They wanted to know if Jessie could handle him or if their relationship was as doomed as Kingsley’s parents’ had been.
Mother and son would also need to reconcile. Kingsley had no idea how that would go. His mom kept her emotional cards close to her chest at all times, not even confiding in Kingsley. He did know, however, that the reunion between his daughter and his brother would likely be fraught. Aurora was not quick to forgive, and she’d been devastated when Austin left without saying goodbye.
All that lay before Kingsley, and usually he’d be eager to get to it. It was about time for their family to get together, whole once again, easy and friendly but with the little arguments family always seemed to have at these things. Aurora’s new man-friend was a source of contention, for one.
Kingsley’s son Mac having zero interest in the future of the pack or a role as alpha was another issue.
But those seemed like trivial nothings compared to what had happened at that meeting earlier.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come,” Kingsley barked, ignoring the phone and sitting back in his chair.
His beta entered with tight eyes and tighter shoulders. This wouldn’t be good news.
“Did you get them all settled?” Kingsley asked.
James took a seat in one of the plush leather chairs facing the desk, a remnant from when his mother had ruled from this office.
“Yes, with a couple of housing changes.” James leaned back and crossed an ankle over his knee, getting comfortable.
“Which are?”
“Most notably, the mages won’t be taking that house after all.”
Kingsley planted his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled his fingers. “Where will they be staying?”
“With Austin and his mate.”
Now Kingsley’s eyebrows lifted. Austin was breaking protocol there. Usually an alpha stayed solely with family.
“Did he give a reason?” Kingsley asked.
“They worried about the mages being separated from the others in case any of the pack decides to try to…cut out the threat.”
“Meaning he thinks my people won’t know friend from foe?”
“Yes, and I didn’t push, because when it comes to mages, I’m not sure we do know friend from foe. Most of the pack won’t easily tolerate mages within our borders.” James hesitated for a moment.
“Not to mention that Austin’s mate—”
“Jessie. Use her name. She might not be a shifter like us, but she is his forever. She’s good for him. You saw it yourself. She has a wild side, but her personality balances it. I saw it firsthand.”
James held Kingsley’s gaze for a moment before looking away. “I did,” he admitted. “I didn’t think anyone could back that polar bear down. You remember how his old girlfriend, Destiny, used to incite him against me, trying to get him to kill me and take the beta position. It almost worked on a few occasions.”
“I remember. Jessie isn’t like that, and Austin is firmly in control of that beast.”
Firmly in control, in a way their dad had never been his whole life. Kingsley had seen his
brother’s beast earlier, looking out of his fiery cobalt eyes, ready to be let off leash. But Austin’s cool logic had reigned supreme—he’d used the beast instead of letting it use him. His control would make him ten times more dangerous. Ten times more effective.
“Not to mention,” James started again, “that Jessie explained a mage’s countermeasures to breakins. They happen in the mage community a lot, it seems. For those that are higher-powered, at least.
We can’t let him accidentally or purposely kill any of ours.”
A weight formed in Kingsley’s middle, but he simply nodded. He needed time to work through his misgivings regarding the mages—and also what that one mage had said to them. He needed more information.
“The other housing changes?” he prompted.
“Only some of the basajaunak stayed in the park we’d chosen.”
“Where did the others go?”
James shook his head. “They just wandered away. Austin’s—Jessie apologized about it. She said she’d figure out a compromise with you once they have some idea what might work. The landscape here is much different than what they’re used to, I guess.” He paused. “They don’t seem…entirely in her control.”
Kingsley dropped his hands to his lap, allowing his fatigue to come through. They’d only just arrived and already the headaches were piling up. He would’ve liked to say this was all a mistake and to hurry Austin’s people out of here, but the growing ball of unease in his gut said that would be a mistake.
“Only one of them is under her influence, I guess,” Kingsley said, “and as you saw from the meeting earlier, with her people wandering every which way, that influence is nothing like what we’re used to.”
“Noted. I’m inclined to compromise in this case, alpha. Those creatures are massive, and I’ve heard basajaunak are incredibly effective in battle. They’ll give us an edge.”
“Agreed,” Kingsley said. No other pack in history, as far as he knew, had ever had aid from the basajaunak. It was promising and exciting, as long as everything went smoothly, but Kingsley wasn’t entirely sure it would. Not after earlier. “That it?”
“No.” James pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket. “Edgar—the vampire—has requested a shack. He’d like it put on Austin’s premises so he can watch them from a safe and nonthreatening distance. Austin and Jessie denied the request, but the vampire then asked me in an aside if I would build him a secret shack.” James lowered the paper, his mannerisms showing his befuddlement. “I denied the request. The old gargoyle, who calls himself a butler, requested to stay with Austin and Jessie, which Austin also denied. He then requested a shack, as well, because if he was going to be cast aside like a peasant, he’d live like one. That request”—James looked over the top of the paper at Kingsley—“was also denied, and prompted a razzing by the puca.”
James’s eyes were sparkling. He clearly thought the whole thing was asinine but hilarious.
“Oh, and…” He cleared his throat. “The phoenix doesn’t think the trend of wearing underwear should continue. Especially bras.”
“They’re…an eccentric bunch,” Kingsley said, not sure what else could be said to explain that sort of behavior. The pack would think them mad. And maybe they were. But they were effective in battle, something he’d seen a bit of firsthand. He didn’t have much knowledge about gargoyles, but he suspected that lead enforcer, as Austin called him, could handle a great many enemies without batting an eye. He also seemed to have a very firm handle on the rest of the gargoyles, all as big or bigger than shifters, all muscular, all hard-eyed and keyed up, ready for battle.