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  “Soren’s first version was a wee bit potent,” Callum said.

  “Wee bit?” Lachlan exclaimed. “It knocked me out for half a day.”

  “It was two hours,” Soren drolled.

  “We’ve been working on a more marketable formula,” Duncan added. “For Lycan consumption only, of course.”

  “But he’s also great with the crops,” Finlay said. “We haven’t had such a fine harvest in the past. The stuff he grows goes into our whiskey, so I’m hoping we’ll come out with a better brew in the next few years.”

  “You can grow plants?” Julianna asked.

  “Grow plants?” Soren scoffed. “Plants grow whenever they damned well please. I merely give them suggestions.”

  “You can control them, then?” Elise asked.

  “Something like that.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, isn’t there another subject we need to talk about? Like those mages that tried to kidnap you?”

  “This was why your Alpha wants an alliance, right?” Callum asked Julianna. “Those were the mages that attacked you?”

  She went pale, but nodded. “It was definitely them.” She relayed what she had heard the mages say, that they wanted to bargain them for the dagger.

  Duncan put the glass down, afraid it would crack in his grip. Those mages would pay for what they tried to do. It was a good thing they didn’t succeed in kidnapping Julianna, because he would have torn the world apart to get her back.

  “What I don’t understand,” Kirsten began. “Is how that mage flipped your car over. I thought mages could only use blood magic?”

  Elise looked puzzled. “I never thought to ask … but I do remember that mage who attacked Lucas and Adrianna at their first ascension ceremony. He could throw fire.” She looked uncomfortably at Julianna. “Only a blessed warlock could do that.”

  “The mage who attacked us today used telekinesis,” Reed said.

  “And he was definitely a mage. His skin was a pale gray color and his eyes were red,” Elise added. “From what I know from his appearance, he’s already fully transformed into mage, while the others are probably partially turned.”

  “It takes years for a witch to fully transform into a mage, right?” Julianna asked.

  “That’s what I don’t understand.” Elise’s brows crinkled. “Did mages find a way to gain power? Or take them from other blessed witches, like Stefan did?”

  “No.” Soren’s voice was hard as steel. “The mages have been recruiting blessed witches to their side and turning them.”

  All the color drained from Elise’s face. “How?”

  “How else?” Soren shrugged. “Promises of power or wealth. Or other things.”

  “I can’t believe blessed witches and warlocks could be bribed with things like that,” Elise said incredulously.

  “You’d be surprised.” The warlock stretched to full height. Though his expression didn’t change, his eyes turned cold, like shards of blue ice. “Of course, they have other methods of coercion.”

  An uncomfortable silence stretched across the room. Duncan knew the truth, of course, as did Callum, Finlay, and Lachlan. Soren came to them, not to look for a job, but for sanctuary. But that was his story to tell.

  “I think what we need to do is figure out how to protect the clan,” Callum said. “And prepare ourselves in case they come back.”

  “Good idea,” Julianna said. “But you don’t have to worry about the safety of your people, Alpha. The mages wanted us, and we’ll be leaving in the morning—”

  “What in God’s name are you saying?” Duncan burst out. In a split second, he crossed the room and was looming over her. “You’re not going anywhere, not while those mages are out there and they want to take you.”

  “Excuse me?” She shot to her feet and poked a finger in his chest. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “You’re my True Mate and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you.” Rage burned in his veins. Good.

  “I have a job to do, Duncan.” Her chin jutted out defiantly. “I won’t be terrorized into putting my life and duty on hold because a couple of mages attacked me.”

  “Are you daft, woman?” He grabbed her shoulders. “They could have killed you! You could be dead and I … No, I won’t allow it.”

  “You won’t allow it?” She shrugged his hands off. “You can’t tell me what to do. I have a duty to my clan and my Alpha. I’m headed to London tomorrow, and that’s that.”

  “Fine! I’m going with you,” he said smugly.

  “What?” she cried. “You can’t do that!”

  “And whyever not?”

