“Mrs. Jin,” Lucien murmured from his place standing beside the arm of the couch.
Leah, sitting in it, said, “Lovely to meet you.”
“And this is Callum, King of the Werewolves, and his queen, Sonia,” Gregor carried on.
“Pleasure,” Callum said low.
“We’re all very happy you’ve decided to come and meet us,” Sonia stated.
Mrs. Jin remained silent even as she nodded to them.
“Please, if you’d like, take a seat,” Gregor invited.
She hesitated, looking around the room, before she moved to take the armchair across from the couch where Leah and Sonia were sitting, Lucien and Callum flanking.
Gregor moved to one of the other four armchairs, his to the narrow end of the coffee table, the wide edge facing the couch and Mrs. Jin’s chair.
“I hope you don’t mind me sharing that we’re most disappointed you have not brought your, erm…ward,” Gregor noted cautiously.
Mrs. Jin watched him as he spoke, but she said nothing.
Lucien sighed.
She was exceptionally cautious, which meant this would take some time. Time they did not have.
Leah heard his sigh. He knew it when she reached out a hand and touched the back of his.
Leah’s movements caught Mrs. Jin’s attention and she watched this gesture, keeping her expression clear.
“Could I ask what your ward’s name is?” Gregor requested.
She looked back to him and finally spoke, “I would prefer to be asking the questions, if you don’t mind.”
Gregor threw out a hand invitingly. “Please.”
“Are there others like you right now in Serpentine Bay?” she asked.
Gregor answered immediately, “We have those with us to attend to necessary matters, but they’re all human. The only immortal beings with our party are Yuri, who you may have guessed is a vampire, Lucien, Callum, and Sonia.”
She looked swiftly to Sonia, then back to Gregor when he continued speaking.
“We are well aware your ward will be able to sense us and we didn’t want to have a retinue of vampires in Serpentine Bay causing him alarm. Callum, who commands the wolves, has agreed with this and is also here without any of his people.”
She nodded once and pressed, “No others?”
“I believe that the others discovered the hard way they were woefully unprepared to successfully complete their mission and they’ve retreated. Yuri, Lucien, Callum, and myself have moved extensively and frequently through Serpentine Bay since we arrived, including this morning, and we’ve sensed no others like us.”
“And what precisely is their mission?” she asked.
“I’m afraid, Mrs. Jin, that what I’m sure you already know is the truth. They wish to see an…” Gregor paused, then finished, “end to your ward and/or his mate.”
“Why?”
Gregor drew in breath through his nose and his tone gentled considerably when he replied, “It’s your ward’s right to know this, Mrs. Jin. I mean you no disrespect, but it’s also his right to share it with you once he knows it. Or not, as he wishes.”
“This is not going to happen that way,” Mrs. Jin returned. “It will be me who decides if I wish to share what’s happening with my…” She paused, as if struggling, before she said, “ward.”
“If you allow him up from his underground cell long enough to learn,” Yuri put in smoothly, the words said with no inflection, but they were still ugly.
“Yuri,” Gregor spoke quietly but sharply.
“I know your play, Father, but you know I don’t agree with it due to the fact that this woman keeps her vampire in a pit under a Dumpster, shameful and hidden away,” Yuri bit back.
Lucien tensed in preparation to take care of Yuri so he couldn’t fuck this up, and he felt Callum do the same.
However, they both looked back to Mrs. Jin when they heard her soft laughter.
“Yes,” she said softly, mirth still in her expression. “My sons tease him often about his preference for space. Mostly my youngest. However, that is what my eldest son prefers.” Her gaze sharpened on Gregor. “And I’ll correct you, albeit belatedly. He is not my ward. He is my son.”
That morsel glided through the room and Lucien sensed both Leah’s and Sonia’s relief, not to mention Callum’s and his own.
“And as his mother,” Mrs. Jin continued, “it is my responsibility to keep him safe. Three nights ago, he was not safe. His mate was not safe. My sons rushed to their brother’s side to offer him aid, and they were not safe. I am an old woman. I cannot do that. But this, meeting with you in an effort to understand what has befallen him, I can do.”
“I understand, Mrs. Jin, and I will say it gives us great relief to hear your loyalty to one of our own,” Gregor replied. “However, we must encourage you to ask your son to come here so we can speak to him personally.”
“You don’t understand, Mr…” She shook her head, appearing unfamiliar with her sudden uncertainty, proving she was a woman who wasn’t often that way. “Gregor. My son is exceptionally protective of his family. He finds you a threat. I can only assume you’re aware of his abilities, and him having these, he feels, even as my other sons are highly skilled and very strong, he’s the only one who can protect us. He’s keeping us safe by not putting himself in harm’s way.”
Lucien studied her, noting she didn’t realize she’d given something away.
Her hybrid was not there, but she was, and they were far more a danger to her, a woman who could not defend herself, than to him, who had proven able to defend himself very well.