Page 23 of The Wolf's Captive
Shrugging, Victor lowered his gaze to the pool of water next to us. “Various reasons. Rejection, heartbreak, end of life illness.”
A gulp echoed from Malone’s throat. He knew only too well about end of life sadness. Would Frizz have disconnected herself from her mate if she’d found him before she’d died? Would he?
“You said it yourself,” I murmured to Malone. “Sometimes the mate bond can be more of a burden than a joy.”
His gaze shot to me, a growl rising up his throat. Okay, so he’d said it when he’d first turned me, but he hadn’t been wrong, had he? We’d had to fight through several shitty experiences to get to where we were. And we hadn’t exactly got to a good place yet, had we?
Clamping my tongue between my lips, I widened my eyes, challenging him to disagree with me.
“The mate bond forces you to get your head out of your arse and think about someone other than yourself. Once the commitment ceremony is complete, the bond is unbreakable.”
His matter of fact response left me a little stunned. I knew he would be tempted by Victor’s offer. Shit, I had mulled it over and over in my mind.
“And…” Malone’s face softened as he leant down and put his mouth next to my ear. “…you’re worth every fucking minute of it.”
My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out Victor’s cough. He was clearly keen to discuss his offer with Malone, obviously understanding that my man was more likely to help him.
I stayed silent, my insides quivering and my cheeks warm. How could such a hulking man bring me to my knees? By being sexy and protective as hell, that’s how.
“Have you tried disconnecting a familiar before?” Malone raised his gaze to look straight at Victor.
He shuffled on his feet, a small nod the only indication that he’d heard what Malone had asked. “I have indeed. Not many and certainly never a werewolf…” His sentence trailed off, his eyebrows raised. “So, there is a risk.”
Never in my life had I ever heard of a werewolf being a familiar for a witch, so it wasn’t a surprise Victor had never done that particular spell. I hadn’t heard of a warlock disconnecting familiars and fated mates, either. Which meant we were all on the same page of crazy.
“Do you need access to the werewolf?” Malone asked. “And what do you want in exchange?”
Inclining his head, Victor blinked a couple of times. “It would help being near the werewolf, yes. It would offer a better chance at success.”
I glanced up at Malone who nodded. “The council will oblige, I’m sure.”
Staying quiet, I allowed the alpha to take the lead. He was used to negotiating and reasoning. If anyone was going to get something done, it would be him. I just hoped he didn’t promise something that would be impossible.
“My terms are simple. I want to be with my old coven in Brighton. I know you’re the alpha of the Brighton Pack. Maybe you have some leverage with the witches?”
Keeping his face straight, Malone stared at the warlock. If only I was psychic, I would’ve loved to know what he was thinking.
“You’ve clearly been away a long time,” Malone said, a small smile lighting his face before it dropped. “But maybe we can try and negotiate on your behalf.”
“We can?” I blurted.
My mate looked at me, his eyebrows raised. “There’s no harm in asking.”
“He failed to mention that he wants to become their leader.” Snarling at Victor, I shook my head. “Didn’t you?”
The warlock smiled this time. “What can I say? We’re both asking big things of each other.”
“We’ll talk to them.” Malone squeezed my hands. “But we won’t promise anything, either. When we’re back, we’ll keep in contact and let you know what transpires.”
A strange calm settled over me. It felt good to allow my partner to deal with a difficult situation, and he’d made the right choice not to commit to anything. We hadn’t spoken to the Brighton Coven since they’d disconnected Drake from the standing stones. Why would they be interested in a hybrid witch and a dishonoured warlock?
“Very well,” Victor said, holding out his hand. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”
They shook on it, solidifying a promise of not a lot. At least I didn’t have the responsibility of trying to disconnect myself from Kieran completely on my shoulders. I appreciated that Malone had not only offered to help but also not made any promises.
“Della!” Sabine called, coming into the courtyard, cradling baby Dellana.
Thoughts of warlocks and covens went out of my head as my heart melted. Going over to the new mother, I stroked her arm gently. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”