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  He didn’t leave to be malicious or to hurt you, but he knew he had to overcome the pain from his past before he could be of any use to helping you with yours. He needed space to work through his issues and he couldn’t do that if he was surrounded by us.”

  “Can I see that?” Lachlan held his hand out to Aaron, and Aaron gave him the letter. Lachlan read through the letter with mixed emotions. He didn’t want Damon to be on his own, but the witch needed time. The abuse he lived through hadn’t broken Damon but it left him scarred. It took a real man to admit his flaws and step back and try to fix them. When he finished reading it for a third time, he handed it back to Aaron.

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  Toby reached out to grab it before Aaron could get ahold of it. He read it with tear-filled eyes. Soft sobs squeaked out every now and again. When he was finished, Toby looked up at Lachlan.

  “Do you think he’ll really come back?”

  “I do,” Lachlan answered. He didn’t know Damon that well, but he could sense the young witch was loyal and kept to his word. Toby and Damon hadn’t admitted it, but Lachlan could see that they were mates. It wasn’t a secret. The night before, the way the two held hands and stared longingly at one another, the whole room had been convinced. But Toby wasn’t of proper mating age. A paranormal had to be twenty before a mating bond would solidify itself. No one knew why, but it was the way it had always been. So Damon had a few years before he had to be back, but it didn’t keep Lachlan from wishing he’d return sooner.

  “It’s okay, little brother.” Aaron hugged Toby with one arm around his shoulder. “I think he also wanted to give you some time, too. You’re still recovering, and after all he’d gone through, I think it’s admirable.”

  Toby just nodded his head as he continued to cry. For both Damon and Toby the full hit of the mating bond wouldn’t hit until Toby was of age, but there was still an underlying connection. Like having a best friend.

  “Thanks for letting us know, Garrett,” Aaron said. “But I came in here for a reason.” Aaron took a deep breath. “I was wondering if the Warriors of the Light could use any more warriors.”

  Lachlan was a little taken aback by Aaron’s announcement. In all their years as friends Aaron never showed any interest in being a warrior. Not that he’d be a terrible warrior, no, Aaron would be fantastic. The man had a nose on him like a hunting dog. Being a paranormal and a wolf shifter already allotted him heightened sense of smell, but Aaron’s ability went beyond that. He could sniff out a piece of gum dropped in a barrel of cement then buried six feet underground. The man had skills with that nose of his.

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  “I’d have to ask Ben, but he’s never turned down a person willing to commit themselves to the Light. We’d be honored and lucky to have you,” Lachlan answered honestly.

  “Can Toby come with me?”

  Garrett spoke up before Lachlan had the chance. “Toby is welcomed wherever you or we go. I might not be your alpha anymore, but we’re still family.”

  Aaron smiled and gave a quick dip of his chin. Toby didn’t look up. He still held Damon’s letter clutched to his chest.

  “I want to come, too.” Lachlan and the others turned toward the door when they heard Josh speak. “There’s nothing here for me anymore. My mother died when I was a child, my father’s disowned me, and…” Josh’s voiced hitched. He coughed into his hand. “And Victor is gone. If you and Lachlan aren’t here, Garrett, than I don’t want to be either. So can I come with you?”

  Lachlan pressed his hand into Garrett’s shoulder when Garrett opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to answer Josh’s request.

  Lachlan walked over to where Josh stood just inside the office. “Josh, you don’t even have to ask. I know we got started off on the wrong foot, but I’d never leave you behind. I think of you as that little brother I never had.”

  “Thanks for that, Lachlan.” Josh swiped a hand under his wet eyes.

  Seeing the raw emotion on Josh’s face and the way his body shook, Lachlan reached out and pulled Josh to his chest. The kid was a pain in the ass, but he was Lachlan’s pain in the ass.

  “So it’s settled then.” Garrett strode over to Lachlan and Josh. He kissed Josh on the forehead then wrapped his arm around Lachlan’s shoulders. “We go together as a family.”

  Pride was the only thing Lachlan could express as the overwhelming feeling racing through his veins. Garrett had the courage to make a new start, and so had some of his friends he’d made while staying with the Carrington Pack. The family he made 186

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  with them was now going to be a part of his other family. Lachlan couldn’t have been more thrilled. The old saying was wrong. He did get to have his cake and eat it, too.

  As the others left the room to go and pack, Lachlan turned in Garrett’s arms. “You ready to become a Warrior of the Light and ultimately the council’s bitch?” Lachlan teased.

  “I wouldn’t say that, but I am ready to start our new journey together. And the sooner we stop the Warriors of the Dark, the safer we’ll all be.”

  “That’s one of the things I love about you.” Lachlan rose up on his toes and nuzzled against Garrett’s jaw. “Always thinking of others.”