  “Because … because you’re needed here!”

  “My father can spare me.” He looked at Callum, who gave him a nod.

  “Well …” Her eyes darted around. “You don’t have permission from the Alpha of London to come to his territory.”

  “We’ve had a close alliance with the London clan for over two hundred years, and our clans travel freely between the two territories,” he pointed out.

  Her lips pursed together, and she looked ready to burst. And she probably would have too, had his mother not stood up and put an arm around her to pull her back down. “It’s all right, Julianna. Duncan’s just being overprotective. His wolf will not give him peace until it’s sure the threats to you are gone. Please, let him accompany you.”

  She looked around, as if waiting for someone to defend her. When no one did, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. I’ll let you come.”

  As if he needed her approval. Nothing could have stopped him from going. “I’ll call His Grace and tell him to expect me.”

  Kirsten spoke up. “Why don’t we head back to the castle for some supper? Soren? Will you be joining us?”

  The warlock shook his head. “Thank you, but no, Lady Caelkirk.”

  Soren had never been to the castle; in fact, Duncan had never even seen him leave the grounds of the distillery.

  His mother brushed her hands together. “All right then, let’s be off.”

  As they all stood up to leave the office, Duncan remained where he was, observing Julianna, who seemed to be showing her displeasure by pretending he didn’t exist. But that didn’t bother him. No, definitely not, not when the only thing he could think about was how, for the first time, she didn’t deny she was his mate earlier.

  Progress.

  Chapter Eight

  There was a somber note in the air as they made their way to London. Julianna thought it was just her, but she could feel it coming from Reed and Elise too, from the moment they all met in the foyer, and until now, as they sat in the limo the Alpha of London had sent to pick them up at Heathrow. Yesterday’s attack only added to the tension, but they all knew this was the day all three of them had been dreading. The heavy feeling was looming over her again, threatening to consume her.

  If Duncan noticed the somber mood among them, he didn’t say anything. Maybe he just thought they were all in a tense mood because of the attack. Julianna ignored him, still furious that he would come. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Didn’t he realize he was putting himself in danger? Just remembering how he’d been nearly killed by the mages made that pit in her stomach grow. She didn’t want to see him like that again. And she didn’t want to be the cause of it. She had a target on her back, and she would be damned if anyone got hurt because of her.

  “We’re almost there,” Duncan announced.

  Reed’s expression darkened, and Elise’s hands gripped his tighter. Whatever she was feeling, he was probably feeling a hundred times worse. Though London looked different now than it did two hundred years ago, the countryside was pretty much the same, like the tree-lined road that led to the gates of the estate. Obviously, many things had been added and modernized, like the roundabouts they had passed, but that didn’t change the feeling in the air that told her this place was familiar.

  The wrought-iron gate swung open automatically as the limo drove them inside. Hun
tington Park was just as majestic as she remembered, like it had been frozen in time, albeit with a few differences. The flowers out front were purple, not red as they had been when they were last here. And of course, the road was paved now. The last time she had gone up in this road was in a horse-drawn carriage, bumping up and down on her seat as they lumbered toward the house.

  The limo stopped, and the driver came to their side to open the door. Duncan went out first. As if by silent agreement, the three remaining passengers didn’t move an inch.

  “At least it didn’t take us three hours in a coach to get here,” Julianna said wryly.

  That seemed to break the tension, and Reed’s shoulders relaxed. “There are some advantages to modern technology.”

  “Like toilets,” Elise added with a wrinkle of her nose.

  “Yeah, thank God. London doesn’t smell like shit anymore,” Julianna said, which prompted a chuckle from Elise and Reed.

  Duncan popped his head into the limo. “Are you plannin’ to stay in there all day?” he joked.

  “Just getting our bearings.” Reed exited first, then helped Elise out. Duncan held a hand out to Julianna, but she was still mad at him, so she ignored it and got out on her own.

