Title: Mission Impossible: Bonds
Author: Bj Jones
Rating: Nc-17
Summary: The Bonds Ethan has with his Mate, friends and family – make him stronger.
Author’s Note: This is the sequel for Mission Impossible: Origins
Sylum Timeline: 2013 with flashbacks to 1998 and 2011
June 2013
Ethan made his way through the back streets of London. The city was still one of his favorite places, outside Rio. It was on these streets he learned to be a spy, then a Vampire, and in time his own person.
The last mission was a fuck up from the moment they touched down in Berlin, and it went straight to hell from there. He might not get along with David, but the man was a damn good agent, and knows Berlin, about as well as Wilhelm. Meeting David’s Mate was a surprise, as he hadn’t heard that piece of information through the spy gossip mill. He would need to have a chat with M, on holding out on the good stuff.
Steve, like the rest of his family, was sneaky and damn good in a fight. Benji may have also made a new hacker friend. When he got back to Rio, he would need to chat with Brandon, as two members Mating within familiar family lines were high on the odds list.
Maybe he should call Warrick and place some new bets.
When they had returned to London, Benji announced that since they were close to Scotland, and had a few moments to breathe, it was time for Wilhelm to meet the Dunn family.
‘I don’t know how to meet the parents!’ Will hissed, as he dragged him onto the balcony of the penthouse Ethan owned in the city.
‘You met mine.’ He pointed out to his husband. He remembered when his father introduced Wilhelm, the Captain of the Guard. She had thought he was quite handsome, charming, though a bit rough around the edges. The main thing that had caught her attention was the fact he spoke to her, not her father, but to her. At that moment she had known he would be the man she would marry.
‘That doesn’t count. I courted you properly, and your father liked me.’ Will ran his hands through his hair. ‘This is a modern family. I can’t just ask his dad for his hand in marriage. Hell, I don’t even know if they accept their son being gay.’
‘It’s Benji, he wouldn’t take you to meet the parents if they weren’t okay about him being gay. Besides, why can’t you ask for his hand in marriage?’ Ethan was enjoying the flailing but didn’t see the big deal. He would’ve loved to have met Luther’s momma, and his parents were long gone. Luther did have to deal with Nathan, but he had charmed him instantly. Then bonded with Wales over the feed and caring of uncle and nephew. Actually, the true ‘parent’ meeting was when he introduced Luther to Max, when he finally understood why Ethan had laughed hysterically over her being MI:5. ‘Scotland just introduced a bill to make it legal, and from what I heard Parliament will be voting on something similar in the next month.’
Will stared at him like he was insane. ‘Are you kidding me?’
‘No.’ He shrugged casually. ‘The Justice National Council in Brazil just ordered that all civil registers allow same sex marriages and stated anyone who had been in a previous civil union, can convert it to a marriage.’
He blinked a few times. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yeah, Brazil got their act together, before the United Kingdom and the United States.’ Ethan glanced back into the living area, to see Luther and Benji bent over computers, they both had evil grins, he wondered whose bank account just got hacked.
‘Are you and Luther …’ His hand waved between the two of them asking the unspoken question.
Ethan blushed lightly. ‘Back when we first Mated, I promised one thing, if it was ever legal, we would get married. Under that hacker no care attitude is an old-fashioned type of guy, and so am I. Of course, at the time, neither of us thought it would happen.’
‘And?’ Brandt wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Ethan wasn’t his wife, not really. Though he always saw them as married, they weren’t legally. The idea that he could marry someone else, even if it was his Mate, was having an odd impact.
‘I bought rings a few months ago when the courts were debating the issue.’ Ethan glanced back into the room, smiling softly as he watched Luther for a few moments. ‘I wasn’t sure how to tell you.’
Will leaned against the railing. ‘It’s not like we’re actually married.’
‘Yet we are.’ Ethan gave him a pointed look. ‘I love you Will, and that will not change, but we both belong to others, who complete us in ways we never did.’
‘Yeah, it’s weird. And I know it’s fucking irrational, but I’m seriously jealous.’ He crossed his arms over his chest, hating being this out of control. ‘And I have no reason to be. Benji is exactly what I need. His hyper calm keeps me grounded, without driving me batshit.’ He gave Ethan a side-eye, who smirked in return. ‘His skills as a hacker have helped me in Hunting, yet the fact that he can, actually, hold his own is valuable. He actually listens when I tell him not do something stupid.’ Ethan snorted, at the pause. ‘Sometimes.’
‘I get it, Will. Luther keeps me calm, knows when I need to submit and let go of being the one in charge, or to get my brain to shut the fuck up.’ Ethan gave him a smile. ‘And he trusts me in ways you never did, and that’s only because you need plan A through Z laid out before you, it’s who you are. He trusts when I jump from A to Z and lets me work it out. At times he’ll push for me to talk it out, but when he does, I know, truly know, that something isn’t working.’ He took a glance back inside, this time he could tell the two were watching them discreetly, or at least they thought they were being discreet. ‘He doesn’t mind my corniness.’
Will laughed lightly. ‘So, you think I should ask his father for his hand in marriage?’
‘Being Mated is beyond marriage, you and I know this. As we’re practically married, yet not Mates. What we have with those guys, who have given up acting like they’re not paying attention,’ he heard their laughter, ‘is more. Marriage is an outward symbol of what we already know, even death won’t do us apart.’
‘You are corny.’ Will laughed lightly, his gaze focused on Benji, who was blushing lightly.
‘Yes, yes I am.’ Ethan grinned over at Luther, who just shook his head but couldn’t keep the sappy smile off his face.
Two days later, Will was on his way to Scotland to meet the parents. Luther was helping Jake update the security system in the Rookery, and he was on his way to meet an old friend. He helped a few tourists who were lost, then dodged people who were in a hurry, before stopping at one of the nice houses inside Queen Anne Square. He at least wore a suit, so he didn’t look like a thug ready to rob the place.
He knocked, then stepped back taking in his surroundings. The cameras and security on the place were top notch, he should know Luther set it up. The neighborhood was quiet, a nanny was out with the kids, taking them to the park. He could see a dog walker, trying to wrangle a few Corgis, Daschunds, and a Great Dane – goodluck to you.
“Ethan!”
“Hello Max.”
***
“We’re okay with letting Ethan run around London by himself?” Benji asked, as they took a taxi to his parents’ house.
They had arrived in Edinburgh two days ago, and spent the time locked in their hotel room. He knew Will was having a difficult time with the idea of meeting his parents. If he was honest, Benji was having a difficult time with it. In his 30 plus years of life, he had never brought a boyfriend home. They knew he was gay, he never hid it, but he also knew not to bring anyone home unless they were in the ‘I love you until the end of time’ type of relationship and hoped his parents didn’t scare him off.
Lucky for him, Will was his Mate, and couldn’t run off. Well, he could, but Ethan and Tamina would drag him back, tie him to a chair, and let Benji have his way.
And that was another thing he never told his family about, being a Vampire. Hell, they thought he worked as an IT Specialist at some security company in the US.
‘You do realize you don’t have to ask my dad for my hand in marriage.’ Benji sat up in bed, admiring the firm stomach and thighs. He still couldn’t believe that fate gave him Will as his Mate. Brandt deserved more than the geeky sci-fi kid who grew up dreaming of lightsabers and saving the world from aliens.
Well at least he got to save the world.
It took some time to get his head wrapped around Ethan and Will’s relationship. He had seen how they worked together during the Cobalt mission. Will explained their relationship, and his feelings towards Ethan. Afterwards Luther had pulled him aside to let him talk about it to someone who also at times had to be on the sidelines of the ‘husband and wife’ duo.
It took a bit of time, but he finally realized that Will loved him.
Him.
The geeky sci-fi kid who dreamed of lightsabers and saving the world from aliens.
Ethan and Will, well they would always be a married couple. But he saw the love Ethan had for Luther, and how much the burly hacker calmed his Mate down.
They were meant for each other.
Like he was meant for Will.
That didn’t mean he could fantasize about the ‘married’ couple, they were hot.
Will looked over at him, blinking slightly at the comment. ‘You were listening.’
‘Not at first, but I could feel you’re panic. I tuned in just enough to make sure nothing was going to bite us in the arse. I’m pretty sure Luther was listening, as he had that smile, he gets when Ethan is being corny.’
He laughed lightly, then reached out to pull his Mate close to give him a passionate kiss. ‘He’s right though, being Mated is much more than being married.’
‘Yeah, but you’re an old-fashioned type of guy, who does the whole courting thing, then asks dear ol’ dad for their child’s hand in marriage. I mean back in the day, when you married Anya, it was the way things were, and well even now there’s this pressure to get married, get a house, have kids, and retire to the countryside. Hence society is losing it’s ever lovin’ mind about gay marriage, because it’s not how it was done.’
Will sat up and took Benji’s hand. ‘Is your family okay with you being gay?’
‘They are to an extent.’ He shrugged, then shifted slightly away from Will. ‘The concept is okay, but I’ve never brought home a boyfriend, to see if the reality of it was okay.’
Wilhelm watched him for a few moments, reading all the nervousness and fear. ‘Benji if they make one comment out of line, I’ll smack the living shit out of them. Call Tamina to let her do it, and if that doesn’t get them to shut the fuck up, I’m calling Ethan.’
Benji smiled then chuckled. ‘I like how Ethan is the last resort.’
‘I may bitch about his craziness and insane plans, but the man cares for you. You are his Childe, and he’s protective of those he takes into his orbit. He still blames himself for Sarah’s death, and nothing I can tell him will take that away, until she returns to him.’
Benji frowned, after hearing what happened in Prague, it made him want to find Phelps and kill him, all the more. He knew arguing with Ethan over Sarah’s death was pointless, he saw it as a failure on his part, and though he blames Phelps for the situation, he still holds some of the guilt. Whether he should or not, Will is right, it won’t go away until she’s standing in front of him once again.
‘He’s the only one I know that can have a Martyr complex, yet hold it with humility.’
‘That’s a good way to put it.’ He reached out to his Mate. ‘Don’t worry about your family. If they can’t handle the boyfriend or the fact I would likely ask for your hand in marriage, then we leave.’
‘Before or after you make them realize how stupid they’re being.’
”I can do both.’ Benji laughed and kissed him, it quickly turned passionate as Will pulled him onto the bed, covering Benji with his body. ‘I love you.’
‘I don’t know how I got so lucky, but God, I love you.’ Benji’s hand gripped the back of his neck and yanked him down to kiss him hard, tongue slipping into his mouth. They were still sore and covered in dust from their earlier passions, but he wanted – needed his Mate.
And the moment Will slid into him in one hard thrust, he arched upwards, a cry of pleasure ripped from his throat as he was fucked hard and fast. Even with the Vampire healing, he was going to be sore for a while, and the bruises will linger. He was going to remember this moment as he sat across from his mother having tea.
“Luther is with him, and I trust him not to let Ethan do something stupid.” Will tapped his fingers against his knee, the only sign of his nervousness. “I’m more worried about the fact he’s visiting Max.”
“The arms dealer.” Benji glanced over at him in shock. “I mean I get why he has her as a contact, but are they really that close?”
Will laughed. “I don’t even know her real name, where she lives, or anything about her. Just that her code name is Max, she’s been running arms and information, longer than anyone knows, and she’s adopted Ethan. And I only learned that in the past couple of years.”
Benji glanced over at him, with an incredulous look on his face. “How? I mean, okay I know how he got adopted, it’s Ethan, he likely gave her the puppy eyes. But she deals in weapons, Ethan is very anti-dealing in weapons.”
“He also knows she has a set code. She doesn’t traffic in humans and has been known for taking out those who do. She doesn’t deal with nuclear weapons, and let’s face it – it was her connections that helped us in Mumbai. She has a soft spot for Ethan, which has saved our hides more than once. As for why she adopted him. I have a theory, but will likely never find out, as I’ve never actually met the woman. Luther is the only one who’s met her, and I’m pretty sure she has tea with M monthly.”
“This wouldn’t surprise me.” Benji’s voice trailed off as the cab stopped in front of a typical home, in the middle of a typical street. “We’re here.”
Will got out of the cab and looked around. The street was quiet, with only a few dogs barking. There was an older car in the driveway, and the fence was a bit run down, but the garden was well taken care of, and was filled with flowers and plants.
As the cab drove away, Benji glanced over to his Mate. “Well, this is it. Home Sweet Home. I learned to ride a bike on this street, smashed into the McAllistair’s stone fence more than once, then crashed the car into it while learning to drive. I broke my arm climbing on the tree in the backyard and got my first kiss from Leigh when I was six.”
“I’m going to guess it was because she was named Leigh?”
“Well yeah.” Benji chuckled as he grabbed his laptop bag, he never left home without it. “Only girl I kissed. Billy was the first boy I kissed when I was twelve, it was behind the comic book shop.”
“Of course, it was.” Will reached over and took Benji’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Hey, remember what I said.”
“If my parents turn into homophobic arseholes, you’ll let Tamina at them.” He squeezed his Mate’s hand, then opened the gate and made his way up to the front door. With a deep breath he knocked.
Will stood silently behind him, ready to defend his Mate if need be. He had made sure to keep on his sunglasses, as he was sure the Vampire was on the surface and the last thing, he wanted to do was scare the family with the paranormal.
The door opened to reveal an older Scottish couple. Mary Dunn had a full head of silver hair, a beautiful smile that her son inherited, and kind green eyes. Scotty Dunn, was burly and had a bit of middle age spread, receding hairline, but the mischievous grin and eyes reminded Will so much of Benji. “Benjamin!” Mary stepped out to hug her son, then proceeded to do what all mothers do the world over, check over him to make sure he was eating enough and was taking care of himself.
“Who’s he?” Scotty nodded towards Will.
Benji hesitated, he could tell them that Will was a co-worker, and that they had a job in London, and invited him to Scotland for a few days. He knew Will would go along with it, not like the man works for a secret organization and was used to lying about who he was on a daily basis.
“He’s, my boyfriend.”
Scotty glanced at Will, then back at Benji. “How the hell did Mr. Geek Sci-fi I dream of lightsabers and saving the world from aliens, end up with a hot guy who is way out of his league?”
Benji’s mouth dropped.
Mary hit her husband, giving Will an apologetic look.
Will slipped off his sunglasses, held out his hand. “I’m William Brandt, sir, and I love your son for his lightsaber dreams and saving the world from aliens.”
Scotty’s laugh was contagious, as he reached out and took Will’s hand then pulled him in for a hug. “Welcome to the family.”
***
Ethan kissed Max on the cheek, then was pulled inside the spacious home. The foyer held a beautiful round oak table, with a large bouquet of flowers. He snuck a peak just to make sure there wasn’t a potato and carrot in the middle, like the ones at Sylum Manor and St. Michael’s Mount. No matter how much he tried to find out about the obvious inside joke between Nico and Guin, he still hadn’t found out what the potato and carrot meant.
“Darling, it’s good to see you.” She slipped her arm around his waist giving him another kiss, then ruffling his hair. “I see Luther is taking good care of you.”
“When I let him,” giving her a bright smile.
With a roll of her eyes, she pulled him out of the foyer towards the parlor. “Darling! Ethan has come to visit.”
There was a shuffle, the sound of books dropping, a few curt words, then a door and footsteps along the stairs. Ethan smiled at Lord Mark Wessex he was everything Max wasn’t. He didn’t know much about where he came from, just that he was the actual Lord of Wessex, even had a country Manor house that he turned into a bed and breakfast, making the small village around it a quaint tourist spot.
He loved Max dearly, but stayed out of her business, as she stayed out of his. He knew the two were Mated, one of the few that was trusted with that information. The same with her trusted employees. Matthias and Sven were both Turned not soon after he met Luther. Matthias had been shot protecting Max, and discovered Sven was his Mate. They had stayed loyal to her all these years and had no interest letting Mod or Camelot know about their existence. Ethan and Luther were their safety net in case anything went wrong.
“Ethan, my boy.” He made his way down the stairs, then pulled him into his arms giving him a hug. “It’s been too long since we last saw you. Where is Luther, is he coming?”
“He has some business in the East End but will be here shortly.” Though he teased Will about meeting the parents, introducing Luther to Max and Mark had been difficult. He wasn’t sure how to explain to his new Mate that the arms dealer he sold the Noc List to was his adopted Mum. “I actually have some news for you.”
“Finally going to make us grandparents?” Mark teased his boy. “My darling wife has been knitting little booties for years now.”
She gave him a look, though kissed her husband on the cheek. “I think you’re referring to yourself.”
“I technically gave you a Grandchilde.” Ethan played along. “I Sired Benji a few years ago, though not sure he’s ready to meet the grandparents.”
“The Scotsman, who works with you.” Mark held a handout towards the open doors, leading to the parlor. “One day you’ll have to bring him by.”
“That would also mean bringing Wilhelm.”
Max frowned, though she kept her opinions to herself. She had faced Wilhelm, and a few other Kin Clan Hunters over the centuries before she met Ethan. They never knew who she was, and she liked it that way. She also knew that Wilhelm was attached to Ethan, and that her boy trusted the Lead Hunter, which didn’t mean she did, but she trusted Ethan.
“Well, we should be civilized after all we’re not actually fighting the Germans anymore.” Mark laughed lightly at his own joke, then motioned to the staff to bring some drinks and food. “It is good to see you. Your mother worries.”
“I know.” Ethan gave her another kiss on the cheek, as they settled into the informal parlor, enjoying the warmth of the fire and company. “There is something I need to tell you.”
“Ethan, dear.” Max sat up in her seat, concerned at his obvious nervousness. “You know you are always welcome here, even if you’re in trouble.”
“I do have friends in high places.” Mark pointed out. Though he doesn’t get involved in his wife’s work, he does take care of their son.
‘He’s our what?’ He asked just before he downed the rest of his scotch and looked at his Mate.
‘Our son.’ Her tone indicated he wasn’t to play the dumb Lord, who had no idea what was really going on around him. ‘It took me longer than it should have to realize he was my dear Maximilian. It wasn’t until our last meeting, when I needed him to play the role of my son, that I realized.’
Mark reached over and took his wife’s hand, pulling her close. She didn’t always relent to his soft touch and care, but there were moments she curled into his larger embrace and let him comfort and protect.
‘Ethan gave me that smile and called me mum.’ She looked up at Mark, eyes filled with so much emotion. ‘I realized at that moment … he was my Maximillian. My darling son, who died protecting me, his family, and our lands. Only for me to lose it all, and gain eternity.’
He moved them to their bed, sitting her down, taking off her shoes and setting them aside, before making her comfortable leaning against the headboard. He had vague flashes of their life together, but nothing detailed. Mark knew his wife was strong, had obtained power when it was rare for a woman to have it, and more importantly kept it. He didn’t always agree with her occupation but understood where it came from.
