I had no idea what kind of ceremony Gareth was talking about, but I didn’t actually care. Casey was back to normal. I could see it in her color and the way her eyes shone. But really she was better than normal. She seemed even stronger, and I knew the strength was real. No matter how many things she accomplished, she always found a way to downplay her abilities. For the first time she seemed to be seeing herself for who she really was. She finally understood her strength.
Being inside Casey’s head was strange. I felt like I was doing something wrong, witnessing thoughts and fears I was never supposed to see, but it was also enlightening. Casey was even more amazing than I already knew. At her core Casey was such a good person. She wanted to do what was right even if it meant hurting herself. She also trusted me. I finally had my proof of that.
“Toby?” Gareth called my name, pulling me from my thoughts. I was waiting out on the top of the steps to the house for Casey to finish getting ready inside.
“Yes?” I wasn’t exactly sure how I was supposed to address or deal with this man. He was clearly a respected leader, but he was a bear and in that way I was technically his superior. I decided to focus on the age difference to keep my behavior in line with what he expected.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to you yet.”
I prepared myself for whatever his agenda was. There had to be a reason he wanted to see me alone. “I didn’t realize you wanted to talk.”
“Come for a walk with me.” He gestured for me to start down the stairs.
“Sure.” There didn’t seem to be much harm in it. He was the one who let me on the island to stay closer to Casey in the first place.
As soon as we reached the ground he started with questions. “What are your intentions?”
“My intentions?”
“Yes. What do you intend to do with my daughter?”
Daughter. He was really sticking with that? “I intend to spend my life with her.” I’d had no doubts before, but now my conviction was even stronger. We belonged together, and I was going to make sure that happened.
He smiled. “I thought so.”
“We’re in love, now I just have to convince her that a long term commitment isn’t a bad thing.”
“She knows it.”
“What makes you say that?” This guy had just met Casey. He couldn’t know something I didn’t know.
“Because of her reaction when you walked into the room.”
“That told you she was ready for commitment?”
“Yes. Her whole being changed. She wanted you with her. It wasn’t just a smile. It was more than that. That’s how you know when a woman has chosen her mate.”
“A woman has chosen her mate?” From what I’d seen it was always the man choosing.
“Yes. Although to keep with tradition it is the father who must give the blessing, in our clan it’s the woman who gets the final decision on who she mates with.” He smiled. “Just like with all relationships, right? It’s always about the woman’s mind.”
I smiled. “That’s a good point.”
“From what I understand you are from a high ranking Pteron family?”
I nodded. “Yes. I am the new patriarch of the Blackwells.”
He nodded appreciatively. “That’s a lot to offer a woman’s family. It could be quite the alliance.”
“Alliance?” I wasn’t planning on going down that road.
“Yes. Casey is my daughter. Being such you’d need to discuss the alliance with me.”
“Not to bring up old wounds, or not so old ones, but Casey is also Robert’s daughter.”
“Yes…. And if it’s easier for you then consider this an alliance with Casey’s mother’s family. She is my mate after all.”
“What kind of alliance were you looking for?” I wondered what it was he wanted. He had to have an agenda. Everyone has an agenda.
He brushed my questions aside. “We can discuss the details later.”
“What kind of ceremony is this going to be?”
“The official Clan Rights Ceremony. We’re welcoming Casey home.”
“Oh. That’s not bad.”
“No, although I should warn you, I’ll have to follow tradition.”
The fact that he was warning me couldn’t be a good thing. “And what kind of tradition are we talking?”
“Any of my men can petition her to be her mate.”
What? He couldn’t be serious. I guess the Mr. Nice guy act was over. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
He laughed. “She’s already chosen you, Toby. But that doesn’t mean the men can’t petition. Unless you are worried about her changing her mind, it will be over quick.”
“Did anyone warn her about this? I can’t imagine she’s going to love that kind of attention.” Casey didn’t enjoy being the center of attention at all.
“I’m sure her mother is preparing her.”
“You love Taliana.” I said it as a statement. I was just hoping for some more insight. They’d already explained more of what had happened with Robert. Although I was still desperate to better understand Tiffany’s motive. Hailey said Jared hadn’t explained much. I guess we’d have to wait to see him to get more answers.
“I’ve always loved her. I knew I wanted her as my mate from a very young age. Unlike with everyone else, the clan leader can claim a mate. I crossed my fingers I wouldn’t have to. And I didn’t. She willingly accepted my proposal.”
“It must have been hard when she left.” I couldn’t imagine, especially since she also took his daughter.
“It nearly broke me, but I knew in my heart she still loved me. I knew there had to be a reason, and now she has returned.”
“And you’ve gotten another daughter out of the deal.”
He laughed. “Indeed. I can’t wait to see Astrella, or Vera as she’s called now. I wonder if she remembers me at all.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.
