“You mean Torren? The pups’ father?” Raven bobbed his head. “He might come in handy if Nicholas gets out of control. There is only so much we can do by force without exposing all of us. He’s got that witchy voodoo shit, though.” It actually wasn’t a bad idea. Plus it would give Raina and Teegan a little more time to prepare for the parental showdown. “You talk to Stavion about it. I get the feeling he wants that man as far away from here as possible, so I’m sure he’ll agree to it.”
“Right, I’m on it. I’ll meet you at the front gates tomorrow night with the shifter and the witch.”
Jonas chuckled and said his good-byes. They were walking parodies of themselves—the shifter, the witch, and the forgetful vampire. All they were missing were a full moon, some wolfsbane, and a wardrobe.
* * * *
“I don’t like flying.” Nicholas gripped the armrests of his seat and closed his eyes. He snapped them right back open when the plane dipped and sent his stomach rolling. “I
really
don’t like flying.”
“No,” Jonas said with a chuckle. “You never did. It’s not far, though. We’ll be landing in about ten minutes. Just sit tight.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who’s about to embarrass himself by hurling all over the seatback.”
Jonas laughed again and squeezed Nicholas’s thigh. “Take deep breaths and relax.”
He took deep breaths, but the relaxing part was a lot harder.
Luckily, they landed minutes later as Jonas had promised. Nicholas felt shaky as he stepped off the plane, but he pushed his shoulders back and stood tall. He was an important man with an entire coven looking to him for guidance. It wouldn’t do to appear weak in front of them.
To his shock and disappointment, no one waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. “Where is everyone? Where are my guards? Where is my coven?”
Jonas took his elbow and led him to an SUV with tinted windows waiting for them on the tarmac. “No one knows you’re here, and we’re going to keep it that way. This is still your coven, but it’s best if we keep a low profile until you’re feeling more like yourself again.”
“I feel fine,” Nicholas argued. Why did Jonas keep saying that?
There was nothing wrong with him besides the fact that everyone kept treating him like a ticking time bomb. Well, that and none of them would let him see Malakai. “Is my mate here?” Jonas sighed as he held the back door open and motioned for Nicholas to get in. “If you mean Malakai, he isn’t your mate. He’s returning to Haven tomorrow with
his
mates.”
“But I was just in Haven! Why did you bring me here if you knew Malakai was coming back?” Nicholas was pissed, but it was nothing compared to the look of rage on Jonas’s face.
“Malakai is flying back to Wyoming
because
you’re here. He doesn’t want you. He’s happy. Just leave him alone.”
“You want him for yourself,” Nicholas accused.
Jonas growled and shoved Nicholas to get him moving. “Get in the fucking car and shut up. Everything out of your mouth is pissing me off.”
With a growl of his own, Nicholas slid into the backseat of the vehicle and looked out the window. Why was he back in Washington if not to reclaim leadership of his coven and be reunited with his mate? He’d known he couldn’t trust Jonas. The man had deceived him every step of the way.
“You can pout all you want, but this is for your own good. Please, Nicky. I’m trying to help you.”
Nicholas felt some of his anger drain away, and his shoulders sagged. Why did the nickname affect him so much? Reaching his ears in Jonas’s deep, smooth voice, it sounded almost like an endearment.
That couldn’t be right, though. Jonas was his guard. They were friends. He wanted to make Nicholas unhappy by keeping him away from his mate.
The Enforcer would try to trick him. She’d told him this would happen.
Nicholas frowned, and his brow wrinkled. Who had told him that, though? It was definitely a feminine voice that repeated the words inside his head. If he and Jonas were friends, why couldn’t he remember anything about the man? “I hate this.”
“What’s that?” Jonas asked.
“Nothing.” Nicholas glanced toward the front seat, eyeing the two men sitting there.
Jonas followed his gaze and frowned. “Where’s Bannon?”
“There’s nothing for him to do in Washington,” the man driving answered. “He’s meeting us in Vegas.”
“Who are they?” Nicholas jerked his head toward the men up front. The one driving seemed harmless enough, but the other guy made him uneasy.
“They’re friends. They’re going to help me keep you safe. The man driving is an Enforcer at Haven. His name is Raven Whitmore. The guy with the black hair and more bulges than a thief’s pockets is Torren Braddock.”
