The team slept late after the intense night. Despite having Maggie next to him, Luke was plagued by. While the affections of Maggie had gone a long way toward easing his mind, it was still a dark and troubled place. He and his therapist had just started poking its edges.
He woke alone, sandy-eyed and fuzzy-brained. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he rolled to the edge of the bed. When his feet hit the floor, he noticed the folded note on his nightstand.
L
Text me when you wake, and I’ll have a coffee waiting for you when you come down. Émile brought fresh pastries, and they’re divine.
Love, M
Luke smiled and set the note back on the nightstand, sending a quick text to Maggie. Finding a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, he slipped on his house sandals and headed out to greet the day and his friends. He headed straight to the glass solarium, figuring that would be where everyone gathered, trying to enjoy the last days of sun as summer drew near its end in Belgium—and back home in Oregon. Soon, both places would turn gray and rainy.
He gave a Sam a one-armed hug and kissed the crown of her head. “Good morning, Sam.”
“Mornin’, Luke. You’re awfully affectionate this morning,” Sam replied.
He pulled out a chair and sat next to her. “Maggie and I were talking last night about telling those we care about how we feel. You’ve become a very dear friend in the last year, and I’m glad you’re in my life.”
“That’s sweet, Luke. Even if the times are dark, your friendship has been a welcome light in my life.” Sam leaned over and gave Luke a kiss on the cheek.
“Good morning, handsome,” Maggie said, kissing the other cheek and setting a tray of coffees down on the table. She handed a latte to Sam, then set down one with darker foam for Luke. The last latte was for her. “I made you a mocha. I thought you could use a treat after last night. Émile stocks good chocolate.”
Luke chuckled. “Since I’m never here long enough to use everything he purchases for me, he takes the leftovers home and splits it with his family so it doesn’t go to waste. He buys good quality stuff. Of course, I request quality ingredients. It works out for everyone.”
“That’s convenient,” Sam said. She slid the silver tray toward Luke.
“Oh, he’s gone over the top this morning.” Luke smiled giddily. “These look like waffles from Une Gaufrette Saperlipopette.” The caretaker had thoughtfully noted what was what with little folded note cards so Luke picked a Brussels-style waffle filled with sour cherries. Grabbing a fork, he dug in.
Sam laughed. “You might have some serious competition for Luke’s affections, Maggie. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Luke make eyes like that at anyone.”
“Maggie and I are polyamorous, Sam. I can be in a relationship with her and this waffle,” Luke said in between bites.
Maggie snorted, then broke into a laughter. “You’re a ridiculous man, Luke, and I love you.” Maggie leaned in and kissed Luke’s forehead.
After swallowing his bite, Luke smiled. “I love you, Maggie.” Then he looked down at the bite of waffle he’d speared on his fork. “Don’t worry. I love you, too, waffle.”
Pablo pulled out a chair and sat down across from Luke. “Is Luke’s heart wandering already?”
“Try one of these rectangular waffles. They’re filled with fruit preserves,” Luke instructed, pointing to one of them.
Looking over the notes, Pablo transferred an apricot waffle to his plate and dug in. “Oh, wow. You weren’t kidding. These are something else.”
Maggie looked the tray of waffles over. “I’m not sure I’ve got a whole waffle’s worth of space, but would you split one with me, Sam? As much as these two are raving about them, I want to try them.”
“Sure, cherry sound good?” Sam replied.
Maggie grabbed a cherry waffle and cut it in half, passing it from Luke to Sam.
“I’m surprised he let my half get past him.” Sam grabbed a fork.
“I gave serious thought to snagging it,” Luke said.
“Where did you find this place?” Maggie asked. “They’re amazing.”
The smile fell from Luke’s face, the bite turning to ashes in his mouth. “Pieter’s brother told me about it.”
Luke couldn’t tell if a cloud actually passed in front of the sun or if it was just the mood of his friends clouding over. A soft hand slid into his, Maggie winding her fingers through his and squeezing. He leaned over and kissed her.
Luke sighed and shook his head. “No more dark thoughts for now. There’ll be plenty of time for them later. Right now, the sun is shining, and I’m sitting at a table with three of my favorite people in the world. I’m going to have a second waffle because I can, and it’ll make me happy.”
