Chapter 8

Lysander grumbled as he opened the door to the townhouse. It had been raining most of the night, but just recently it had come downpour followed by a severe thunderstorm. They had been watching the weather to see if their families would need to be escorted to the safe houses but the weathermen promised them it would be brief. For September, it wasn't brief.

With the clap of thunder, he opened the door then tried to slam it once again. With an explosion that rocked the door on its hinges, Lysander flew backwards with the force of it. On the other side, Austin looked at Paycen with a mixture of shock and approval.

"Since when have you been able to do that?" he asked.

Paycen rolled his shoulders. "I thought about it so I did it. It was simply a healing burst."

"Seemed more like a power burst to me." Austin walked into the room and looked down at the man scrambling to get up. "Sorry, Lysander, but the man down at the front desk wouldn't let us up. Something about the storm being too dangerous."

"There's a reason for that," Lysander replied as he got to his feet. He rolled his head. "Did you really have to hit me that hard?"

"Don't ever slam a door in my face," Paycen stated as he sank down in a chair by the fireplace.

"What's the reason you had us locked out?" Emery asked as he took a seat beside his friend.

Lysander made a face then did the dumbest thing he could have done. He pointed directly at Austin. "Have you looked at your leader recently? There are visible arcs of electricity flying around him."

Everyone looked at Austin. He looked down at himself, finally realizing what they said was true. Electricity skimmed over his skin but didn't burn him. He could feel its warmth and hear the crackle in his ears. He had always been a ball of energy when there was a storm so he wasn't surprised by anything anymore.

A door to the left opened and two gentlemen stepped out. One was wearing casual clothing, jeans and a black t-shirt, while the other wore khakis and a button up white shirt. Both were barefoot and had dark hair that fell into golden eyes.

Bryony gasped at their appearance, garnering their attention. She couldn't have helped it even if she tried. There was something about them that was so…canine. As she looked at them, she could see wolfish features on both of them.

Cautious due to Bryony's outburst, Austin stepped forward. He gripped her head and turned her eyes down towards their knees. Then he canted his own to the middle to avoid direct eye contact and thus a possible fight to the death and held out his hand.

"It's good to see you again, my friends," he said as he shook each hand. Those eyes never made it past their shoulders.

"Good to see you as well, Austin of the Silver Court," said the casually dressed man. "How is your Queen?"

"She is well. You will be pleased to hear that she is expecting her second child in a few short months. Her husband refuses to allow her out of his sight."

The other man laughed. "A man after my own heart. I agree with that, although your Queen would have my head for it. That is a thought I do not wish to entertain for more than a moment."

His eyes skimmed the room, finally resting on the young woman in their midst. "Who is the young maid you have brought with you this time?" Austin shifted closer to her unknowingly, causing an even more predatory smile to come upon his host's face. "I do not wish to harm your mate, Austin. I merely wish to hear her name so I can commit it to memory for the next time I see her."

Austin shared brief looks with Paycen and Emery. All of them were ones of shock, but they soon disappeared as he turned towards the woman. He kept the two hulking men in his sights. "Bryony, this is Berlin and Cologne Manchestor, Lords of the Moon Chosen. They are the second and third highest ranked werewolves- for lack of better term- in the Americas. Col, Lin, this is Bryony Parker."

The one casually dressed walked forward and lifted Bryony's hand. He kept his eye on Austin as he kissed it. "My Lady, I am Cologne Manchestor. The other man is my older twin Berlin. You may call us Col and Lin. As Austin has said, we are the Lords of the Moon Chosen, or Wolf Masters."

"What does that mean?" she asked. Her voice was stronger than she had thought it would be, but she was happy it didn't shake like her hands were doing.

"It means, my dear girl, that my brother and I rule the territory east of the Mississippi River claimed by what you would call werewolves," Lin replied. He hit his brother on the shoulder when he didn't drop her hand. "No need to be fresh, Col. What would your wife think?"

Bryony paled. "You have a wife?"

Col smiled wolfishly. "Actually she's my mate, but if the word wife makes more sense, then she's my wife."

Austin rolled his eyes. "This is why we don't bring people here. You always hit on them."

The other man lifted his eyes to look at him. "What about you, playboy? Don't think I haven't seen you with beautiful women before."

The air in the room crackled dangerously. Lysander stepped closer to the brothers but there wasn't much they could do. If they came in contact with Austin, there was a possibility he could send them into the Change. Electricity and shape shifters didn't really go hand in hand. Col and Lin could withstand it, but Lysander was at its mercy.

