Page 38 of Arthur
“We could, but is that going to be the answer?” Arthur asked. “We already go to Montana monthly as it is. Edric spends time with everyone out there. We also spend time in Seattle, although not nearly as often. If we spend even more time away from here, is that what Edric is going to need?”
I sighed. “Probably not. I’m just not sure what we can do to help him.”
Arthur shrugged. “We’ll start by talking to Elliot and seeing if he has any suggestions. If not, we’ll reach out to someone who specializes in childhood development. There has to be some logical reason for his drastic mood swings.”
Mood swings? Was that what was happening? “Do you really think it’s something as simple as mood swings?”
Arthur chuckled again. “Well, what would you call them? He’s eight. He’s too young for puberty, and he has lots of other children in the coven that are of a similar age. I’m not going to minimize what he’s going through, but him not having a sibling his age isn’t new when it comes to paranormal children. There has to be someone who has studied these issues. We just have to find them and figure out what to do.”
I nodded in agreement. That was really all we could do. What else was there?
Chapter 15
Arthur
“Ican’t thank you enough, Master Arthur. We appreciate that you opened your coven up to us. I know it couldn’t be an easy decision, considering the circumstances.”
I looked at the warlocks in front of me. There ended up being only five that needed a place to call home for a while. Not that I minded. We had initially been preparing for closer to a dozen. Then Father had said three, but in all honesty, five wasn’t a number I was going to balk at.
“It truly isn’t much of an issue. I am more than happy to help the council in this situation. Your predicament happens to be a unique case, but we all need a bit of help every now and then.” There was a knock on the door, and I had never been so happy for an interruption. “Ah, Balthazar. Please come in,” I said and gestured for him to enter the office.
“Sorry I’m a bit behind, Master. Kid issues. Specifically, Mason was determined he was going to use Grant’s paints for the walls. Then Maddox wanted to join, then Murdock. Luckily, Mathias is still too young.”
“Ah, yes. I completely understand,” I told him. I refocused on our newest visitors. “This is Balthazar. He’s my head of security,and he has so graciously volunteered to show you all to your suites. He will also answer any questions you might have with regards to safety in the coven. We take it quite seriously, and I want all of you to feel completely at ease while you are here. I have an open-door policy when it comes to my office, and everyone is welcome to come to me with questions or concerns. If I’m in a meeting that requires discretion, I will most likely not be here at the coven house.” I had only been in two or three of those, and in every instance, I’d been away from the coven.
“Thank you again, Master Arthur,” Dominic said again. “We sincerely appreciate your hospitality. We understand that because of our situation, not many are willing to accept the possible risks that could come with us.”
I shook my head. “Nonsense. Every one of us is entitled to safety and the choice of whether or not to stay or go. Obviously you will need to remain here or in another protected space until the council has said it is safe for you to leave, but please don’t feel as if Amherst isn’t welcoming. If you ever do, please bring the issue to my attention.”
“We will,” Dominic said. Several others nodded in agreement. There were a few more thank-yous before they all left the office with Balthazar. I’d struggled with the decision of welcoming them more than I should have. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was about this situation beyond the entire mafia family thing that had me questioning the logic of housing some of them. But after several discussions with Patrick, I knew I’d made the correct choice.
I’d meant it when I had just told them that everyone was entitled to feeling safe and having a secure place to rest. Before I’d discovered Patrick was my One, I’d traveled extensively and had encountered many different types of people. Some were amazing; others not so much. But in all of my travels, I’d never encountered someone that was nearly as evil as the Gallocousins appeared to be. I’d met a lot of people, some certainly morally gray. But those two took first prize for being truly evil and vicious. This was after knowing about those that the council was dealing with regarding the trafficking rings.
Needing to let Father know that Dominic and the others had arrived safely, I picked up my cell phone from my desk, typed out a quick message, and sent it to him. His reply was almost immediate, and he thanked me for letting him know they had arrived safely.
There was another knock on the door, and this time, it was Fenwick who poked his head in. “Do you have a moment, Master Arthur?”
“I do,” I said and set my phone back on my desk. It vibrated with another message, but I ignored it when Fenwick entered, followed by another person I’d not yet met. He was with Fenwick though, so that meant he was someone who could be trusted.
“Dante here was sent by the council. He’s going to be here for extra security,” Fenwick told me.
My gaze moved from Fenwick to Dante, and when it did, I realized he was a hellhound. “You’re a hellhound.”
“Yes. I just joined the council, and this is my first real assignment. I’m pretty sure they’re still testing my abilities and making sure they can trust me.”
My phone vibrated again, and I glanced at it, noticing a message from Father. I held up my finger before picking up the phone.
Father: We assigned Dante to the coven for some extra security. The Gallo cousins haven’t been seen or heard from, but I understand that you are concerned for the safety of the coven. Everyone that has accepted members from the Venice coven are getting an enforcer for a bit of extra precaution.
“Yes,” I said. I stared at the message before shaking my head and placing my phone back on the desk. “Apparently, my fatherwas letting me know of your impending arrival.” I stood and held out my hand. “Welcome to the Amherst coven, Dante. I hope you don’t have a whole lot to do here because if you do, that means my coven is in danger.”
Fenwick grinned, and Dante nodded slowly as he shook my hand. “Yes, Master Arthur. I agree with that. I hope I can offer reassurance instead of not. This might be my first assignment for the council, but I’m no stranger to dangerous situations.”
I nodded. “I’m sure not.” I looked toward Fenwick. “Could you show Dante to a suite?”
“Of course,” Fenwick said. “Anywhere in particular?”
“I think it’s probably best if he’s near the others. If there does end up being an issue, having him closest to those from Venice seems most logical.”