  “What can I say? I aim to please.” Garrett drew Lachlan into a deep kiss. Their tongues glided against one another, and their hands stroked each other’s bodies.

  The need for oxygen had Lachlan easing back. “God, I love you.”

  “That’s good because I love you and I’m never letting you go again.”

  Lachlan gave into another kiss that let Garrett haul him to the leather couch against the wall.

  It was a dangerous time and only looking to get worse, but right now in this very moment nothing could touch them. Lachlan was at peace with the pain from his youth and optimistic that with the help of his mate, he’d one day overcome the destruction he witnessed the night before. Hard times lay ahead, but Lachlan was ready to deal with it one day at a time.

  “Klaus, level with me.” Ben tapped his fingers on top of his desk.

  He’d left Garrett’s house hours ago. The need for answers had him seeking out Klaus. “What were those things last night? In over a thousand years of life, I’d never seen anything like that before.”

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  “I wasn’t for sure at first, but I called Carlos at headquarters to asked one of the witch elders for confirmation.” Ben nodded his understanding. He’d met Carlos when the man came to help with trying to decode Astrid’s past. Nice guy and smart as hell. He might be a witch but also a scientist of sorts. Carlos helped develop weapons to use against dark warriors among other things Ben wasn’t sure about. The man was beyond intelligent.

  “And?” Ben asked.

  “Those black smoky things were phantoms.”

  “Come again?” The term sounded vaguely familiar, but Ben couldn’t be certain.

  “A phantom is a type of demon that’s not able to live in this realm without having a host to gain energy from. They can’t take corporal form. I’m guessing Clara made one hell of a deal to get such evil power backing her up. That’s why they were able to attack us last night. For a witch to garner such power they have truly lost all their humanity. A ticking bomb just waiting to go off. I’m actually pretty surprised there hadn’t been more bloodshed since she came to live with the Carrington Pack.”

  “Me, too. I bet she was doing her killing away from the pack as to not draw attention to herself.” Ben could only imagine the body count Clara left in her wake.

  Ben had never heard of such methods and didn’t even know it was possible. “Did you ask Carlos about Clara drinking blood of shifters to take on their ability to shift?” Ben had to ask Klaus because he couldn’t get his father to return any of his calls, not like the old man would give him any answers anyway.

  “He said that he had heard rumors, but no one in the council ha
d ever tried it before.” Klaus shifted in his seat. “Said it’s too risky. The more a paranormal allows evil into their soul, they become something else. Not quite human or a paranormal. After a while they become like the phantoms. They just fade out of existence. That’s why it’s not a practice all dark warriors choose to do. The Warriors of the Dark 188

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  might be hell-bent on causing others pain, but they love themselves way too much to kill themselves, and ultimately calling on the power of the phantoms will eventually do that. Pretty fucked-up shit if you ask me.”

  “I’d say.” Ben spun his chair around while he thought about everything Klaus said. “What about Damon? After meeting the guy I don’t think he’s evil but what did Carlos think?”

  “He said he’d like to meet Damon but to be honest, Carlos, hell, anyone for that matter, has never heard of such a half-breed. Damon’s special. One of a kind as far as we know.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.” Ben didn’t stop Damon when he left and maybe he should have, but Damon wasn’t ready. The witch needed time to come to terms with all the terrible things his mother had done to him. Like with Astrid, Damon was fortunate not to have gone insane from the years of abuse.

  “Don’t stress on it, Ben.” Klaus stood from his chair. “Damon’s got a good heart. He’ll come back one day.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Ben walked Klaus to the door and down the hallway.

  The sound of excited voices had him walking just a little faster.

  The voices didn’t sound hostile, but nevertheless he wanted to see what was going on.

  “Hey, Ben,” Garrett said as Ben came around the corner. “Is it okay I brought a few other wolves with me? I personally think they’d make excellent warriors. I’d bet my life on it.”

  Ben had a feeling Garrett wouldn’t come alone, and he was betting on it. Lachlan was a valuable member of his team he didn’t want to lose, but Garrett was another worthy warrior and what he’d seen of Wes and Aaron’s fighting skills, they were definitely warrior material.

  As Ben looked upon the faces of his new warriors his attention landed on one in particular. Toby stood halfway behind his brother Garrett’s Choice

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  with his long hair falling into his eyes. The one thing that would guarantee Damon’s return stood in his foyer.

  “What do you say, boss?” Lachlan asked. He had one arm wrapped around his mate and the other over Josh’s shoulders. “You think we got room for all these knuckleheads?”

  “You bet we do.” Ben stepped forward and greeted his new warriors. With the addition of these men, their forces only grew stronger. And with the uprising of dark warriors they needed all the help they could get.

  THE END

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places and a little humor along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier than two men finding their soul mate and falling in love. When she isn’t chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on the couch with her trusted laptop giving life to the voices in her head.

  For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/aj-jarrett

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