The meeting broke up quickly. Each person taking a moment to shake my hand which was perfect for me, I got to feel each of them out. I didn’t dig as they spoke to me but I got to hear their plans for the future how this was perfect opportunity to show just how much they do for Nox. How they could out shine the others. At least that was the Dragons, and the Wolf packs agenda. I couldn’t read Tony or Cari but I was pretty sure they didn’t have ulterior motives, but I was known to be wrong. Adrian only promised we’d sit down and talk, man to man about the boy he once knew. His thoughts were much like Nox’s very truthful, and there wasn’t any thought about how much he missed Nox’s body. Had Nox even meant very much to him?
Sage’s father was the last in the room besides Ant and Ryan. He sat looking at me and frowning and when the room cleared he looked at the phone, “You dragged my son into this?”
“Your son is the one who brought me the information to begin with Agent Morgan.”
“But you hired him to get into the Venatori’s system?”
“Yes. He’s good at what he does.”
“Do you know what this could do to me if the agency found out.”
I sighed. “Agent Morgan don’t you think they’d already have found out your son was a gifted hacker by now. He’s been hacking computers since you gave him his first one when he was 5. He talks to them more than he talks to girls.”
Danny sighed and I added, “You can’t get mad at him because of this, sir. He’s a good kid. And he really is good at what he does He may not have a gift with people, but machines love him. And if it weren’t for him, Nox would still be a lot more damaged than he is.” And I didn’t feel any guilt or jealousy in that statement. If it hadn’t been for all these people who I think I’m jealous of, I wouldn’t have Nox.
“He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you either Mr. Kennedy. Don’t forget that.”
I didn’t know how Danny Morgan knew about the dreams but he had. Nox talked way too much for him not to know. But it was the sadness that he felt that made me sad for him. He thought he knew his own son, clearly he didn’t. And that hurt him. And I really had nothing to say to fix that.
Ant looked at the book sitting at the table as Ryan lifted it and put it back into the bag it had been in. “You may not be able to read it, but it responds well to you. Do you believe now?”
“I’ve believed in soul mates for a while, Ant, I don’t feel like I’m in love with you until you let your power out. I do feel a draw. I fucking hate it, but it’s not love. Not like what I feel for Nox. Your theory… I don’t know. But if I were you I wouldn’t stop looking for her. I know I would never stop looking for Nox if I didn’t feel the same connection to what I thought might be him.”
“Deep and profound. Who woulda thunk it.” Ryan laughed. “Let’s get your family safe. Benji and his parents each have an apartment on the 45th floor, it’s safer if they stay in human regulated housing and up here like you lot.”
So that’s what we did for the next day. The top floor was amazing. It was a series of rooms like a hotel that each one had their own private roof garden, and their door looked out over a plate glass window in the floor. The ceiling above that floor was thick glass. Special glass Ryan had claimed. Nox was going to freak out.
But each of the older kids were given their own room. Laker and Matt were sharing – mates were mates no matter the age Ryan said. That was pack law. So that’s what happened, Nox could deal with it all later. The three little ones all wanted to share their room and they all piled into one large bed together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
A large room was prepared for Nox’s arrival while the rest of us packed up his things. Ant surprised us all with the stone, he’d seen Nox use it, and it had worked for him, and for me. Fucking magic.
The first night we all slept in Nox’s bed. We all claimed it was so it would smell like home when he got here. But I knew better, they all did too. But we left it all alone. We were about to go to war with a whole fucking race of people who’d been killing our kind since the dawn of time.
And the next morning Sage set up his computer in Nox’s room and went to work. He had the system under his full control by mid afternoon. I went with Matt to the hospital. He said he could do it alone, but it was more of a consistency thing. I’d been going everyday with one kid or another to visit him before they were off to school. Today it was Matt’s turn.
We walked into the Infirmary. We stood in front of the window that looked into Nox’s room. Matt had a moment of grief and he put both hands on the window and leaned his forehead in. There was no visible change but I could tell that Matt was absorbing the magic. He breathed like he was crying, and maybe he was. Did it hurt him? But I couldn’t read him, so I couldn’t help. I put my hand on his back and regretted it the moment I did, but I couldn’t jerk away and risk showing something was wrong. I was empty of all voices. I was alone for the first time since my power came to me. It felt amazing, and terrifying all at the same time.
I watched in the window as Ant slipped in from the shadows. The monitors were all dark but not throwing alarms. He pulled the IV from Nox’s arm and lifted him with care. And that’s when shit fell apart. Nox’s body convulsed but Ant took him anyway. Fuck!
I watched until Ant was back in the shadows and waited a few seconds more before I took Matt’s hand. “Let’s get you back to the rest of them. They’ll need your help.” I said out loud and Matt and I left. Sage was in charge of how long the Venatori were in the dark. The plan was to let us get out of the AU building before they found out. But Sage said he’d keep them in the dark until round change. And at this very moment I hoped it all worked.
Fuck! I wished I could shadow walk, but the Night Life building wasn’t far. Matt and I were at a run as soon as we rounded the corner out of sight of the AU building. Just plain Fuck!
The Mind of Nox 