‘I have vague dreams of our time together. You always feel so far away, and only glimpses of a beautiful blonde boy, who liked to climb things.’ He laughed lightly. ‘Really, darling that should’ve been our first clue.’
She laughed brightly. ‘He does have his eyes. Though I know he’s not physically related to us, the spark of mischief is still there. I’m just not sure how to tell him.’
‘One day, when the time is right.’
Ethan shifted slightly before he stood and moved over the window. “We’ve rarely talked of my Sire, after the NOC List, there wasn’t any reason to.”
Max sat up, watching him intently. “Should Luther be here, darling?”
He turned, giving her a soft smile, letting her know he appreciated the concern. “He was with me when I ended up telling my origin story, I’m telling you the aftermath.” Ethan sat back down, though was still obviously nervous as he couldn’t quite sit still. “I discovered recently that he’s still alive.”
“I’ll kill him myself.” Max growled low in her throat, her husband reached over and took her hand, his way of showing his support.
“More importantly.” Ethan glanced at the two of them. “I discovered his real name. He’s Lord Richard Croft.”
It was Mark who stood in shock. “Lord Croft, as in Lady Lara Croft’s father?”
“Yes.”
“That bastard.” He snarled, a rare show of his anger. “I had that man in my house. I backed him during his archeological endeavors. I mourned him at his funeral, and helped Lara establish herself.”
“She is the one who told me. Believe me at the moment she has no love for her wayward father.” Ethan smirked at the memory of the video she sent him of her blowing up the memorial in her back gardens. He had received photo and video updates over the past few months of the new fountain going in, the main sculpture was that of a tree with a sloth hanging on one of the branches.
“Well now I know what he looks like.” Max’s smile was downright vindictive. “I will have Matthias start putting out feelers, I have more diabolic contacts that can sniff out the rat.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, mum.” He gave her a knowing look.
“You know.” She shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “How long?”
“It took me a while to figure out what I had been dreaming. The world looks different when you’re six foot two.”
Mark snickered then took his seat next to his wife, taking her hand again. “Then you know we’ll support you no matter what.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
***
“And where exactly is Ethan?” Jake asked as he watched Luther rip apart his security system and rebuild it from scratch. “Oy! That’s new gear ya’ know.”
“It’s cheap.” Luther dumped wires and dead equipment into the bin he had stashed next to him. “I would expect, with your job…” He glanced over at him, with a look that screamed you’re not fooling me. “… of running a bar. You would have a better system in place. These cameras are shit, the processing system can’t hold images in real time, so you’re getting every five seconds and we both know five seconds is a long time. The only good thing you have is your phone. Since a few of those just showed up on my front door.” He gave him another long look. “I know that’s the only thing worth keeping.”
“Don’t ‘ave to be rude.” Jake laughed lightly at Luther’s antics.
“You’re the one who called me.” He pointed out, ripping out more wires sneering at them in disgust. He climbed down the ladder, typed a few things on his laptop before grabbing a box of smaller cameras.
“Rumors statin’ Phelps is unfortunately alive, so to speak.” Jake watched as the hacker set up the cameras throughout the bar, he had to admit they were more discreet than the ones he had.
Luther finished putting up the last of the devices, before looking over at the bar. Jacob Frye was far more than a pub owner, just looking at him was enough to show that, but then he knew how people rarely looked past the stereotype. Put on the slick clothes, with his earring in place, most judged him for a pimp. Put on some jeans, with a simple button down and a fedora, he’s a jazz musician from New Orlans. He hid in the stereotypes as much as Jake did.
“You weren’t around during that time.” Luther set the empty box on the bar top.
“Technically still breathing at the time. Since death I’ve worked with Ethan and was there when he met ya’.” Jake grabbed a glass and poured one from the tap, handing it over to Luther.
Luther took a sip of the beer listening intently, Ethan had mentioned it in passing while telling his origin story, but it would be interesting to hear it from Jake’s perspective.
“Once he realized what you were to ‘im, contacted me asking if the Rooks could keep an eye out. Where did you think the hideout came from? Ethan was terrified of what would happen if Phelps found out about you.” Jake poured his own pint and settled against the bar. “Didn’t ‘ave to do much, as he took the bastard out, who is now back from the dead so to speak.”
He hadn’t been surprised that Ethan took precautions. At the time he had wondered how Hunt had found a hiding place so fast, but the little time he spent with Ethan he had learned the man could do just about anything he set his mind to. He’d been so focused on the NOC list not getting out, that he didn’t notice anyone ‘protecting’ him. Even when he had returned to the IMF, he hadn’t noticed anyone staying close by.
“We got confirmation the bastard is still walking this earth.” Luther sipped more of the beer, then set it on the bar. “After Lara left Brazil, we went to Australia to talk to Frost. Well, I talked to Frost, while Ethan went to find Mango, his spirit animal.”
The pint was halfway up to Jake’s mouth, before he put it back down. “What?”
Luther laughed lightly. “It’s part of our Mating story.”
He leaned against the bar, smiling wide. “Don’t leave me ‘anging.”
With a sigh, he settled onto the barstool. “Technically the first part of this is Ethan’s story, and normally I wouldn’t indulge, but I’m not sure he could handle another story time.”
Jake nodded before moving from behind the bar, towards the front door. He quickly opened the door, said a few words to the Rooks outside, then shifted the sign over indicating the Rookery was closed.
“We won’t be disturbed.”
Ethan arrived in Japan, making his way down to Kagoshima, one week after he left Luther behind in London. The Vampire wanted his Mate, but he had lived with his anxiety for over a hundred years and had known he was in no mind to deal with Luther at the moment.
The time he spent with Jack and Wilhelm hadn’t helped his mind set.
Will was pissed at him for not talking to Luther, to the point that he left Germany before Ethan left for Japan. He didn’t blame him … they both knew at one point a Mate would appear in their lives. Will wanted Ethan to be with his Mate, but couldn’t watch it, while Ethan was trying to come to terms with the idea of a Mate alongside a husband. It was for the best they stayed separated for a while, to let them both come to grips with the new changes.
The fact he left their bed before dawn, without saying goodbye had sucked.
Jack had also been pissed at him for not letting him on the mission, for not telling him about Phelps, and for Sarah’s death.
They argued a lot, and when he tossed Sarah’s death at him, yelling that he had got her killed, he walked away. He avoided Jack the next day and found a spot on one of the towers of the Castle. He was sure Mary was glaring at him, through a few floors, but he made sure not to leave any muddy footprints on her clean window frames.
‘I’m sorry.’
Ethan startled slightly then glanced at Jack. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for.’
‘I was being shitty.’ He held up his hand, stopping the reply. ‘I was. It wasn’t your fault that Phelps was a grade a dick. Let alone dealing with the dick as your Sire, talk about an abusive relationship, and I know what those are like. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I miss her, she kept me on my toes and was genuinely a great gal.’
‘She was.’ Ethan stared out over the land, sent a prayer to the heavens that she was at peace and maybe one day he would see her again.
‘I don’t like being shipped off, but I get it.’ Jack sat next to him, taking his hand. ‘I can’t go back to the IMF, so being a Hollywood elite won’t be too bad.’
Ethan laughed, squeezing his hand. ‘When you win that Oscar or Emmy, remember me, just don’t tell anyone my name.’
“Did he ever win an Emmy?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, he did.” Luther nodded, taking a sip of his beer. “You know the show Crab Hunting, a good few years ago, it won an Emmy for the footage of that ship going down, with Captain Turd.”
“I heard about it. He was the cameraman that got the footage?” He laughed lightly. “I’m sure he wasn’t expecting Hollywood to be more dangerous than the IMF.”
“He ended up Turned from that incident, lives mostly with Serenity. He figured out that the reason Sarah’s death was so hard on him, she was his Mate.” Luther never met the woman, but he was curious to meet her when she returned. “And at the awards ceremony he thanked Ethan…
‘I would like to thank my dear friend who helped me with my career change. And to Sarah, my dearest, this is for you for believing in me all those years ago. I miss you.’
… We ended up meeting up with him at the after party. Kirk Lazarus got us in, kept telling everyone, Ethan was an old friend named Tom.” Luther chuckled at the memory it had been a fun night. He got to see Ethan relaxed and enjoying life.
“Why didn’t Ethan Turn him?”
“He was in no place at the time, after Phelps and coming to terms with me, I think all of it was too much, which is why he spent time in Japan and Australia, well before we ended up on another mission.”
“Where he found Mango, his spirit animal.”
Nathan pulled his nephew into his arms the moment he stepped inside their home. He wasn’t surprised Mushu got in on the action.
“Can’t breathe.” Ethan chuckled, stuck between his uncle and a clingy dragon.
“Don’t need to.” Nathan refused to let go.
“My hooman’s, hooman.”
Ethan laughed lightly, wiggling out between the two. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but I’m not in a good space right now.”
“The fact you can admit that is most of the battle.” Nathan smiled at him, knowing how hard his nephew battled with his anxiety, about as much as he did. “There are times I still can’t handle being on my knees….”
“I’m sure Katsumoto is saddened.” He teased slightly, knowing it would lighten the mood.
“I’m talented enough that I don’t have to be on my knees.” He snarked, sending them into giggles. Which, neither would admit to, even under the pain of death. “Seriously, Ethan. I get it, even now there are times that even my Mate holding me is too much.”
“You were tortured.”
“So were you, by someone you trusted.” Nathan refused to let him hide away from it. “My pain is not greater than yours, it’s just different. We fixed you a room, near the back where the doors open to the wide-open spaces.”
“I found my Mate.” He said quickly, eyes closed as if admittingly it out loud would change the situation.
Nathan took his hand and led him over to the couch, making him sit. He glanced up to see his Mate at the door, who only nodded and went to find some tea. Mushu moved to the bottom of the couch, rolling until all four paws were in the air, he got pets from his hooman, then settled in to protect mode.
“This is good news.” Nathan assured him, leaning back into the corner giving his nephew the space he needed.
“I know.” Ethan pulled his own feet onto the couch, arms wrapping around his legs. “He’s amazing. Helped me with the last mission … ” he explained about Phelps, the NOC List, and told him about Luther. “He’s back at IMF, and despite Will’s bitching I don’t plan to be gone long, but I just can’t right now.”
“I get it.” Nathan reached over and tickled one of Mushu’s paws. “You can stay here as long as you need, and if here becomes too much you can always go see Connor. I know it helped after that particular mission went bad.”
Ethan cringed it was a mission he didn’t like to think about. One that went wrong in so many ways, and nothing good came out of it. The bomb had still gone off killing hundreds, it wasn’t the first time he had run out of options and failed, but it was one that affected him the most. Nathan had taken him to Australia, introduced him to Connor, and his vast amount of sheep. Farm work was familiar, no matter the type of farm. After a few weeks, he thanked Connor for his therapy and went back to work.
“I do expect to meet him, once you’re Mated.” Nathan gave him a small smile. “After all, someone has to make sure he’s good enough for my nephew.”
“As long as Wales isn’t around.”
“I heard my good name being used in vain.” Wales grinned at the two, as he leaned against the door jam. “Good to see you Ethan, and congratulations on finding your Mate. Just remember, someone has to train the poor boy how to properly care and feed you idealistic idiots.”
Ethan spent six months in Japan. During that time, he ended up tackled by Mushu as he stalked across the field, never once making it halfway. The two usually ended up taking naps in the long grass in the warm afternoon sun.
Sifu dragged him out into the fields to meditate, it wasn’t something he was good at. Settling his mind and body was difficult. On a mission he could stay still, if need be, but his mind was always looking for new outs, figuring out new options, going over mission plans looking for holes, and finding better ways to save the world.
Getting his mind to shut down, usually took a good hard fuck. At times Will could get him so far gone, that the only thing he could focus on was the next touch.
Losing himself in pleasure.
Calming both mind and body was near impossible.
It was the third day of sitting out in the middle of the field, being told to calm his mind, and just let his anxiety dissolve off him and into the ground.
“Focus on the sound of the butterfly wings.”
Ethan bit back the snort. This wasn’t new either, the rumor mill had it that Sifu even got Speed out into the field to calm his mind, waiting for the damn butterfly that never showed up. It was one of Sifu’s oldest tricks, and somehow it still worked.
Despite him being blind he knew if you moved an inch.
“Stop thinking, I can feel it from here.”
Ethan took a calming breath, letting out his frustrations, his fears. He focused on Luther’s smile and laugh. He remembered the calm he felt being around him, how in those few days he had been content and happy, despite the stress of the job.
There was a soft flutter on his arm. He forced himself to stay calm, and not move a muscle then slowly opened his eyes, to see over a dozen butterflies sitting on his arms and legs. He wanted to laugh but didn’t want to scare them off.
“See.” Sifu gave him a warm smile. “A calm mind can open you to so many possibilities.”
“You are such an asshole.” Which got the older Hunter to chuckle. “You have these guys stashed in another valley just waiting for some signal.” Ethan couldn’t stop smiling, even when the last one flew off, and he hated to admit he felt calmer than he had in a while, but then Sifu had that influence on others.
As the two made their way back to the Clan home, he leaned into Ethan. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“You do have butterflies stashed!” He nudged him slightly, since he knew what the Hunter could do with his staff and had the bruises to prove it. Sifu stepped in front of Ethan, making him come to stop, then took a step back at the seriousness of the moment. “If I offended…”
“No.” He shook his head, both hands resting on his staff. “Ethan you are much like your uncle, a caring heart, that takes too much of the pains of the world onto your shoulders. Your Mate will be the one to care for you. He’ll help you save the world, then hold you afterwards.”
“What if he doesn’t want me?” He asked, voice quiet. “I’m not the easiest person to deal with. I jump into situations without thinking, can’t sit for more than a few seconds, and can be annoying as fuck.”
“Have you met Marco?” That got a laugh out of him. “I’m sure he’ll see all those traits as charming. Though, if he doesn’t accept you, then it is his loss. You then come home and let your uncle take care of you, while Wales and I deal with everything else.”
“And let me tell you Wales and Sifu working together is terrifying.” Luther downed the rest of his beer. “After we Mated, he took me back to Japan to meet the family. Those two were the first ones I met. I’m not a small guy, and Wales towered over me. He didn’t need to lean against the wall cleaning his nails with his knife to be intimidating, yet it worked so nicely.”
Jake chuckled, he had met Wales once and he was so not like the rest of the Meridii it was shocking. He had Javert’s build, but he let the madness run wild, while the others were good at acting more civilized before doing something crazy.
“I want to know about this Mango.” Jake pulled out snacks from behind the bar, the good ones, not the ones he set out for the cheap drunks.
Luther pulled his phone out of his back pocket, scrolled through his ‘Adorable Ethan’ photos, most of them was him resting with a sloth, until he found the latest one. It was of Ethan sitting cross legged on the ground, Mango, the sheep, standing in front of him, their foreheads touching. “This is actually Mango the 2nd.”
Jake couldn’t help the chuckle at the image, it was a side of Ethan not many see, as a matter of fact he had only seen it once. He had brought Luther back to London, a couple years after they Mated. It was the first time Jake had seen him relaxed, smile was wide and true.
“So how is Mango his Spirit Animal?” Jake asked, still smiling at the image.
“Ever heard of a Walkabout?” Luther asked, distracted as he glanced at his text messages. Benji was ranting in their group chat, well at least the visit was going well, and he wouldn’t have to send Ethan up to Scotland to break Will out of jail for doing something stupid, while he hacked accounts to destroy lives.
‘Help! My dad likes Will and now their buddies!’
Luther tried not to snicker at the image Benji sent of Brandt and Mr. Dunn laughing over what looked to be a photo album.
‘Oh God he’s pulled out my baby photos. I’m going to just die now. Tell me there’s some world emergency that we need to solve, there has to be some terrorist that needs to be taken out.’
‘This is not fair! There’s no baby pictures of Will that someone can embarrass him with!’
Luther rolled his eyes. ‘Ethan has compromising images.’
‘And you’re telling me this NOW! Where are these? ETHAN!!!!’
The image that popped up was of Wilhelm in a Renaissance outfit. The tights were purple, the pantaloons black with purple stripes, a black vest buttoned over the dark purple shirt, that at last looked somewhat normal. He had his bow in hand, and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. He looked like a man who was resigned to his fate.
‘Undercover Renaissance Fair. Authentic outfit.’
‘I love you!’
Luther frowned when he saw the text under the group chat, this one from an Unknown Sender.
‘I want all the information you have on Lord Croft. I know you have a file. I want everything. The man will not live long enough to regret not staying dead.’
‘You’ll have it by dinner.’
‘Thank you my dear, we’re looking forward to seeing you.’
It would seem Brandt found the image Ethan uploaded.
‘Ethan! I thought we agreed never to show that picture!’
‘I have worse ones, remember that my dear husband.’
‘It’s like watching your parents arguing. Wait I take that back. Not a good image.’
Luther ignored all of them by putting his phone back in his pocket, then reached for his beer.
Jake was smart enough not to ask, so instead went back to their conversation. “Heard of it. It’s a tradition of the Aborigines in Australia, or do I have that wrong?”
“It’s an Aborigine rite of passage for young men, and over time became something uniquely Australian. Basically, the idea of a Walkabout is to start walking until you run into yourself. It’s a spiritual journey, helping one to come to terms with what’s going on in their life.” Luther settled onto one of the bar stools. “This is where our Mating story begins.”
Jake got comfortable.
Ethan waved as the pilot dumped him, his bag, and about ten boxes of supplies for the ranch. When the dust settled, it was Flanagan who was leaning against an old rickety truck at the end of the landing trip.
Conner’s Place was out in the middle of nowhere.
There were two ways to get there: a long trip by truck or plane.
It was the perfect place to get lost. There was no one for miles, and nothing but good hard work, taking care of the land, sheep, or anything else they needed fixing. Flanagan was the younger of the two, despite him and Conner being Turned at the exact same time.
“You look like shite.”
“Thank you.” Ethan shook his head, dumped his bag into the passenger seat floor, then helped him load up the supply boxes. “Been a rough few months.”
“Nothing like a trip to the middle of nowhere, to get your head on straight, mate.” Flanagan gave him a pat on the shoulder, before heading back to the ranch house.
Ethan had been amazed that Connor and Flanagan built everything by hand, which included the ranch house and all the outliner buildings: the pens, barns, shearing station, and bunkhouses.
The ranch house they occupied wasn’t the original Connor had built for his family, back at the turn of the century.
When he had returned home from Turkey, where he had spent time searching for his lost sons, and ended up bringing home Flanagan instead, they had decided to start anew. The two deconstructed the original home, moved fifty miles north, followed the river and over two valleys.
It was a healing process for both men, dealing with the aftereffects of the first World War.
Flanagan was quiet for the quick trip to the ranch house, which Ethan was thankful for, he wasn’t in the mood to rehash everything for a third time. They pulled up the driveway, stopping in front of the large front porch, where Connor was waiting.
