Page 52 of Dimitri

Italy? I was possibly going to Italy? I checked in with Caspian and found him still sleeping, which was a relief. I knew my emotions were running around, and the last thing I wanted to do was cause my not-quite-well mate to worry.

“There is nothing, Master Edison,” said Marcello. “The help of your enforcers to search and watch out for them is more than enough. If our coven was larger, we wouldn’t ask even that. As it is, we cannot do everything and ask for that assistance so wecan get this matter taken care of quickly.” Marcello looked over at Master Ambrosius. “The quicker this is solved, the sooner you no longer have to deal with any of us.” He sighed. “Or even acknowledge our existence.”

I couldn’t help but wonder about the entire situation. What had caused them to go the path they chose? Did they decide, or was it decided for them?

“And the other news?” Master Edison asked.

Marcello nodded. “Yes. We have discovered that Rocco had a business partner that nobody knew of. We are looking into it further, but there is confusion as to whether it was someone in his own coven or if they were the scapegoat in that entire situation. We hope to know more about that by the end of the week.”

“Very well,” Master Edison said. “Anything else?” he added after a few minutes.

“No, Master Edison. That is unfortunately all of the news I have for you at the moment. I need to get back to Italy at the earliest convenience in order to help Master Vittone with the entire situation as much as possible. I will be available to discuss things more if needed though,” he said.

Master Edison nodded before he looked toward the doorway. “Atticus will take you back to Italy. If you need anything or discover something vital, you have my number.”

“Of course.”

The pair left the meeting, and after the door clicked shut behind them, Master Edison waited only a moment before he turned back toward the rest of the room.

“To get right to it, we need to go to Italy. I understand and realize there are a few of you in here who might not wish to leave at the moment. That won’t be held against you if you choose to stay behind at the moment,” he said.

I covertly glanced around, knowing full well that I was one of them that they were referring to. My dragon was torn. We were here to help others. This was what I’d joined the council for. But at the same time, Caspian was pregnant, and his body didn’t seem to be responding well to the pregnancy. But I had Dedushka and Yéye here. And now, Caspian had his own parents here. They could all help watch after my mate if needed. Was this something I could do though? A month ago, I thought without a doubt I was ready to go out on assignment, and I was. Now? I wasn’t so sure.

“Your aura is one of someone who is struggling with conflict. I imagine it’s about Caspian and the upcoming assignment?” Benjamin asked.

I nodded. “How did you do it?”

He held up a finger, and I nodded. It could wait.

“We will be going to Italy in rotation. There will be two teams there starting tomorrow. After three days, another two teams will join, and the first two teams will stay an additional two days before returning for five days. It will be five-day rotations. Five days out, five days back. If it goes beyond ten days, a third set of teams will be sent. Any questions?”

“Where will we be staying?” someone asked. “And how do we know we can trust the vampires? They’re not exactly known for being the good guys.”

“You don’t trust them,” Master Ambrosius said from his position against the wall. “Make sure you are never alone with any of them. Vittone knows I will personally remove his head if he harms one of our enforcers, but that doesn’t mean he cares enough to watch out for any of you. Go into this assignment as if everyone except your fellow enforcers is an enemy.”

That sounded…stressful. It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I’d seen a whole lot worse in my lifetime. That didn’t mean I wanted to continue to endure such things.

There was some quiet talking among the enforcers, and when I looked up at Master Edison, I found him staring our way. I wasn’t going to back out of my assignment. It was frustrating that I had spent so long just waiting to go anywhere, and now I was finally getting to. Now that I was mated and we had a baby on the way. It was incredibly vexing.

“Any other questions? It is always wise to take what Ambrosius has said to heart. Make it a rule. Even if you are only visiting a pack or den within the States here, make sure you are always on guard. That pack beta or den enforcer could seem like the friendliest person out there and the most helpful, but sometimes they have gotten so good at being deceiving that even we cannot pick up on it and are duped,” Master Edison told us.

“Do we know which teams will be going first and which are going second?” Benjamin asked.

“Yes,” Master Edison said. “Your team, Benjamin, is scheduled to leave in four days’ time. You will travel with Augustus’s team. Atticus’s team will be leaving tomorrow, as will Frederick’s. The other teams, if needed, will be Damien’s, as well as Sebastian’s. Warwick’s and Carrington’s will be on other assignments.”

“Is Warwick back, then?” Benjamin asked.

“Not yet, but the rest of his team is available, and Dion has offered to come back and take the lead on that if and when needed. Also, everyone will have a new team member. We will be adding a fae to each team, and the hope is that you all will play nice and help guide them through these first few assignments. This isn’t necessarily the best time to throw them in, but we’re not given much choice. We had hoped they would be able to get a few more outings with fewer possibilities, but we need more than one who is able to utilize magical powers. We will be introducing you all to your new team members throughout the day. Anyone have other questions?” Master Edison lookedaround the room, and when nobody spoke up, he nodded. “Very well. Please don’t wander far. We will be doing briefings for each team shortly.”

“If Atticus’s and Frederick’s teams would stay, we will get right on their briefing,” Dedushka said. The rest of us stood, and as we were leaving, we all noticed the new faces standing on the other side of the hallway, leaning against the wall. It had to be uncomfortable being new and from a completely different realm. I’d been new not too terribly long ago, and although I hadn’t traveled nearly as far, I had spent a good deal of time feeling like an outsider. It hadn’t taken long for me to understand that my fellow enforcers didn’t know what to make of me. I was the created dragon’s grandson, and nobody wanted to upset Dedushka.

I followed Benjamin, Raiden, and Briggs back to our office and found it already occupied by a familiar face.

“Father?” Benjamin said.

“This is Felix,” Rainier told us. “He will be joining your team, at least for the next few months. Please be kind.”

Briggs snorted, which earned him a glare from the older warlock. I couldn’t help but chuckle, and Rainier had no issues with turning those narrowed eyes my way. He then sighed as he looked at Benjamin. “Please keep your team members in line, Benjamin.”

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