Chapter 55

Gideon

After delivering my father’s orders to our fighters and guards, I returned to my rooms. I was exhausted, and honestly wanted nothing more than to soak in a hot bath and find my bed. It had been a long few days.

I was not granted a peaceful moment alone. Nora was waiting for me in the sitting room. She made a very pretty picture, perched on a velvet chair embroidering something delicate. I wished I had the energy to appreciate her presence.

She stood and curtsied when I entered.

“Gideon!” she cried, “I’m so glad you’re back.”

I dredged up a smile for her. I had to tell her that her best friend wasn’t coming back. I could at least make my presence pleasant before that.

“It is good to be home,” I said. “I hope you have not waited long.”

“I was too worried to go back to my rooms,” Nora admitted. “I hope you do not mind.”

“No, my home is your home,” I said.

Honestly, I valued my privacy and would have preferred to visit her on my own terms. But she was my mistress, and it was perfectly normal for her to wait for me here. I had promised to give her a chance.

So far, I had to admit she had been an exemplary mistress. So why did my mind linger on Clara? She was my brother’s fated mate. She was a scheming vixen, as well. I should be happy to have Nora instead.

I sat down on a chair nearby, and Nora returned to her seat. She set aside her embroidery. She chewed on her lip nervously. I could tell she was desperate to ask about Clara but did not want to pester me.

I took mercy on her and didn’t make her wait.

“I found Clara,” I said.

“You did! Is she all right? Did those beasts hurt her? Where is she? Is she with the healers?” Nora’s questions flowed from her like a dam burst.

“She appears to be in good health,” I said. “No one seems to have injured her.”

“You’re not certain?” Nora asked.

“I only briefly saw her,” I admitted. “But she showed no signs of being injured.”

“But that means she didn’t come back with you,” Nora said. “What happened?”

“I was captured by some rabble. A group calling themselves the Warren. They’re well named, too. They’ve got themselves a shelter dug into a mountain a few miles down the river. It’s a mix of vampires and Rogue wolves.”

“They captured you?” Nora gasped. “Did they hurt you? Oh, I’m so very sorry, I should have asked after you first, not Clara.”

“I am fine,” I insisted. “And I understand. You’ve known her your whole life. She’s your friend. Of course you ask after her first thing.”

The thing was, I did understand. If it was Jasper who had gone missing, I would be frantic for any hint of news about him. That’s why it was so hard to tell her the full truth.

“Clara is with them,” I continued. “They seem to have taken her in as one of them. I don’t know why, but they listened to her opinion and acted on her advice.”

“What?” Nora asked.

“That rabble,” I said, “put me on trial, as though I was a common criminal. I do think that if Clara had not interceded, they might have chosen to execute me.”

“And they listened to her?” Nora asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“And she stayed behind? With them?” Nora asked.

I nodded solemnly. “I asked her to come back with me. I explained that I was sure Marcus could soften Father towards her. She refused.”

Nora’s shoulders slumped. “She must be so afraid,” she whispered.

“She did not seem afraid of them,” I said, hoping to comfort her.

“No, she’s afraid to come back home,” Nora said.

“I suppose she must be,” I said. Well, it was better she believe her friend was a coward rather than a traitor.

“What do we do?” Nora asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I know that I would not be welcomed back there. And I swore that I would not lead anyone back there to harm the Warren. It was a condition of my release.”

“But we can’t just leave her there,” Nora wailed.

“I do not have a choice,” I said.

Nora covered her face, sobbing quietly. I rested my hand on her shoulder, and felt utterly useless. Some fated mate I was; I could not even properly comfort her when she lost her best friend.

There was a knock on the door. I answered it, and was surprised to see Marcus there. It had been years since he’d voluntarily sought me out in my own rooms. He preferred to ambush me in dark corners.

“I want you to tell me where this Warren is,” he said.

“I swore that I would not,” I protested.

“Hm. You swore not to lead enemies to attack them,” Marcus corrected me. He slipped past me and took a seat near Nora. “But I am not an enemy army. I am one man, looking for his fated mate.”

“You want to go after Clara?” Nora asked.

“I will go after Clara,” Marcus declared. “The question is whether or not my brother will help me. I am not the tracker he is; but I can guess a few things from his story. I am sure I can arrange to get myself found and captured if I wander around in the correct general direction.”

I sighed. Marcus would do it. He was as stubborn as our father and would not change his mind once it was set on a path.

“Will you help me, Brother?” Marcus asked me.

“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” I asked.

“No, you really don’t. She’s my mistress, my fated mate,” Marcus said.

“I understand,” I said. “I won’t try to dissuade you, then. But she might not be willing to return with you.”

Marcus sighed. “I was not the most attentive mate. I realize that now. I should have treasured her, as you do Nora. I’ll do better this time. I’m sure once she sees me, her wolf will insist she return where she belongs.”

I supposed there was a good chance of that. Our wolves held great sway over us. Nora might be able to ignore my offer to return, but she would not be able to refuse Marcus.

“I can take you there,” I said. “I can’t guarantee that they’ll allow us to see Clara, though.”

“I’ll convince them,” Marcus said.

“I can help,” Nora said. “I’ll come too. I am sure Clara would want to see me. And they might refuse a pair of werewolf princes entry, but I’m just a former maid. I’m no threat to anyone. They’d let me see her.”

“I don’t want to take you into danger,” I protested.

“It’s not a bad idea, though,” Marcus said. “And if Clara’s in one piece, Nora should be fine.”

“I don’t know, they want Clara with them for some reason. Nora won’t have that assurance,” I said.

“We can keep her safe, you and I together,” Marcus argued.

It warmed my heart, that Marcus wanted to fight alongside me for once. It had been a long time since he viewed me as a comrade rather than a rival. For that alone, I was willing to take the risk.

“Very well,” I said. “We will go, and we will retrieve your fated mate.”

“That rabble won’t know what hit them,” Marcus declared.