It was Albus’ turn to shrug this time.
“Al.” Rafe sighed. “It has been months now. I wish you would stop blaming yourself for Mikhail’s death.”
“I should have known that bitch would come back for him.”
“You did all you could for him. I know you don’t want to hear it, but Mikhail had to have known what he was doing when he got mixed up with a dark witch... for goddess sake, Albus... he signed his own death warrant.”
Albus flinched and Rafe immediately felt terrible. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you blaming yourself any longer. You have a pack who cares for you, a pack that are now your responsibility. Not to mention a great wife, and two kids that she’s having a hard time controlling while you are out here in your garage... blaming yourself.”
His friend’s silver eyes flashed at him in pain. “Why did he do it, Rafe? I can’t understand.”
Rafe shook his head. “She enchanted him. It could even have been a spell.”
Albus nodded. “Yes, I had thought of that.”
They sat in silence for a few moments longer until Rafe couldn’t help himself. “I’ve brought someone home with me, Albus.”
His friend, and leader, quirked an eyebrow at him. “Someone?”
Rafe smiled, thinking of the blonde-haired beauty that was sitting in Ella’s kitchen with her. “A young woman I met on my travels.”
His friend smiled his first genuine smile in months. “Oh?”
“I was hoping she could stay with us.”
“You’re taken with her,” Albus stated in amazement as he stood up. “Which pack is she from?”
He sighed. This was going to be the difficult part. “She’s not from a pack. She’s a magik.”
“What?!” Albus shouted in instant anger.
“A Daylight witch!” Rafe cried holding his hands up in defense. “She’s good, Albus. I swear.”
His friend shuddered in pain. “Rafe...”
“Albus, it’s OK. I promise she’s not a bad guy.
Adriana sighed, watching the handsome lykan sleeping peacefully beside her. She wondered if she had inherited her mother’s perverse nature, because sex with this beast had not been nearly as intolerable as she had thought it would be. She smiled wryly, remembering her inward reaction when her father told her she was to attach herself to this lykan; to give herself to him, in every way, if needs must. Her anger over that had been obvious. She was the highest ranking lady of the Dark Coven, and she was to give her virginity to a... mutt? And then she thought of her mother’s betrayal, and the thought of that betrayal becoming public, and no sacrifice was large enough. Luckily for her, Rafe had been enchanted with her from day one. Within a week she had managed to weasel all his secrets out of him, including that his former Pack Leader had had an affair with the leader of the Midnight Coven’s wife.
Who else knew this? she had asked, all innocent and sympathetic to his pain.
Everyone, he had groaned, everyone except the children.
Children, she sighed, and rubbed her rounded belly. She flinched at the thought of her father’s fury when she had returned to him with the news.
“Pregnant!” he had screamed. “It’s not possible!”
She had cried, kneeling at his feet. “It’s not my fault, father. Please...”
He had sent for their prophet. And then the horror of her situation was realized. Years ago the Prophet, an old immortal man who never spoke to or saw anyone except the leading family of the Coven, had told of the coming of the child of mixed race, who would contain such power that they would bring about the end of the war.
“Gaia has grown weary of her children's war my lord,” the old man had wheezed. “She has blessed your daughter’s union with the lykan male, out-with a mating ritual, in order to bring forth a child from the prophecy.”
Devlyn had destroyed everything in sight while she had sat terrified of the thing growing inside of her.
“The only way to kill it, is to wait for the birth... or kill your daughter.”
Her eyes had flown wide to her father’s face, his dark eyes fierce on hers. The silence had stretched between them like a twanging wire.