“You look like shite.”
Ethan chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “Thanks for letting me stay. Whatever you need me to do, I’m up for it.”
Connor gave his visitor a once over. “I think you need to do a Walkabout.” Ethan’s head tilted slightly, not quite sure what he was suggesting. “You set out on a walk until you find yourself, sit down over a fire to have a discussion, and only one of you comes back.”
“That sounds a bit intense.” Ethan stated hesitantly as he walked into the main house. He could smell a stew brewing in the kitchen and hear the TV softly playing in the den. They might be out in the middle of nowhere, but even they didn’t miss Origin. The large antenna located near the airfield, kept them in communication with the outside world.
“Have you met you, mate.” Flanagan patted him on the shoulder, passing by him to head into the den. “Watch some footie, eat some good food, and get a good night’s sleep. We have fences that need mending, and I’m sure someone as wily as you can figure out how a few of our sheep keep escaping.”
The hard work put him to sleep most nights.
Though the good nature arguing between Connor (go Rabbitohs) and Flanagan (go St. George) could keep a non-Australian on their toes during footy season.
Overall, he could feel the stress drop away, though the anxiety still stubbornly held on. Eight weeks in he packed a bag, made sure to have enough water and food, along with a few weapons, and headed out into the wilderness to find lost sheep.
He didn’t know what to expect, not really. The first day he found two huddled close together, under a rock formation, he escorted them back to the ranch. They hadn’t been missing long, but enough to be annoyed and filthy. A few days later he found another just wandering around, looking very lost and pathetic. He had to use the rope to tie that one to his belt, as it kept wandering off as he dragged it home.
“Should send you sheep hunting more often.” Flanagan tipped his hat, as he dragged the annoying sheep to the shearing station.
Ethan packed up a few more supplies, this time with the intention of heading further out. He didn’t set a real course, but always made sure to orientate himself to where the ranch was located. He spent three days wandering the outback, not finding one lost sheep. Against better judgment, he ventured further out.
That night he made a small camp, getting a fire going and rolling out his sleeping bag. The camp was near a small stream, so he was able to clean himself up and fill his canteens. After a small hunt he found a hare, drank down the blood, then fixed dinner. It was a peaceful night, there was nothing around him but nature for hundreds of miles.
“Can I sit?”
Ethan looked up to see himself standing at the edge of the camp. He wasn’t wearing anything one would expect to see in the middle of the Australian Outback. Matter of fact the outfit looked more attuned for winter gear, heavy black cargo pants, a slim black jacket, and sturdy boots. The hair was short, eyes older, but the smile was the same.
“Sure.” Ethan was pretty sure he had finally lost it but decided to see where his mind was taking this.
“I do not remember being this young.” He sat down on the other side of the fire. “So filled with hopes and dreams with a shit load of anxiety.”
“Have I changed all that much?”
“Hell no.” His older self-smirked, getting them both to laugh. “Now we just have help dealing with it.”
Ethan studied himself for a few moments, wanting to ask so many questions. “Wilhelm?”
“Not just our husband,” he smiled softly. It was the one he usually had when thinking about Will. “We have our own team, despite how insane the whole group is, but mostly we have … “
“Luther.” They both said at the same time.
“He is truly meant for us.” Ethan gave his ‘younger’ self a complicated look. “I know what you’re going through, and obviously in time Luther will be … ” he waved a hand around saying more than he could. “Trust in our instincts. They haven’t let us down.”
“And if I fuck it up?” Which was his biggest fear through all of this.
The laugh was lighter, likely to do with the years without Phelps. “Of course, we’re going to fuck it up. If we didn’t it wouldn’t be us. And if we don’t do it, some asshat terrorist will. But that’s what we’re good at.”
“Saving the world.”
“Protecting those we love.” Ethan stood, glancing around the area. “It’s always quiet here, one of my favorite places to recharge.”
“I’m sheep hunting.” And felt stupid even saying it, as likely himself already knew that.
“Say hello to Mango for me.” There was a hesitation as if he wanted to say more, but then shook his head. “Let him love you.”
And with that he was gone, and standing in his place was a sheep, who obviously had been out in the wilderness for more than a few years. “Well hello Mango.”
Mango was a bitch.
He tried to tie a rope to his waist to get the stubborn sheep back to the ranch. She escaped twice. The two ended up staring at each other, neither backing down until he threw his hands up and grabbed the disgruntled sheep and slung her around his shoulders.
She baawed in his ear the whole trip as if explaining in detail how undignified this was, and he would pay for such treatment. He laughed lightly, talking back to her, making sure Mango understood that it was for her own good, and that a nice shave and bath was waiting for her.
He was a day out from the ranch, at least by now she seemed to come to an understanding that he was there to help. It was getting warm and having a bug infested sheep over his shoulders was starting to become really uncomfortable.
He set her down, drinking down some water, making sure she got some when he heard the helicopter. He pushed Mango behind him, then rolled his eyes at his own action while pulling the gun he always carried. The chopper hovered over the area then shot something into the ground next to him then flew off.
Ethan glanced at Mango, who seemed to give him a look ‘what do you expect from me?’. He wasn’t surprised at the IMF Logo or the pair of glasses he pulled out of the tube. ‘Agent Hunt … ‘
He tossed the glasses towards the cylinder container and watched both go up in a small explosion. With a sigh, he hosted up Mango onto his shoulders and headed back to the Ranch.
He was back in the game.
“And how did Mango appreciate being manhandled?” Jake asked, laughing at the disgruntled sheep.
“From what I learned after the mission when I got to meet his Spirit Animal.” Luther drank down the rest of the beer. “They got her shaved, cleaned and put back in one of the larger sheep pens. But she kept coming back to the Ranch and wouldn’t leave until Ethan showed back up and she instantly ran over to him. We lost her eight years later, but she was one pampered sheep. It hit him hard, but a year later he wandered into the Outback and came back with Mango the Second.”
“That is actually an awesome story.” Jake shook his head. “And the mission they called him back into, was the Mating story.”
“Yep.” Luther grabbed a StarkPad from his bag and handed it over to Jake. “There is a program on here that runs the cameras.” Jake nodded, taking the pad, and listening to what Luther was showing him, story time was over for the moment.
***
Wilhelm was out in the backyard, checking his phone to make sure nothing was happening. The new phone was very intuitive, and one of the best pieces of tech he had ever seen. IMF had some of the most advanced, including material Stark Industries made specifically for the organization. His mail was organized in a way he could see what was important versus the junk work emails about upcoming classes, free coffee in the cafeteria on Tuesday, and special announcements that were pointless.
“Everything okay?” Mary asked as she stepped out into the backyard.
“Work never stops.” He answered, then quickly responded to an important email before slipping it into his pocket. He smiled when she handed him a cup of coffee. “Even when I’m supposed to be on vacation.”
“Shouldn’t have to work so hard.” She sipped her tea, settling in one of the lounge chairs. She set the cup down then patted the chair next to her. “Benji stated that you’re an Analyst. I apologize, I’m not quite sure what that means. Then again most of what Benji rattles off about what he does makes no sense to me. The boy was always ten steps ahead of us, fascinated with computers, phones, and the latest technologies. And most of the time I want to murder the printer.”
“Everyone wants to murder the printer. They are evil bastards who never do what they are supposed to.” Will settled into the chair setting his cup next to hers on the small mosaic table. The backyard was a decent size, he could easily see Benji playing in the backyard acting out lightsaber’s battles. The wooden fence was at least six feet, covered with ivy. There was a small herb garden on the left, along with a garden shed filled with tools and supplies. “You have a lovely home.”
“Thank You.” She smiled softly, glancing back into the house. “It’s been quiet since Benji went to university, then took that job in the United States.” She paused, sipping her tea. “Is he happy?”
“I think so.” He answered honestly. “I hope so. I try to make sure he’s happy.”
“Then that’s the most important thing.” She reached over and patted his knee. “So how did you meet my boy?”
“At work…” He couldn’t help but think back to that moment when they had jumped onto the train only to look up and see his Mate holding a gun on him.
Brandt walked next to The Secretary from the plane to the car. He was pissed beyond recognition that he had no idea what was going on in Moscow. Russia was yelling about the tyrants of the West. The West was playing dumb stating they had no idea what the hell was going on. Speculations of terrorist domestic and foreign. They were lucky they weren’t at war, considering a bomb went off next to the Kremlin. All bets were off if… it had gone off at the Kremlin.
He was pretty sure they had Ethan to thank for that.
They were already landing in Moscow when word reached them that Ethan needed a pickup. Brandt hadn’t seen his wife in three years. He had been on his own missions for IMF, which he still wasn’t sure how Ethan had recruited him into the program.
Plus, there was Gruber and his shit.
When rumors started up that the famous Ethan Hunt had gotten married, he was ready to hunt his wife down to find out what the hell was going on. Only for him to go completely off grid, and to make matters worse Will couldn’t even find Luther.
So now he was with The Secretary in Russia, trying to find his wife and stop a war. He was using the latest laptop, to download as much information available about what was happening in the city. The SVR, Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, was in search of the ‘missing American’ who was a suspect in the bombing and had escaped the hospital while being questioned. He was also fielding texts from Napoleon Solo, who knew more on what was going on than he was admitting, while offering up a safe house or two.
It took two hours before they were able to find Ethan. The moment he slipped into the car and tossed back the hoody, Will finally breathed a sigh of relief. The only reason he saw the slight shocked expression and blink was mainly because he had spent decades working with his wife. He listened as The Secretary handed off the mission to Ethan, again asking him to risk his life to save the world.
God dammit couldn’t they just get him out of the country and let him rest for once. Ethan looked about ten pounds underweight, hadn’t slept in months, and he was pretty sure the anxiety levels were somewhere beyond Prague. He took the thumb drive without hesitation, a quick glance over to Will. The Secretary had introduced him as his Analyst, which he had been doing for the past six months, using the connections in the job to find out what the hell happened.
He was about ready to volunteer to join the mission when the car was riddled with bullets. In seconds The Secretary was dead, and they were at the bottom of the river. Even after a century of working together, there were times he still couldn’t figure out how Ethan pulled off the shit he did and got away with it. No way should a flare attached to a body distract the gunmen, but it did.
It wasn’t until they were far enough away that he stopped and grabbed Ethan’s arm, pulled him around until his back was against the rough brick wall and kissed him hard. Ethan moaned into the kiss, hand slid into the damp hair, both taking the moment to reconnect and breathe.
“Where the fuck have you been!” He demanded as he kissed him again.
“Long story.” Ethan pulled away and headed down the alleyway. “We have a train to catch.”
“Well make it short.” Brandt ran to catch up. “I’ve been worried sick.”
“I kinda got married…”
“Are you fucking kidding me!” Will stepped in front of him, putting a hand on his chest to stop him. “And Luther was okay with this?”
“It’s not what you think.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair shaking the longer locks. His hair hadn’t been this long since Australia. “Julia, she was being harassed by her ex, and made a mistake of stating that I was her fiancé. The guy was an ass, so Luther and I had a long talk with her, she knew about us being Mates.” He paused, giving Will a look. “She’s my sister, Wilhelm.”
“Emma?” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“You were dealing with that terrorist group in Sudan.” Ethan pushed him out of the alleyway. “You know the mission that you ended up working with Gretel, not the real one, but the one who works for the organization you don’t talk to me about.”
“Awkward.”
Ethan kissed him on the cheek. “Well, the ploy was too good, and it all went to shit. But IMF, in its ability to make anything work for them, used it for me to get into the good graces of a Russian Arms Dealer by befriending his idiot cousin who happened to be in prison.”
Will rubbed his hands over his face suddenly very tired. “I… God… We’ll discuss that later. First off we have to find that train, deal with this idiot, and save the world.”
“Again.”
They ended up chasing after the train, and barely got on board before it left the yard. When the lights came on, Brandt looked up to see two people staring down at him both holding guns. He recognized Jane, having read her reports a few times. The latest one in Budapest had some holes he had questions about, but the other, he had never seen before.
More importantly, he was a Vampire and his Mate.
“Ethan!” The man put his weapon down and helped Ethan onto his feet. “I thought we lost you for sure.”
“Already dead, luv.” Ethan patted his arm with a soft smile on his face. He blinked then turned to Will, who may have growled slightly. “Benji, Jane, this is William Brandt, he’s an Analyst, will be joining us on this mission.”
“Great.” Jane rolled her eyes, setting the weapon down giving Will a once over.
“Hey!” Benji gave him a quick wave. “Welcome to the team.”
“… through a mutual friend.” Will glanced up just as Benji stepped out of the house.
“No telling our secrets.”
“I was just telling your mom how we met.” Benji’s eyes went wide. “On that recruiting trip, and how our mutual friend, Ethan, introduced us. Said we were both geeks and should get along just fine.”
“That was a long ass trip.” Benji shook his head, not sure he wanted to talk about that week. And even now he wasn’t sure how all that happened in a week. From breaking Ethan out of prison to stopping a nuclear weapon from going off.
“Is work okay with you dating a coworker?” She asked, smiling softly.
Both had sappy grins.
“We’re in two different departments.” Will lied easily. IMF wasn’t going to bitch about one of the best teams they had, and if they did Ethan would make them regret their decisions, before letting Brandt lose. Then the two of them would sit back and watch Luther and Benji do their own damage. “So, no conflict of interest. Well, unless I need my computer fixed, I get a straight line in, instead of waiting for days before someone calls me back.”
Benji snorted. “If you took better care of your equipment, I wouldn’t have to come by all the time.”
“And why do you think I mess with my equipment?”
Mary Dunn laughed at the smirk Will was sporting, and the ‘how dare you’ expression from her son. “Your father did something similar. I was the local librarian, and he would always come in and ask help to check out some random book. He did this for weeks before he finally asked me out. I was on to him though, so kept encouraging it.”
“How did you know?” Benji was curious, his parents were always loving to each other, but when he had asked how they met, they just said the library.
“The book he would check out would end up returned the very next day. I love your father, but he isn’t a man to sit and read through Shakespeare in less than twelve hours.” She patted her son’s shoulder after she stood to go inside. “I’ll get some dinner started. Enjoy the quiet for a few moments.”
Benji quickly moved to the unoccupied seat, taking his Mate’s hand. “This went better than I had expected.”
“Your parents are nice.” Will lifted his hand to kiss it. “You were adorable as a baby.” He laughed at Benji rolling his eyes. “I love you.”
“God you’re a sap.” Benji moved over to sit in his lap kissing him. “But you’re my sap.”
“I was thinking back to when I first saw you. Standing there gun in hand, concerned for Ethan and trying not to lose my mind.” Will settled back, taking his Mate’s weight. “I was so annoyed that you didn’t even give me a second look, focused more on my wife, who was happily Mated!”
Benji gave him a quick kiss. “Honestly, I didn’t understand at the moment. Everything had gone so very wrong, and I was terrified Ethan was out there somewhere, and Luther was going to destroy me for losing him. Then he showed up, with this other really hot guy and I had no idea what the fuck to do, not really. Then we were on our way to Dubai and …”
“I get it.” Will smiled at him, making sure he knew he wasn’t upset. “We had the world to save and let’s face it, when you’re in Ethan’s orbit it’s kinda hard to focus on anything outside it.”
“When I first met him back at IMF as an IT Specialist, I couldn’t believe he was talking to me! Everyone knew about him, and most of the other agents bitched at how he got away with breaking the rules and was an asshole. Then here comes Luther and Ethan, asking questions, listening to what I had to say, and he truly smiled and thanked me for my work. No one had done that. I totally had a crush.”
Benji settled into his Mate’s arms, his thoughts drifting back to when he finally became a Field Agent. All he had wanted to do was to surprise Ethan, tell him that his encouragement had meant everything to him. Plus, he had missed his Sire, more importantly he had been worried after what happened with Julia.
Budapest had been a fuck up all the way around. Hanaway caught a tail, escaped with the info only to fall for a pretty face. It had only been his Vampire speed that had him by the Agent’s side at the same time as Jane. The man was dying, and he had no idea what he was thinking Turning him.
He had gone with his instinct.
Two hours later, he had Hunters from Ehre/Weisheit in his hotel room, while he explained how Ethan was his Sire … the irony that his Mate was the Lead Hunter, but not available at the time was hilariously sad.
“Ethan Hunt?” The taller dark-haired man, who hadn’t even cracked a smile in the hours they were holed up in the Safe House, asked. “How much has he told you about Vampires?”
“A lot actually. I swore to Sanctuary and would contact them but I’m in the middle of Europe and not sure how fast they could get here. And honestly, I haven’t seen Ethan in almost a year. Something happened …” His mouth snapped shut when another Hunter stepped into the house. He couldn’t help staring, then felt like an arsehole for doing it. “You look like …”
“Yes.” His accent was slight, but he could hear the German behind it. “Ethan didn’t mention family?”
“No! Wait. Yes. He mentioned someone in Japan. But we’re not in Japan.” He was confused and intrigued all at the same time. The man looked like Ethan, only if he wore an eyepatch and was missing a few fingers. He had Ethan’s intensity, but a lot less hyper. “So, I’m Benji, does that make you like an uncle?”
For the first time the darked-haired no expression Hunter, smirked slightly. “Uncle Claus?”
The not Ethan gave the other man a side-eye, from his good eye. “In a way, maybe. I’m Claus von Stauffenburg, Hunter for this clan. Do we need to worry about Rogues?”
“No, this is an Ethan type of job thing.” He tried to explain.
Both nodded in understanding. “We’ll take care of your Hanaway.” He handed him a card with a number on it. “You can reach us at any time. As I’m sure you have things to do.”
He had.
It was the first time he truly understood the importance of being a Field Agent. That one had to keep going, despite losing a teammate. The bad guys didn’t stop while the good guys tried to get their bearings back into the game.
Jane was the harder one to convince.
Everyone at IMF knew the two were lovers, but they had proved beyond a doubt they could do their job. Benji was sure if they had lost Hanaway, Jane would’ve done what had to be done.
No matter the outcome … Moreau would need to watch her back.
By the time they had checked in with IMF, they had already gotten their next assignment.
Break Ethan Hunt out of a Russian Prison.
Benji stared at the destroyed phone, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.
“Dinner’s ready!”
Will held his Mate close for a few more seconds, then lifted him up onto his feet. “I may have wanted to smack Ethan on that train for having all your attention but was very thankful he saved you.”
Benji gave him a quick kiss, then pulled him into the house.
***
Luther had been dragged into Max’s office three seconds after he knocked on the door. He had left Jake with a new set up that was integrated into the system through his new shiny phone with ease.
“My dear, tell me you have more information than my boy was willing to give me?” Max gave him a small smile, hand gesturing to the desk and chairs. “I do not care what Ethan has planned. Phelps won’t live to hurt him again.”
