KnightForce Damian (La Patron's KnightForce Book 4) (24 page)

Chapter 33

Damian sat in the living area flipping through channels without seeing anything. Just when he thought he had the hang of how pack worked, he did something stupid that kicked him in the ass and put everyone in danger. No doubt Hawke and Asia were with La Patron right now trying to think of a way to clean up his mess.

I killed a woman and started a war just like a filch.

He shook his head, thoroughly disgusted with himself. He hadn't thought of the consequences or anything, he just went along, followed suggestions... and fucked up. Gem's scent reached him before he heard her. They hadn't had a civilized conversation since the wicked three blamed him for ruining everything after he tossed Agatha into the water.

Initially he blamed Gem, but it didn't take long to realize it wasn't her fault. The plan to save the child was solid, on the surface anyway. Raoul had been grateful. Ivona cried and apologized over and over for trying to kill him. They ignored the women who hurled curses at Daphne and Ivona as they got into their vehicles to leave. Raoul took his mate to another property Barticus owned after he understood the ramifications from saving the child. Everyone agreed it was best Ivona stayed away from full-bloods for the foreseeable future.

"Are you hungry?" Gem asked.

"No." His stomach growled in protest and he ignored it.

"You don't have to eat with me, I'll leave the food in the microwave. You can't starve your wolf."

He pressed the channel button on the remote and turned up the volume. A few moments later the aroma from her food increased his appetite. He stood, walked into the kitchen and took the plate from the microwave. When he closed it he noticed a note taped on the wall above it.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me. I miss you, Gem."

Unsure how he felt about the apology, he tried to dismiss it and couldn't. She'd apologized before, taking the blame for everything, which ticked him off. He was no pup led by a teat, he made his own decisions. But this simple note touched him because he missed her too. Leaving the kitchen, he returned to his seat.

"Can we talk?"

The last thing he wanted to do was talk about what happened, so he remained quiet and continued eating.

"I was wrong to implement Lamia's plan without discussing it with you. We've discussed the differences in our priorities and I made a bad call. La Patron and La Patroness forgave me; I'd like you to forgive me as well."

He looked at her over his shoulder. "You spoke with them? They were angry with you or blamed you?"

"No. She said she would've done the same thing, so did he, but they can make those decisions and if a war breaks out, it's okay because they're in charge, not me. That's why I apologized and offered to quit working at the clinic."

"What? Why? Why would you do that?"

Gem shrugged and he read the pain and sorrow in her eyes.

"Sounds like overkill if you ask me," he said, and continued eating.

"Glad I didn't ask you then," she snapped, and started laughing. "What are we doing? We made a mistake, a bad call, and instead of offering La Patron suggestions on how to fix things, we're pouting."

"I'm not pouting." He didn't look at her.

"No, of course not. I'm pouting because my feelings and pride is hurt. But I'm over it and ready to be proactive in finding a solution."

He grunted.

"Raoul called, he wanted to come over."

Damian stopped eating and looked at her. "What did you tell him?"

"To ask you."

He nodded. After everything that happened he wasn't up to dealing with a newly mated full-blood and his lying mate.

"He said you blocked him and he'd like to discuss some viable solutions." She paused. "So he contacted Lord Barticus, who will be contacting La Patron. And you know where I'm going with this, right?"

Damian scraped the plate with his fork and stood. "What time is he coming over?"

She glanced at her watch. "Any minute now. I left your blocker on the table so we can smell their lies through the BS."

He groaned, took the pill and rinsed his dishes before sticking them into the dishwasher. When he strode out the kitchen, Gem sat next to his spot on the sofa with the remote in his hand.

"Damian?
" La Patron called.

"
Sir?"

"Raoul and his mate believe they have a solution to this problem and ran it by Barticus. He thinks the plan could work, but they'll need your help. They are on their way to talk with you and the doctor. Let's get this settled so the two of you can return home."

"Yes, Sir.
" He sat next to Gem and took the remote.

"Hey, I had that." She reached for it.

He blocked her arm. "Just to aggravate me." He flipped to a reality show on survival.

Gem chuckled and pulled her legs beneath her. "Think he's bringing Ivona and Daphne?"

"Don't know or care, just want to get this over with."

"Humph, he's your best friend, this has to be hard on him. I bet he's thinking all kinds of curses on the Goddess for his mate. That woman can't speak the truth if she tried."

Damian glanced at her and nodded. "I'd rather be alone, without a mate, than have one I can't trust."

Gem nodded. "Or someone not in your corner when you need them, or who won't stand with you or for you... better to be alone."

He thought about what she said. "Not everyone finds their mates."

"I know. The odds are in my favor I won't ever be mated, at least I can have kids. Not having a family would suck, and that's something I plan to have one day." She looked at him. "You?"

"What?" He deliberately avoided looking at her.

"Plan to have a family?"

"I'm not sure I can have pups." He glanced at her. "I had lots of surgeries. Could be broken or something."

Gem nodded. "Your father must be a great man to have beaten the odds, eh?"

Damian smiled and then stopped as he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle.

"La Patron says they have an idea how to fix things and need our help, I hope whatever she wants is legal,
" Gem said.

Damian grunted and crossed his arms over his chest when he sensed three heartbeats. Raoul entered first, and held the door open for Ivona and Daphne, who waved shyly as she walked toward the chairs.

"Hi and thank you for saving my life, I appreciate it," she said with an open smile.

"Hi and you're welcome," Gem said.

