Magical Midlife Battle （Leveling Up, #8）(26)

“He can’t know we defied his orders,” Austin told Niamh softly, walking her to the van she’d ridden in. “It’ll lead to a challenge, and that would…complicate matters.”

“I’d planned to use one of his cars…”

“Do not plan to use one of his cars. I’ll make one available to you. Tell Sebastian and Nessa to

get me a list of the gear the enemy will be using, and anything else they can scrape together.

Sebastian’s fears are incredibly valid. The way he chose to share them wasn’t ideal, but it probably helped put everything in perspective. We have work to do.”

“Yes, alpha.” Niamh got into the van.

Austin turned—and then immediately jerked backward—not having noticed Edgar sneak up on him, which was worrying, since Austin should’ve felt the vampire’s proximity in a few different ways.

“Hello, ma’am,” Edgar said with a smile.

Austin just waited. There really was no point in reacting to the vampire’s antics. At least he’d cleaned up his teeth.

“What about the flowers?” Edgar asked. “The sooner we get them into the ground, the better.”

“That’s on the schedule for our meeting with the alpha, Edgar, as you know. Please go put on some pants that fit.”

“Yes, sir!”

Suddenly Austin wasn’t so sure Kingsley was going to go for the flowers. It was easy to see the merit in something like lethal flora once the absurdity no longer registered. Austin had been worked in gradually, though. Kingsley’s people weren’t used to the level of weird that Ivy House could conjure up. They’d probably have a hard enough time adjusting to the gargoyles.

Austin hadn’t thought the situation with Momar could get any more challenging. He’d just been proven wrong. Possibly very wrong. And this town was much too big to evacuate.

SEVEN

Jessie

“YOU HANDLED THAT SITUATION BEAUTIFULLY,” Mimi said as we followed James in the van to the first of the hotels our people would be staying in. The inhabitants were the same as coming to the territory.

I felt a touch on my shoulder.

“Which?” I asked, taking in their downtown as we passed through. The square had benches, vibrant grass, and a really cute gazebo with small businesses all around. People loitered, chatting or just sitting there and taking in the closing of the day.

“With the two alphas.” I heard her lean back. “It was perfectly done, backing them both down without making either of them feel lesser for it.”

“She backed me down,” Austin said. “He followed suit.”

“You shouldn’t have needed her to,” Mimi replied.

“I know. I didn’t realize we’d see things so differently right off the bat. It’s…concerning.”

“You two have always seen things differently.”

“We were younger then.”

“But no less thickheaded.”

Austin shook his head a little but didn’t comment. I had a feeling he wanted to roll his eyes.

“We need to get those mages out of those towns,” I said. “It’s insane, allowing them to lurk right at the border. What is Kingsley thinking? It’s a miracle no one’s gone missing.”

“Or have they?” Nessa asked. “It’s not like he’d volunteer that information when he was trying to make an ill-conceived point.”

“He’s thinking like a man who’s never faced a situation like this before,” Mimi replied. “Until recently, he’s only dealt with shifters, and while our kind can certainly be cunning, none of the hostile packs have ever been powerful enough to pose a problem for him. He’s unprepared for this fight. I always suspected, but it took getting to know your territory and how mages think to be sure. You’re going to have to push him, Austin.”

“He is not the type to accept being pushed,” Austin replied. “It’ll result in a challenge.”

“Then you meet that challenge diplomatically, assume control of this situation, and make sure we all survive. The family won’t like it, but the family would like seeing their pack and their loved ones die far less. Desperate times, as they say.”

“It was my fault,” Sebastian said, rubbing his chin. “I should’ve handled that situation differently.

I created a tense environment.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered if you had,” Tristan said. “The fact is, we’re not going to comfortably coexist. We need to focus on getting the job done and protecting our own. Begging your pardon, alphas, but there is no way in hell I am allowing Natasha to be separated from our group and put under their surveillance. I doubt you want the weird mage in that sort of situation, either. These people are scared, and they don’t trust or even like mages. We can’t risk that one of them will do the ill-informed and stupid thing of trying to kill the mages in their sleep.”

“Impossible,” Sebastian said. “I have a lot of spells to prevent that. They’d die long before I would.”

“Also a bad situation,” Tristan replied. “And what about when you aren’t there? Natasha doesn’t have that kind of power.”

“They can stay with Jess and me,” Austin said. “I have plenty of room.”