Twenty two

JASON

Devin pulled me aside. His face indicated concern, a feeling I was certain was slowly becoming alien to my brother.

"What?" I demanded, keeping my eyes glued to the tied-up vampire.

"I don't know. What was that about?"

"What? I am just concerned about what might happen to Olamide if she reconnects with her brother. He is one of Lilith's boy toys now and we all know the way this is going to end if he refuses to let go of his sister's fleeting memory."

"Why do you care?" Devin retorted in a cold voice. " The last time we talked about your human mate, you said she was trouble. You insisted that you felt nothing for her if it wasn't for the accursed mate bond and that you couldn't wait for one of your enemies to foolishly waste their resources in hunting and killing her in hopes that they could get to you. Has that changed Jason? Because the August visiting of her vampire brother gives me a spectacular idea for your first mate to go down in style."

I clenched my fist tight hearing Devin spew such nonsense but he had a point. That blasted goddess! It had just been one –or was it two– days and I was already attached. Devin probably did not mean the cruel heartless things he said. My brother could be cold and ruthless but he wasn't a total psychopath. This was his perfect ruse to get me to confess that I fancied my first mate. It was disturbing knowing he was right. Thinking back now, I had been lax when I learned Sofiane stepped in and almost died of grief the second I suspected her life was in danger. It hurt me more than anything when she demanded if I was a pawn on her game and I could do nothing but lie to her face. Fuck! Fuck! I liked her. But I absolutely refused to let Devin spell it out for me. He had his demons too.

"Cowardice is not just your style, Devin." I drew a breath. "If you wanted Olamide dead, I don't think I would have ever spoken to her in the first place. So if you are going to play this game with me, face your mate troubles first."

Devin scowled. "Seems like I hit a nerve. But you are right. I have to face my mate troubles first. Perhaps only then will my big brother finally suck up some courage to finally come clean about the affairs of his heart."

In minutes, Devin had run up to the platform where pack members of the crow converged. He looked serious facing our people and slowly but surely, it became crystal clear what he intended to do.

"Hey," Devin practically shrieked. " Can I have your attention?"

There it was. My brother was finally coming out to his people about his well-kept secret. It had to be about Valentine. However, as the crowd slowly gave Devin the attention he had asked for, I could not help but wonder what Valentine thought about this. Thinking about that damn Monarch Luna made me realize that I had been so carried away with protecting Olamide that I had neglected to keep my word to those bastards if they refused to submit.

"I have an announcement to make," Devin said, looking me in the eye for a moment before facing the crowd. "As we all know, Alpha Jason has found his first but he isn't the only one who has discovered his mate's identity."

There was a murmur among the pack members. It was law for unmarked members who had already found their soulmates to remain unmarked until the present Alpha had marked his Luna. In the Crow's case, there were two Alpha markings to contend with. It was no surprise they were overjoyed. The mere thought of melding your body, mind, and soul and with that significant other was a drug one could get high on for days on end. I couldn't blame them but that joy and glee they had glued on to their faces were sure to die once they knew the identity of my dear brother's mate. This was a tragedy I wasn't so sure I wanted to carry on with.

"...I have found my mate." Devin continued. "I have known her for quite some time now. She's royalty and that means our packs will have to merge..." There was an awkward pause when those words left Devin's lips. I saw the strain that coursed through him as he proceeded to say her name. It broke my heart so much that I was almost tempted to step in but it was Devin's fight. It was his mate troubles. Not mine. But strangely, my brother's announcement gave me the courage to face my own demons. Just as Devin uttered the name Valentine and the crowd went into a state of shock, I faced Olamide's undead brother and spoke.

"I understand you love her. She is your sister after all but I think I love her too and if I am going to keep her alive, you have to be very far away from her."

"Are you going to kill me?" His deep voice cut my senses.

"It would have been so much easier if I could. But I can't cause another war between species neither would I be able to live with myself destroying your sister."

"So what do you plan to do?" He inquired, his eyes glazed in paranoia.

Paranoia was good. It had kept me and my brother alive this long. I felt it too. So there was no need to abandon it now. Olamide's brother had compromised her. Lilith would probably be looking for him already and the answers she would get were sure to send her into a frenzy of madness with Olamide caught in the crossfire. I could not let that happen. My eyes stung realizing the monster I had to become to protect my mate.

"What do you plan to do with me!" The vampire repeated. This time he flashed his fangs at me and struggled to break free of the vervain-soaked ropes that burned deep into his skin the further he resisted them. I shoved the old sock into his mouth hole and reached for my cell phone. I searched my contact list frantically and finally hit the dial button.

"Hello ginger witch, I need your help."

"What now?"

"Pack grounds. It's urgent so a teleportation spell would be real handy." With that, I cut the call and faced Olamide's brother. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. But you probably won't even remember this conversation, me or that your sister existed."