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"How about we meet in the dining hall? I could use a good cup of coffee," Deacon suggested and then added. “It’s personal.”
"I'm intrigued. See you there around eleven."
“Thank you.” He had a few minutes before he needed to head to the dining hall, so he put in a call to the medical services to inquire as to whether they had checked on the condition of Gage Montague.
Just saying the man’s name filled Deacon with a surge of joy and sorrow, a mix that was playing havoc with his heart. He was over the moon at having found his beloved and crippled with guilt for the way the young man was treated. He wanted to think it wasn't so bad, but the blood and pain saturating the block house told a different story.
He walked over to the large window in his living room that looked out on the hedge garden; in the past, he'd found the designs relaxing to study, and it always brought peace to his mind. But today, he could not engage with the peacefulness before him. The garden held no balm for his tortured mind. The block house filled his thoughts, and terrible images plagued him.
"We tried to see him, but his stepfather refused to allow us entry. Gage Montague lives in a studio apartment on the second floor of the Zen bar, and access to the apartment is through the bar. There's a stairway off the kitchen. He wouldn't let us anywhere near the kitchen and kept demanding that we leave." That left him with no more information than he already had, and his irritation was growing.
He couldn't see or even speak to Trenton because he didn't trust himself not to kill the man. Everything in him was raging to find him and give him a taste of what he gave Gage. But he did it under orders, and they were Deacon's orders.
Deacon contacted Bastian, who was working in the field, a situation Master DuCane was following in California, and asked to have Trenton transferred to his team. He didn't give a lot of details but made it clear that Trenton was better suited as a field operative. Trenton would be notified by his superior, Lieutenant McKay, and would be leaving immediately.
It wasn't Trenton's fault; as McKay stated, he was merely a tool, but regardless it was impossible for Deacon to tolerate his presence. Trenton needed a leader that could make the most of his talents, and he needed to be away from the Coven.
At ten-forty, he left his quarters and headed for the dining hall. He chose a table off to the side near the back, which was somewhat secluded. It wasn't long before he saw Robert enter and head over to his table.
He stood and extended his hand. "Thanks for coming, Robert."
"No problem, Deacon." They got a bite to eat and coffee and settled in, seated across from one another at the small table. Deacon told him of the incident with Gage Montague and his handling of it, and Robert listened, nodding his head from time to time but made to comment until Deacon finished.
"What are you asking me? It sounds like standard procedure he was caught repeatedly trespassing, and you decided to make an impression. It was severe; I know Trenton and how he rolls, and personally, I would have assigned it to someone else simply because the offender was human, but that's my call. You did what you thought was appropriate." Robert was going by the book, and if there were no extenuating circumstances, Deacon could possibly accept that he was following procedure.
"There's more to the story." Deacon dropped his head for a moment and then raised it to hold Robert's gaze. "I was angry and irritated about the perceived softness in the Northern border. It is where infiltrators have penetrated on two separate occasions."
"Those issues were corrected once you took over leadership of the area. There hasn't been another breach since you became commander of the Northern quadrant." Robert pointed out.
"Until Gage Montague." Deacon clarified. "He wantonly ignored the posted boundaries on three separate occasions. He was dealt with by Lieutenant McKay the first two times, and he gave him a blistering verbal dressing down, so the third time, I lost my patience and engaged the services of Trenton Shift and ordered corporal punishment to be delivered."
"Again, you were well within your rights to order punishment on the third offense and understandably angry." Robert again pointed out. "I get that you don't like to operate from a place of anger, but it happens, and there is usually a good reason. I don't see that you did anything wrong. You have nothing to be concerned about."
“I have since discovered that the trespasser, Gage Montague, is my beloved. The young human who I had brutally beaten is my Fated life partner.” Deacon got to the crux of the issue. Robert set his cup down and just stared at Deacon for a minute or two as if waiting for him to laugh or tell him it was just a joke.
"Perhaps you should have led with that information. It certainly colors the entire event," Robert spoke with care, watching Deacon for clues as to his state of mind, and Deacon understood his uneasiness, for some vampires could become quite volatile in such a situation. Deacon was on edge, and his blood was indeed boiling with rage, but he also held enough self-discipline not to act out on those wholly unconnected to the issue.
"He's hurt, badly hurt, and I don't know how to fix this." He sat back in his seat and looked over at Robert and waited for something, a word, a plan, anything.
“Does he know it was you who ordered the beating?”
"I don't know, but regardless it is not something that I could or would wish to hide." He said this, and Robert nodded, his mind clearly working, trying to present a solution.
"Gage and my Eddie are friends; as a matter of fact, he called Eddie this morning and asked him to get his car from where it was parked on County Road 48 and bring it to the Zen bar parking lot." Deacon's interest was piqued.
“Did Eddie see him this morning?” He was hoping for a report on his condition, but Robert shook his head. The fact that he was well enough to call and make arrangements with Eddie gave Deacon a modicum of relief.
"Gage's stepfather, Able Colbert, is a difficult man set in his ways and paranoid beyond belief. He's a wolf shifter, but I'm sure you already know that." Deacon nodded that he did, so Robert continued. "He likes to keep a low profile, no police, and no coven interaction. Gage knew he would be in trouble if Able found out he'd trespassed and was caught. That's why he asked Eddie to pick up his car before Able realized it was missing and started asking questions.” Deacon appreciated this bit of background on his beloved.
“Is Able abusive?”
"Not physically, but he's a hard man in some ways, according to Eddie. I don't know him personally, just through meeting him at the bar. Gage does his best not to run afoul of the man." Robert fell silent for a few minutes and then gave his advice on the matter.
"Go to him and figure it out when you get there. He's your beloved, so whatever has happened can be resolved. Fate does not bring people together and destroy their union on the first day. Trust me, Deacon, follow this through and go to him."
Deacon nodded, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stay away from his injured beloved for much longer. The thought of seeing him was both exciting and distressing, but Robert was right. The sooner he began to try and put things right, the better his chances of being forgiven.
He was hesitating simply because he feared his own reaction when he came face to face with the consequences of his actions. Gage would be within his rights to deny and disavow their connection, and that thought was devastating.