Calming down a little, Austin shook his body to get the anger out of his system. He couldn't afford to lose control with Bryony this close. If he accidentally caused the wolves to change, it could be dangerous for everyone. Nothing was more dangerous than a scared and injured werewolf.

Lin watched with fascination as the once loaded cannon of the Queen's Court calmed himself of his own free will. Normally it would take his twin to do the task but something about the woman with him was the calming agent. Was their previous bickering actually the truth? Was this woman Austin Somme's mate and he didn't know it?

"Why don't you sit in front of the fire? Lysander, have Dena bring our guests some refreshments," he said as he moved towards the recliner by the fire.

Once the others were settled on the chairs, he leaned back. "There must be a reason why you are here, Austin."

Austin nodded. "There is. Bryony is being targeted by a mob that is in turn being controlled by the Atlanteans. We know her brother is being hunted by the mob because he hasn't paid his fine. If they get their hands on her, she will be questioned, possibly tortured and that's the least of her worries. If they turn her over to the Atlanteans, she could be forced to become a bloodmonger. I don't want that to happen."

"Is the reason because she is your mate?" Col asked just as soon as Dena walked in with a silver cart. The woman gasped at the sight of Austin and suddenly turned scarlet. She immediately excused herself, giving Col time to turn an amused look his way. "One of your many conquests?"

"Col, leave our guests be. They have come to our home for aid. We do not antagonize our guests," Lin countered seconds before Austin lost his temper. Col brushed him off and stared into the fire. "We have been keeping a close eye on the Atlanteans. So far they haven't made a move outside their boundaries. If this is as you say, then the council needs to hear about it."

Paycen snorted, effectively drawing the eyes of both brothers. He didn't seem to care at all though. "The council is a sham. They said they were going to make it so their people were taken care of. Since we've been involved, we've seen what they've done. The two of you have done far more for the entirety of our realm than they have. I have more respect for you than I do for them."

Lin smiled. "Coming from you that is a great compliment, Healer. I also hold a high respect for you since you saved my daughter's life."

For the first time since she'd met him, Bryony saw pain fly across Paycen's face. This was what they had been discussing about Paycen. From what she could see, the twenty year old was tough and compassionate at the same time.

"How is the child?" Paycen asked.

"She is well but sorely missing her mother. You know how hard it is for us to conceive. When Kodaka and I did, we were so excited. Then came the attack on us and she was shot. I thought I would lose them both, but thanks to you I have my daughter even though I lost my wife. I will never forget that."

Lin shook his head. "I can spare you two of my men. I would accompany you myself but I must remain here with Rayna. Lysander and Alex will accompany you. I will warn you. Bringing two Moon Chosen into the home of the Atlanteans will cause problems."

"We've been having problems long before we formed the alliance with you, Lin," Austin said as he rose from his chair.

"As have we. It is common knowledge vampires and werewolves hate each other. I have only seen them unite under one banner but that was many centuries ago." He turned his head when Lysander and Alex both returned. "When this is over, I trust you will return my men."

Austin nodded. "Yes, you can hold me to my word. Also Aiden is planning on having a Consulate with her allies after her child is born. You will need to be in attendance or she might hunt you down."

Col barked out a laugh. "Are you ordering us around, human?"

The smile on the young man's face was one of annoyance but he wisely kept it from his voice.

"Not at all. I'm just telling you what Aiden herself has said. You know how different a Hunter she is."

Lin nodded. "I am well acquainted with the way the woman thinks and works. Other than her grandmother, she is the only person I am truly nervous around."

Austin shook his head. "I understand all too well. But we must be going. We need to get this over before daylight."

He bowed regally, right hand sweeping to frame his belly. When he straightened there was a smirk on his face. He wrapped his hand around Bryony's elbow and pulled her to her feet. He led the way out of the penthouse, carefully aware that the two wolves were behind him.

Paycen slid in beside him. He tapped on Austin's mind gently. 'Where are we going, Boss?'

'We're going to see Jacq. We'll see what the bastard's been hiding and why he's after Bryony,' Austin replied as they stepped in the elevator.

'I suggest we take Bryony to your house and keep her there until this is over. I'll stay with her,' Emery piped up.

'Very well. You can take her to my place while we run recon with the vamps. We'll fill you in when we get back.'

They left the elevator and headed straight out into the rain once again, Austin's skin crackling immediately. Bryony followed close behind him marveling at how nothing bothered his skin. Who was he? Because this wasn't the man she knew in high school.