Around the table, Maggie, Pablo, and Sam nodded and cut into their waffles, letting the tasty confection and the companionship restore their good mood. At first it felt brittle and forced, but as the clouds cleared, their hearts lightened, even if it wasn’t as jubilant as it had been a few minutes ago. When they were full, they sipped their coffees and enjoyed idle conversation. Luke, coffee cup empty, made another round for everyone.
Facing away from the door leading into the solarium, Luke didn’t see why everyone went silent until Pieter stood in the open space next to Pablo, his hands clasped in front of him, fidgeting. He looked nervous, his eyes still a little unfocused.
“How’s your head feeling?” Luke asked, tentatively opening the dialogue.
“It’s feels like I got pistol whipped last night,” he replied, looking down at the center of the table. “Look, Luke, I’m sorry I hit you. I…I wasn’t thinking clearly after everything.”
“It’s understandable. Last night…wasn’t good. I’m sorry I—”
Pieter interrupted, holding up his hand. “It worked. I don’t like it, but it got me to snap out of it.”
“Why don’t you sit down so we don’t have to keep craning our necks up at you?” Sam said. “Have some breakfast. Some food will do you good.”
“Can I get you a coffee?” Luke asked.
“I wouldn’t recommend caffeine after a concussion,” Maggie said. “It can have funny effects. Unless you consume a lot of caffeine, then some coffee to ease you down might be in order. Cold turkey can be pretty rough during a concussion.”
“A shot of espresso would be nice,” Pieter said. “I guess the improvement in Belgium’s coffee culture has some negative side effects.”
Nodding, Luke went into the kitchen to pull a shot of espresso for Pieter. Since he usually made doubles, he split the other into a cup for himself. When Luke returned to the table, he set Pieter’s cup in front of him, then sat quietly as Pieter sipped his espresso, staring into the distance with a troubled brow. Finished, he placed the cup on the saucer and pushed it away, bringing his eyes to Luke’s.
“What am I going to do, Luke?” Pieter asked, pleading filling his eyes.
“I don’t know, Pieter. What can we do? Jan now has control of the Flanders Pack, having traded Wallonia and your father to secure it. He has at least the approval, if not the backing, of Le Mousquetaire, who has at least three packs of werewolves to call on, plus who knows how many fangers—”
“Luke,” Sam interrupted. “Jan was here. Do we need to evacuate?”
“Shit,” Luke cursed, dipping into a few languages to add spice to the initial salvo. “Have we heard from the team in Antwerp? They should have been here last night.”
“They decided to split up and stay in a couple different cities, then work their way here today,” Sam replied.
“We need to tell them to get out of the country. We need to get out of the country.” Luke stood up and started pacing.
“Luke, sit down, buddy. You’re making everyone anxious,” Pablo said, turning to address Luke.
Taking a deep breath and holding it before releasing it, Luke nodded and sat back down. “You’re right. Maggie, it’s time to move the kids out as soon as we can. Pablo, can you find Delilah and Simone? We’ll need them here so we can work through this together. Pieter, when I met with Heidi, she said she was a friend of yours. Is she a friend friend or a political friend?”
“What do you mean?” Pieter asked, confusion spreading across his face.
“Is she a personal acquaintance you’d call a friend? Or is it a friend as in you’re both high-ranking officials in your packs and talk about pack issues?” Luke leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
“Friends. My father thought we might get engaged at one point. He would have liked to add that connection, but we didn’t have those feelings. I trust Heidi, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Nodding, Luke leaned further. “Will she offer our people sanctuary if they can get to Cologne? It’s the closest bet to get out of Belgium to a neutral country since France and at least the south of the Netherlands are off the table.”
“I think so. After being betrayed by my own brother, I’m not exactly confident of anything anymore. I’ll call her.”
“Pieter,” Maggie said. “Can they make passports for the children? We need to get them to safety. We can find homes for all of them in Portland.”
“Oh no…Portland.” Pieter’s eyes went wide in a mix of horror and abject sadness. “Amiata and Olivia… I’m going to have to call them and break the news.”
“Do you think your brother would go after them?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know anymore.” Pieter leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, cradling his head in his hands.
