[Trent]“I concur with Alpha Trent. Had I any knowledge of a warlock in the area, I would have taken proper precautions,” Victor added. “Thank you, Master Nightshade.” Rhett scanned the room, his gaze stopping at each supernatural being in turn. “I understand that you all have questions, but I would like to begin by saying that I am here because there is a great danger looming over all of us.”“What danger?” Talia asked, her voice laced with suspicion.“A darkness is coming, one that threatens to destroy us all,” Rhett replied gravely.Queen Maeve scoffed. “And you expect us to believe that you, a warlock, are the only one who can stop this supposed darkness?”Rhett raised an eyebrow. “I never said that I was the only one who could stop it, merely that the darkness is coming. I warned Alpha Trent about it almost a month ago and he promised to apprise you all of the situation.” “Which I did. Rhett, you said you think the darkness has a connection to the people who have been trying to get supernaturals to join their community. You also said that the darkness might grow too large for you to stop it. What do you propose we do to help?” I asked. He paused for a moment, appearing deep in thought. As with the last time we met with him, once it turned to business, Rhett was serious. He seemed to be really thinking it over. “Umm... I’m sorry to bother you...” Billie said. We all turned to look at her. Dennis was standing with a hand on her arm. Billie looked like she was determined, though. “What is it, Sybil?” Victor asked. “I was approached by someone. He told me he had a community where I would be cared for, a safe place to sleep, and all the blood I could need. It reminded me of a word, but I didn’t figure it out until a few days ago. It was like a cult. “He pointed out the things he thought were wrong or upsetting in my life, then told me how he could make it better. He said that they needed more vampires and that I was a very important person to them. I didn’t see how I could be important to someone who didn’t know me. “Though I was tempted, because I thought I was a burden on Dennis, I didn’t go with him and told him to leave me alone. He said he hangs around the bars and clubs at night looking for more people to join,” Billie reported. “You’re never a burden on me, Sybil. Don’t try to leave me, okay?” Dennis said softly enough that the witches couldn’t hear, but the rest of us could. “I won’t. I wouldn’t have gone with him. If you hadn’t believed me, I would have asked Master Nightshade to place me with another vampire. Dennis, I didn’t want to hurt you more,” she murmured, turning to him. “Losing you would have hurt me far more than keeping you near me,” he replied. Talia raised her hand. “I was propositioned by one of these people as well. He said their leader was a very old fae and the community didn’t believe in the goddess. I think they meant that they didn’t believe in her plan more than they didn’t believe in her existence. He also told me they were looking for more vampires.” A few of our people reported being approached, but their information was more like someone inviting them to a club, not a cult. They never said the person who approached them was looking for anything specific. I looked over at Queen Maeve. She was frowning. Vines were coming from her wrists and twining with the vines coming from Queen Ivy and Prince Rosario’s wrists. I wondered what that was about. Back in May, when we fought the hunters, I saw what those vines could do. They grew dagger-like thorns and acted almost like sentient whips attached to the bodies of the people who controlled them. Could they facilitate telepathic conversation like our pack bond did?“If we can pay attention to me, now,” Rhett said. “I believe, if we can find this darkness before it becomes too great, I can absorb it-”Saleh quickly cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “You assume too much,” she said, her voice icy and full of thinly veiled contempt. “It’s clear that you’re manipulating us all in an attempt to make yourself more powerful. And yet, no one seems to be questioning it.” She looked around the room as her gaze swept across every face present with a piercing scowl. “We are not puppets for you to move around as you please.” “I assure you, Saleh, that I am not trying to manipulate anyone. I am simply trying to prevent a catastrophic event from occurring. But if you believe that I am lying, then by all means, let us find another solution.” Rhett’s tone was cool and calculating, almost as if he was daring Saleh to challenge him further.