Page 37 of Arthur
“Umm, this seems to be a personal family matter,” Atticus said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just head back to the council, Master Edison.”
“Sure.”
That was all it took for Atticus to suddenly disappear. I winced.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean for him to feel uncomfortable.”
“No, no,” Dad said. He looked at Arthur. “I don’t suppose you remember when you were younger?”
Arthur shook his head. “I remember holding George. I was twenty-one? Twenty-two?”
“Something like that.”
“Beyond that, no. Elliot came along many centuries later. And of course, the twins are still what I would call babies, even if they both have children of their own.”
“I believe Elliot might have had the most difficult time of it since he was much like Edric’s situation. Older siblings, but not raised with any of them. He was still living with us when the twins came along and was actually very much involved in their lives. Still is.”
I sighed and looked at Arthur. “Maybe I should see if Elliot has any pointers. I’m simply at a loss as to what to do. Onemoment, he’s perfectly fine, and then the next, it seems as if he’s upset he doesn’t have a brother to play with.”
“I’m wondering if it’s because Severino is pregnant again,” Arthur said.
I thought about it a moment before shaking my head. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t spend a whole lot of time with his and Fenwick’s children. They seem to be spending more time in St. Louis now that Nikolai has purchased the hotel and only goes on a few cruises a year.” Both covens had seen many pregnant carriers and omegas in recent years. Sadly, I wasn’t one of them.
“Talk to Elliot. It’s possible that he will have some advice for you.”
“Thank you, Father. I’ll be sure to reach out to him later this afternoon.” Arthur leaned in and kissed my temple again. “Back to what we were discussing earlier. We have prepared several suites for visitors. Just let me know when they’ll be here.”
Edison nodded. “Expect them sometime next week. I would give you a specific day if I knew for certain.”
“Understandable. I do have a question though. Is it really necessary that an enforcer start patrolling here? The security is just as high here as it is at the council building. You’ve already seen to that.”
“I cannot help but be concerned. Every day, there are new levels of ugliness discovered, it seems. They were always there, dating back to the beginning almost. Now they have more advanced technology, more greed, and they are better at hiding. In this particular case, right under our noses.”
“I know you and the rest of the council are frustrated, but there is only so much you can do. There are only a handful of you, while there are literally hundreds of thousands of the rest of us. Give it time, Father. The European council is in the works still, no?”
Edison nodded. “As you know, there are a few from our committees that will be going to set it up. Some will most likely decide to stay while others will return.”
Immediately, I knew what he was saying without actually stating it. “Alistair and River will be going to Europe?”
Edison gave me a smile. “They will, but only for a short time. George will actually act as the warlock representative for the European council. Alistair will be going for only a few weeks to help in the beginning.”
I nodded. I gave Arthur a smile before I went over to the couch and sat down. He and Edison shared a look, said something quietly, and then Edison left the office. Arthur was beside me in moments, and I had to wonder how many times we’d sat on this very couch and talked about things. More than I would ever be able to count.
“Are you all right?”
I looked at Arthur. “I am, yes. I’m concerned about Edric. I cannot understand this sudden mood change with regards to not having a sibling. Where did this come from? How are we lacking when it comes to providing for him?”
“I would like to think that no, we aren’t deficient. It’s simply that Edric is of an age that is more curious than anything. Maybe we could ask one of the council’s psychologists if they have any suggestions. Although, I truly think it’s simply the fact that, like Elliot, Edric is so much younger than his other siblings, and he is too young to understand how to try and connect with them. They are all gone. They have their own Ones and families, and Edric doesn’t understand how they are part of his nuclear family but aren’t here.”
That actually made so much sense. I sighed. “I wanted him so much. When I first realized I was carrying him, I was so incredibly happy to be able to have another child with you. I didn’t stop to think about these issues that might pop up. I alsowas hopeful that since I caught with him, we might be blessed with several more children.” I leaned my head against Arthur’s shoulder. “I adore Edric, as I do the other three. Having them so far apart has presented new challenges.”
I felt Arthur’s chest vibrating. When I looked up at him, he was chuckling. I playfully gave him a bit of a shove.
“In all seriousness though, is it safe to bring these new warlocks in from Europe? Even for a short time?”
“I swear to you, it is just as safe to provide them sanctuary as it has been to provide it for any other that have come to us seeking help. They have all wanted to leave their coven for quite some time, and they aren’t going to want to jeopardize their possible position in a new one once they finally have been given the opportunity to start anew somewhere else.” Arthur leaned in and kissed me on the nose. “I would never allow anything to happen to you or Edric. If I thought for even a moment that either of you could be in danger, I would send you to Aleric in Montana without hesitation.”
I nodded. “I love you. I know you would. I just had to ask for no apparent reason.” I shook my head. “My mind was such a jumbled mess lately. Edric was fine one moment playing hide-and-seek, and the next, he seemed upset. I wonder if we should try to visit his three brothers more often.” Would that help Edric? It wasn’t as if it took us hours by plane to get to where they were. It was more difficult to align schedules than it was to actually do the traveling.