“This is why we get along beautifully.” Luther pulled out the flash drive and slid it across the table. “This is everything we know. Sadly, it’s not much. I’ve got Brandon sniffing out finances, he’s been working with Malfoy on following some of Galileo tracks.”
She took the drive, gave him a nod, then sat back in her seat. “Are we sure he’s working with Galileo?”
She had liked the famed astronomer and worked with him and Cesare over the years. His politics was his own, and she didn’t get in the way of his schemes. Blowing up the Vatican was a bit uncouth, oh she had her own issues with the Catholic church and understood the want, but some things were off limits.
Even she saw the purity of the young Pope.
And if there was one thing, she’s learned over the long years she had been on this earth, was that when evil goes against something that bright, the Archangels will come down from on high. And no one could convince her that the Italian Inspector wasn’t an avenging Angel.
One she never wanted to cross, or that Mate of his.
“We’ve been able to pull a few of Phelps’ strings that led to the Illuminati, plus he’s Phelps Sire.” Luther pointed back at the flash drive. “Through a few of my contacts I’ve been able to put together a profile, it isn’t much. His organization is well hidden, almost as good as yours.”
Max adored Luther. He was good for her son, didn’t put up with his shit yet understood his fears. “And I would like to keep it that way.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re just one of Ethan’s contacts.” He stared at her slightly. “But you’re more than that.”
She sat back in her own chair and sighed. “I confirmed it for him this morning.”
“You’re his mom.” Luther had suspected. Ethan was adorable, but not many weapons dealers adopt an IMF Agent no matter how cute they were. “He’s always had odd dreams. Waking up gasping for air, desperate to find me, and a few times kept asking where mum was. They’ve gotten worse in the past few years. How long have you known?”
“I’ve known Ethan for a long time, but it took a while before I really recognized him. But I knew by the time of the Noc List.” Max settled into her chair, feeling every inch of her age. “You were the final piece to the puzzle. I saw you on the train.” At first, he had seemed like any normal businessman, but then he flashed a small smirk and suddenly she remembered the man who had stayed by her son, through everything even into death. “I knew you were working with Ethan, though it was obvious at the time you weren’t a Vampire.”
“That would come later.” His own thoughts had been swirling around that mission. “Should I be worried about more than Galileo?”
She sighed, then stood making her way over to a small cabinet, taking out two beautiful crystal glasses, along with a bottle of Scotch. With ease poured two fingers in each glass, then made her way back to the desk. “Many have underestimated me, merely because I’m a woman.”
“Their mistake.” Luther accepted the glass of scotch, knowing it was the good stuff. “The moment Ethan introduced you … I knew never to cross you.”
She grinned holding up the glass before taking a sip. “I was the oldest daughter of a minor royal family from France. My mother despaired that they would never find me a husband, because I treated all my suitors like the idiots they were.”
Luther couldn’t help the smile, totally able to see Max cutting down every idiot who dared treat her like a piece of property.
“They finally found a wealthy enough idiot, who didn’t care that I was older. He needed a wife, because all the other families refused their daughters.” She shook her head at the old memories. Her husband, James was a first-class womanizer. Everyone knew that he seduced the servants into his bed, along with the wives of the men who worked in the fields. “Not only was he a moron, but he was also infertile. Which explained why there weren’t a few ‘heirs’ running around. But of course, there was no way a Lord wouldn’t be able to produce a child. It was obviously the fault of the woman.” She rolled her eyes at the stupidity of men. Even in the modern era, the amount of times men sought out younger lovers to prove they still could get their dicks up was astounding, not really. “I did what every woman did, found a lover and gave birth to my son. James Maximillian, named for his father.”
So that was where Max came from.
“When I said my husband was an idiot, I hadn’t realized how much of an idiot he truly was.” She downed the rest of the scotch, then settled back in the chair. “His family had been losing money and power for years, James was desperate and a horrible businessman. After his death I discovered what a total cretin he really was … “
She stood by the large fireplace, contemplating if it was possible to dig the imbecile out of the ground and kill him again. With a sigh she moved back to the table, staring at the books and reports from around the Manor and the lands they owned.
“M’Lady, there is a Lord Frankenstein here to see you.” One of the servants interrupted, giving a small courtesy as an apology. Mary was one of her favorite servants, the woman was smart and made sure the Lady of the House knew everything that was going on in her household. “I tried to state you were in mourning, but he insisted.”
She appreciated the time to prepare for another Lord trying to collect on her husband’s debts. The books were closed, with everything neatly stacked as not to be easily viewed. With a glance and a nod towards her Captain of the Guard, he left behind two soldiers, then went to find her son making sure to keep him away from the hall. Making her way around the table, determined to keep the newest threat at bay. “I do not recognize the name.”
“He states he has contracts with your late husband.” Her gaze shifted to the door where the man was standing.
The Lady of the House gave her a nod, then shooed the servant away with a hand gesture. “How can I help you, My Lord?”
“I bring condolences for the loss of your husband.” He took a few steps forward, taking in the empty hall. The last time he had visited Lord James, the hall was covered in the finest tapestries, paintings, and gold-plated armour. “I was sorry to hear of his passing.”
“I seriously doubt that.” She held out her hand, accepting the kiss. “My husband did not have friends, only angry political alliances.”
The man chuckled slightly. “It would seem that I put faith into the wrong person.”
“Also, not the only one.” She gave him a tight smile. “What brings you to my humble home Lord Frankenstein.” It was a name she had not heard in the higher courts. She would need to send out a few letters to get information that could be useful if there were going to be further meetings.
“There is some unfinished business.” He stated, as he moved around the hall. “I have an arrangement with your husband.”
“If you want money, you will need to get in line with the rest of the naive imbeciles who thought handing my husband money would be an investment. The crop will be efficient to feed the Manor and the village, maybe in a few years there will be an improvement.” She waved her hand dismissively. It was her standard tale to all those who came seeking money from a dried desolated well. Some had taken valuable items, others had tried to bring war to her door, only to learn quickly her guards were loyal and skilled. Then there were the few that had taken payment from her body, as if she was a piece of property they could claim.
Men were so damn predictable.
“Our arrangement was not about money.” Frankenstein stepped closer, taking in the Lady of the House. He had to admit, she was not what he expected. When he had heard Lord James finally married, he had been relieved, worried that the man would die childless. “Your husband made arrangements for his son to be trained and educated…”
“No.”
Frankenstein paused, staring at the woman in front of him. “You do not have much of a choice. Your late husband signed a contract that his son would be trained … “
“My son will not be leaving his home.” She gave him a cold look. “He is the Lord of this Manor, my husband’s appointed heir. He will be trained and educated by the best tutors and will take his place as a proper Lord.”
“I think you would find the Crown … “
“Will not bother about a dispute of a small Lordship in the middle of nowhere.” She took a step closer to him, her tone hard, one not to be argued with. “My connections are strong outside these borders. Do not assume that you can come into my home and make demands.”
“Lady … “
She snapped her fingers, and there were four guards by her side instantly. “I thank you Lord Frankenstein for your visit. Your business with my husband was concluded when he passed.” She gave him a scathing look, then turned and left the hallway trusting her men to remove the annoying bastard.
“Frankenstein. As in Frankenstein.” Luther shook his head trying to put the whole thing together. They didn’t have a lot of connections to the Rogue. “He’s your Sire.”
“Oh yes.” She sipped more of her drink, not wanting to think about the cretin. “I never understood his obsession with my son, but after a few unpleasant experiences he finally left us alone. Or so I had thought.”
If there was one person she despised on this planet, it was Frankenstein. The man’s desires and manipulations led to her son’s death. The fact he Turned her, was his mistake. A mistake she took full advantage of, and if that bastard even thought of touching her boy, now … well he would regret making an enemy of her.
“When my son was old enough to stand on his own, Frankenstein began a campaign with one of our neighbors, pushing an alliance through marriage. It was a horrible match, they had nothing to offer, except debts. My boy took after his father, when it came to strategic planning, and instead approached a small noble family a few valleys over. He agreed to marry the youngest daughter, giving both a strong alliance. We had the strength. They had the land. It wasn’t a love match, but the two were suited for each other. She was savvy, and he was smart enough to listen to her.”
“With you as his mother, that isn’t surprising.” Luther’s eyes narrowed slightly as a thought percolated in his mind. “Tell me I wasn’t the girl.”
Max laughed openly. “No, my dear Luther, you were his bodyguard. It seemed he took after his mother, when it came to falling for the Captain of the Guard.” The two had been inseparable since they were teens. Before Max had died from one of the many illnesses that had swept through the land, he had hand-picked the young man to be their son’s guard. “His bride had my approval when she didn’t blink at the close relationship. She embraced her role as Lady of the Manor and understood the importance of perception and how to play the proper roles. They were friends and if it wasn’t for Frankenstein they would’ve brought prosperity to the area, likely their legacy would still be an influence.”
“Damn, can’t believe I was some white boy.” Luther tried to ease the tension in the room, the fact Max smiled softly means he achieved it slightly. “I wonder if Wilhelm was his wife, it sounds like their type of relationship. Plus, we both know Ethan is a small sun, pulling everyone close.”
“I have not had the unfortunate experience of meeting the Hunter, and do not plan on it.” Max gave him a pointed look. “I know my boy trusts him, but I do not.”
“What happened?” He was pretty sure he could figure it out on his own, but at the same time he was curious to know more about his ‘mother-in-law’.
“Frankenstein doesn’t like it when people say no to him.”
She stormed into the hall, a bloody dagger still in her hand as she assessed the damage. The hall had once been decorated showcasing wealth and power, then empty when they sold everything to pay her husband’s debts, but the past ten years it had been filled with life.
Now it was a tomb.
“Mother.”
She looked over to her son, who was wrapping a wound on his arm. He looked so much like his father. A strong tall build, with enchanting blue eyes, and a head of thick blonde hair. At the moment it was dark with mud, sweat, and blood, barely pulled back out of his face. “I want you to take Helen … “
“I am not leaving.” Helen gave her husband a pointed look. This wasn’t the first argument they had about them leaving. “This is my home, and I will stand with the rest.”
She glanced over at the few guards left, including Luke who stood close to her son always in protection mode. “No one is coming to help, my son. Even if we made it to London, no one is going to care.” They were a small unknown noble family that had no ties to anyone of value. Their lands would be absorbed into their aggressor’s fortune. Who would not see a day of inconvenience for their death. Maybe a strongly worded letter from the Archbishop for murdering children if he took the time away from his own affairs.
“I would rather see you both safe.” They could feel his desperation. “You can take the last of the guards.”
“There are not enough guards to spare, and it will likely not matter.” Luke spoke, his voice soft yet held the authority it always had. “This is no longer a dispute. It is salt earth tactics. The village is decimated, if anyone survived, they have fled in fear for their lives. We have very little supplies, and the gate will likely fall by dawn.”
“Hence they should leave.” Max stood staring at his mother. “Please.”
She gave him a soft smile, then cupped his cheek. “You are your father’s son.”
“And he would be the first to tell you to leave.” He closed his eyes and sighed before stepping away. “But understood why you would not.” He glanced at his wife, who was as stubborn as his mother. “I am sorry.”
“The greed of another man is not your fault.” Helen slipped into her husband’s arms holding him tight. “I do not regret my life with you.”
He kissed the top of her head. “When the gate falls, we will do all we can to keep them from the hall. I only hope they will spare you.” Though he knew they would not. So far no one had been spared the onslaught and he still had no idea the true cause of the conflict.
He gave his wife a final kiss, grabbed his sword and with Luke by his side left the hall. They both knew they would not return. Helen sat down on the floor, for the first time letting the tears flow. “I am with child.”
She turned towards her daughter, heart sinking at the news. “He does not know.”
“If he did, I would have been forced away. I will not leave him.”
“Even if it met yours and the child’s death?” She asked, tone hard and cold. “You had a duty to carry on his legacy.”
Helen shook her head. “What legacy? Even if I got away, what then? My father will not take me back. He refused to send help when it was requested. I would be the widow of a disgraced Lord. That is if I was believed, and not labeled a whore. I would be sequestered into a nunnery, my child taken then given to a proper family to be raised with no knowledge of their true family.”
“And now?”
“We die with him.” She held her hand over her flat stomach. “I know what is coming as do you. Whatever this war is about it is personal. We will not survive, and it will be merciful if we die quickly.”
She knew what this was about.
Lord Frankenstein.
She had not forgotten their meeting and his obsession with her son, nor the fact a woman beat him at his own game. The little information she had been able to acquire was not much, but it was enough that she knew to truly fear him.
If he knew of the unborn child …
The battle raged around them, but she found herself calm. She walked over to the small table, poured the last of the wine and sprinkled the powdered substance within. After a few quick stirs, she handed it over to her daughter. “Drink this.”
Helen took it without hesitation. “And for you?”
“I will face the demon that will walk into this hall and send him back to hell. Even if I have to take him there myself.”
Frankenstein had found her sitting calming on a single chair on the small platform. He tossed her dead son at her feet, not far from the body of his wife. “M’Lady.”
“Lord Frankenstein.” She stayed in her seat, gaze cold and deadly. “You will regret this day.”
Luther wiped the tear from his own eyes, while not commenting about the ones he could see in Max’s. “I’m sure you’ve made him regret it ever since.”
“Every chance I get.” Max gave him an evil smirk. “I stay away from his absurd plans. He stays away from me.”
“You think he’ll go after Ethan?” It was a bit of a stretch that he would realize who Ethan was to Max, but then his Mate had a bad habit of attracting the best and worst.
“It has always been my fear, even if it’s held by paranoia. The odds of him even seeing me with Ethan, let alone put it all together is extravagant. But the thought doesn’t really go away. It’s why it took me so long to tell him. He already has a difficult job, the last thing he needs is to fight my battles.”
“You want me to keep this from him?” Luther already knew he wouldn’t but wanted to know what Max wanted.
“I would hope you wouldn’t. Our Mates are the one person we can trust.” She gave him a half smile. “I’m only telling you this, because I would prefer, we only have to deal with one egomaniac who is trying to take over the world.”
He chuckled just as the door opened. Ethan leaned against the door jam and looked at the two of them conspiring. “This should truly worry me.”
“Dear.” She stood up, giving him a bright smile. “We were just plotting Phelps’ demise.”
“Without me.” Ethan gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then settled on the arm of the chair Luther was sitting on. “That’s just rude.”
***
Ethan sat at the window seat with his legs tucked close to his chest, looking out over the city.
They ended up having a nice dinner, discussing a variety of things, nothing related to what was going on in their professional lives. Ethan was still adjusting to officially knowing about another of his past lives, this one the details were a bit sketchy. He was sure that as time went on, more memories would surface.
During dinner, he sat back sipping a small glass of wine, watching everyone at the table. Mark was teasing his wife, Max gave him a small smile, allowing him to dote. Luther had reached over to hold onto Ethan’s hand, an open display of affection between them that wasn’t normal in their lives.
He hadn’t lied when talking to Wilhelm about proposing, but wasn’t sure with Phelps’ re-emerging as a threat, if now was a good time. He gave his Mate a soft smile, sipping his wine. Later they found themselves in one of the guest rooms, Max assisting they stay for the night. Despite the fact Ethan had a penthouse not far away.
“Ethan.” Luther shifted in the bed, giving his Mate a once over. “What’s on your mind?”
“A lot of things. Too many things.” He didn’t move from his spot. “What did you and Max talk about?”
“Tis the season of origin stories.” He shifted until comfortable leaning against the headboard. He couldn’t help but think about those first few nights they had Mated. The long talks in the dead of night, a place where Ethan felt comfortable sharing old memories. Even now they tended to have some of their most heartfelt discussions in a dark room, sitting close enough to touch but giving the space both needed. Luther always knew when Ethan had a lot on his mind, he tended to get quiet. “She’s worried now that you know who you are to her.”
Luther explained what she told him, adding in his own conclusions about Wilhelm.
“Ha! I should start calling him my wife.” Ethan gave him a half smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Do you think Frankenstein will be a problem?”
“No.” Luther held out his hand, gesturing for his Mate to come back to the warm bed. “I think Max was an anomaly and he’s not stupid to cross her. Plus, the odds of him putting all of it together is pretty high.”
“Let’s face it, I excel at dealing with high odds, the worst ones I might add.” Ethan stood from the window seat, climbing into the warm bed and his Mate’s embrace. “We’ve never dealt with him, hell we rarely deal with Vampire related missions, except for random Rogues annoying Sanctuary. Taking on Phelps and moving into Galileo’s territory is a first for us”
“I’ll work up some scenarios and talk to those who have more information about his organization.” Luther held him close, kissing the top of his head. “I would rather be prepared, but it’s likely not something we need to worry about.”
“Do you remember anything she talked about?” He wanted to see if Luther could add any perspective into the situation. “I don’t remember it like I do Anya, though that could be due to Wilhelm. But I do remember Max being a stern but loving mother, one that didn’t put up with fools or idiots. I honestly don’t remember a wife, but I’ve had moments remembering a bodyguard. Someone who didn’t put up with my shit.”
Luther laughed lightly. “I actually don’t have any real recognition.” He answered honestly. When he had first met Ethan, he knew the man was special, and had not hesitated to follow him into his crazy plan. “I’ve always been a here and now type of guy. More worried about what’s coming then what’s happened.”
Ethan held onto him tightly, taking comfort from his Mate. Luther pulled him closer, happy to see Ethan get some much-needed sleep. His own thoughts kept him awake, as he found himself going down memory lane back to Australia.
He hadn’t been able to get Ethan out of his thoughts, since the two parted in London. To the point when they informed him that Ethan had requested him for a mission, he jumped at the chance. Especially, as he hadn’t heard Ethan had returned to the field, then again, knowing IMF, he likely didn’t ask to come back.
Throughout the long trip to Australia, he was trying to work out his feelings for the other man, and it hadn’t been until he landed in Sydney that he realized he had a slight crush.
‘Don’t fuck this up.’ He stared at his reflection in the airport bathroom mirror. ‘You’re an IMF Agent and have a job to do. You know Hunt doesn’t fuck around on jobs.’ He tried not to remind himself that the reason Ethan hadn’t slept with Claire was because she was in on the conspiracy. ‘Get this job done, and then ask him out for a beer.’
Dear God, he had it bad.
He splashed some water on his face, checked to make sure he didn’t look like someone one who had spent way too many hours on a plane, and had no idea what time it was, let alone the day. Grabbing his gear, he headed out of the bathroom, towards the baggage claim, a local agent would be picking him up and taking him to Ethan.
The mission docket had some information, but not much. Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich had requested Hunt personally, stating that he had information about a virus, and would only give it to Ethan. He refused to work with anyone else at IMF. Since the higher ups couldn’t get a hold of the Agent, as he had requested a leave of absence after the Phelps Incident as it had been called around IMF, they had sent Agent Ambrose.