“I think we should hear Rhett out,” I spoke up. “He told us that he only sought the power he has to gain his freedom. At some point, power begets responsibility. That’s not the kind of person he is. I can smell a lie and Rhett has never lied to me.” They all turned to look at me. I was the Alpha of my pack and they had no reason to doubt me. No Alpha would help create something that could threaten their pack for any reason. I didn’t believe that Rhett was a threat to us, either. The way he spoke about wanting his freedom made me think that he had suffered more than he let on in his life as a human. I knew he was a hunter in that life, but I couldn’t imagine what would make a hunter accept a dark spirit’s deal when it had nothing to do with killing supernaturals. “Thank you, Alpha Trent,” Rhett said with a small bow. “If it grows too large, there is a darkness greater than my own that could potentially take it out....” He was talking about Harmony. I looked at Victor, who seemed intrigued. Rhett had, apparently, not approached him, even though Victor was Harmony’s brother-in-law. “We would need to speak with Harmony Aconitum,” he finished.Victor nodded and pulled out his phone. I knew he was calling Echo in to help get Harmony there fast. Rhett was trying to hide his smile. I knew he hadn’t approached Harmony yet because she would have told me. As a member of my pack, she knew she could come to me with anything and an irritating warlock was something she would have definitely come to me with.A few minutes after Victor hung up, Echo appeared with her sister. They were mirror image twins and almost identical, except that Echo’s stronger vampire blood made her skin paler and her hair darker, plus her eyes had a ring of green that was similar to the green of Marius’ eyes. Harmony had a natural tan and dark brown hair. Her eyes were the same hazel as their brother Valor’s eyes. She wasn’t as fragile looking as Echo was, either. If not for the fact that they had the same facial features and stature, one wouldn’t realize they were related. “Victor, do you need me to stay?” Echo asked softly. “She should bring Valor and we should have the whole triad involved in this,” Saleh interjected with a calculating look in her eyes. Saleh had tried to arrange a marriage between Valor and her adolescent daughter. It turned him off of the coven idea entirely. He didn’t want an arranged marriage, he wanted to find his soul mate like his younger sisters had. “Is the triad required?” Harmony asked me in a sardonic tone. “Rhett?” “No. If she needs strengthening, then I would be a better focus than her siblings. You can only fight darkness with darkness,” he replied, getting off the arm of the couch. Rhett went to where the girls were standing and held out his hand to Echo. When she gave him her hand, he kissed it and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “The enchanting Mistress Nightshade. I have been eager to see the beauty who ensnared the Master of the territory.” Echo was taken aback at first and blushed a deep red color. She quickly moved to pull her hand away, but Rhett had already let go. She stumbled over her words as she stammered out an answer.“It... it’s nice to meet you. If I’m not needed, I’m going home. Is that okay, Victor?” “Of course it is, Echo,” Victor answered. He had already moved to pull his mate away from the flirtatious warlock. I knew both Gray and Victor were overprotective of Echo ever since she took a stake to the chest when we fought the hunters. Victor kissed Echo on top of the head and let her go so she wouldn’t take him with her. Harmony frowned at Rhett. He honed in on her and stepped around Victor. I thought Rhett might try to touch her, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped to one knee before her. “My lady, Harmony. I have come to pry you away from your brother-in-law and take you on an adventure with me. I know we’ve only just met, but I feel like I can trust you and that we could be powerful together.”Harmony simply scowled at him. “I’m not interested in any kind of ‘adventure’ with you,” she said coldly.Rhett stood up slowly and smiled mischievously at her. “It doesn’t have to be an adventure right away - it can start as a simple outing. A picnic or a walk in nature, perhaps?”Harmony rolled her eyes. “I’m not interested in that either.”Rhett chuckled. “Well, perhaps I can change your mind someday. Until then, I will be content in simply admiring you from afar.”He winked at her before standing and turning to me. Rhett looked like he was thrilled at the unsuccessful attempt at flirting. Nothing seemed to dampen his spirits, I had to give him that. Victor offered his hand to Harmony, who accepted it and he led her to the couch between him and Talia. I knew he was trying to keep her from Rhett. She was his family and he would protect her, even if it was from a lesser threat. Though, it occurred to me that neither Harmony nor Victor realized how much more powerful she was than Rhett. I would make sure Harmony knew, but I wanted Victor to keep protecting her as much as he could. She made my pack stronger and I wanted her safe. “So, what’s this all about? I don’t know why you need me,” Harmony said. Queen Maeve put her hand up when I opened my mouth to speak. I didn’t like being silenced, but it was better for me if Harmony was mad at someone else. Though she joined my pack, Harmony never really felt like a member of the pack. “Harmony, your destruction ability is one that has long been called a ‘dark’ ability. The power you harness in yourself is great, though mostly untrained. We have worked together, but I feel you would be better served with a different teacher. This warlock will train you how to use your ability and only asks that you assist him in destroying a darkness that threatens our homes,” Queen Maeve told her. Harmony eyed Rhett where he perched beside Talia on the arm of the couch. He bowed with a slight flourish. Harmony