  Back in 1820, there had been an army of maids and footmen to greet them when they arrived at Huntington Park. Now, when they walked up to the front, it was a single uniformed butler who greeted them as he opened the door and let them inside.

  “Duncan, glad to see you!” There was a man standing behind the butler, probably in his early thirties, with dark hair and blue eyes. “How long has it been?”

  “Too long, Oliver.” He took the man’s offered hand.

  “I was surprised when Father said you were coming as well.” Oliver released his hand. “But I’m glad to see you.”

  Duncan nodded in agreement. “Let me introduce you to our guests. Elise, Reed, Julianna, this is Oliver Griffiths, Marquess of Wakefield and the Alpha’s heir apparent.”

  Oliver winced at the formal titles. “It’s just Oliver, please.”

  As they were introduced, he shook hands with Reed and Elise, but stopped when he came face-to-face with Julianna. “Have we met before? You look familiar.”

  “Er, your Da must be waitin’ for us,” Duncan said quickly. “Should we go see him?”

  “Definitely. Let’s go to his study.”

  Though the outside hadn’t changed much, she could see that the interior had gone through some dramatic changes. It was inevitable, she supposed, as styles and tastes changed with the times and the different owners. They stopped outside the door that she remembered as the parlor. When they entered, she could see how much it had changed—it was more masculine, all brown leather and wood finishing, though the moldings and paneling were still all original.

  The older man who sat behind the desk stood up and walked over to them. “Ah, you made it. Welcome!” His smile was bright, and based on his resemblance to Oliver, this was probably his father, the Alpha of London. As he stopped in front of them, Julianna couldn’t help but notice that there was some resemblance to Reed as well. Maybe not exactly the facial features, but his air and stance reminded her of him. He shook hands with Duncan first, before turning to the others.

  “This is my father, Henry Griffiths, The Duke of Huntington, and Alpha of London,” Oliver began. “Allow me to introduce Mr. Reed Wakefield and his wife Elise, daughter of the San Francisco Alpha.”

  “Nice to meet you. Wakefield, huh? What a coincidence.”

  “Yes, a coincidence,” Reed said without missing a beat. “Thank you for allowing us into your territory, Alpha.” He bowed his head.

  “Most welcome.”

  “And this is Ms. Julianna Anderson, sister and envoy to the Alpha of New York.”

  “Ah, Ms. Anderson, nice to finally meet you.” He took her offered hand and shook it. “I appreciate that your Alpha thought I was important enough to send a personal envoy.”

  “Of course,” Julianna answered. “We want to make sure you know the gravity of the situation.”

  Henry’s expression became serious. “I’ve spoken with Callum, and he’s relayed to me what happened yesterday. And so—” The Alpha was interrupted by a knock on the door.

  “Excuse me, Your Grace, I—oh, I didn’t realize your guests had arrived.” The young woman standing in the doorway glanced around the room, her sharp eyes glossing over everyone, then stopping when they landed on Duncan. “Oh. Hello, Duncan.” Her ruby-painted lips curled into a smile.

  Julianna felt her wolf’s claws dig into her. Neither she nor her animal missed the familiar way the gorgeous blonde looked at Duncan.

  “Charity, you should meet our guests.” Henry motioned for her to come inside. “May I present Ms. Charity Pitt-Lane, my personal secretary, and also one of our clan members.”

  “How do you do?” she greeted in her posh accent. Although the Alpha introduced all of them one by one, she didn’t seem interested in any of them. However, her face immediately lit up when she came up to Duncan. “It’s been far too long, Duncan,” she purred. “Why don’t you visit more often?”

  “I didn’t know you’d been promoted,” was all Duncan said, his lips stretched into a thin line.

  She laughed and placed a hand on his arm, her fingers digging in. “I wasn’t going to stay assistant secretary forever, Duncan.”

  The way she kept saying his name over and over again made Julianna’s ears bleed, not to mention, want to tear Charity’s perfectly manicured nails off each dainty finger.

