Page 23 of Her Eternal Mate

“But that’s on such short notice!” Alexis protested.

“Madam, I do not decide upon these timings. I am merely the messenger. If you have any questions, you may register them with me, and I shall convey your official message to the Order. But I must warn you, failure to appear in front of the Clandestine Court will result in imprisonment as well as a heavy fine.”

“Will, can you believe the nerve of this guy? He fucking barges in, demands us to show up at some looney-tunes court, and then threatens to imprison us if we’re not cooperative?” Alexis turned to Rogelio and lifted her fist. “What if I make it impossible for you to go back to convey your message? Will they still imprison us?”

Rogelio moved so fast that even I couldn’t completely register what had happened. He disappeared from in front of Alexis and teleported behind her. His cane had turned into a long sword that he was pointing at Alexis. I had to act just as quickly to disarm him and throw his sword on the ground.

Then, I lifted it and handed it back to him.

“Alexis, we’re not harming the emissary,” I said, pulling her behind me. “And I must warn you, Rogelio, not to take up arms against the Alpha wolf and his mate in their house. It won’t go well for you.”

“I was attacked first by the madam,” Rogelio said, taking his sword and turning it back into a cane in one magical swish.

“She doesn’t know what the Clandestine Order is. Forgive her. Let this not come up as a charge against us in the Court,” I said.

“Will, what the fuck is happening? Is this even a real thing? How can you let this random ass guy…”?

I lifted my finger to my lips. That stopped her from speaking further. Then I turned to Rogelio and quizzically raised my eye.

“I will overlook this slight against me, but only because your mate was unaware of the existence of the Clandestine Order. I understand that sometimes there is a confusion that can cause people to lash out,” he said matter-of-factly.

“May I inquire as to what the charges against us are?” I asked. It was not without reason that the Clandestine Order summoned someone. This Order comprised all kinds of beings—werewolves, vampires, fairies, ghouls, wizards, and whomever else was important and powerful with a large enough demographic to warrant a governing body.

“The charges against you are,” Rogelio said, taking out a scroll from his coat and reading it, “disruption of the peaceful coexistence of beings in the county of Fiddler’s Green, threatening the lives of other fantastical beings such as vampires, witches, gnomes, ghouls, and the fae folk. As per the Order’s diction, your warmongering in these parts has resulted in the disruption of the balance that exists between all beings, including human beings. Do you deny these charges?”

Now it was my turn to be angry. If the Order were really as omniscient as I’d been led to believe, they’d have overseen what was happening. They would have taken notice of the vampires and the chaos they had bred in the form of their militaristic control of the town for the sake of their smuggling. They must have seen what Blair had been doing all along. Worse, they must have been aware of the Occultist Edward Beckett and his inhuman experiments. In all this time, they had done nothing and had remained “clandestine.” And now they had the gall to come here and paint me guilty.

“I deny the charges. In fact, I have a good mind to show up tomorrow at the Court and inquire as to how they dare to charge me with a crime when all the fault lies with those who have wronged me!” I stated.

“And yet you’ve been at the center of all those occurrences. So whose fault is it? Yours or theirs?”

“Theirs!” Alexis came to my side. “How can the Order be so blind to what has been happening here?”

“Very well,” Rogelio said. “Then, for the laws that you have broken and the crimes you have committed, Wilhelm Grimm and Alexis Richards shall appear before the Clandestine Court tomorrow. Good day to you both.”

I watched as Rogelio bowed to both of us and left through the door. When I went after him to see where he had gone, he was not there, leaving me standing there alone, trapped in a state of indecision.

On the one hand, I had to care for the pack, especially now that the soldiers had suddenly popped out of nowhere. No one was safe, at least not while the soldiers were running around. Blair had to be taken down. His army needed to be controlled. Both those things were extremely imminent. The more I’d delay them, the more casualties would be on my hands. At this critical juncture, the thought of going away for a day to answer the Clandestine Court made me feel as if the rug had been pulled from under me.

And on the other hand, the Clandestine Order was an organization that commanded respect and authority over all of North America, not just the United States. If a Wendigo crossed the border from Canada to America, they knew of it. If some bruja attacked a bunch of innocent people in Mexico, they saw to it that the bruja was contained. And yet, despite all of their control and authority, they had seemingly ignored this town and the events that had taken place here for the past seventy years. Going to them tomorrow would not only be a chance for me and Alexis to clear our names but also an opportunity for me to find out why they had been so lacking in their diligence in this part of the country.

“Will,” Alexis’s hand touched my shoulder gently and pulled me back inside the house.

“What do I do?” I asked her. It was not out of a lack of confidence that I was asking her; it was because she was my better half and knew me better than I knew myself. She’d know the right answer.

“We’re innocent—both of us. The first thing we do is clear our names. Meanwhile, the pack is already on high alert after the recent attack. They’re rebuilding the wall, circling the perimeter, and going on scouting missions to find out more soldiers. I believe that we can delegate the role of temporary leadership to Vince while we’re in New York. We have to trust in him to do the right thing. He’s proven himself to be very mature and present-minded.”

I looked at her lovingly and placed my palm under her chin. Then I reached down to kiss her while embracing her body.

“I’m sorry that we got into an argument earlier,” I said. “It was never my intention to hurt you.”

“And you haven’t hurt me in a long time, Will. I am so proud of you. You know, I’m glad about that little squabble that we had. Neither of us resorted to screaming or raging. We talked it out. It was rational. Do you remember when you first came to me? How quickly you’d give in to rage? And now look at you, you’re like so contained and calm, it’s remarkable. You have come a long way, and I’m just so happy that you’re my mate,” she said, hugging me back. “We’re good. No apologies needed whatsoever.”

It was as if I had stepped into an oasis in a desert. In Alexis’s company, I felt strong, sure, and comforted. Outside of that oasis, Blair lurked with his soldiers, and the Clandestine Order loomed from on high, and just as I had felt the first day after securing my freedom, the danger was everywhere. But it was not in here, not in this safe space with Alexis next to me.

“Well, I believe we’re heading for New York then,” I said, breaking free from the long embrace.

“Not so fast,” Alexis said, then pulled me closer by hooking her finger on my belt. I looked at her, eyebrows raised, and she nodded slowly, seductively.

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