Page 33 of Arthur

“They have all had extensive background checks,” Master Ambrosius told me. “Parker and his team have not only questioned them, but Salvatore and his team dug up every bit of information about every one of them. They are all cleared. They will come to you with only the clothing and items they have been provided by the council. Their presence will not endanger any in your coven.”

I nodded slowly. Again, this was something I already knew about. Amherst wasn’t the only coven in the country, but it was the one that had the closest and deepest ties to the council. Therefore, it made the most sense that I was the one to welcome them.

“How many?” I asked. This, Father hadn’t been able to give me a definite answer to. There were dozens, and they were trying to spread them out as best as they could.

“Between eight and ten,” Master Ambrosius said. “We might possibly have another coven that is willing to take some, but at the minimum, there will be three. Those three we need to have the ability to contact with only a moment’s notice. The best for that is in your coven.”

I nodded slowly again. I’d already discussed things with Patrick, Balthazar, and Costas. They were all understanding and were in agreement that it was the right thing to do.

“I have no issue with welcoming them. But you must understand my concern with regards to the coven they are coming from.” I looked around at the others. “They have been described as the definition of a mafia family. Which adds to the possibilities of issues.”

“Yes,” Master Ambrosius said. “We have the coven master and all but two of the inner circle.”

I nodded. Again, information I was already privy to. “It is those two that are most concerning. I simply need to ensure the safety of my coven family.”

“Really? You’re going on and on about safety,” a voice said. “You’re the son of Edison. If you can’t protect yourcoven family, you’re weak and shouldn’t be gifted the title of master.”

I had just stood up when there was a snarl, and then a man who couldn’t be more than five and a half feet tall was lifted by the shoulders of his shirt.

“Be back in a few. We are going to have another chat with Igor and what is acceptable and what isn’t.”

I glared at the man, Igor, as Chief Daegal half carried, half dragged him from the room. I finally met Father’s gaze. He seemed apprehensive. “I’ll get back to you with my answer,” I told the others in the room.

“Don’t let Igor cloud your judgment.”

I looked at the created wolf and narrowed my eyes. “I’m not. Despite the fact that I’ve just been called weak, when I am more powerful than all but one in this room, I’m still considering your arrangement. But I won’t make a final decision without talking it over with my own inner circle.”

Since I was already standing, I shook my head and started toward the door. I didn’t know all of the created ones, and Igor was certainly one that I’d never met before. I was thankful I wasn’t forced to deal with them on a regular basis.

I was out the door and walking down the hallway with one purpose in mind: get outside and pop back home to Patrick and Edric. I had already seen Alistair, and we had made plans for him to visit Amherst with River and the children soon.

“Arthur.”

I paused and waited at the sound of Father’s voice. He caught up with me in moments, and I simply started walking again. If you didn’t know us, you could still tell that we were related. At this point in our lives, we were often mistaken for brothers if it was an uninformed human asking. The perks of being paranormal and not really aging beyond the age of forty-five.

We walked in silence out of the council building, and as expected, Father started talking as soon as we were outside. It was cold out, and with just a bit of magic, I was wrapped in a long wool coat and a scarf. I decided to forego gloves and instead tucked my hands into my pockets.

“I don’t ask much of you, but the council needs your help.”

I nodded. “Who is Igor?” I asked.

Father sighed. “He’s the created wolverine. He was one of the last to join the council, and he’s been a bigger thorn in our sides than Dane and Bernard.”

That was saying something. I’d heard many times about Alpha Dane and his attitude. “I’ll help, if Patrick feels safe about it. I won’t risk my family. Not even for the council,” I said. Father scowled. “I understand the council is important, but that is your thing. I realize my existence is because of you and Dad, but I’m not willing to risk Patrick or Edric, not to mention the rest of our coven. I have too many that cannot protect themselves against a warlock. If Marco or Riccardo find their way to Amherst because they’ve discovered who you’re sending to me, I have to be able to ensure the children and human Ones are safe and secure.”

Father’s face blanked before he nodded slowly. “I understand. You are within your rights to turn us down. Not a single person in the council would be upset.”

I shook my head. “I’m not going to do that. I understand that the members of the coven in Venice need help. I also recognize that bringing them all into close proximity to the council isn’t thesmartest move. I will help if an agreement can be made. I just need to make sure Patrick is on board.”

“Very well. I will go join Daegal in his discussion with Igor. I wish I could say he’s not normally like that, but sadly, he is. His animal side is incredibly strong and comes through in his human form a bit. We all mostly just ignore him when we can. It helps to a certain extent.”

I chuckled. “Yes, well, this is why I am not involved with the council if it can be helped. I would throw a magic ball at him if I were forced to spend any real amount of time near the man. Have fun with your discussion. I’m going home to spend time with my One and son.”

“Alistair?”

“I spent time with him earlier. He is going to bring River and the children to see us soon.”

“And your brothers?”