  “You’re probably tired from your trip, Ms. Anderson,” Henry began. “But if you’d like to chat now, we can iron out a few details regarding your Alpha’s proposal.”

  “I’m not too tired, the trip wasn’t too long,” she said. “And the sooner we get things going, the better.”

  “Excellent,” he said. “Charity, would you mind taking the rest of our guests to see Wadsworth? He’s had their things taken up, and he can show them their rooms.”

  “I’d like to start my research into my family too, if that’s possible,” Reed said. “Anything you can do to help would be appreciated.”

  “Charity knows Huntington Park like the back of her hand,” the Alpha said. “I’m sure she could help you with anything you need. Please assist them in any way possible.”

  Charity smoothed her hands down her pink, twinset jacket. “It will be my pleasure.” She walked toward the door, hips swaying. “Why don’t we leave them to their business and we can head upstairs?” Though she meant that for everyone, her eyes were fixed on Duncan.

  “I think I’ll stay,” Duncan began. “I’m sure—”

  “This is clan business.” Oliver’s tone wasn’t harsh, but it was firm. “London clan business.”

  “And we should get it out of the way,” Henry added. “I just have a few questions for Ms. Anderson. Shouldn’t take too long.”

  Duncan looked ready to protest, but nodded in deference. “Of course, Alpha. We’ll see you later.”

  “Let’s go, shall we?” Charity’s smile was bright as she waved them over, opening the door wide to let Elise and Reed through first. When Duncan walked by, she hooked her arm around his as they left.

  “Ms. Anderson?” The Alpha looked at her curiously. “Shall we continue?”

  Julianna uncurled her fists. “Alpha. I mean, yes. Let’s get down to business.”

  It was a good thing she was good at compartmentalizing because she was able to box her emotions as she began her meeting with the Alpha and his son. She pretty much repeated her spiel from when she spoke to Duncan, and since Henry had already spoken to Lucas and recently, Callum, he was already agreeable to an alliance.

  “We must all do our part to prevent them coming into power,” Henry said. “Our clan is not as large as yours, nor do we have your resources, but we can offer our help.”

  “The goal is to spread the word quickly, and make it easier to call on each other in times of trouble,” she said.
“Plus, we want to consolidate our knowledge. Maybe someone out there knows where the last artifact is or have some idea on how we can defeat the mages once and for all.”

  “Maybe there’s some information in the Royal Archives at the palace. I’ve heard they’re quite extensive.” Oliver said. “We could ask for access.”

  “The palace?” Julianna asked. “As in, Buckingham Palace?”

  Oliver laughed. “Of course. The Royal Family knows about our existence. It’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep our secret.”

  “You have powerful allies, too, right?” Henry pointed out.

  “True.” Julianna pursed her lips. “But not someone like the Queen of England. How did you manage that?”

  “Over two hundred years ago, my ancestor, the Earl of Winford, served in the British Army,” Henry explained. “He wasn’t our Alpha, but his son was—dreadful story about the previous Alpha, we can tell you another time if you’re interested—and one day, Lord Winford and his son were at a dinner where King William the fourth was honoring veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. There was an assassin present, and they saved the king by shifting into their Lycan forms.”

  “The crown was made aware of our existence, but only the current ruler, the Crown Prince or Princess, know the truth at any given time,” Oliver continued. “So, since 1835, the London clan has been an unofficial protector of the crown. My father serves as a Royal Adviser, as does another of our clan members, the Duke of Winterbourne. We even have several members serving as personal guard to the queen.”

  “Wow.” And Jeremy and William … well, Eleanor and the dowager must have been so proud of them for saving the king. “That’s amazing.”

  “Indeed.” Henry leaned back in his chair. “I’ll give Prince Alex a call. See what we can come up with.”

  “Our researchers would probably love to have access to anything they have.” She got up from her seat. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Anderson. Now,” he reached for the phone on his desk. “I have some things to attend to, but Oliver can show you to your room. We have dinner at seven, and drinks in the library at half past six.”