Nicholas didn’t appreciate Jonas talking to him as if he was a child, but at least he’d gotten the information he wanted. “That one is a witch. He’s not to be trusted.” He pointed toward the one named Torren as his upper lip curled over his fangs. “Get him away from me.”
Jonas looked startled for a moment before he went back to his neutral expression. “He’s one of the good guys. He’s here to help. You can trust him.”
“No.” Nicholas’s fingers curled into claws, and he tensed, preparing to launch himself at Torren. “He’s here to hurt me.”
“Who told you that?” Raven asked, glancing at Nicholas in the rearview mirror as he sped along the service road that led away from the Olympia Coven’s private airstrip.
Again, Nicholas didn’t know. It wasn’t really a voice this time but more of a feeling. It was anger but also something close to fear.
Torren Braddock was dangerous.
“I have to get out of here.” He reached for the door handle, but Jonas was faster, grabbing his wrist and jerking him back.
“Nicholas, stop being a whining twit. This isn’t like you. When have you ever backed down from a challenge? You’re acting like this lost little boy, and honestly, it’s making me want to hit you. Snap out of it, damn it!”
“I’m scared, Jonas.”
“No.” Jonas grabbed him by the face and stared right into his eyes. “You’re built like a brick shit-house. You have one-inch fangs. You rule your own goddamn coven. Never—you have
never
been afraid of anything!”
That wasn’t true, though. He was terrified of the things he couldn’t remember and what they would mean if he did. He didn’t know if it was his own fear or if it was fabricated within him by something he couldn’t name, but it scared the shit out of him nonetheless.
It was as though the fear had become encoded in his DNA. He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever been without it. That couldn’t be true, though. How could he lead his people when he couldn’t even control his own emotions? How had he gained power in the first place? He couldn’t remember any of it. The only thoughts and emotions that felt real were the ones involving Malakai. Yet, he couldn’t remember any time ever spent with the vampire.
“Was I good leader?”
Jonas released his face and eased back in his seat, shifting so that he still faced Nicholas. “You are an amazing leader. Your coven adores you and everything you do for them.”
“How did I become their leader?” Either he’d been born to the position, or he’d fought and won against the former head. He could picture his parents’ faces, but when he tried to recall more about them, he came up blank and his temples began to pound. “Did I fight someone?”
“Yes,” Jonas answered cautiously. “You challenged the former ruler of our coven because he was hurting our people. I guess it was about three years ago.”
The corners of Nicholas’s mouth turned down in a confused frown. “Did I kill someone?”
Jonas looked at him with pity shining in his eyes. “Yes. It was self-defense, though. You didn’t want to kill him, but he left you no choice.”
Nicholas wanted to believe that, but it didn’t take away the fact that his hands were tainted with the blood of one of his own people.
That was something he should remember—something he
wanted
to remember. Whether the death was deserved or not, what kind of man did it make him if he could forget taking a life so easily?
“We’re almost there,” Raven called from the driver’s seat.
Jonas leaned sideways to look through the windshield and nodded.
“Just around this curve up here is the entrance to the estate. The guard can’t know that Nicholas is here.”
“Then what the fuck do I tell him? And how do I keep him from looking in the backseat?”
“I called ahead to tell them that you’d be here to collect a few of Nicholas’s personal belongings that he needs while he’s away. They shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
“And if they do?”
“Why don’t you want anyone to know I’m here?” Nicholas interrupted their arguing when he started to feel panicky again.
“Just trust me. It’s better this way,” Jonas answered vaguely.
“Now, scrunch down in the seat and be quiet.”
“Jonas?”
“What is it?” Jonas wasn’t looking at him, though. He was tense and alert as he stared through the window.
The vehicle slowed, and Nicholas could see the huge gates just ahead. Why did Jonas want him to be quiet? Maybe his coven didn’t adore him like Jonas had said. Maybe they hated him. Maybe they were angry because he’d killed their old leader.
His brain was a whirlwind of snarled and confusing thoughts.
Jonas had sworn to keep him safe, and oddly enough, Nicholas believed him. Still, none of this made sense to him. “If it’s not safe here, why did you bring me back?”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t safe. I just said it was better that no one know you’re here just yet.”
