Chapter 206

Charles

The crisp night air did little to quell the inferno raging within me. Leaving Grace like that when she was clearly spiraling? Not my finest moment.

Still, if I had stayed any longer, I probably would have made it worse. She needed time to settle into her new instincts, and that would not happen if I was still around, making her instincts stand on edge with things I couldn't tell her just yet.

However, a part of me wondered if I would ever be able to tell her everything.

I'd cultivated oceans of patience over the years, but Grace somehow turned that into a trickle. It may be because we were too close. It may have been the situation we were in. It may have been just a difference in culture and how stubborn she seemed to be about her worldview.

I couldn’t afford to think about that right now. The revelation about Astarte, about Set and their daughter, burned too bright to ignore–too dangerous to leave alone. I can only hope that I am right, but I need answers.

I needed to know that I was at least going in the right direction before too much more time passed. If the solution to Astarte’s issues and Set’s sickness was as simple as I thought it was, as simple as my epiphany made it seem, she was going to be pissed.

The fire she’d want to set on the world would be a raging mess, but if I played my cards right, that anger could be controlled and focused for the better of the entire supernatural community.

But if not… I shuddered at the thought.

If not… If even a piece of what I think is going on is right and not all the rest…

I didn’t know if I would be able to stand in her way-- if there would be anyone who could stand in her way short of Set sitting up in bed and holding her back.

“Hell of a gamble,” George said, his voice tense but also a little amused.

“I know, but how likely do you think it is?”

“... too likely.” He tutted. “Sean’s that kind of an asshole, and given his track record… I couldn’t put it past him.”

“That's what I thought, too.” I sat back with a deep sigh.

“How's Grace?” George asked. “Eason said he was going to look after her, but I have no idea what that will look like…I get the sense that while he probably knows what's best for her, it's not going to be nice.”

“Given the circumstances, can you blame him?” I snorted. “And Grace is… Well, she's losing it, but not so much that I'm concerned. It's actually pretty much in line with what I thought was going to happen. However, it feels too early to know for sure if it will stay that way. Has Eason talked to you about how his shift went? His first one, that is.”

“...no.”

I frowned. “No?”

“Not for lack of asking.”

Silence stretched between us. I looked over at him, noting the tension in his expression. There was something on his mind. I could tell by the way his eyes stared ahead blankly. He looked pissed. He looked worried. He looked like he'd be happier, turning around and confronting Eason right now, but he was restraining himself for some reason. That wasn't like him.

“Can I help?”

“...I'll keep you posted.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you two fighting?”

He snorted. “Eason, as he told me, doesn't do fights. He can argue. He can debate, but fighting isn't really in his repertoire. He had enough of that growing up, apparently.”

That was telling. Though given what I knew of Grace and what I could glean of their relationship from when they were children and well into their teenage years, I could see how Eason would even be able to muster up the energy to fight, let alone with George.

He did a lot of non-fighting with rather confrontational and aggressive snark and biting truth, and he had nothing to be snarky with George about.

“I want to be sure, but I'm really not sure how to take that.”

“You and me both.”

“A blowjob, I hear, goes a long way.”

George snickered. “I can't play all my good cards first…. Besides, I don't want him to get the wrong idea.”

I snorted. “Well, so long as you're both happy.”

I looked out the window. Mooncrest had long since receded behind us. The forest had grown thicker and then sparser as we neared the Enforcer base.

We drove through the empty streets, taking in the lights that lit up the shops. I'd like to take Grace here one day for training, but I knew that day was far off. The town looked fine, just as usual, and then the imposing stone façade of the Base rose out of the distance. We stopped at the front gate. George greeted the guard, and we entered. As soon as he parked, I looked back at him.

“Do you think Ethan will know more about it?”

He paused and looked at me. “Why would you ask that? They were apparently on break or broken up or something when it happened.”

I smirked. “You don't at least suspect that they could be mates?”

He set his jaw. “I do.”

I blinked at him, trying to figure out what exactly he wasn't saying. And then, I realized it was quite simple. I laughed.

“If anyone knows Eason's heart, it would be the Goddess. I think he is the type, even as a body-less spirit, to want his cake and eat it too. And she, if only for the sake of amusement or his incredibly persuasive nature, would likely let him… And you, dear friend.”

His eyes widened. Had he not thought about it? Had he been too afraid to think about it? Maybe his family's nonsense had really affected him more than I had ever thought. I pat his shoulder.

“Your father's still an asshole, and I’ll pull some books to put your heart at ease.”

George laughed, and we got out of the car. As we entered, guards saluted us. My steps echoed through the sterile hallways as I made my way to the archives, a treasure trove of classified information. The records were all connected to the record system and library back at the castle. Astarte's name burned on my tongue, a silent mantra directing me through the room as I navigated the labyrinthine filing system. There was hope in these stacks somehow.

I went to the access portal and opened Astarte’s family file. The portal generated a thick book. As I read through her family’s history, a sense of certainty settled over me as soon as I reached her generation, and most specifically her, Set, and her daughter.

Ariava, Status: Unknown.

I closed the book. It hadn’t been unknown years ago. She’d been marked as dead. I was on the right track. I wonder if I could show this to Astarte, but I held back at that thought. It was too soon. I needed more information. My head pounded, trying to think back. How old would Ariava be now?

…just about as old as Devin…

The thought prodded something at the back of my mind that I hadn't been allowing myself to really hope for. It would be too easy, and it had been a long time since I believed that Goddess would ever bless me with an easy path. Either way, it was too soon to tell, But maybe turning Astarte’s eyes away from the bloody, fiery path that she had been forging would be easier than I’d hoped.

If only…

I shook my head and took a deep breath. Goddess…If you're still listening, please…

“Sir? Your Majesty?”

I frowned, hearing the voice calling for me, and went to go look. The guard was young. I recognized him vaguely. His name was on the tip of my tongue as he saluted me.

“At ease. What is it?”

“I'm reporting that Lady Redwood is still here and requesting an audience with you. Do your orders still stand?”

I blinked, completely confused. Before I realized what he was talking about.

“Honestly, I'd completely forgotten that she was here. I'm almost impressed as she managed to stay despite the lack of comfort. I'm sure.”

He flashed me a grin. “We follow orders, sir.”

I chuckled and closed the book, letting it vanish back into the access portal.

“Well, have her shown to my office in about… twenty minutes. I’ll be sure to get her out of your hair, one way or another."

He nodded and left. I headed down the shelves and grabbed a few books on the history of mates, triads, and the like to take with me. I smirked, picking up an old mythology book for Eason. The book on Stormclaw caught my eye, but I didn't pick it up. I headed to the office that I usually used when I was here. I took a seat behind the desk and let out a deep sigh of comfort. It had been so long since I'd sat in a lycan-made chair.

Just as I was getting comfortable, a knock sounded on my door.