“I understand none of this has been easy for her either. I hope I can help some.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate having some answers. Sometimes not knowing is the hardest part.”
“Wise words.” Gareth nodded. “What do you say we check on the women?”
“Sounds perfect.” I followed him back up the stairs.
***
Casey was dressed in a pale blue gown when I walked into the sitting area of Gareth’s house. It was the same room where we entered Casey’s subconscious. I had no clue what anyone else was wearing, because she was the only one I even noticed. I walked right over. “I love when you wear blue.”
“And that has nothing to do with it being your family color, does it?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe a little bit, but really it just looks good on you.”
“Don’t all colors look good on her?” Hailey decided to stir up trouble. I was beginning to see that she was really good at that.
“Of course, but blue brings out her eyes.”
“Oh, I see.” Hailey grinned. “Are you guys ready for the fun to start?”
“Of course,” I linked my arm with Casey before turning to Hailey. “Want my other arm, or is Eric coming?”
“I’m here.” Eric jogged into the room. I wondered what he’d been doing. He shot me a look that told me not to ask yet. That wasn’t good. That meant it was more likely trouble rather than him taking a long time to get ready.
“Gareth said to head over when you guys were ready. Did your mom already go?” I asked.
“Yeah. She seemed to be in a rush.” Casey leaned into me slightly. It was nice knowing she was doing it because she wanted to this time and not because she needed to. “Did Gareth say anything else to you?”
I considered how much to say. Keeping stuff from Casey was never a good idea, but I figured I could just stick to what was most important. “He said some guys might petition to be your mate.”
She grimaced. “Yeah, my mom warned me about that. I’m obviously not thrilled, but I assure you I won’t have to debate my answer.”
“Good, because I’d fight to the death for you.”
“You won’t have to.”
“But I would.”
“Ok, sappy alert.” Hailey rolled her eyes.
“I’m allowed to be sappy today. I’ve been through a lot.” Casey kissed my cheek.
“Okay, I’ll let you off the hook just this time.” Hailey smiled.
***
The ceremony was held outside in the space between the buildings. Strings of white lights were strung up through the trees creating an almost intimate feel despite the large numbers of people packed into the area. Someone was playing a guitar, but it was acoustic, and you could barely hear it over the chatter of the crowd.
Casey, Hailey, Eric, and I hung out together, but pretty much every male under the age of forty who didn’t have a woman with him was staring at Casey like she was meat. I sincerely hoped they didn’t all plan to petition her. That would make for a long night, and we didn’t have the time. We needed to get to New Orleans. Georgina was waiting for us, and we were all nervous about what was happening half-way across the world. Neither Jared nor Owen were picking up their phones, and as far as we knew Vera didn’t have one. Casey and Hailey were acting cool about things, but I could tell they were on edge. I was too, but I did my best to hide it. I still hadn’t had a chance to talk to Eric alone, but I assumed if it was really important he’d make sure it happened.
“Welcome everyone.” Gareth’s booming voice had everyone’s attention—including mine.
Cheering ensued until he started talking again. “Tonight is a wonderful night. It’s a night full of good news and celebration.”
I waited for more cheering, but there was none. It’s like everyone knew when it was appropriate to cheer and when it wasn’t.
“My mate, Taliana, has returned.”
The sounds that followed weren’t cheers, it was more like howling. Casey grabbed my hand, and I happily cradled hers in mine. It was all a little bit crazy, even by paranormal standards.
“Quiet.” One word out of Gareth had everyone silent. “Taliana did not return alone. She also brought home one of my daughters. I thought I only had one, but I have two.”
The yell-howls commenced again. This time we were ready for them. Hailey was grinning. I think she was getting a kick out of the whole thing.
“Both of my daughters of are of age and are not yet mated. As with tradition, anyone who would like to petition to be my daughter’s mate may do so, but the decision is hers and not mine to make.” He gestured to Casey. “Would you join me?”
Casey gave me a half smile before walking over to Gareth. She looked petrified.
“Yeah, Casey!” Hailey yelled. That had Casey laughing and relaxed.
“Go, Bates!” Eric yelled.
I figured it was my turn. “Make us all proud, baby!”
That comment got Gareth glaring at me. Oh well.
“Would anyone like to petition?”
A series of growls filled the night. I guess that was one way of showing interest. A crowd of men swarmed the area in front of Casey. Her face paled. Her nerves were back.
Gareth looked at Casey before whispering in her ear. She nodded.
“Because of the sheer number of interested men, Casey has asked me to screen you first. I will speak to each of you, and present her with the five most eligible.”
Five most eligible? Was this the bachelorette or something? I started to laugh but then saw Casey’s face and wiped it right off. She wasn’t enjoying herself at all. I wasn’t either, but at least I wasn’t the one being discussed by everyone.
Casey’s mom whispered something to her, and she smiled. She gave her mom a hug and walked over to me. “My mom says this could take a while and suggested we get out of here.”
