Page 79 of Immortal Burden

“The very one.”

“This whole thing concerning him goes deeper than even this, because I’ve never actually encountered him or his pack in my entire tenure as Guardian. I only know of him by reputation.” I thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, there’s actually nothing on him in the Guardian Archives. I would’ve recognized him from his file photo otherwise.”

“You believe Cornelius went to incredible lengths to keep you away from him?”

“Not me. Mia. She was linked to me through our relationship for many years, so me coming into contact with him would’ve been viewed as a major risk.”

Lucian frowned in thought. “Cornelius thinks highly of the wolf species as a whole and he recognizes their importance, so this issue with Jaxon Silver is about him personally. Something about him that has even had him keeping Jaxon out of this alliance—Covenant—that’s clearly viewed as vitally important to him for dealing with Draco.”

“You’ve obviously encountered him. You were familiar with him in that plane.”

“We’ve crossed paths, yes.”

“And?”

“And to say he is not fond of me would be a gross understatement.”

“Why?”

“Regrettably, we don’t have time to venture down that road.”

“Regrettably, huh? It looks like that’s the last thing you want to be discussing.”

“Yet, I will. For you. Complete transparency was my promise to you. I will tell you every detail once we deal with the immediate situation.” He rose from the couch. “We need to consult with Mia. Before I intervened in the Immortal’s attack on you, Mia had vowed to reveal everything she knew about the Covenant and Cornelius’ intentions for us all. She’s been avoiding me since, buying time, perhaps. After what just happened, we’re beyond that now.”

I pushed to my feet alongside him. “Time for the truth,” I agreed. “At long last.”

Shoving a hand through my hair, I took a beat, then shifted my weight and snapped my palms down, my green fire sparking to life on each.

I tested its potency and stability for a few moments. “All right, we’re good to go.”

In the next moment, he clasped my hand and I enveloped us in teleportation.

We rematerialized at the forefront of Mia’s estate, the old stone façade and the actual turrets she’d had put in really giving off a literal castle vibe. It was a jarring contrast to the ultra-modern, sleek and sophisticated interior. It was just one insight into the struggle of the conflicting elements of her personality.

“You don’t believe it would’ve been prudent to call ahead?” Lucian asked. “Given the nature and the violation of what we just experienced, she might not be very receptive to visitors.”

“If we’d simply called, or warned her we were coming, she’d have the chance to avoid it, letting yet more time go by with all these secrets and corresponding painful consequences screwing all of us over.”

“Perhaps you need to take a few moments before coming face-to-face with her,” he said, giving me a look.

I held up my hands. “Sorry, that intensity just crept up on me. It’s just… if she’d only told me the truth sooner when this had all started, we could have avoided so much bullshit, we could’ve been prepared.”

“And the two of you would still be together.”

I started. “What? No.”

He frowned. “It was this secret that tore you apart, yes? Her refusal to tell you and her decision to push you away instead?”

“It’s Mia Snow we’re talking about. She would’ve found another reason to push me away.”

“Perhaps.”

“Lucian, can we not? We need to focus. If you really need to, we can get into it all later.”

“With the revelation about this Covenant and our roles in it, what occurred between the four of us within the phantasmal plane, our respective relationship to her and one another needs to be taken into account during the discussion we’re about to have. It’s vital, in fact.”

I winced.

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