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Cort snickered and flopped back in his seat. “Okay. Fine. Finance. But now you’re in the Deep South with magical powers.”
“So, I got bored and restless. Apparently the restlessness is normal, since we were all drawn here. I started traveling east, looking for something interesting. Something new. About the same time, I noticed these weird guys that smelled bad were popping up and trying to kill me. I ran, avoided them where I could. I was on this walking ghost tour one night in Savannah when this crazy guy walked straight up to me and told me I needed to go with him because someone was trying to kill me.”
“Clay?”
Lucien shook his head and smiled. “Grey. I was about to tell him to fuck off when all hell broke loose in this cemetery we were standing next to. There was a lion and a giant swarm of rats. The trees were moving around this other guy, beating back the rats with their limbs. And in the middle of it were a couple of what I thought were people with glowing red eyes and an odor like rancid garbage.”
“Holy shit,” Cort breathed, and Lucien’s grin grew. The man knew how to tell a story.
“Then Grey grabbed my arm and looked me right in the eye. I swear it was creepier than seeing those rats climb all over the lion. It was like I could feel him digging around in my brain until he could see my very soul. And in that hard, serious-as-fuck voice of his, he said, ‘Lucien, Abigail would not want you to die here. I swear, I’ll protect you with my life, but you’ve got to come with me now or I will turn you into a goddamn chicken and make you cross this road.’ ”
“He did not!” Cort burst out laughing.
Lucien lifted his right hand into the air. “Swear to God, the man threatened to turn me into a chicken.”
Cort cackled, falling back into his seat. “And you left with him?”
“Sort of. I mostly wanted to know how he knew my mother’s name, and I wanted to get away from the fucking lion.”
“That’s insane.”
“Turned out, when Grey had his full powers, he could actually hypnotize people into believing they were chickens. Before I arrived, he would practice on the delivery drivers.”
“No!” Cort gasped.
“Yeah, but he didn’t hurt anyone, and no one remembered it afterward.”
Cort shook his head in wonder, his eyes straying to his surroundings. They were getting closer to his apartment. He absently gave a few instructions, but his thoughts were still on Grey. The guy was strong, brave, and simply amazing. Cort had thought that even before he’d learned the truth about all that Grey had lost. It was more than losing his vision. He’d lost his powers, and in some way, he probably felt like he’d lost his place in this strange brotherhood.
“Do you ever wish that you’d walked away? That you hadn’t agreed to go with him?” Cort asked.
Lucien was shaking his head before Cort even finished his question. “Nope. Not even once. Not for a second. These guys are absolutely insane. It’s dangerous work, but I believe in what we’re fighting for. We’re trying to protect the planet, the human race. There might be a lot of shit going on out there, but there’s a lot of good stuff too. I’ve got parents who would very much like to continue with their weekends of golf and dinner parties. I like doing something big with my life, even if the rest of the world will never know about it. I will.”
“And you feel safe with these guys?”
Lucien’s grin softened, and the look on his face was surprisingly tender. “Yeah, they’re good guys. They’ll go to bat for you. Protect you with their fucking lives without a moment of hesitation.” He smirked a little and looked over at Cort. “Some stupid shit might fall out of their mouths on occasion, but I don’t think they mean anything by it. They just haven’t taken the time to think about what they’re saying.”
“I kind of figured,” Cort murmured softly. “You think it’d be okay if I called them on it?”
Lucien seemed to think about it for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah.” He sighed. “Yeah, definitely,” he repeated with more strength. “I should have been doing that all along, but I was more worried about ruining what felt like a good thing. Stupid.”
“I get it,” Cort replied.
“Grey, Dane, Clay, and Baer have got this tight family thing going. And I’ll admit that I’m really starting to feel a part of that, even though I’ve been around only a month or so. Don’t want to lose it.”
“But if you’re all family, they’ll want to consider your feelings.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Lucien agreed and then grinned over at Cort. “I get why Grey is so comfortable with you.”