And well that had been a fuck up from start to finish.
Seriously, IMF needed to do a recheck on all their agents. First Phelps then Ambrose – no wonder they relied too much on Ethan. At this moment, he was likely the most trustworthy agent they had.
Dr. Nekhorvich was dead, and Ambrose was in the wind, with the good doctor’s research. They were dealing with biological warfare, and their main objective was to stop the virus from being sold, more importantly from being released. He was sure, IMF had other objectives, but it wasn’t in the official folder, which is why he hacked into the system to find out more information.
He had bit back his own emotions, as he read the report of Hunt recruiting Nyah, an ex-girlfriend of Ambrose. She was petite, an accomplished thief, and just enough spunk that was likely to attract someone like Ethan.
“Luther?” An Aussie accent came from his left, pulling him out of his spiral thoughts.
“Who wants to know?” He gave the guy a once over. He had an easy grin, looked nothing like a ‘typical’ agent, then again, a good agent never looked like one. He was average in height, blondish hair hidden under a beanie cap. A lean build, accented in a t-shirt and jeans. No one would look at him twice.
“Billy Baird. I’m your ride.” He nodded towards the exit. “Got a trip ahead of us.”
“I’m not even sure what day it is, what’s another few hours. Where exactly are we heading?” He asked, putting his gear into the rickety old truck. “Does this thing actually run?”
“Don’t dis the old gal!” He patted the hood fondly. “Other side of the airfield. After that we got a trip out of town, where Hunt is waiting for us.”
Two hours later, he stepped out of the helicopter to a grinning Ethan Hunt. Luther had to stop himself from hugging the man, lecturing his own stupid ass about appropriateness. Instead, he gave him a shit eating grin, and a quip about seeing him again so soon, even if it had been over six months since London. Ethan had laughed, and welcomed him to their new home, a sheep farm. Luther glanced down when he stepped into a pile of sheep shit. “I’m sending you the cleaning bill.”
“I’ll put it on my expense report.” Ethan laughed lightly. “The sheep are harmless, though I should introduce you to Mango, that girl is a bitch.”
Luther wasn’t sure what he meant but decided he didn’t care. The time off had done Ethan some good, the hair was a bit long and shaggy, which made him look younger. The smile was bright and open, and he seemed to have shaken off the stress of the last mission.
“Did they give you any information about the mission?” He asked as they stepped into the small shack. “Welcome to Operation Central, I’m working to get a place in Sydney, but at the moment it’s best if we’re far enough away from the city. Ambrose is an asshole, but he’s good at his job.”
“Please tell me there’s at least running water?” He gave Ethan a look. He had worked in worse places, but he really didn’t want to be around thousands of sheep without the ability to get clean. “I’m not sharing the trough with the sheep.”
He laughed, patting Luther on the shoulder, hand lingering for a moment. “This place is designed for shearing season, so there’s a whole bunkhouse, with rooms and a fully functional bathroom and kitchen. This shack is hooked up to the tower out front, giving us better access so you can do what you do.”
“Should I be concerned that you seem to know more about sheep shearing than one should?” Luther set his equipment on the table. “Billy, how good are you at hooking systems up?”
“Not bad. I’m more than a pretty face.” He winked at Luther, ignoring the low growl that came from Hunt. “What do you need?”
“Need these connected to the tower, will give us a more stable connection.” He handed the power packet, plus a shit load of cable. After Billy left, he glanced over to Ethan, to see him sitting at the other table, just watching him. “I read the package, hacked the system to learn a few more things. What can you tell me?”
“Vladimir was an old friend.” Ethan sighed, frowning slightly. “I helped him out once before, hence he trusted me. I hate the fact they just hadn’t contacted me. We wouldn’t be in this situation if they had.”
“Hey this isn’t on you.” Luther gave him a reassuring smile, as he flipped open the laptop.
“He’s been working for Biocyte Laboratories for the past decade. From the message he sent me, they had developed this Chimera Virus and the antidote. We need more information, but unfortunately Ambrose has all of his paperwork.” Ethan shook his head. “I gave The Secretary a few choice words about the whole operation. It was amazing how he tried to bounce it back to me for not being ‘available’. Yet they found me in the middle of the Outback when everything went to shit.”
“Wait, you were already in Australia! Shit, man why the fuck didn’t they … you know what never mind. I’m starting to worry about the recruitment department, considering how many Agents have gone rogue. And, what’s up with Ambrose?” Luther smiled as everything started to come online.
“He’s an asshole, who thinks he’s God’s gift to everything. How he passed the psych eval I do not know. They had recruited him to replace me when I had stepped away … “
He stared at him with an incredulous look. “I read his reports, the man is no Ethan Hunt.”
“Due to similar size and shape, he was called to be ‘me’ on occasions.” It was obvious Ethan was not happy with that particular piece of information. “One of my conditions of returning was never to work with him, or under no circumstances was he to be ‘me’, let alone work with any of my contacts.”
“Obviously that didn’t stick.” Luther gestured for him to come closer. “You have the tracker for our plant?”
“Nyah should be arriving at his getaway soon.” He handed over the sheet with the string of numbers. “I hate the fact we had to use her to get close. She doesn’t deserve to have to play nice with her abuser.” He ignored the fact Ethan set his hand on his shoulder as he leaned closer. “How long will this take to come up?”
“Hey, give it a moment. The fact we can actually track and see her is amazing in itself. Considering a few years ago, we would literally be using binoculars.” Luther gave him a carefree grin, as he typed a few more commands. “There you go. What would you do without me?”
Ethan looked down at the screen, watching as Nyah made contact with Ambrose. “Likely hide in the bushes with binoculars.”
That got them laughing.
Luther settled down into the bed, letting the feel of Ethan in his arms lull him to sleep.
***
“Frankenstein?” Wilhelm questioned as he stepped out of the room, he was sharing with Benji. The Dunns had refused to let them stay at the hotel, and gave them Benji’s old room, which had been converted into a guest bedroom. They had no problem with the two men sharing a bed, the wink from Scotty was so over the top it had made Will laugh, while Benji almost died of embarrassment. “Why would we be concerned for him?”
‘It’s a long story that I don’t really want to get into,’ Luther sighed.
The Hunter could tell he wasn’t going to get anything out of the Hacker. “I’ve had minimal contact with his group, more offshoots than the main organization. You might want to talk to Nico, he’s had more recent run ins, hell last I heard he’s got it out for him. But overall, I’m not sure why he would even be on our radar.”
‘He’s not, not really. Just me being paranoid over information and making sure we don’t have two crazy men aiming for us. Phelps is bad enough, and we know at some point Galileo is going to get involved.’ It was something the two of them had talked about many times.
“Well, you know my theory. I’m hoping we annoy Phelps enough that Galileo takes him out to make sure we don’t get information on the Illuminati.” Brandt made his way down the stairs, staying quiet since no one was up yet. He seriously needed coffee, some time to grab his laptop, and check on a few things. They were never really on vacation. Oh, they had days of being disconnected but rarely on vacation.
They had found Ethan in the Outback before cell phones were small or trackable. Nowadays, they would have a car pull up at any time to pick any of them up for a mission. It sucked to be part of a team that was really good at saving the world.
‘That works for me. But just to let you know there’s a third party involved.’
“Max.” He wasn’t surprised. “Hell, I’m all for letting her do her thing. I’m pretty sure whatever we would come up with would be tame, compared to her plans. And you know, I’m perfectly okay with this.” Will wondered if he would ever meet the famous Max, actually meet her, not chase after her organization like he had done many times before meeting Ethan. “I take it she’s not happy about the whole situation.”
‘Oh hell no.’ Luther laughed lightly. ‘We’ve got a few more things to take care of, and then we should be able to meet back in London mid-week.’
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll put out a few feelers about Frankenstein, though seriously Luther if you are really that concerned, I would contact Nico or Arthur, both have a history with him.” They chatted for a few more seconds, then hung up. He found himself in the kitchen, praying there was a coffee maker. He crossed himself looking heavenward with gratitude when he saw it sitting quietly in a corner, with coffee grounds right next to it.
Ten minutes later he had a cup of coffee, his laptop and was already growling at stupid people.
“I know that look.” Benji shuffled past his Mate and went straight for the coffee. “What idiot caused an international incident that you have to fix now?”
“Tristan.” He growled out, the man was a menace. “He somehow pissed off some diplomat in Sweden. Do you know how hard that is?” Brandt replied with a scathing email, then sent in an extraction team, along with one of their diplomats. He was also considering emailing Gran unofficially, to see if she can smooth some ruffled feathers.
Benji settled into one of the kitchen chairs. “Never worked with him.”
“Consider yourself lucky. The Secretary considered putting him with Ethan once.” Benji stared at him with wide eyes. “I reminded him that he liked Ethan and didn’t want to see him go to jail for killing the moron.”
His Mate snorted. “Like he wouldn’t have at least three alibis.”
“Us being two of them.” Will chuckled as he finished up the last of the emails and made sure to send his notes to the team of analysts. “What’s the plan for today? We’re not do back for a few days, and I’ve got my out of the office on.”
“Thought I could show you around town, take you to my favorite fish and chip shop.” He grinned over at him. “Then you can steal more baby pictures from my parents.”
“Hey, you were an adorable baby.” Will grinned over at him. “Already have a few stored in my ‘Adorable Benji’ Folder.”
“I should show you the pictures from when he played the Cowardly Lion when he was five.” Mary Dunn kissed the top of her son’s head. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” She laughed lightly as Benji yelled out mum, from his face planted into the table. “Would you boys like some breakfast before deciding what to do for the day?”
“I don’t want to … “
“Can you fix pancakes?” Benji overrode his Mate’s comment. He hadn’t had his mother’s pancakes in years. The American versions were so different from what he was used to having, and he had a sudden craving for them. “And some bacon? Along with eggs and beans.”
“Sure honey.” Mary didn’t mind making breakfast, it had been a while since she had a full house to cook for. “Going to head into town, show him the old stomping grounds?”
“Was thinking about it.” Benji glanced over to Will, who was sipping his coffee. He looked worried about something, and he couldn’t really ask what was going on. He had felt him leave the bed, taking his phone with him. When he hadn’t returned, that was when he climbed out of the warm bed to find his wayward Mate.
Will could feel Benji’s worry and gave him a soft smile and a squeeze of his hand. It was his way of letting him know he was fine, just going through things in his head. He had no idea why Frankenstein would be an issue. They had never tangled with him, as a Hunter he had a few run ins, but nothing to warrant him even glancing in their direction.
“Do you mind if I step out and make a phone call?” He asked his Mate, not wanting him to worry more than he already was.
“Are you sure you’re, okay?” Benji was starting to become seriously concerned.
“Need to talk a few things out.” He set his cup down, kissed him quickly as he grabbed his phone and headed towards the back garden. There was only one person he could talk with, to get this all sorted in his head.
“Everything okay dear?” Mary placed a hand on her son’s shoulder, noticing his concern. “I hope work isn’t too much of a bother.”
“Will is very good at what he does, sometimes too good. But I’m not too worried.” He gave her a warm smile. “Catch me up on all the family drama.”
“Well, your cousin Deloris is having a baby, and well shockingly enough it’s not her boyfriend’s.” Mary went into details about the large family drama. Between the Dunns and Scotts, there was enough gossip and intrigue to fuel a few late-night shows.
He listened with rapt attention … “Oh you’re kidding me, really Aunt May did what now?”
‘I was wondering when you would call?’ Ethan answered his phone with a small chuckle. ‘I’m sure you have at least seven scenarios in your head, and you complain about my schemes.’
“What’s going on?” Wilhelm didn’t like this disjointed feeling.
There was movement, indicating that Ethan was likely finding a quieter spot. ‘Is your phone secure?’
He looked at the phone inputting in a few sequences of numbers, then back to his ear. “Secure.”
‘Do you remember anything before us?’ It was a question he hadn’t been expecting. ‘I mean before Wilhelm and Anya?’
He stopped in the middle of the garden, not sure what to say. “Fleeting ones. Nothing tangible. Moments of pure desperation mixed with absolute finality.”
‘We may have had another life together. I’ve been having dreams for a while.’ Ethan’s voice was soft, tired. ‘When I’m with you, I can easily remember Anya. Those few times you took me to our hometown, even to where we once had a home and raised our kids. I can see it, with ease.’
Will closed his eyes, trying not to let the tears fall.
‘And then I have these dreams where everything is just out of reach. Nothing makes sense, and I wake up terrified, looking for those I love. Luther usually calms me down, but sometimes it takes me calling you.’ There was more shuffling and a heavy sigh. ‘I finally put together some of it, and with some confirmation, it’s possible we had another life together.’
“This life is connected to Max.” It was the only thing that made sense. There was no way someone like Max, who was formidable ‘enemy’ would adopt a fucking IMF Agent because of his dimples. “She was your mother.”
‘Yeah. It didn’t end well.’
He began to pace slightly, as his brain tried to put all the pieces together. “Fuck. That’s why Luther was asking about Frankenstein. Also explains that one time, Max totally helped or at least dropped enough information to us Hunters, so we were able to take out one of his smaller organizations. He did something, enough for her to … fucking hell.”
‘I don’t think he’s going to be an issue.’ Ethan sounded pretty sure about the statement.
“Hell, maybe I should introduce her to Nico or Arthur.” Brandt sat down in the lounge chair he had occupied the night before. “Explains the help over the years.”
‘I’m going to be upfront about this, as you are my husband and Lead Hunter…’
“Honey, so are you.” Brandt liked to remind him of that, teasing him occasionally, that he was finally a part of the gossiping hen group.
‘Yeah. Yeah. But you should know I’m likely always going to protect her in some way.’ He knew that was hard for Ethan to admit, especially considering what he did for a living and the vows he took to protect Sanctuary.
“Ethan, she’s helped us.” Brandt didn’t like to admit it, but there had been more than one occasion where it was his connection to Max that saved their hide. “Prague. Mumbai. And I’m sure there are others. I think we’ve all come to a silent agreement to ignore each other professionally. But … ” and it was a big but “… we all know she’ll protect you. We’ve seen it. And I’m pretty sure Phelps is going to regret not being a pile of dust. And you know what. I’m okay with it. No, really, I am. I likely shouldn’t be, but when it comes to that asshole. I’m okay with your mom taking the fucking bastard out.”
Ethan laughed lightly. ‘I love you.’
“I know.”
“You did not just Star Wars Ethan!”
All he could hear was Ethan’s laughter over the phone. “Fuck you, asshole.” He hung up on his wife and turned towards Benji. “Breakfast ready?”
His eyes narrowed at his Mate. “We can talk about all that.” His hand waved around Will. “After breakfast. Come on, mum’s pancakes are to die for.”
Will stood and pulled his Mate into his arms, kissing him deeply. “I love you.”
“I know.” Benji laughed at Will’s eyeroll, as he yanked him back towards the house. “When the two of you hopped onto the train, I know you thought that I hadn’t noticed you, but I did. I thought you were the hottest thing I had ever seen.”
Ethan gave Benji’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then moved over to the table putting down the flash drive, while grabbing headphones. He studied his Sire for a few moments, instantly noticing the tense shoulders, and quiet demeanor. The Kremlin mission was a fuck up all around, and they were lucky none of them had been killed or stuck in another Russian Prison.
Benji turned his focus to the new guy. The first thing he noticed was his eyes, they held a mix of be wilderness and fondness, but mostly they were captivating. His build was strong, despite the fact he was an Analyst, which made him wonder if he used to be an Agent. He hadn’t been out of shape while working in IT, but when he went through the physical training to be an Agent, oh dear god he thought he was going to die.
“So how do you know Ethan?”
There was an irrational burst of jealousy over the two men. It was obvious to anyone they were comfortable in each other’s presence. Benji knew Ethan had a Mate, even received a long list telling him ‘how to take care of one anxiety ridden corny super spy’ from Luther, and so far, he already broke a few of the ‘do not let him do’ sections of the list. And it just wouldn’t be fair if the really hot guy in the soaked suit had a relationship with his Sire.
Will snorted, then glanced over to Jane not sure who knew about Vampires. “We’ve worked together a few times.”
“He’s, my husband.” Ethan stated as he finished with the flash drive, then turned towards the team.
“I had heard you were married, but last I checked it was a wife.” Jane glanced up from a laptop she was working on, expression mixed between annoyance and confusion.
“Past life.” Will answered as if that explained everything. He gave Ethan a look that only a spouse could give, and then sighed heavily. “Can we just get the awkward conversation over with?”
“The Analyst one or the Vampire one?” Jane gave him a pointed look before focusing back on her laptop. “I discovered both within a short time period and am still deciding which will come back and bite me in the ass.”
“I like her.” Will glanced at Ethan, who grinned. “The Analyst is the least of your worries, but the Vampire conversation needs to be had.”
“I found out about it, when this one.” She pointed at Benji, who was trying desperately to blend into the background. “Turned Hanaway on the last op.” Her voice kinda dropped, the fear of the moment still clear. “We met some Vampire friends who are watching him.”
“You Turned Hanaway?” Ethan gave Benji a pointed look, one that normally sent Agents running for their lives. “You may have left that part out of your story, when you mentioned Jane could be snacked on.”
“Congrats it’s a grandson.” He smiled at his Sire, moving closer to Will hoping for protection.
“Grandson?” Will glanced between the two Vampires, as if he was desperately trying to put the whole story together in his head. “Does this have anything to do with you being in a Russian jail?”
“We had to break him out.” Benji stated, hoping just hoping that he could divert the conversation away from Hanaway. That op wasn’t easy. He never realized how much Ethan did not follow properly laid out exit signs. “When we finally got him and his friend out … ” He paused when he noticed that Will continued to glare at Ethan.
“Cousin of a Russian Arms Dealer. I mentioned this.” Ethan shrugged like this was an everyday occurrence. Then again for him, it likely was.
“Are you really his husband? So, the wife was a beard?” Jane asked, despite some of her focus still on the laptop.
“Where the fuck is Luther?” Will asked as his frustration built. There was no way the burly hacker would allow his Mate to be in a Russian prison, without backup. Ever since Luther had come into Ethan’s life, he had found an ally on getting Ethan to calm the fuck down.
“He’s in Australia.” Ethan answered as if that helped the situation. “Okay let’s do a quick recap so we can actually get on with the actual mission.” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face. “My darling Husband here is Wilhelm Brandenstein, Lead Hunter of Ehre/Weisheit…”
“Wait, we were just with your Clan!” Benji pointed at Will, smiling brightly. “Met Claus and Mr. I have no facial expression.”
“Preston?” Will blinked slowly, not quite sure how the hell this conversation got derailed so fast. “How did you meet my Hunters and I do not know about it?”
“Actually, while we’re on the subject, why didn’t you tell me I had an uncle?!” He pointed at Ethan giving him an accusational glare.