“Jonas, what’s wrong? Does someone want to hurt me? Did I do something?” Who had he killed? Surely the man’s family would want vengeance for something like that. “Who was the former leader?” Jonas flinched but didn’t speak.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“We’re here. I need you to be quiet, okay?”
“Jonas, tell me what you’re hiding. Who was the leader of this coven before me?”
“Later. Just drop it for now, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know later. Please, Nicky.”
Nicholas wasn’t backing down, though. “Tell me!”
“Phillip McCarthy!” Jonas shouted right back. “Your brother, okay? You challenged and killed your brother to become leader!”
The guard asked too many questions and seemed a little too curious about the reason for their visit.
“Elder Cortez was informed that we’d be here today,” Raven said, not bothering to hide the growl in his voice. “Just let me through the fucking gate.”
“In a minute,” the guard replied. “I need to check the backseat, and then you can be on your way.”
“Why do you need to check the backseat?”
“It’s standard procedure. It’s not a big deal.”
“He’s a shifter,” Jonas whispered. Vampires couldn’t compel each other or witches strong enough to block them, but other preters were fair game. “Do something.”
Jonas didn’t know what he expected, but Raven grabbing the guard by the collar and hauling him halfway through the window wasn’t it. The guard struggled by instinct, but he went slack almost immediately when Raven began speaking. “You don’t need to check the backseat. You’re going to open the gate and forget you saw us.”
“Everything looks good,” the guard mumbled. “I’ll just get the gate for you.”
“That’s an excellent idea. Thank you.” Raven released the man and settled back in his seat. A moment later the gate groaned as it slid aside to allow them entrance.
“Way to go, Mr. Subtle,” Jonas groused. He hoped like hell that no one had seen the confrontation.
Raven shrugged. “It got the job done, didn’t it? So, where are we going?”
Rolling his eyes, Jonas decided to let it go. “Follow the drive to the main house, and there’ll be a dirt service road just before you get to the circle. Take that as far as it’ll go.” Nicholas bowed his head and pressed his lips together in a thin line. His broad shoulders shook, and his eyes held a vacancy, devoid of any light. He hadn’t spoken a word since Jonas’s outburst.
“I’m so sorry, Nicky.”
Nicholas squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head while his hands fisted on his knees.
Jonas had always looked up to Nicholas, figuratively and literally.
Nicholas McCarthy was the bravest, most self-assured person he’d ever met. At six foot four, Nicholas had only three inches on him and a mere twenty pounds, but to Jonas, he’d always been larger than life.
Nicholas was definitely an alpha, and even before he became leader of the Olympia Coven, Jonas had deferred to him in all matters.
Things had been turned upside down and every which way, though.
While Jonas had been head of the guards and led the Enforcers of the coven, it felt strange to be in the more dominant role with Nicholas. It felt
wrong.
Jonas hadn’t seen this amount of emotion from the man in years. Not even when he’d been forced to slay his own brother.
“This is it, chaps,” Raven announced in a poor British accent as he pulled the SUV to a stop beneath a large tree. “This is as far as we go.”
“You two wait here.” Jonas looped his fingers around Nicholas’s wrist and tugged. “Let’s go.”
It nearly broke his heart when Nicholas slid out of the car without a word and followed behind him like a whipped dog. He kept his head down, his black hair falling around his face and hiding the gorgeous gray eyes that Jonas got lost in every time he looked at his mate.
Things weren’t going anything like he’d planned. They were supposed to be having fun and recreating some lighthearted memories. All he’d done so far was depress his mate and make him feel like shit.
“Where are we going?” Nicholas asked quietly, but without any real interest in his tone.
Jonas ducked under a low-hanging tree branch and held it aside for Nicholas to follow. Then he waved a hand toward the moonlit pond and tried to smile at his companion.
“I don’t remember this place.” Nicholas shrugged as though completely unconcerned. “Why are we here?”
“We used to come here when we were younger.” It was the place where he and Nicholas had shared their first kiss. It was in this little hidden paradise where they’d also shared their bodies for the first and only time. Things had gone downhill quickly after that one blissful night together.