“Really? Your mom is pretty cool.”
“She is, and I think she gets it.”
“Gets us?” I rested my hands on her waist.
“Yeah. She understands that this is all pretty silly. Gareth wanting to claim me as his daughter, whatever, been there done that.”
I laughed.
“But letting men petition to be my mate when I already know who I want?” She leaned in. “That’s a bit extreme.”
“So what should we do then?’ I was itching to get her alone, but I wanted her to be the one to suggest it.
“Mom suggested we walk down to the cove.”
“Sounds good to me.” I moved my hands from her waist, and instead took her hand in mine. There was so much going on, but for just one night I was ready to pretend things were calm.
“Have you seen Hailey?” She glanced around the crowd. “I’d feel bad ditching her.”
I would too, but not bad enough to give up my alone time with Casey. “Oh, I think she’s busy.” I smiled. She was surrounded by bears and by the way they were laughing she was clearly telling them a story.
Casey followed my gaze. “She’s literally the opposite of me.”
“Why? Because she’s so outgoing?”
“Outgoing, social, fearless.”
“Hey, you’re pretty fearless yourself.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“I assume Eric can take care of himself.” She bent down to fix her shoe. I’m sure she was ready to get out of the heels. Casey was definitely not the kind of girl who was into dressing up. I didn’t care because generally I was more concerned with getting her undressed. Besides, she looked gorgeous in everything and anything she wore.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about him. My guess is he feels right at home.”
“Right, because you feel right at home around different groups of Pterons.” She raised an eyebrow.
I laughed. “Ok, good point, but I bet he’s fine.” I did want to talk to him, but he’d made himself scarce. He’d find me if he really needed to talk.
She practically skipped as we moved down the dark path away from the buildings. She was lighter and freer than she’d been in ages, and I never wanted it to end. She needed to look and feel that way every day.
“Toby!” Eric’s loud voice had us both stopping in our tracks.
I turned around. “Yeah?”
“We need to talk.”
“You better not mean without me.” Casey put a hand on her hip.
“I want you to be here too.”
Casey relaxed. “Okay, say it.”
“We need to get Casey out of here.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“Why?” I asked immediately. “Have you heard something?”
He leaned in close to us. “Yes. There are Ursus and wolves on the way.”
“On their way here?” Casey’s voice went up real high the way it always did when she was nervous.
Eric nodded. “Like I said, we have to get you out of here. It makes sense that it’s Tiffany behind it. She has to know she’s not in control, right? I mean wouldn’t she sense it or something?”
“I was thinking the same thing, but I didn’t want to worry about it yet. Obviously I was wrong.” I figured it was time to come clean.
“Me too.” Casey looked down at the ground. “I just didn’t…” she trailed off as we noticed Gareth walking toward us on the path.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”
Couldn’t help it? He’d followed us into the woods.
“What do you think?” Casey was much more polite than I would have been. It was pretty creepy that he had followed us.
He seemed to think it over for a minute. “If Eric’s intel is to be trusted, and I assume it is.” He stared long and hard at Eric. “Then the only choice is to prepare a strong defense. This island is a fortress if it needs to be.”
“We can’t wait it out. We need to get Casey out of here.”
“Why?” Gareth set his gaze on me. “She’ll be as safe here as she’d be anywhere else.”
I shook my head. “There’s no place safer than The Society base in New Orleans. We need to get her there.”
“I don’t disagree that the base is safe, but what about on the way there? I know you are strong.” He looked between Eric and I. “Both of you, but that witch is strong too. We need to get this over with. We need to get rid of her. She’s angry. She’s going to be like a cornered animal, and there’s no way to predict her movements. She may be staging this attack just to lure Casey out.”
“I still don’t want to risk staying. We need to leave before Tiffany gets here.”
“You think she wants to get into my head again?” Casey asked nervously.
“Maybe, or maybe she’d kill you this time. Either way I can’t imagine she’d drop everything. Whatever her reasons are for this, she’s not going to go down without a fight.”
“Do you think she’s the same witch that hurt Mom?” Casey asked softly. “That she’s older than she looks?”
Gareth shrugged. “I do not know, but I do believe they are connected. Whoever used magic on your mom wanted you to be conceived. It is not surprising that she wants to use you now.”
“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt protecting me.”
Gareth closed the distance between us. “They will not only be protecting you, they will be protecting The Society. There is much at stake.”
“So what about the petitioning?” Eric asked.
I wanted to punch him.
Gareth smiled. “I think the men can wait. Besides, if she chooses her own mate before that, it might save us all time.”
“I’ll choose my own mate, but you made it sound pretty much required.” Casey looked anywhere but at Gareth.
“I can see how uncomfortable it made you. Your comfort and security come first.”
Casey glanced up at him. “Thanks. For once it’s nice to hear about the importance of my security.”
“It will always be important to me.”