“An uncle who tried to assassinate Hitler.” Jane commented from her spot spinning the laptop around. “I knew the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. He’s the one who almost pulled off toppling the Nazi Party, starting with killing Hitler.”
Ethan sighed, hands resting on the worktable. “Yeah, I know. I was there, helped get his family out of Germany. Okay, let’s just get this out. Will, I Turned Benji a few years ago, it was just before I met Julia and that whole situation went down. To make the point, I never actually married her, especially since I have a cranky hacker as a Mate. Though it didn’t matter ’cause the damage was done, and she had to give up her life because of me. Benji, I have the soul of Will’s wife, Anya, so yes in many ways he is my ‘husband’. Carter, at this moment I need you focused on this job and not on Hanaway, he’s safe. Are we covered?”
All three nodded.
“Good.”
Benji listened as Ethan explained the mission and what they were up against. This was way beyond what he was used to. Most of the missions he had been on, was information seeking or handling a few small terrorist groups. The very idea that the Cobalt wanted to start a nuclear war was insane. Sure, let’s wipe out the earth just to make a point that man will evolve!
As someone who lived on the damn planet, nuclear war was bad.
“So, what’s the plan?” Benji settled into the seat and watched in fascination and slight fear as Ethan laid out the plan. The man was brilliantly insane, and he concluded that Will, the husband, was just as batshit but acted like he wasn’t.
“I was jealous as fuck, when you got Ethan to sleep by curling up with him in the bed. It hadn’t dawned on me that you were my Mate.” Benji squeezed Will’s hand. “I never regretted being Turned, having you as my Mate, and the little family we’ve created. It’s cool. It’s the best thing that happened to me. And now I get it, you and Ethan have a connection, I just like to watch.”
Will laughed and then pulled him close, hand cupped the scruffy cheek, and with what he was sure a sappy grin leaned over and kissed him softly, showing how much having Benji in his life meant.
“Ah, honey, look how sappy they are!”
Benji pulled back and glared at his dad. “Seriously.”
“It’s adorable.” He looked down at his phone, admiring the photo. “I should send this to my sister, to show her that my son landed a hot man, while she’s on her fifth idiot husband.” He cackled slightly while walking away typing away on his phone.
“And if she throws a fit because I’m gay?!” Benji yelled following his dad, ignoring the chuckling Mate.
“I’ll send your hot boyfriend after her. I have a feeling he can do damage.” Scotty winked at Will, settling into his chair at the table.
“I could just send Ethan.” Will muttered under his breath, making a note to never introduce Scotty to Ethan. “We were going to head into town later, any place we should visit? Besides egging Auntie’s house.”
Mary shook her head putting the food on the table. “Oh, leave the old bitty alone in her miserable life. Now eat up! Benji dear you should take him out to the parks, there’s a lot of old historical sites out there.”
“I haven’t been out there in ages!” Benji nodded, making plans while he scarfed down the food.
“They have a few good make out areas.” Scotty added, laughing at his son choked on his food, while his future son-in-law almost fell out of his chair laughing.
***
Luther watched his Mate talk on the phone with Lara, hashing out details of what was going to take place in the next few days.
The plan had been thought up while sitting on the kitchen floor, completely drunk.
Phelps had no idea that they knew he was still roaming the Earth. They had to make a big enough fuss, to get his attention, but more importantly, a reaction.
There were two things they knew about Phelps.
Lara was his greatest accomplishment.
Ethan was his greatest failure.
Phelps loved his daughter, to the point he kept any knowledge of the Illuminati away from her. She had told them about the time a small sect of Illuminati had approached her about some of her father’s work, though looking back, it was obvious they had no idea about Phelps as they kept referring to Lord Croft as her ‘great grandfather’.
“If I had known what I know now, I would’ve taken Indy and Hillary and just gone to town, taking every one of those bastards out.” She down her glass of wine and looked around for more. “But I honestly thought they were just intrigued by Lord Croft’s work. No idea the bastard actually worked for them, I mean really worked for them, not just a curious old fart trying to find answers to the Universe. God, I hate him so much.”
Ethan chuckled softly, the two of them had been sharing a bottle of very expensive wine. The fact they had been sitting on the kitchen floor, with a few bags of chocolate between them, said everything about the emotional trauma from the past few days.
“The Croft name is still famous. I mean you’ve kept the land and title, and still show up as Lady Croft.” Ethan was trying to work out everything in his head, to see if they had an advantage. “I mean even now your Lady Croft, dear old dad, is like great grandpa now.” He paused, shaking his head slightly. “That made more sense in my head.”
She poured him more wine, laughing lightly. “Hugh’s helped a lot in helping with the family line. Unlike him, who has kept the Beringar name alive through descendants all the way back to his own kids. I have no idea how the hell he pulled that shit off, but he has. Anyway. I just keep good records and pay a lot of money for exceptional fake papers. At this moment, I’m Lady Lara Croft, great granddaughter of Lord Richard Croft, and married to Doctor Henry Jones the Third. But in essence of what you’re saying in London Society and for the House of Lords, I’m Lady Croft. My child would be Lord or Lady, Indy would never have the title.”
“Do you keep the legend of the great adventurer alive?” He asked, a plan starting to formulate.
“Oh yes it’s part of the heritage. It’s how we play on the fact there’s no Lord Croft. My grandmother, who didn’t take to social constraints, never married but had a daughter, who she sent to the best schools around the world. She was not adventure happy like the rest of the family, but excellent at linguistics, kept a quiet life, married, had a kid. Sadly, she and dear old dad died in a car accident, like all good tragedies and the young granddaughter came to live with her eccentric grandmother.”
“I think I’ve seen this movie.”
Both started laughing, which resulted into giggling and spilling of wine. Which is exactly how Indy and Luther found them. The Mates decided to join in on the fun, grabbed another bottle of wine and snacks.
“Why are you asking?” Lara asked as she stole her husband’s crisps.
“I never knew about the Croft side of things, not surprisingly. Despite everything, he loved you enough to keep you out of this shit show and keeping his legacy free of drama. Lord Richard Croft will always be an adventurer, with a beautiful daughter … granddaughter who takes after him. The Croft name will not be spoiled by his sins.”
Indy tilted his head slightly. “What are you thinking?”
“What happens if we do. If we spoil the name. I mean this is just a working idea.” He glanced at Luther. “The one thing all these movies have is the ‘illegitimate’ kid somehow always ends up in America. Culture clash of brash American with Upper Class English.”
“Forcing Phelps to come face to face with his beloved heritage and his biggest fuck up.” Luther bumped shoulders with his Mate, making sure he understood the sentiment behind the comment.
“Exactly.” Ethan nodded, frowning when he realized there was no more chocolate. “With the rise of DNA testing on these Ancestry sites, it wouldn’t be unheard of if some farm kid from Wisconsin suddenly discovered he’s descended from English Royalty, well kinda.”
“Lady Croft, thrilled for new family, makes an announcement to welcome her new cousin.” Luther smirked, following Ethan’s plan. “It’s something we would do with IMF.”
“It’s so overt it’s covert. You two look just enough alike with the dark hair, and sexy as fuck.” Indy drank down his own wine. “This would totally drive Phelps to do something. Seeing Ethan standing next to Lara, it would be his worst nightmare. Especially if the two of you obviously liked each other.”
“He’ll either assume I’m playing a game to destroy his legacy and will come after me.” Ethan glanced over at Luther who was nodding along.
“Or he’ll think you’ve told Lara some sob story and jeopardize his standing with his daughter.” Luther added, a small smirk on his face already planning out how to fake some DNA results. It shouldn’t be too hard. Those sites were notoriously unprotected from hacking. Plus, most of them made deals with a variety of law enforcement agencies to get free DNA samples.
“Either way.” Indy shook his head, the grin forming at the idea.
“He’s not going to stay hidden for long.” Lara finished her husband’s thought.
When Ethan laid out the idea to Brandt the next day, the Hunter had been pissed he hadn’t been invited to the wine party but was already working a few scenarios in his head on how to make it work. Benji and Luther began building a cover for Ethan that would make IMF cry with envy, while at the same time laying groundwork into Ancestry to build realistic DNA traces and family trees.
It helped that there were a lot of people who tried to connect themselves to the Croft family, but most had been proven false. It was one of the reasons Lara had always made sure the family line went down the women in the family. Too many wannabe glory hounds would use the ‘I’m the bastard son of …’ which is exactly what they’ll be doing.
Ironically.
Ethan hung up with Lara, then dropped the phone onto the table before putting his hands on the back of the couch and taking a calming breath. Luther could feel his anxiety spiking the past few days as they got closer to the announcement. The very idea that Phelps was still around was bad enough, add in that Ethan will have to face him again, was pushing boundaries.
Luther hated seeing his Mate like this, the old insecurities coming back. There were moments in the past six months, he was seeing the ‘kid’ he met on the train. The confident terrified insane Agent, who never slept and broke into the CIA. When they had reconnected in Australia, the man who stood in front of him on that damn sheep farm was totally different – it was night and day.
He turned off his computers, texted Benji to let him know they were completely offline for a while. He got a thumbs up back, his fellow hacker was taking the advantage of the little quiet time he had with Wilhelm. They all knew that once they put the plan into action, their lives were going to get hectic.
“Hey.” Luther took Ethan’s hand pulling him into his arms. “Come here.”
Ethan easily fell into the embrace, holding him tightly. “What if I can’t handle this?”
“The one thing I’m not worried about is you handling this. I’m worried about Brandt losing his mind, or Lara trying to scratch dear ol’ dad’s eyes out, hell Benji has been buried in his computer cackling like a mad thing, while plotting with Jane. Even Hanaway is prepped, and he doesn’t know half of the situation, but remembers reading about the Prague Mission in his ‘holy shit how the hell did they pull that off’ class, and he may be the quiet one in this ragtag family we got going on, but the man is deadly. Then there’s Max. And well let’s face it she scares all of us.”
Ethan laughed into his shoulder. “Why couldn’t the bastard stay dust?”
Luther took his arm and pulled him towards their bedroom. He sat Ethan down on the bed, closed the curtains to darken the room, then prepared them a relaxing bath in the large whirlpool tub. As much as fucking Ethan into the bed to get his mind to shut down was an idea, at the moment he needed reassurance more than sex. It didn’t take much time for them to settle into the warm water, letting the soothing oils penetrate their senses helping them relax.
“I only knew you for a short time with Phelps in our lives. Probably the hardest part, but still a small part.” Luther held the smaller man against him, kissing the top of his head. “Fate brought us together, during one of your best and worst moments. When I saw you in Australia, I couldn’t help but notice how different you were. Softer. The smile was brighter, even if it was batshit insane. And I’ve watched you grow into your own so much since then. I’m sure if you had this conversation with that husband of yours … ” that got a laugh out of him ” … he would say the same from when he first met you until now.”
“I’m not that person. The one Wilhelm met so long ago, or the one in Prague. Both of you have helped me become a better person.”
“You did that yourself, Ethan.” Luther wrapped their legs together, holding him close. “We just got to witness it.”
“If I thought I was terrified when I recruited you on that train, it was nothing compared to that moment in Australia, when you injected yourself. My intellectual mind knew why, the Agent totally saw the rational, the one who was learning to love you, freaked the hell out. The Vampire, oh it went batshit. I would’ve burned Australia down and not cared. Ambrose was a walking dead man.”
Luther held him close, remembering the moment so easily. “Remember just before when we were convincing that fat ass CEO that Dr. Nekhorvich was haunting him as he died painfully of the Chimera virus?”
Ethan’s chuckle was low and dark. “I do love taking arrogant pricks down a peg or five hundred.” He took Luther’s hand into his own, they were bigger than his, yet very gentle whether typing on the keyboard or making Ethan fall apart through touch. “Our first kiss.”
It was a moment he cherished especially considering what happened not even twenty-four hours later.
“You think it will work?” Luther asked as Billy made sure the idiot was dropped back off at home like nothing ever happened.
“It has to.” Ethan glanced around their small laboratory, hastily made in an abandoned warehouse. “Ambrose has the antidote, but not the disease. We need to make sure any traces of the disease are destroyed. This can’t get out into the public.”
“The info Nyah was able to get us, it looks as if he already has buyers from around the world.” Luther shook his head, there were times he just didn’t get the irrational greed of people. “I get the want for money and likely to fuck you over. But he does realize if they release this shit, he could get it?”
“He will have an antidote available for him in case.” Ethan glanced over to Luther. “And I really hope this isn’t just to fuck me over, ’cause I do not want that on my conscious.”
Luther moved until he was standing in front of the Agent. “Hey, his actions are not your fault. Like Phelps wasn’t, neither is this guy.”
Ethan nodded, giving him a half smile. “We’re going to have to break into Biocyte to destroy the samples.”
“Ambrose is going to make the same move.” He stated while packing his equipment, an IMF clean up team was heading in to get rid of everything, once again making it into an empty warehouse.
“He’ll go in the front guns blazing making an epic entrance. He never knew the art of subtlety. I can use that to my advantage.” Ethan shook his head. “We’re going to have at least three exits. I can’t even guarantee that he hasn’t figured out about Nyah. She’s a great thief, but not an agent.”
“We go in with the theory that he knows you’re going for the samples?”
“Oh, he knows I’m going for them, probably even came up with some great plan to counter me.” The laughter was slightly contagious. “But, hey, it’s us so we have to expect the whole thing to go spectacular south.”
Luther gave him a look, which just got him to laugh a bit more. “I like this you.” Ethan startled, blinking at him with a confused expression. “You’re a lot less stressed, despite the potential world plague being released. Though I can understand the stress you were under when we met.”
“Well, it’s great we can work together officially.”
His smile was soft, filled with something Luther couldn’t quite place. “If you don’t mind me asking, where did you go after London?”
“Visiting family in Japan.” He answered honestly, especially as sooner or later he was going to have to introduce Luther to his uncle. “Then had a friend who offered up his sheep farm as a place to lay low.”
“So that’s how you know all about shearing sheep!”
“I’ve done it a few times, nothing like the professionals. I took time to actually focus on myself and went on a walkabout.” Ethan leaned against the table, enjoying the conversation.
“Did you find yourself?” He was enjoying learning new things about the other agent.
“Yeah.” The voice was soft as if he was recollecting the moment. “Plus, Mango, the wayward sheep who was a stubborn bitch. Was out in the wilderness for years, filthy filled with fleas and yet kept trying to escape.”
“Sounds like your spirit animal.”
Ethan laughed out loud, it was open and carefree. And it was the most beautiful thing Luther had ever seen. Later, if asked, he wouldn’t be able to explain what he was thinking when he reached out, cupped Ethan’s cheek then leaned down and took his mouth into a soft kiss.
Ethan gasped slightly, giving Luther an opportunity to deepen the kiss. For a moment he thought he made a mistake and was ready to pull back when his shirt was grabbed and pulled closer. The simple moment turned hot and passionate in seconds. He gripped the smaller man around the hips, lifting him onto the table, moaning when strong legs wrapped around his waist. He pulled back to catch his breath, staring at Ethan, desperately wanting more.
The slamming of a car door startled them. Luther stepped back as Ethan slid off the table making sure he looked presentable. “After.”
Luther nodded as he stepped back making sure to focus on packing his gear, if he didn’t – the IMF Clean Up Team was going to get an eyeful, and part of him just didn’t care. Ethan gave him a bright smile, and a pat on the arm as they left the warehouse passing the team on the way in.
He could wait.
Ethan was worth it.
They enjoyed the calm of the bath until the water ran cold. Luther manhandled his Mate until he was dry and dressed in his favorite sleep pants. He got him settled into the bed, another animated film on the tv with a bag of chocolate. He ordered room service with some appetizer type foods. Tonight, was going to be about the two of them watching cartoons and not worrying about tomorrow.
***
Will stood on the hilltop looking out over the valley, it was beautiful. He should mention the area to Ethan, it wasn’t his normal area to climb, but he had a feeling his wife would enjoy the challenge. Even Luther wouldn’t mind the hike too much, especially if Benji got up the hill. He glanced back to see his Mate laying on the green grass holding onto his water bottle like a lifeline.
“You’re an IMF Agent this shouldn’t be a problem.” He laughed when he got the two-finger salute. “Really we can’t complain too much when Ethan climbed the Burj Khalifa.”
“That was to save the world.” Benji sat up setting the bottle next to him, smiling when Will settled next to him. For the moment they were the only ones on the hilltop. “Besides, he’s crazy.”
“Well, that’s established.” He smiled when Benji leaned against him.
“That was when I figured out you were just as insane as he was.” He kissed his Mate’s cheek, then laid his head back on his shoulder. “You jumped out the window to save him.”
“He brings the crazy out of all of us.” Will shook his head. “Everything in Dubai was intense and not normal.”
“Will, I hate to tell you this, but since when have we had a mission that is ‘normal’.” Benji used his fingers to air quote ‘normal’.
“Point.” Nothing was ‘normal’ working with Ethan. IMF sent the hardest, most impossible missions to his wife, daily. And now they were taking on their own mission to get Phelps. His biggest worry was Ethan would be recognized on official missions, but it was Benji who pointed out that they could use some of the tech to cover portions of Ethan’s traits, but still be him so Phelps would know exactly who that was.
“You’re worried about the trap.”
“Only because there is so much, we can’t control. I worry this will be too much for him, for Luther, or even me. I want that man dead. What you heard was the mission, it wasn’t how he was Turned, and I know he only told a small portion to Lara and Indiana. There’s four people on this earth who know the whole story, those involved along with Luther and myself. And God Benji I wanted to rip the man’s throat out, I was kinda disappointed he was just blown up.”
“Like you said it just isn’t you and Ethan. At the time he was hiding Luther, but now he’s part of the plan. We can do this. Like we took out Cobalt.” Benji had complete faith in his Mate, and the team. “We have a family meeting just before the announcement takes place, which I’m sure Phelps isn’t even remotely expecting. The man is filled with his own self-importance. The man is an idiot to think that a) Ethan wouldn’t have figured out his backstabbing arseholery b) figure out how to outsmart the bloody wanker c) sleep with the honey pot of a wife – please, really dude, he has standards d) have back up plans of back up plans. If he couldn’t handle Ethan by himself, then with you as back up, he doesn’t stand a chance with Luther and me, let alone Jane and Trevor coming out of left field. We got this in the bag.”
Will shifted until he was straddling his Mate’s lap and kissed him hard. “I love the faith you have in me, us.”
“Of course, I do. Ethan believed in me. He saw more than the geek. He trusted me to go up a damn building with experimental gloves. Luther may have not forgiven me yet for that. You never once doubted my abilities. I trust us.” He fell back onto the ground taking Brandt with him. “You think there’s a good make out spot nearby?”
“We need to find one.”
