Page 148 of Forged Bonds

I looked over my shoulder to find him dressed to the nines in a tuxedo and perfectly shined shoes. The outfit was in sharp contrast to the messy clothes my mate and I were wearing.

“The one and only,” I said, grinning. “Sorry about your carpets. It was a shame we had to go that far.”

His gaze slid to the bleeding body in the middle of the living room, but he didn’t outwardly react. “Let’s talk in private.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Freya and I followed as he strode out of the living room, leaving gaping family members behind. I had no desire to speak to my parents or any of them, really. The only one I wanted to converse with was my brother.

We didn’t stop until we’d reached a study, the door closing behind the three of us. Wynn faced us, one eyebrow arched. “What are you doing here?”

My brother and I didn’t look alike. I’d gotten the full chaotic ginger genes, while his hair was more of an orange-brown. There were no freckles on his cheeks and his skin wasn’t as pale as mine. Our noses were the same shape, which was the only thing marking us as relatives. I was half convinced we had different fathers, but it had never been tested or proven. It didn’t matter to our father, anyway. As far as he was concerned, Wynn was his son and I was useless.

“We killed Kylan, and I need someone to run the vampire mafia for me.”

“You killed Kylan? Angels above, Nolan. I haven’t seen you in over a hundred years and you come back because you killed our cousin?”

I shrugged.

So far, Wynn wasn’t showing any signs of being different than the last time I’d seen him. He’d never hated me for my designation, and he’d never been overly cruel. I’d worried time had corrupted him, but it didn’t appear to be the case.

“Do you want to run the mafia or not? I don’t want to do it, I just want to pull your strings in the background when I need something from the organization.”

Wynn brushed a hand through his hair, taking a moment to look Freya over from head to toe. I let out a little growl when his gaze lingered too long. He returned his eyes to me.

“You need an answer at this very moment?” Wynn confirmed.

“Yes.”

“Fuck. Fine, I’ll do it. Cleaning up the mafia for you is a better fate than I was being set up for, anyway.”

“What fate would you have had otherwise?” Freya asked.

“The whole family is here because you walked into my engagement party. Kylan wanted me to marry to secure some political ally or another, but he can’t force it if he’s dead. You’re lucky I don’t want to get married, or I would let some other family member murder your ass and take over the mafia.”

His words had bite, but his tone didn’t. My brother was resigned, and while I hated to force this on him, it was convenient he had issues of his own he was trying to escape. I doubted he would have turned it down either way, though. I was handing him the keys to the family kingdom.

Shoving the open jar at him, he took it and put it on his desk. “You brought Kylan’s dead body to my house,” he muttered under his breath. “How wonderful.”

“If this is all settled, we’re going to leave,” Freya declared. “Details can be hashed out later. I’m assuming the ash and grossness is enough to prove you’re the new leader, so you no longer need us.”

Wynn shook his head. “You’re leaving me to deal with this bullshit alone?”

Apologetically, I winced. “We’ve got a pack to get back to. Kylan nearly killed two of them, so this is the bottom of the priority list right now.”

“An organization spanning two realms is at the bottom of your priority list?”

“We’ve got better things to do,” Freya said. Her wand was up, already drawing runes. “We’ll be checking in, though, considering we’re your puppet masters now. Don’t worry, based on what I’ve seen of Nolan’s memories, we’ll be kinder than your parents.”

Wynn stared, dumbstruck. I stepped forward and held out a hand awkwardly, letting my smirk drop into a genuine smile. “It’s good to be working with you, brother,” I said.

“If you betray us, we’ll kill you too,” Freya tossed in. “I can tell you’re weaker than Kylan, so don’t doubt that we can.”

My smile grew. Wynn took my hand in a tight grip, still looking a little blank. “Enjoy dealing with the vultures,” I said.

The portal swirled behind us and Freya grabbed my free hand, yanking me through. On the other side, just outside our inn room, she pushed me up against the wall and kissed me.

For maybe the first time ever, I felt worthwhile and I felt at peace.

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