York, who happened to be Cross’s sister, Astrid, and her husband Zac Vrost. Behind them were two more couples—Julianna and Duncan MacDougal, and Elise and Reed Wakefield. The latter’s presence was an even bigger surprise as they were based in San Francisco. All of them, however, were on alert, as if they were preparing for something. The tension in the alley was palpable, and it seemed everyone’s wolves were on the edge.
“Welcome back, Cross.” Though he looked the picture of calm, there was no doubt of Lucas Anderson’s power and position as Alpha. His dominant vibe radiated off him, making Cross’s inner wolf shrink back. “Though your mother assured me that you won’t try to run away again, you’ll have to understand that I’m skeptical.” He nodded at Astrid.
His sister stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. She held up a shiny, circular object in her hand. “I’m sorry, Cross. You know I have to do this.”
He recognized the object, of course. The bracelet that dampened powers.
Astrid continued, “You’ll have to put this on. I—” Her eyes darted to Sabrina, to the arm wrapped around her waist. “Who are—” She looked up at Cross, blonde brow lifted. “Anything you care to tell us?”
“I’d be happy to explain everything and to wear the bracelet.” He held his hand out and Astrid cuffed the bangle around his wrist. It was a weird sensation, the moment he put it on. He felt normal, except that he just didn’t feel right.
“Let’s all go inside.” Lucas led them into the door that led to the restaurant, where they all gathered around the chef’s private dining table just behind the kitchen.
Cross had been here several times, as they tended to celebrate many family occasions here. Lucas’s parents were part owners of the restaurant, and currently, his Uncle Dante was the head chef.
“Sorry it’s a bit cramped,” Sofia said. “We were in the middle of lunch when you called.”
“Since we had everyone here, we thought we’d include them,” Lucas added. “Now, Cross. Why don’t you tell us what’s really going on?”
Taking a deep breath, he repeated the entire story again, for the second time that day. It was obvious everyone was shocked by his story, but he didn’t have time to process all their reactions. His focus was on Sabrina. She remained quiet, but he kept glancing at her, making sure she was all right. Her face was a serene mask, but from the way the knuckles on her hands turned white as they gripped his, he could tell a lot was going through her head.
“… which brings us here,” Cross concluded. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” he said to Lucas, “for deceiving you. All of you. I was trying to find another way to defeat the mages while protecting Sabrina.”
“You should have told us from the beginning,” Lucas admonished. “You know we would have understood.” He looked around the room. Every single Lycan there was part of a True Mate pairing. “I’m your Alpha. I would have helped you.”
“I realize that now. And if you must punish me, I’ll accept any penalty. Just let me make sure Sabrina is safe.”
She stiffened beside him. “I think this is way beyond protecting me, Cross. You already tried to protect me.”
“The real issue here is the mages,” Lucas said. “We need to strike first and soon, even before Gunnar’s vision comes true.”
“I’ll do whatever I can, Alpha,” Cross said. “And you’re right. Perhaps the only way to stop the premonition is to defeat them once and for all.”
“Jonathan,” Lucas began. “You’re the only person here who’s dealt directly with the mages. Would you be willing to help us?”
“Of course,” he answered. “Anything to finally get rid of those bastards. But I don’t know how to fight or do any magic, how can I help you?”
“You said that you’ve been funneling money into their operations for years. There’s someone on my team who might be interested in knowing the details. She actually was able to trace some of the funds back to you and a few others, but so far, her investigation hasn’t yielded anything solid.”
“Anything you need, you can have it,” Jonathan said. “I want those guys gone as much as you do.”
“Excellent. Now”—the Alpha turned to the rest of the people in the room—“we should begin preparations and make some plans. Let’s all head to the Guardian Initiative headquarters downtown. We should get Alynna and her team up to speed too. Jonathan, you should come with us so you can have a chat with Lizzie.”
“Lupa,” Cross said. “Will you keep Sabrina safe, please? At The Enclave?”
“Of course,” Sofia answered. “I was on my way home anyway to check on Alessandro.”