“I’m sorry what?” Brandt looked at the new guy, his future Mate – which he still wasn’t sure how to handle – like he was insane. “You want him to climb outside the tallest building in the world with experimental gloves? Seriously, if I didn’t know he was your Sire that would’ve proved it.”
“It’s the only thing we have.” He shrugged, not looking over at the angry ‘husband’. He was hot while being angry, and Benji just wanted to drop to his knees…let’s not go there. “And we need access to everything.” He put his laptop down and shuffled over to Ethan who had come out of one of the bedrooms wearing climbing gear. “Is this a normal outfit in your emergency get out bag?”
“Actually, yes.” Ethan adjusted a few straps. “Not the weirdest thing I’ve climbed.” He looked around the room, to see Will glaring at Benji, who was now hiding behind him. There was something going on, that Will wasn’t telling him, but he didn’t have the time or the energy to figure it out. “Okay tell me what I need to know.”
“Blue means glue.”
“What does red mean?” He asked, slipping the gloves one, getting a feel for them.
“Dead.”
“Oh, this is just great.” Will muttered hating this plan. He was trusting his wife with a new Agent, who was a baby in the hacking field compared to Luther, who if discovered about this stupid idiotic dangerous plan, was going to empty his damn banking account. “This is not a good idea.”
“Got any others?” Ethan gave him a look as he headed towards the now missing window. He looked down and despite the fact he was an advanced climber, the height made him dizzy. “Okay … there’s one thing we have to agree with before I do this.”
“What?” Benji refused to even go near the window. He admired Ethan’s ability to just get shit done, but right now, he was seriously contemplating the man’s sanity and wondered when was the last time he had psych eval. Though he just did get out of a Russian prison, so likely he was not all right in the head.
“No one is telling Luther about this.”
“Fuck no.” Brandt was tempted to start moving funds around to hide money, but realized it was pointless.
“He’d kill me.” Benji was sure the man would destroy his life virtually, then stab him in the liver and leave him to bleed out.
In typical IMF fashion, just as Ethan was making a good pace up the building, Luther hacked into their comms. “Finally! One of you assholes could’ve actually called to let me know what the hell is going on.”
“Luther!” Benji’s eyes went wide in fear, frozen to the spot until he realized he couldn’t see him. Though just in case he casually put a post-it-note over the camera of his laptop.
“Where the hell are you!?” Will demanded, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He could barely handle having his wife crawling on the building and wasn’t dealing well with his Mate looking geeky and adorable. How the hell did Ethan handle Luther in the middle of the nightmare with Phelps, while the man was human! He may need to buy some roses to make up for being an asshole back then.
“Hiding agents who got caught out in this whole Ghost Protocol shit.” Luther grumbled, the sound of clicking keys sounded loud in the room. “Anyone want to tell me what happened in Russia?”
“Well first off, you didn’t tell me Ethan doesn’t follow Exit Protocols!” Benji was a bit perturbed when both men laughed. It wasn’t funny damn it! “We obviously extracted him from the prison, though I feel a bit guilty for the riot.”
“That’s not what I’m asking, what happened at the Kremlin? Just remember, I have higher clearance than both of you.” Grumpy hacker was grumpy.
“Our target hacked our comms. He planned it perfectly, made it sound like the US had an Op going down, which we were, but not the one they thought. Let’s just say we would be in full Ghost Protocol if it wasn’t for Illya and Napoleon. They got the bomb into the parking garage, I was inches from Ryan, who was risking himself considering his history, to get me the hell out of the area, when it all went to shit.” Ethan sounded calm and rational, not as if he was climbing the tallest building in the world on a pair of dodgy gloves. “I didn’t have time to find out if he was okay.”
“Okay, so send the good stuff to the old school spy team.” Luther was likely ordering as they spoke. “I’ll see if we can find information on Jack. Marko won’t forgive us if he was injured or worse ended up part of the investigation.”
“Who are they?” Benji was curious, he hadn’t heard those names before on the IMF roster.
“Research 1960’s spies and you’ll find Illya and Napoleon.” Will answered, making a note to also send them some bottles of the good stuff, plus Napoleon’s favorite teas. “I hadn’t realized you knew Ryan that well?”
“Wait, they’re Vampires?”
“Ah forgot we had a baby.” Luther’s chuckle had them all snickering, even Benji rolled his eyes. “Jack and Marko stayed in Sanctuary for years after the Red October incident, mainly because Catherine was a bitch. It was dangerous having Ryan and Ethan that close. Though I’m still wondering how Mr. ‘Six Foot Four’ moved around that damn submarine.”
Benji’s eyes went wide, mouth dropping open. “NO!” He pulled up a secondary window to look up the Red October – not the movie.
There was a yelp, and the sound of a body hitting glass. Benji looked at the open window, hoping Luther didn’t hear it, while Brandt crossed himself.
“What was that?” They could almost feel his eyes narrowing.
“Nothing.” Ethan sounded a bit out of breath, but nothing to major. “Did you get the info I asked for?”
“Where’s Ethan?” Jane asked, carrying in the uniforms they needed. Her timing was impeccable. Benji’s head tilted towards the open window, eyes imploring her not to say anything. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” Will gave her a look, and she just held out her hands as if not to get involved. “Hey Luther. I’m Jane.”
“Jane, where’s Ethan?”
“Out.” She answered with ease, tossing the uniforms on the couch. “I have to ask, any tips on how to deal with this much insanity in one room?”
“I like her. Ethan, we’re keeping this one.” They could hear Luther moving around wherever he was. Benji was trying to hack into the other hackers’ system but kept getting smacked. Damn him for being good at this!
“She comes with Hanaway.” Ethan added, one would think he was just taking a walk through the hotel not on it. “Benji Turned him.”
“I’m too young to be a grandparent.”
“That’s what I said!”
“I hate to break up this moment, but Ethan we have 20 minutes until contact.” Will kept his eye on the timer, he still wasn’t quite sure how they were going to pull this off. Despite Ethan’s no-lose attitude this particular mission had him on the edge. Dealing with a fanatic was never easy, there were no negotiations. Cobalt would blow himself up in the glory of his vision.
“Honey.”
“Yes love.”
Jane covered her mouth trying not to laugh.
Everyone at IMF knew Ethan and Luther. One of the best teams IMF had. No one had any idea about their true relationship, hell she barely believed it when Benji explained the situation after Hanaway was Turned. They kept it so well hidden that everyone believed Agent Hunt had retired to be with his wife. The rumor mill about the ‘couple’ was ripe, the latest one, was that she had been murdered and Ethan went rogue wiping out the terrorist group that had ordered the hit. Even now, no one would ever expect anything between the duo, they would all be thinking Ethan was mourning the wife.
“Why are you leaning casually on the outside of Burj Khalifa?” Considering the circumstances his voice was calm.
“How the hell!?” Benji glared at his computer, typing furiously. “Did you hack me?”
“Did that ages ago. I hacked a satellite. What the fuck are you doing?!” Luther demanded of his Mate, and the rest of the room.
“Only way we can access the Server Rooms.” Will cringed when Luther growled, he wasn’t even going to look at his phone as he knew there were going to be a few nasty messages. “And we have 15 mins.”
“Will. Not helping.” Ethan growled just as there was a sound of glass crashing. “Okay I’m in.”
“Thank God.” Benji talked him through setting up the system, sighing in relief when everything came online. “We’re good and have control of everything.”
“You couldn’t steal an access card from one of the IT guys?” Luther muttered.
All three paused and looked at each other. “Didn’t have time.” Will closed his eyes and pinched his nose. “How much money did you just empty out of my account?”
“If my boy survives this shit, and the world doesn’t fall into nuclear winter, he’s getting a new BMW.” They could hear the grin in his voice. “If we both go to dust in the next five seconds, it’s going to the Hunt Foundation for orphaned children in Brazil.”
“You have a foundation?” Benji closed his mouth at the glares he was getting, even from the one that was a thousand miles away.
“Ethan how are you going … The FUCK is wrong with you!” Luther yelled, while the rest moved towards the window, only to find Ethan standing on the windows nearby, with a fire hose wrapped around his waist.
“It’s too short.” Will felt like a moron for even saying it.
“No shit!” Ethan glared at his husband, before taking a deep breath and doing something entirely stupid.
As Will pulled him back into the room, he glanced over at Jane giving her a nod. Benji looked like he was going to have a heart attack.
“We are having words later.” Luther growled out, though they could hear the relief in his voice. “Fucking hell don’t ever do that again.”
“You love me.” Ethan smiled despite knowing his Mate couldn’t see him. He could feel his fear mixing in with elation, it was pretty much what he was experiencing.
“Fucking crazy white boy.” He took a deep breath. “Call me when you take this ass down.” With some last curse words for the group, he shut down his side of the comms knowing they needed to concentrate.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news.” Benji glanced over at the three who just stared back at him. “The mask machine decided to quit.”
Will closed his eyes, hating life. “I say we just shoot both of them.”
“I’m good with that.” Jane nodded, having no problem putting a bullet in Moreau’s head.
“Won’t work on Moreau, and we need Wistrom to lead us to Cobalt.” He stood shakily and headed into the bedroom to change. “Jane, get downstairs and prepare for the meeting, I’ll get you the paperwork.” He closed the door, taking a moment to lean against it and breathe. He pulled out the earpiece and grabbed his phone. “Luther.”
‘You scared the living shit out of me.’ He snarled at his Mate. ‘Please don’t do that again.’
“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft and apologetic. He knew Luther was uncomfortable when he took unnecessary risks. In the first years of being Mated, Luther was open and honest about not liking Ethan solo free climbing, he didn’t mind the mountain climbing, when he used ropes and gear, it was the risky climbs with no backup. After that, Ethan had only free climbed at studios or on places where a fall would hurt, but not kill them both. So, the fact, he was technically free climbing up a building, Luther had the right to be pissed and terrified. “I didn’t mean to scare you like that, but I can honestly say it was our only option.”
‘I know. This isn’t a normal situation, and the world depends on you taking this guy down. God, I just want to fuck you right now.’ Luther’s voice dropped, sending shivers down Ethan’s spine. ‘But you have a mission to complete. And I just sent the info you needed to your phone. You were right, she works for Max.’
“Does Max know she’s dealing with Nuclear Codes?” He took a sigh of relief, focusing back on the mission. He yanked off sections of the gear, leaving behind the spandex shirt and shorts, with ease he got back into his suit.
‘I don’t think so, if she did, Moreau wouldn’t be in Dubai.’ The snort was enough to let Ethan know how he felt about everything. ‘Your Russian buddy is also in Dubai, with his cousin. Did you know he worked for Max?’
“He used to. He’s now an independent contractor. I didn’t want to put a spotlight on Max. But if this goes south, I’m going to need to pull all the connections I have.” He looked in the mirror, running a hand through his hair, then gave up. “God my hair is long. Last time it was this long was in Australia.”
‘Oohh, gripable.’ Luther teased him. ‘I know you don’t have time, or I would totally get you off right now. Be warned you got a Russian cop after your ass.’
“What can I say, it’s a nice ass.” Ethan laughed at Luther’s filthy comment. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, and as he stepped out of the room the earpiece was back in. “Okay. This is how it’s going to go down. Benji, you’ll be the point man between us. Jane, you’re going to have to play this close to the chest, we’ll get you the papers.”
“What if she knows Wistrom, or if he knows her?” Jane asked, it was her biggest concern.
“We’ll figure out. The main thing is not to let those papers out of our sight.” Ethan took a calm deep breath, as they all headed for the door. “Benji, you’re our eyes.”
“Got it.”
When Ethan and Will stepped into the elevator he glanced at his wife. “What if she does know him?”
“She doesn’t.”
“How do you know?” He hated it when he was ten steps behind him. “I need more information here Ethan.”
The door opened, Will found himself pulled out of the elevator and into a small nook area, an obvious blind spot, and how his wife knew that still drove him mad. “Trust me on this Wilhelm. I will not jeopardize anyone’s life for a whim. Let alone the fate of the world.”
He closed his eyes, taking in the smell that he always registered as Ethan, it calmed his shattered nerves. He knew it wasn’t just the op that was making him nervous, but the pull of his Mate. “I feel as if we’re five steps behind, and I’m five steps behind you.”
He kissed him softly, then pulled them down the hallway. “The moment that door opens you’ll figure it out.” Brandt pointed to the goggles that were still around Ethan’s neck, he chuckled and pulled them off, stuffing them in his pocket, trying to tame his hair. “Need a damn haircut.”
The door opened, as the two walked into the room, Will almost laughed his ass off. Sabine Moreau was a Vampire, and she took one look at the two of them and sat on the couch with a sigh of exasperation.
“Hello Sabine.” Ethan greeted as if they were old acquaintances.
“What?!” Jane yelled, then took a few calming breaths, when there was a knock on her door. “We’ll be having a discussion later, Ethan!”
Will bit back a snicker, as he sat down across from the beautiful blonde woman.
“I think you know how this is going to go?” Ethan continued the conversation as if Jane wasn’t growling at him.
“Why should I give you the files?” She glanced between them. “I have a potential buyer …” She frowned, then leaned back, arms crossed. “Whatever you want I won’t work with either of you. Especially you Wilhelm, I don’t work with Hunters.”
“Oh, you will.” Ethan leaned forward in his chair. “Or I tell Max you’ve been working on the sidelines.” Her eyes went wide. “You know how they feel about dealing with nuclear weapons. And you know we’ll be nicer about it, than they will.”
Will kept his calm and did not look over at Ethan. He had no idea that his wife knew Max, no one did as far as he knew. He had Hunted him a few times, yet never got a glimpse or close to the arms dealer.
“I doubt Max would work with someone like you.” She challenged relaxing slightly, as if she had the upper hand.
They could hear Jane working to get the diamonds from Wistrom, playing him perfectly. There would be little time between getting the diamonds and needing to hand over the paperwork. Will glanced at Ethan, noticing he didn’t look concerned.
“Do you want to take that chance?” He pulled his phone out from his suit jacket, leaned back in the chair, focus not wavering. “Do you remember Tomas? Reminded me of you, except Italian. Good looking, got what he wanted, didn’t really care for restraints.” Sabine’s eyes widened slightly, enough that even Brandt picked up that something bad happened to Tomas. “Well, he tried to go behind Max’s back and sell a dirty bomb, that was intended to blow up a school.”
“Ma’am?” One of her guards made a step closer, giving the agents threatening glares.
“Don’t bother, you’ll be dead in seconds.” Her eyes narrowed, studying the man in front of her. “Well go on, call.” The smirk on Ethan’s face, made it clear she made the wrong choice. “Fine.” She reached out and grabbed the phone, canceling the call. Tossing it onto the table she moved into the bedroom and grabbed the folder. “By the way your agents need better training, I should’ve never gotten that close.”
Will hated that she was right, it was something they would be training Hanaway on, now that he was a Vampire. The man likely would be an excellent Hunter, along with Jane. ‘Cause if those two weren’t Mates he would eat his shoe.
Ethan handed the item to Will, then motioned for the door. “Might want to get that.” He could tell Benji was nervous but gave his Childe credit for looking as if dropping off diamonds was something he did every weekend. He handed the bag to Ethan, gave him a look then headed out of the room.
Jane was playing Wistrom perfectly, giving Will the time, he needed.
“Your diamonds.”
Sabine blinked at him suspicion clear. “You’re giving me payment?”
“With a finder’s fee.” He took a few of them out and slipped into his own pocket. He knew Max would want something out of the deal. “Here’s your one warning. Get out of Dubai. If I find out you’re selling anything of this nature on the black market again. This little meeting goes to Max.”
She checked the diamonds. They were good quality and still enough to make the transaction worth the effort. The bag dropped into her purse, before she glanced at Ethan, this one was different. Most would lie and fuck her over, or just fuck her to get the information. “Not turning me in?”
“Not worth my time. Besides you and I both know my threats are minimal compared to Max.”
Moreau nodded, then grabbed her purse. “Then I shall leave you to your business.”
“Ethan, Wistrom has left. And you can’t tell me you’re letting her leave!” It was obvious Jane was pissed.
Ethan motioned for her to leave. “Benji?”
“He’s in the elevator. I’m slowing it down.” He hit floors sporadically, to make it look as if it was random. “He’s not with Leonid Lisenker…” There was a pause and a low curse. “Damn it, looks like Wistrom shot him and left him in the hallway.”
“Will get to Lisenker. I’ll go after Wistrom.” Ethan ran out of the room, not even paying attention that Sabine was making her way towards the stairs. “Jane, get back to the room and do not engage with Moreau. I am not kidding! You cannot win that fight.”
Hours later they were huddled in a small hideout away from the hotel. Cobalt had the codes and was in the wind. The moment Ethan had stalked into the safehouse, his three teammates were at each other’s throats. He gave them all a glare that had them backing down for a minute, as he limped through the room and into the bathroom.
The cold water on his face hadn’t helped except get the dirt and grime out of his eyes and nose. He was fucking exhausted, and on a mission to stop a madman from setting off a nuclear bomb. The one person he needed wasn’t here, his husband was being twitchy, and had two relatively new agents, who had never dealt with this level of pressure.
Ethan glanced down at his phone, blinking at who was calling.
“This isn’t a good time.” He was hoping Bogdan would’ve gotten back with him. His cousin had connections in areas they needed. There weren’t a lot of places, one could use a cold war launch device.
‘Darling, it’s perfect timing. Ms. Moreau gave me a call, accusing me of sending out an attack dog. Now I would call you many things my dear, but an attack dog was a bit crass, though that partner of yours, well he is German.’
Ethan couldn’t help the small chuckle. “What do you have on her that she would willingly call to confess.”
‘She didn’t confess anything, made herself out to be a victim of international politics and the game of men. I can understand to an extent, but honestly, I had no idea what she was rambling about, especially since most of it was in cheap French. But when she ranted about Wilhelm, I knew my boy had to be the one to use me as a very powerful bluff.’
“It wasn’t a bluff.” He looked into the mirror, feeling every ache and pain from the last few days, months. “She was dealing with nuclear codes. Unfortunately, those are now in the hands of Kurt Hendricks…”
‘That damn Swede who thinks starting a nuclear war would help civilization. Well, that explains the Kremlin situation.’ Max huffed in disgust. ‘Well at least the idiotic American Government was smart enough to send their best. What do you need Ethan? There are some things more important than favors and IOUs.’
“Get me in to see Fog, and enough clout to get info and gear.”
‘Done.’
He hung up the phone, took a deep breath, starting to feel some hope in the situation. He sent a text to Luther, giving him an update and that he would let him know their next step when he figured it out.
‘You got this.’
Ethan stepped out of the bathroom, changed and ready to go deal with the next stage of this fucked up nightmare of a mission. He stood for a few moments listening to the arguing. Jane was yelling at Benji for missing the Russian cop, which he did miss the fact the guy was in Dubai, the only reason Ethan hadn’t been surprised was the fact Luther warned him.