“I’ll call Holly and have her move them to a safe location.” Sam turned to Luke. “If you don’t need me for a few minutes, I’m going to make that call, get a hold of our wayward wolves, and get them moving toward Cologne. If nothing else, they can just go to Frankfurt and fly out. It’s the kids we’ll need protection for. If push comes to shove, we can get pictures back to Portland and have someone courier passports over, although it would be easier if your contact in Cologne can help us there.”
“What are you going to do, Luke?” Pablo asked.
“I’m going to go have a talk with the security.” Luke stood up and headed toward the door out of the solarium.
“The security?” Pablo asked for clarification.
“Mithras,” Luke said over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
Thirty minutes later, Luke returned to the Solarium amid a hub of activity as Maggie’s people wrangled the kids to get some lunch into them in case they had to bug out in a hurry. Delilah and Simone had joined the table. Once they saw Luke walk in, they went silent as they waited for their stern-faced friend to update them.
“What’s the word from your mythological friend?” Pablo asked.
Luke held up his hand and wobbled it side to side. “He can’t physically bar anyone if they get through the mental barrier, but he’s going to intensify the barrier, including removing Jan’s ability to remember exactly where we are, but if they stumble on us, we’re in trouble.”
“What does ‘intensify the mental barrier’ mean?” Sam asked.
“I think this property will become extra invisible. They’ll drive by the gate and just ignore it. They could float down the river and not pay attention to the house in our little nook in the hillside. It’s at least something. Speed and stealth are our best allies right now.” Luke pointed to Sam.
She nodded and cleared her throat. “I let Holly know about the situation. She’s making plans for Amiata and Olivia as soon as she gets the go ahead they’ve been informed. I got a hold of everyone who’s not here and directed them to Cologne.”
“Pieter?” Luke pointed to his friend.
“Heidi has promised sanctuary once we cross the border into Germany, but she can’t come in to aid us. Her packleader has forbidden it. They can’t make a stand at this point without knowing the true extent of what’s going on, but we have their assurances we’ll be safe once we get into their territory. They’ll make their documents person available to us. She also said she can offer homes for the children if need be.”
Luke shook his head. “No. Not after her admission there are too many vampires in town. If the wrong vampire wanders through and picks up the bond with their former food sources, it’ll put the kids right back where they started. Portland is the best bet.”
“Luke’s right,” Sam said. “We have a diverse pack and can place them with families they’ll be comfortable with.” She made eye contact with Simone. “Simone, you’re welcome to join our pack with your brother if you’re still interested.”
She nodded, uncertainty suffusing her face.
“Don’t worry about money. I’ll take care of getting you to Portland,” Luke said.
“And the pack will take care of you once you hit the ground. We take care of our own so no one is wanting. You and your brother will be taken care of while you get established,” Sam added.
Simone turned and looked at Delilah. Smiling gently, Delilah nodded. Luke was at the right angle to see under the table and catch Delilah slide her hand over to squeeze Simone’s hand. With the reassurances given, relief swept over Simone.
“Portland it is.” Simone smiled weakly, accepting the offer to turn her entire life upside down on a new continent.
Sam smiled warmly. “I know it’s short notice, but you should probably think of an alias to use for your passports. It’s probably best we cover your tracks now, so they can’t hunt you down as easily.”
Nodding at Simone, Luke turned. “Maggie?”
“The kids don’t really need to pack. They don’t have much of anything, so we can get them moving as soon as you give the word. We’ll start working on names for the kids so we can get their passports ready.” She tilted her head to the side and looked toward Pieter. “Pieter, do you know if your friend in Cologne has US passports?”
Pieter shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. They’re pretty savvy.”
“If not, we’ll have them make some passports for a few of us as well, so we can move the kids as their family members. We’ll probably have to divvy them up among the few people that can speak French.” Maggie, holding Luke’s hand, rubbed her thumb idly over the back of it.
“Good thinking, Maggie,” Sam said.
“Have you talked to Amiata, yet, Pieter?” Luke asked.
“No. I’ll call in a couple hours. She’ll still…” Pieter trailed off as his phone started ringing. Furrowing his brow, he answered. “Amiata?”
“Pieter? What’s going on? Jan has been calling, telling me to fly home. That Pieter wants us home, but I can’t get a hold of him.” Amiata spoke in Flemish. Between the volume on Pieter’s phone, the urgency in Amiata’s voice, and Luke’s supernaturally enhanced senses, he could hear her side of the conversation clearly.