Damian nodded. "No problem." He looked at a totally recovered Raoul, stood, and accepted the offered embrace.

"
Thank you for everything, I know it cost you to have my back and if you ever need me, I'm there. Brothers for life, man.
"

Until that moment, Damian hadn't thought of the underlying reason why he'd tossed Agatha into the water, it had been to protect Raoul's mate, his den. With that memory came a release of all the anger and self-doubt he'd experienced over his action. Slapping Raoul on the back he nodded.
"No problem, I got you."

Damian nodded at Ivona and re-took his seat. Raoul sat in the chair to the side, while Ivona and Daphne sat in the love seat. "What's the plan?" he asked.

Ivona exhaled, glanced at Raoul, and then back at Damian. "I'll take Agatha's place, fill the void. She was my aunt, my mother's sister." She cleared her throat and met Damian's gaze.

He shrugged. "Okay, take her place. Is there a problem?" There had to be, no way this could be as cut and dry as it sounded.

"My mom won't allow it," Daphne said with the certainty of a child who'd overheard too many adult conversations.

"Your mom is sitting next to you," Gem said.

Daphne looked at Ivona and then back at Gem. "That's my sister. My mom is Tara and she wants to take control of the coven."

"Should I push this issue, find out what's true?
" Gem asked him.

"In the long run, does it matter?"

"It could. If Tara's the child's mother, Ivona has no rights at all and I don't want to get caught in that web."

"Challenge her then,"
he said.

"Who's her mother, Ivona?" Gem asked, looking at the woman.

"I am, or at least I think I am. Mom and I each had a daughter around the same time, there's no records, but I've always believed she was my daughter even though mom claimed her. I think my sister died a few days after she was born, crib death. Mom swears Daph is hers and my child died, and has treated Daph like her own ever since." She looked at Daphne with love and sorrow. "So sorry you're caught up in all of this, Daph, but we'll get it all straightened out soon."

"
She really doesn't know
," Gem said.

"How can you be my mother and my sister, silly? Was Gordon from the Liege your father, too?" Daphne frowned at Ivona.

"No... not my father." Ivona glanced at Damian and then back at the child. "We'll talk about that later. Let's explain the plan first."

Daphne nodded.

"Gordon's your father?" Damian searched the child's face for a glimpse of his former mentor.

Daphne nodded. "Mom told me."

"Did you ever meet him?" Damian asked, watching her closely.

"Yes, a few times. He was polite but I don't think he was happy I was a girl. His sons died a long time ago."

"He talked about his sons? Or that he wasn't happy you were a girl?" Damian asked.

"No. Mom told me so I wouldn't be sad," she said.

"
Gordon could not have children. A disease from decades past left him sterile. Why is she lying? Why would her mother lie to her about this? About someone I hold in the highest regard?
" he asked Gem.

"The child's speaking the truth as she knows it."
Gem covered his hand while looking at Ivona. "Why do you need our help?"

"As Daphne said, mother won't allow me to just take Agatha's position, she wants it herself," Ivona said.

"Why not allow her to have it, and return to Florida. The high council simply wants the gatekeeper position filled," Gem said.

Ivona's mouth opened and then closed.

"No," Daphne said, drawing attention. "Ivona must take the position."

"Why? Gem asked, impressing Damian with her calm interrogation.

Daphne's face crumpled and she hid it behind her hands.

Gem waited a few seconds and looked at Damian. "Seems we've found a solution, Tara or Ivona will fill the gatekeeper position. Our work here is done."

"No, no, no, no," Daphne screamed, tapping her feet on the floor. "Ivona and Tara must battle for the position, they can't just take it. That's not the way it's done."

Silence filled the room at her outburst.

"
That sounded like a spoiled ten-year-old to me
," Damian said and tapped the recorder on his phone. "
Those women said Daphne trained with them, maybe she read it somewhere.
"

"Who told you the way it's done, Agatha?" Gem asked.

Daphne nodded but didn't look at them.

"Was she related to you, Ivona?" Damian asked.

"Yes, my mother's oldest sister. They didn't get along well and haven't spoken in years that I know of," Ivona said. Daphne covered her hand.

"I am so tired of this shit
," Damian said to Raoul. "
You brought them here for what? To keep lying?"

"What? No. Is she lying? Daphne? Ivona or both?"

"You're bullshitting me, right? Breathe deeply, engage your filter, search for the truth. If you can't smell through the lies, take one of Gem's blockers, it cuts through the shit they wrap their lies in,"
Damian said, ready to toss all of them out.

Raoul looked down and took several deep breaths. "Ivona, tell Damian what you want from him right now or leave."

She jerked around and stared at his bent head. "I'll take Agatha's place as gatekeeper and we need him to keep Tara away until the ceremony is over."

"No, he can't interfere like that. His Alpha nor mine would ever permit it. Now tell him what you truly want from him and the doctor, no more lies," Raoul said, his voice tight.

"Tara has to be destroyed, she wants to ruin the Coven and open the portal. If she's the gatekeeper she'll make all kinds of deals that go against her vows. She must be stopped."

"Stop her then," Gem said. "That falls under Witch's Coven business not the Wolf Nation."

"In our world if you're not strong enough to keep your position, you don't deserve it," Damian said.

"Oh, she's strong enough," Daphne said with a glimmer of joy radiating on her face. "Remember what she did to the almighty Wolf Nation."

Damian smiled. "Great, so she won't be needing us to fight her battles. I'll report to Lord Barticus and La Patron the matter has been solved. May the best witch win."