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Sebastian set the wrench down and looked across the lawn at the skeleton of the jungle gym, then beyond it at the house, in which the ones he loved went about their day unaware that anything was amiss. “There are things I must tend to at home.”
“Then you must pledge to keep my secret,” Hugh huffed. “I will go after Finch with or without you, Sebastian, but you mustn’t tell anyone.”
“I shall not.”
“Good, then. Thank you for listening, and if you’d like to change your mind, I will be glad to accept your help at any time. Goodbye, brother.”
“Goodbye.”
Sebastian hung up, tossed the phone to the side, and got back to work on the jungle gym. It was imperative he finish it soon, as there was another Drake he needed to speak with… and if the conversation went the way he thought it might, everything left undone would stay that way for quite some time.
* * *
“I need to see you, brother,” Sebastian barked into his phone.
He sat in his study, his second-favorite room in the house. Even more than his hoard, it was his sanctuary, a leather and wood barrier between himself and the chaos outside. Not that Sebastian didn’t enjoy a bit of chaos here and there, but the boys were often a bit much. Their sire’s study was the one part of the house they were completely forbidden from entering unless they were to be punished. Thus, to the boys, his study was a realm of staring into corners, forfeited desserts, writing lines, and a general lack of fun.
They avoided it like the plague.
Sebastian, therefore, retreated into it whenever he had important calls to make, whether it be with the council, his father, or in this case, the thorn in his side.
“I’m busy,” Bertram replied, sounding distracted. “Later would be better. I’ve got my hands full at the moment.”
Sebastian growled low in his throat. “I need to see you now.”
“Now isn’t convenient,” Bertram growled back.
It was time for the big guns. “I need to see you now, Frederich.”
Bertram was quiet for several seconds. “Will tomorrow suit?”
“I suppose.” Sebastian didn’t appreciate the delay, but he was willing to give his brother a bit of time to clean up whatever mess he’d gotten himself into.
“How generous of you. I can come by tomorrow afternoon.”
“No. You here at the moment would not be good for Perry. He’s delicate.”
Bertram snorted. “Your mate is about as delicate as an anvil.”
“I will call on you tomorrow, at your residence. I would advise you to be home.” With that, Sebastian disconnected the call. He often missed actual telephones. Not that he’d enjoyed talking on them, but they’d been extremely satisfying to slam down after a heated conversation.
No sooner had the call concluded than Perry stuck his head through the doorway. “Dear. Are you well? You look growly.”
“I was talking with my brother.”
“Ah. That narrows the field. Which one, darling?”
“Bertram.”
“Oh.”
The color fled Perry’s rosy cheeks, and seeing it constricted Sebastian’s heart. He got up from behind his desk, went over to his mate, and gathered him in his arms. “All will be well,” he promised.
Perry trembled. “That’s what I always say.”
“And are you not always right?”
“I am, but there’s something you’re not telling me. I can feel it.”