“What?” Sabrina’s grip on his hand tightened. “No, Cross! I want to be with you. You can’t leave me—”
“I’m not leaving you,” he said. “But I’m afraid that because of the ring, we can’t have you out in the open.” His chest tightened at the thought of being apart from her, but he knew he had to keep her safe. “I can’t help but wonder if somehow they knew you were at the bank last night because of the ring. If that were the case, The Enclave is the safest place in the world for you. There are magical protections there that the mages can’t penetrate, old magic that’s been there for decades, plus new ones that have made it difficult to breach. But the Guardian Initiative’s offices aren’t as well-protected. You could inadvertently lead the mages there.”
He hated having to appeal to her altruistic nature, but from the look on her face, he knew he had succeeded.
“All right. But promise me you won’t do anything stupid to protect me. Don’t even think of leaving and fighting them off without coming to see me.”
While he knew there was no way he could keep the first one because he would always protect her, he could, at least, promise her that second one. “I promise I’ll come to see you. Tonight.”
That seemed to mollify her. “I didn’t go through all this to not be with you.”
“Cross!” A hand slapped him playfully on the head. “That’s for being an idiot and scaring me half to death.” Astrid exclaimed before she enveloped him in a hug. “And that’s because I missed you, and I’m so glad to see you.” Grabbing his wrist, she removed the bracelet. “Boy, am I glad to be taking this off you.” Her whiskey-brown eyes sparkled when they landed on Sabrina. “Hello! I’m Astrid, Cross’s favorite sister.”
“You’re my only sister,” he reminded her, but laughed anyway.
“I’m Sab—oh!” She had reached out her hand to Astrid, but his sister pulled her into a tight hug. “Uh, nice to meet you.”
“I’m so glad to meet you. You don’t know how happy I am to meet his mate.” She flashed him a dirty look as she released Sabrina from the bear hug. “I’m just so relieved I didn’t have to kick his ass for being on the mage’s side.”
Sabrina chuckled. “Me too.”
“We should get going, Cross,” Astrid said. “Lucas will want to get started as soon as possible.”
“I’ll follow along.”
“I can take her back,” Sofia said. “The driver’s outside, and we have two bodyguards.”
“I feel a lot better knowing she’s in your hands, Lupa,” Cross said.
“I’ll be right outside, Sabrina.” She turned and walked toward Lucas, who was chatting with Reed, Julianna, Duncan, and Elise.
“Cross—”
Unsure what else to say or do, he snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her close, as if trying to memorize the feel of her curves against him. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said before he lowered his head and kissed her, not caring they were surrounded by his family, the Alpha and Lupa, and everyone else. It had felt like a million years since he had tasted her lips, and he was reluctant to let her go.
When he finally released her, she sank against him, her hands gripping his shirt. “I swear, if I don’t see you tonight, I’m going to … to …”
“I know.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise, I’ll come to you tonight.” Those words made her shiver. And if he were honest, his heart raced with excitement. Hopefully, he could get through the day before he went crazy with thinking about her all day.
Chapter Eleven
Sabrina couldn’t quite believe she was back in New York, even as she watched the throng of tourists in Rockefeller Center as their town car crawled down Fifth Avenue.
Of course, she’d traveled to three states in the span of a morning, so it was understandable that her mind had not caught up with her body yet. Like jet lag.
So much had happened in the span of such a short time. She’d remembered so much, not to mention, heard it from Cross. It was a strange feeling, like being disembodied. Her brain remembered it all, but the information had come in at the same time, so it was still parsing through all the data.
“This must be such a shock to you,” Sofia said, reaching out to pat her knee. “I know it was for me, learning all about Lycans.”
She couldn’t help the shocked gasp that came out of her mouth. “You … you didn’t always know about Lycans?”
The other woman shook her head. “Not initially. I’m human, just like you.”
“But, you’re the Lupa.” Her driver and two bodyguards all acted in deference to Sofia and she heard them call her that more than once. “Like the leader, right?”
“Technically, I’m the mate of the Alpha, which is why I have that title,” Sofia explained. “But I didn’t know about Lycans until Lucas shifted in front of me to save my life. It turns out, we’re True Mates.”
“I still don’t know what that means, really,” Sabrina said. “It seems like an abstract concept right now.”
“I know what you mean. But, well, you see—oh, we’re here,” she announced as the vehicle stopped. “C’mon, let’s go up to our place. I’ll get you some food, and maybe some comfy clothes? You look like you’ve had a day.”
