parents seemed inclined to release his hands, and Bannon was glad. He’d missed them too. He also noticed his father kept directing questions to him and asking his opinion.
The door banged open again, snaring everyone’s attention. Aiden barged right in, his gaze searching until he found Bannon. “Stardust! Bannon! Louie! You are both alive!”
The Duke of Knighton, who stood behind him, blanched a little and shrugged. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Aiden rushed forward, and Bannon jumped to his feet.
Once again he was embraced, and then Aiden looked him over, then hugged him again. “Rupert will be here later. Colton, Tarren, and Trouble are all anxious to see you as well.”
King-Consort Raleigh scowled at his son and then waved to Knighton. “You might as well come in, Rourke. It will save us having to tell you later.”
Knighton came in and stood by Wentworth and the admiral.
Aiden smiled at his consort and waved before going and embracing Louie as well. They caught him and Knighton up on everything Bannon had told everyone else, and finally he went and sat on the desk beside his father. “For the record I don’t think we should tell Trouble about this yet.” He glanced at his consort, and they seemed to share a moment. Both of them looked tense, and Aiden’s gaze took on that same haunted expression that was still in Nate’s eyes. “We need time to be able to break it to him.”
Nate gave a stiff nod.
Everyone else murmured their agreement, and Bannon winced. He knew Trouble enough to know he wasn’t going to take it well.
Aiden finally looked away from the admiral, and his smile returned, though it was a little more strained. “Now please continue. What is going on? What are we doing about Skye?”
“Aiden, do you mind if I am in charge for a little bit?” King-Consort Raleigh asked with an exasperated sigh.
“Oh, sorry. Of course not, Cony, go ahead.”
With a smirk he fought valiantly to conceal, King-Consort Raleigh dipped his head. “Thank you.” King-Consort Raleigh started making plans to retrieve Marcus and Patrick, with everyone chiming in and adding their suggestions. The back-and-forth was amazing to watch. It must be what a council meeting looked like, and it gave Bannon a new appreciation for what his father did. They all seemed so excited with the news. Which was odd. There were still so many unanswered questions.
“What aren’t you saying?”
Bannon looked up at his father. “Nothing. That’s everything.”
Eversleigh arched a brow. “It sounds as if you were a fine diplomat for Regelence. I’m very proud of you, but then I had no doubt you could be a fine diplomat if you wanted. I’ve half a mind to suggest you as a new intern, working alongside your brother, but I’d never take you away from your art. It would be a crime for someone with your talent to give it up for politics. I’ve always thought that, but that isn’t what I’m talking about.”
If his father had slapped him, he wouldn’t have been more surprised. Had he never said these things, or had Bannon just never listened? His father was proud of him? Tears welled up in his eyes, but he blinked them back. How long had he longed to hear those words? The feelings swirling in him were so huge he couldn’t quite process them. Pride, love, belonging…. “But I always mess things up.”
“I thought that was Timothy?” his sire asked with a chuckle.
“You know Timothy is me, right?”
“Of course we do. He’s the inquisitive part of you. The daring part. You just need to temper him a little, but this isn’t about that. Why do you still look so… sad? What happened on Skye? Besides you becoming some supersoldier and keeping you and Louie alive. And by the way, I’m very proud of how you handled things in such a tough situation. You’ve grown from the experience. I can see it in your face. Your demeanor. Some of the innocence is gone, but this is not such a bad thing, I think.” Eversleigh squeezed his shoulder.
He could see that? Bannon couldn’t help but blush at the praise. Before he realized what he was doing, he started telling them all about Ciaran. When he was done, he felt as though his emotions had been dragged over hot coals. He wondered for the thousandth time if he’d made the right decision.
For several moments, his parents digested the information without saying anything. Then his sire nodded. “He sounds like a remarkable