“Amiata, do not speak to Jan and do not get on a plane. When we’re done with this call, you need to get in touch with Holly,” Pieter replied.
“Pieter, where’s my husband?” Amiata’s voice trembled.
“Father’s… Jan killed him, Amiata, shot him in the heart and then in the head.”
“What?”
“He’s dead. Jan betrayed us and murdered him.”
“No… Jan did it?”
“He’s been the one secretly purging the pack of our allies. Jan has been manipulating us the whole time. You can’t come home.” Pieter pleaded with her, filling his voice with urgency.
Luke could hear sobbing coming from the phone.
“Oh, my Pieter…” Amiata sobbed.
Pieter moved the phone from his ear and looked at the screen. “Shit. Jan is trying to call me. Listen Amiata, I have to go. Call Holly as soon as you can. She’s got a safety plan for you and Olivia. Don’t speak to anyone from the Flanders Pack and definitely not Jan. We have to protect you and little Olivia.”
“OK. Holly. Right.”
“I love you, Amiata. Take care of little Olivia. Only trust Holly and her people,” Pieter said frantically. “We don’t know who our friends are anymore. The Portland leadership is it for now. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“I understand. Bye, Pieter.”
Pieter switched the call to Jan and set it on speakerphone, laying it on the table.
“Hello, brother,” Jan said in English, sounding smug. “I’m assuming Luke and your little friends are listening in.”
“Jan… What… Why… You killed papa. Why, Jan?” Pieter asked, raw pain filling his voice.
“Come back to the pack, Pieter,” Jan said, ignoring Pieter’s question. “I need a lieutenant I can trust. We can return the pack to its glory. With the money from the ports, we can make our pack a force to be reckoned with. I’ll forget your past indiscretions. You can marry Heidi from the Rhein Pack. Maybe Belgium can take control of Germany for a change. We have powerful allies now.”
“You don’t have powerful allies; you have evil masters. You’ve betrayed our family for the table scraps of vampires. Sold out the people you were supposed to protect. Murdered your packmates.”
“They weren’t packmates. Our pack will be stronger with only true Belgians. Pieter. I’m going to ask one more time. Come back to Antwerp and swear fealty to me. If you do, I’ll let your friends leave unharmed.” Jan wrapped his anger with honeyed words, trying to woo his brother back into the fold.
“Just like that? You’ll let everyone go?”
“Well, not the Centurion Immortal. My allies want him as a sign of our loyalty. Bring him with you, and all the people from Portland and the children they picked up in Cambrai can go free. If not, we’ll destroy them all.”
“No,” Pieter said. “You murdered our father. You betrayed him. You betrayed me. I won’t sell out my friends.”
“Luke,” Jan said. “I know you’re listening. Talk sense to my brother. Turn yourself in to me, and everyone can go free. I’ll even let Pieter slink off to Portland. Make the easy choice.”
Everyone at the table looked to Luke. Pablo shook his head.
Not letting the silence go longer, Jan upped the ante. “I know where your house is. It’s… I’ll…” For the first time since he called, his confidence slipped away. “We’ll surround Dinant. Every road will be monitored day and night. Wolves are already en route from our pack and our allies. When the night comes, our other allies will hunt you down and feast on you. Take. The. Offer.”
“No one here will betray Luke. Nor will we let him sacrifice himself,” Sam said. “Certainly not for the promise of a fool and a patricide. I speak for the North Portland Pack, the Coast Pack, as well as the other Portland area packs. Do you wish to declare war on us?”
Jan laughed harshly. “What is a war declaration from packs such as yours? Pieter, Luke. Do the right thing. If you refuse, you’ll watch the children die first before your eyes, then you will die with their screams still ringing in your ears.”
“Your words are worthless, Jan.” Pieter scowled at the phone.
“You can’t trust your own brother? You’ve always been able to trust me before.” Jan shifted to smarmy seduction.
“So did Papa until you murdered him. As far as you and I are concerned, I have no brother. I see you, and I’ll kill you without hesitation or mercy,” Pieter ground out.
“Pieter—”
No one heard what Jan was going to say next. Pieter picked up the phone and hurled it against the wall, the phone exploding into plastic shrapnel. Pieter walked out of the solarium and onto the grounds, stalking into the distance.