Running her hands through her ratty hair, she laughed. “That I have. After Cross got hurt last night, I didn’t want to leave him alone, so I slept in a chair next to his bed while he was recovering.” With a frown she sniffed at her shirt. “Ugh, sorry. There wasn’t any time for a shower or change of clothes.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Sofia exited as the driver opened the door, then led her through the elevator lobby of a large, stylish apartment building. “My sister-in-law might have something you can borrow. She lives right below us, though she should be in our apartment. She’s watching the kids today because it’s her day off from the restaurant.”
They took the elevator up to the top floor. When the doors opened, she followed Sofia into a luxurious and beautifully designed apartment. “Wow.”
“It’s one of the perks of being married to the Alpha,” Sofia said. “We have three spare bedrooms. I can show them to you, and you can choose whichever one you want; don’t think you’re a bother,” she added, as if sensing Sabrina’s hesitation. “Trust me, we have so much space, we might lose you in here. But before that, I hope you don’t mind, there’s someone I really need to see.”
Sabrina followed Sofia down a long hallway, then stopped outside the second to last door. Knocking softly, the other woman opened the door and stepped inside. “Isabelle?” She called. “Are you—oh you’re awake!”
The room they had entered was a spacious nursery, based on the pastel animal theme it was decorated in. There was a row of shelves filled with books and toys on one side, a changing station on the other, and on the far side was a crib and a rocking chair, both occupied. A dark-haired toddler was standing up in the crib, his chubby arms reaching out to Sofia, who picked him up. Meanwhile, a beautiful young woman was sitting on the rocking chair, holding another child in her arms. She smiled warmly at Sabrina.
“Hello, my boy,” Sofia greeted, peppering the boy’s face with kisses. “Did you miss Mommy? I missed you.” She perched him on her hip and turned to Sabrina. “Sabrina, this is my son, Alessandro.”
“Hello, Alessandro,” she greeted. The boy who, curiously, had one green eye and one blue eye, stared at her for a few seconds before his face broke into a smile.
“And this,” Sofia gestured to the woman in the rocking chair, “is my sister-in-law, Isabelle.”
“How do you do?” Sabrina asked in a soft voice, not wanting to wake up the sleeping child in Isabelle’s arms.
The petite, curvy woman in the rocking chair stood up, keeping the child in her arms close as his head rested on her shoulder. “Hi, Sabrina. Are you a friend of Sofia’s?”
“Er …”
“Actually,” the Lupa began, “Sabrina is Cross Jonasson’s mate.”
“Oh, wow.” Her eyes widened, and Sabrina realized Isabelle, too, had mismatched eyes like Alessandro. Must be a family trait. “Really?”
Sofia gave her the short version of what happened, which, to Sabrina’s surprise was still surprisingly detailed despite the other woman having only heard the story once. “And so now, she’s going to stay here.”
“There’s no place safer, or so we’re told,” Isabelle said. “The Enclave is where most of our kind live, that includes all the children and elderly, so the clan ensures that it’s locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
Sabrina frowned. “But aren’t you afraid then, they might come for me—I mean, the ring, now that I’m here? Aren’t I putting you guys and everyone in danger?”
“We have spells to keep everyone out of The Enclave, and those get updated and strengthened every now and then too,” Isabelle explained. “We recently added new allies to our cause, and they’re adding their magic to safeguard us. If Lucas and Daric said you can stay here, then they know you’re not putting anyone in danger.”
Sofia continued. “Besides, the mages want more than the ring. They’ve been trying to kidnap Lucas and Alessandro for some time now, though they haven’t succeeded. They want their blood for some ritual or something.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Yeah,” Sofia said. “I haven’t been able to take Alessandro out without an army of bodyguards. But hopefully, we can get it all resolved soon.”
“My dad, the former Alpha, fought them before and won,” Isabelle explained. “I’m sure we can do it again.” Her expression changed as the child she was holding began to wake up. “Oh, hey, Evan,” she cooed as she lifted the child and turned him around, tucking her arms under his knees. “Awake already, huh? That wasn’t a long nap.” Evan smiled as his mother ruffled his light brown hair. When he saw Sabrina, his mouth shaped into a perfect O. “Evan, did you notice someone new? That’s Sabrina. Say hi to Sabrina.”