looked over at me and I frowned. “He never said he would train her,” I said. “If he wants her to do what she needs to, then he must train her. There are few fae in the human realm who can use destruction magic. It was deemed too unsafe for the human realm and most of them live in the fae realm. I can only train her to use it in certain ways,” Queen Maeve reasoned. Harmony looked unsure but intrigued. I could see her weighing her options in her mind. Her sister and brother had people to train them in their magics and abilities, but she could only learn a little. It was something she had told me bothered her. All three of the triplets had their powers suppressed since they were children and didn’t even know they were supernatural. Each of them had a different aspect from the blood of their parents. Echo was a dhampyr with the abilities of her vampire sire, plant magic, and a Luna’s ability to soothe werewolves. Valor was a triple affinity witch who could command vampires to do his bidding and had the senses, strength, and reflexes of a werewolf. Harmony was a werewolf with the ability to charm anyone and destruction magic, which no witch in recorded history had ever had. They were all training as much as they could. If Harmony could train with Rhett, perhaps she could feel more confident. I wanted her to be at her full strength. Not just for the pack, but for her. She couldn’t keep thinking she was less than her siblings. The goddess had a plan for her and I knew she would do something great. She couldn’t be part of a powerful triad without having a powerful future ahead of her. Harmony would always have the full support of our pack. Harmony’s eyes flicked to Rhett again, and I could see the hesitation on her face. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him, but she also wasn’t sure if she could trust anyone else to help her harness her powers.“I’ll do it,” she said finally, her voice firm. “I’ll train with him, but only if Cam comes with me. I don’t want to be alone with a stranger. And if you try to put any moves on me, I’ll kick your ass, you got it?” Rhett grinned, obviously amused by her fiery response. I could feel a sense of pride in Harmony for standing up for herself. But I couldn’t help but worry about Rhett’s intentions. He was known for being a flirt, and I didn’t want to risk Harmony’s safety. I had to make sure they’d be safe with him.“Ah, the husband. I had been hoping to have you all to myself, but we can make this a threesome if you so desire. It seems to work for your sister.” Rhett winked at her. “You talk about my sister and her mates again and I’ll tear your tongue out of your mouth. You irritate me and I can feel my magic reacting to yours. Write down where to go and I’ll be there tomorrow. The rest of the time, you come to me in the evenings, after my mate is home and you can train me in the pack lands, understood?” Harmony growled. “No training on Friday and Saturday.” “You have made me happy beyond my wildest dreams, sweet Harmony. I shall take my leave. Track these people to where they are hiding and I will have Harmony ready in time for us to destroy whatever they’re doing,” Rhett said and disappeared in a swarm of shadows. Saleh stood up, followed by her husband and sister-in-law. She scowled. “You’ll give the dark wolf to the warlock but won’t give me the witch? Some ally you turned out to be. We’ll keep an eye out for these cult people and we might even tell you if we find them. Our alliance is on thin ice now. I don’t like power being withheld from me and my coven.” Harmony jumped up and growled at her. “You were the idiоt who tried to marry my brother off to a fuсking KID. You told him it was the way of the world and didn’t even tell him he could do a soulmate search. The only one responsible for my brother not joining your coven is YOU.” Saleh huffed and turned up her nose at Harmony. “Watch your tone, little wolf. I am still your elder and I will not tolerate disrespect,” Saleh snapped.“Fuсk you, witch bіtch,” Harmony sneered.“Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you realize what a mistake it was to trust a warlock,” Saleh replied contemptuously before she and her companions left the room, their heels clicking against the hardwood floor as they walked away.Harmony seethed with anger as she watched Saleh and her companions leave. I watched as Harmony’s shoulders heaved with the effort to control her anger. Getting up, I crossed to Harmony and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay, Harmony?” I asked. Harmony shook her head, her eyes flashing with anger. “I can’t stand that woman. She’s so entitled and selfish. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself. There were age appropriate women in the coven, but she wanted Val for her daughter and it pissed me off that they would pressure him into something like that.” “Even though you teased him about it?” Rosario chuckled. “It’s what siblings do. Alright, I’m calm now. Tell me what’s going on,” Harmony replied. I sat her down and the group started to tell her about what was going on, including what Rhett said about the rains back in September. Harmony listened closely and asked appropriate questions. She almost reminded me of an Alpha in her demeanor.