The shop bell chimed, breaking his concentration.
“Nice,” Jason observed, taking in the jungle of new growth. “Going for a rain forest theme? Expecting a jaguar shifter? Maybe a grove of tropical dryads?”
“Funny guy.”
“You should see Vlane’s gardens since Muriel arrived. Don’t be surprised if he asks Muriel to move in permanently.”
Brandon grunted. Vlane Masterson’s gardens were legendary. He’d been collecting rare and exotic species for centuries. With Muriel around, they’d be exquisite.
“I assume you're here for a reason beyond stating the obvious?”
“Several.” Jason settled into a reading chair, somehow managing to look elegant despite the philodendron vines trailing over the armrests. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?”
“Muriel didn’t tell you?”
Jason shook his head. “No.”
“TheCodexrevealed the mate bond connection before I could tell her myself.” Brandon set down his pen, too tired to deflect. “She’s not happy with me right now.”
“That explains a lot,” Jason said, but there was moresympathy in his voice than sarcasm. “But she’s safe. We won’t let anything happen to her.”
Brandon nodded. That would have to suffice for now.
Jason leaned forward. “There have been some new developments you need to be aware of.”
“Such as?”
“Some new faces were spotted skulking around Mythic recently.”
“Shit. Collectors?”
“I believe so. These aren't low-level operatives, either. These are experienced hunters—the kind the Consilium sends when they're certain they've found something valuable. It’s unclear whether they know about theCodexor simply suspect, but they are definitely after Muriel. Now that you're mate-bonded to her, they’ll probably come after you as well.”
Brandon waved his hand. “Nothing new there.” The Consilium had been trying to eradicate Merlin's bloodline for centuries. It was one of the reasons he’d settled in Mythic and stayed under the radar.
Jason’s eyes narrowed even as one side of his mouth tilted up in a smirk. “So you finally admit it,disgynydd Myrddin?”
Descendant of Merlin.
When Brandon said nothing, Jason continued, “Now you've given them two reasons to kill you. You’re a descendant of Merlinandmate to aCodexkeeper. They'll mobilize everything they have.”
Brandon thought of Muriel's face when she'd accused him of manipulation.You're all the same.Not exactly. He was no more a garden variety mage than she was a hobby witch who dabbled in botany.
Not that she knew that.
“There's more,” Jason continued.
“Fantastic,” Brandon muttered. He didn’t know how much more he could handle before he was the one requiring additional magical guardrails.
Even as he thought that, a subtle wave of warmth washed through him and offered a spark of hope. Despite her anger, the bond still carried traces of her comfort—automatic and involuntary—but there, nonetheless.
“I dug deeper on Declan Rourke.”
“And?”
“I was able to confirm he was a Consilium operative,” Jason said evenly, back to being all business.
“I thought you said there was no record of him.”