Will was snarling at Jane, pointing out she went after Monroe despite knowing that was a fight she would lose and was now smarting at the smackdown. Which just had her turn on Will, which got Benji into the fight.
“I would like to point out that a madman is out there with nuclear codes and you three are arguing like children.” Ethan was not sure how the fuck he become the responsible one in this situation.
“How the fuck do you know Max?!” Will turned on his wife. “He’s been on our radar for decades and is a known arms dealer.”
“Amazing how you, of all people, made an assumption that because Max is powerful, they’re male.” He gave him a pointed look. “My connections are my connections, Wilhelm, and right now I’m Lead on this Mission, and you are not my husband protecting me from the bad guys.”
Benji’s eyes went wide, he had never heard that tone from his Sire. He glanced over to Will, who took a step back as if he’d been slapped. He could see the other man was fighting between pushing back and accepting being called out.
“Look. I’ll take my responsibility in this fuck up.” Ethan gave a pointed look at all three of them. “Which is why I’m heading out to get information and gear.” He pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it at Jane. “Call Hanaway, get it out of your system so you can focus on the mission, not revenge.” His attention turned on Will. “You deal with this.” He pointed at Benji, who did a double take between the two of them. “I need you both focused and not pining over a Mate. You’re both Turned so no worrying about explaining everything. I’ll call when everything is set.”
Jane looked between the two and followed Ethan out, she did not want to be anywhere near that situation. “I’m sorry.”
Ethan gave her a look, then nodded. “I was protecting you from her.”
“I get that.” She had got her ass handed to her in less than five minutes, and she was a good fighter. “After all this, can we discuss this Vampire thing more?”
“I’m pretty sure Hanaway will be pouncing then discussing things the moment he sees you.” He gave her a cheesy grin and wink. “I need everyone to focus right now.”
“I get it Ethan, and you’re right. We can’t be arguing or doing stupid shit. We messed up and now we fix it. I’m going for a long walk and have that conversation. Hopefully they’ll be done by the time I get back.”
“Knock first.” He called out as he walked away, laughing lightly over her snort.
Benji glanced over at Will, who had a stunned expression on his face. “So ahhh … well this just got awkward.”
“He’s right.” He closed his eyes, hand on his hips trying to get his own emotions in check. It wasn’t often Ethan called him out on his own shit, especially in front of others. He knew he had been distracted because of Benji. He’ll deal with the Max situation later, at this moment if this connection is what saves them, he’s all for it. “You’re my Mate. I knew the moment I saw you on the train, I could tell you hadn’t worked it out yet.”
Benji sat back in his chair, eyes wide in shock. “But you’re hot.”
Will blinked a few times over at his Mate. “And you’re adorable, what does that have to do with it?”
He waved his hands at Will, then down at himself. “There’s no way on this planet that I could get someone as hot as you. You and Ethan are like the GQ couple.”
“And he’s Mated to Luther, and it doesn’t make him less because Ethan can and has walked a catwalk?”
“Ethan’s modeled!?”
“Losing the point here.” Will glared at his Mate yet was trying not to laugh at the same time. “It was a mission in Milan, don’t ask. Let’s just say he’s friends with the owner of Nehre Silks and I’ll admit it, my wife looks good in a ten-thousand-dollar suit. But, on that note, it was his Mate who got to see that suit on the floor.”
Benji frowned, he looked like he tried to say something, then paused. “That has got to be the weirdest sentence I’ve ever heard.”
“I can’t believe I said it.” Will dragged a chair over and sat in front of Benji. “Benji, who ever told you that you’re not handsome or cute deserves to be dragged into a back alley and have the shit beaten out of them. Just drop the names and I can have it done.”
“That’s not worrying at all, yet kinda hot.” Benji blushed at the complement.
“You’re handsome, geeky, adorable and your smile has brightened these past shitty days.” He reached out and took his hand. “Yes. Ethan has the soul of my wife when I was Captain of the Guard.”
“Shit, how old are you?” He gripped Will’s hand. “Sorry, keep going.”
“I was Turned back in the 1400’s. It was disappointing to discover my wife was not my Mate. But we had a good life, raised two kids, and many grandkids. And over the years I’ve seen our family continue. I was surprised when my feisty Anya returned in Ethan, he’s her yet not in many ways. But at the end of the day, he’s not my Mate. Likely because we would kill each other in minutes. We love each other, always will. And at times, which you will need to understand and, really, it’s not fair to you in that aspect, I need him. I need to be able to curl up with him and sleep or just need to be in his presence, have his touch. And it works the same for Ethan. I know it took Luther some time to figure it out, but then he’s Mated to Ethan so gets the pull towards the man.”
“So basically, you’re mine but Ethan gets custody on occasions.”
Will laughed, it was something Benji could get used to hearing.
“We barely know each other,” he continued, “and this is a stressful and dangerous situation. Ethan is right, I’m distracted. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’ve never been on this type of mission and hey, first major one, and it’s to stop a nuclear bomb. No pressure. I should’ve known the Russian cop was in the city, should’ve been tracking them since Moscow. And I didn’t because I kept thinking about you, and jealous as fuck that Ethan had your attention.”
“I’m a seasoned agent, a Hunter and have a few years on being a Vampire. Finding you in the middle of an op was the last thing I expected. I owe Ethan so many damn apologies for things I said after he found Luther.” Will shook his head, hating that they were in this situation. “I owe you an apology for not being upfront about it.”
“It’s not like we’ve had time.” Benji pulled Will’s hands closer to him, examining them. He could feel the calluses from hard work, a whole life he didn’t even understand. “How about we do twenty questions to get to know each other, figure out the Mating thing, and then …”
“After we deal with this asshole, I’m finding a luxury hotel and we’re not leaving the room for a week.”
“Oh, that I like.” He smiled a bit shyly at his future Mate. “Okay, so really quick. Who’s your Sire?”
Will chuckled lightly. “This is going to bring up more questions. I was the Captain of the Guard, for Wenceslaus, yes, the one in the song who is an actual Saint. I was the personal guard for his wife, Cinderella. Yes, that Cinderella. One day a carriage got out of hand, I didn’t think twice and pushed her out of the way, I didn’t have time to get out of the way. She offered me a new life. At the time I had a wife and kids, I didn’t want to leave them. When I realized my wife wasn’t my Mate, I was worried I would find my Mate then, it only took another six hundred years for that.”
“I have so many questions.” Benji stared at him with awe. “I met Ethan and Luther at IMF. They had questions about something I was working on and had to repeat the first few questions as I just stared at them in awe. Later, Ethan needed information. Luther had been cut off, somehow Ethan got through to my office phone. I got what he needed, but I couldn’t reach him so in my overzealousness to help, I tracked him down. Got the info to him, which helped, but also got caught in a crossfire.”
Will was sure Ethan didn’t handle that well. “He Turned you.”
Benji nodded. “That was when I discovered about Luther being his Mate, and man that shocked me because no one. I mean NO ONE has any idea the two are more than friends. And you’re right on that aspect, people look at Ethan, see a hot charming guy, and would never expect him to ‘pick’ Luther, and that doesn’t make their relationship less.”
“Because it’s not about society’s constrict of beauty, but about the person’s soul, and just the few days I’ve been with you…” He reached over and cupped Benji’s face and pulled him into a soft kiss. “Next question?”
“I guess asking about sexuality is pointless.” Benji blushed only slightly. “I mean, you said you had a wife and I know you have a history with Ethan, and you’re not bothered I’m a man.”
“Working for IMF we’re all bisexual, but overall, I’ve always been. Just couldn’t really showcase it, hell even now it’s not something that is advertised.” Will gave him a look. “Is this going to be a problem? Believe me you wouldn’t be the first to deal with it, and well there are people you can talk to…”
“No, I’m gay, that isn’t an issue. The bisexual part of being an agent was actually harder to get my head around but understood the difference between work and a true attraction.” Benji sighed. “I’ve actually been out since I was a teenager. I’m just not sure how all this works. I mean how do we be Mates and IMF Agents?”
“Honestly, that’s something we’ll have to figure out. I’m sure you can talk to Luther about it. But it’s the same way all Agents deal with having a family. We know there are things we have to do to get the job done, it’s not always seducing someone, but Ethan did put his life and in essence Luther’s life on the line when he went up the building. He’s doing it now, just chasing after Cobalt.”
“Job first Mate second.”
“That’s not easy for a Vampire.” Will wasn’t sure how he was going to feel about putting Benji in danger and realized this was going to be harder than he thought. “How did you get into IMF?”
“Recruited for my computer skills. I hacked into their systems and put my application in.”
Will laughed at his Mate’s cheekiness. “Anything I should know up front, hard borders I shouldn’t cross.”
“Be patient. I’m still new at everything. And you?”
“Be patient. I’m set in my ways.”
Benji smiled softly, then with a sly smirk and quick move ended up in Will’s lap. In between one breath to the next he two were lost in each other. Benji moaned when he felt strong hands caress bare skin, he nipped at the plumb lips, grinding his hips down seeking friction for the hard on he had been sporting since the damn train.
He almost came in his pants when Will stood, taking Benji’s weight as if it was nothing. He wrapped his legs around his waist, arms around the strong shoulders, laughing lightly as the Hunter got the two of them to the back room, where there was a full-size bed. It looked a bit dodgy, but Benji didn’t really care, not when he was tossed onto it and his Mate pulled his dress shirt over his head showing off a well muscular chest.
“Fuck your gorgeous.” Benji shifted until he was on his knees and pulled off his own shirt, before tugging at Will’s pants. Hearing Will’s moan as he wrapped his hand around the hard cock, was music to his ears. “Normally, I’m all for drawing things out, but right not I just want you to fuck me. Like right now. I need this.”
“Fuck.” Will leaned down and kissed him with barely controlled passion. With a last barely controlled thought, he grabbed one of the bags in the corner, and pulled out lube and set it on the nightstand, then stripped out of the rest of his clothes. He watched with rapt attention as Benji wiggled out of his clothes, which landed somewhere in a heap on the floor. “Lay back.”
“And think of the queen…”
“Oh Benji, you’ll only have thoughts of me.” Will leaned down and kissed him, before sitting back and spreading the younger man’s leg, taking in everything. Fingers caressed over sensitive skin, sending shivers throughout Benji’s body. He was enjoying watching him come apart at the simplest of touches. He reached for the lube, slicked up one finger. Will caught his Mate’s expression, gave him a small smirk, and as he pressed one finger into him, he swallowed down his length. It was a good thing he didn’t have to breathe.
“Fuck. Oh God.” Benji gripped the sheets under him, barely holding control not to thrust up into the hot wet mouth, it was glorious and whatever he was doing with his tongue, he never wanted Will to stop. He barely even noticed when a second finger entered him, until it slid over that one spot and with no warning he came with a shout. “Damn …”
Will swallowed everything down, then licked his lips. “Benji.”
“In me now!”
The moan that escaped his lips was obscene, and he didn’t care. Will was in him, completely and it was perfect. Sex had never been like this, it always seemed so over complicated. It was like he was built for Will, they fit perfectly together. He reached up and pulled him down into another kiss, then Will switched the angle just enough to pull a secondary orgasm out of him. Instinct had him tilting his head, showcasing his neck.
The moment Will bit him, his world exploded. He felt as if something was pulling him apart, then put him back together. Benji had no idea how long he laid there, but when he blinked, he found Will laid on his side, next to him, resting his head on his hand. “You good?”
“So good.” He ached in all the right places, but it was the subtle hum under the skin. “We did the whole Mate thing?”
“You don’t remember biting me.”
“NO!” He sat up blinking. “I didn’t hurt you?”
Will pulled him back down into his arms. “I’m fine. What you’re feeling is the Bond, it connects us.”
“Ethan mentioned that at times he would be able to feel me as his Sire and the other way around, but it would need to be an intense emotion.” He easily curled into his Mate’s arms, now that was something he could use to. “This is different.”
“Mate Bonds are much stronger. It’s how Luther can keep Ethan calm from a distance. We can now concentrate on what needs to get done…”
“‘Cause we’ll feel each other nearby and stay calm.” He nodded in understanding. “I can understand why Ethan yelled at us to fix this, but I’m so thankful he did. This is awesome.”
“I know we have a lot to work out, but at this moment I’ve never felt this content.” Will leaned over and gave him a soft kiss that quickly turned passionate. “We still have the place to ourselves.”
Benji rolled Will onto his back, straddling him. “I’ve been dying to get my mouth on you.”
After their hike back down the hill, they ended up getting fish and chips at Benji’s favorite place. The owner gushed over the new boyfriend, making Will blush slightly. When they got back to the house, Scotty just gave them a wink as they headed upstairs.
Scotty Dunn smiled at his wife, who was knitting a new blanket for one of one of the many cousins upcoming new baby. He was proud of his son, for finding himself a job he liked, and a man who wasn’t embarrassed to be with him. One willing to walk down the high street holding his hand and looked like one who could beat the shit out of bigots.
His son was happy, and that made him happy.
***
“I feel slightly offended that you are in England, and I’m still talking to you on a video conference.” Arthur gave Ethan a pointed look yet had a soft smile. “Cadfael will be upset that you didn’t visit.”
“He just wants someone to work in his garden.” Ethan smiled brightly at the King of Britain. “And he knows I suck at it.”
“I can’t see you sitting long enough to garden anything, hell can’t see you sitting on the ground long enough to watch someone garden.” Nico stated as he joined the conference, laughing lightly. “It’s good to see you Ethan, especially after the news I know you’ve received.”
“What news?” Arthur looked between the two, eyes narrowing at Nico. “What’s going on? And does this have anything to do with what happened last year.”
“In a way.” Ethan’s smile faltered slightly. “It is the reason I wanted to talk to both of you. This is kind of a heads up on what’s about to go down. Normally, we don’t like to get the Clans to involved with IMF missions, but this situation is both.”
Arthur took a deep breath. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the news Ethan was going to tell him. “Do you need me and a Hunter in London?” He asked with all seriousness. After what happened with the betrayer, he got his own head out of his arse and started to check in on his Clan. Marshall was one of the few that got away with smacking him for being an idiot, then began to help.
“I got Jake, and Wilhelm is always close at hand.” Ethan gave a slight shrug, not wanting to bother the Clan Leaders with his shit. “I don’t want too much attention on the Clans, let alone you two, but I don’t want this biting everyone in the ass, especially after Giles. Which, by the way, thank you for the phones and video.”
Nico snorted. “I’m still trying to figure out where all those phones have gone, but it makes sense they would end up with your group. They’ll be helpful but will also catalog information.”
“Luther is impressed but we’ll keep that in mind.” He glanced over to see Luther typing away on his computer. He was doing the last set ups, to make sure they had contingency plans. The team would be in London, the next day to start prepping for the mission. “There is one thing I need to state, and I’ll have a conversation with Vachon and Katsumoto when I get home.” He focused on Arthur for a moment. “I know M’s mentioned Max to you.”
“I’ve been told they won’t bring harm to my Clan.” Arthur frowned slightly, he didn’t like the situation, but M assured him, but lately assurances didn’t mean much. “You know them?”
“Yes. We have a strong tie. Let’s put it in the best situation possible. They won’t do anything to harm me, while at the same time, they won’t stop their own operations. Outside the Clans, they have been helpful and protective, and I don’t ask too many questions. As we all know I’m not just IMF, they have given their word that enemies of Camelot, Sanctuary, Shogun, and Sylum will not get info or materials from them. Matter of fact, to show a sign of honor, they are willing to have a conversation with the two of you, just the two of you, about Frankenstein. They have information, with this comes reassurances that you’ll make sure Hunters leave them alone.”
And wasn’t that an interesting conversation.
“You want to talk to Nico and Arthur?” Ethan stared at his mum like she was insane. “You’ve avoided Clans for centuries, and now want to talk to, probably, the two most powerful Clan Leaders?”
“Dear, I’m technically a member of Camelot.”
He shook his head not sure he heard that right. “How?”
Max laughed lightly. It wasn’t often she caught her son off guard. “M, spoke for me, way back in the day, she didn’t give details but let Arthur know that I wouldn’t harm Camelot, as long as he left me alone. Your dear father is a member, but no one knows we’re Mated.”
“Well, that makes sense, especially his connections to Lara.”
And those connections were going to come in handy.
Lord Wessex was going to back the Croft Family, saying he helped facilitate the meeting between Lara and Ethan, and was happy to see family reunited. It was going to be all sappy and dramatic. Ethan was worried Mark would be in the line of fire, until he realized Max set her own Mate up as bait, and he was okay with it.
Mark Wessex acted like the naive Lord, but under said fun loving Lord was still a deadly Captain of the Guard.
“The world is getting smaller, it’s harder to move without being noticed. Your darling Mate can track me around the world if he wanted. I can’t hide in another country for a decade for things to calm down.” Technology was as much of a benefit in her line of work as it was a hindrance. “And why wouldn’t I make sure I have the ear of the two most powerful men in the Vampire world.” One of his eyebrows went up slightly, she snorted. “Those idiots in Geneva think they run the place, but we all know the Vampire Community would barely give a shit, if one of them got kidnapped. Hell, two were killed trying to rescue the Roman, handsome man by the way, and no one cared. Everyone was focused on Nicolaus. Arthur has been hiding these past decades, it’s time he comes out of his library and be the King he is.”
“So, you’re aligning yourself with them.”
“Of course, I am dear. You’re my son and I know you’ll protect me as much as you can. But we both know, it’s always good to have powerful players on your side of the board. Do you even realize how many Clan Leaders you work for, or the favors they owe you?”
“I don’t ask for favors.”
“That’s because you take after your father.”
“What information?” Nico asked, tone firm but willing to listen.
“They allowed me to share a piece of personal information, in a show of good faith.” Ethan looked straight into the camera, making sure they realized he was sincere and telling them the truth. “Frankenstein is their Sire, he Turned them Without Consent while their son laid dead at their feet, so there is no love lost between them. Oh, and they know where the bitch likes to shop.”
Nico sat up in his chair, that had got his attention. “Make the arrangements.”
“I take it you were their son.” Arthur leaned back in his seat, putting all the information together. “I’ll meet them, I’ve been wanting to for a while now.”
“What’s the second reason you’re contacting us, though I have to admit so far this meeting has been nothing what I was expecting.” Nico chuckled, his eyes kept shifting to his phone, reading the comments coming in from Arthur. If Ethan’s info pans out about the bitch, he’ll send Warrick out on a shopping trip.
“We’re setting a trap for Phelps.”
“Wait. Isn’t he dead?” Arthur sat up in his chair suddenly concerned. “The bastard is still alive?”
“We found out after Giles. It was during Westen’s investigation, it came to our attention that James Phelps wasn’t as dead as we would’ve hoped.” Nico focused on Arthur for a few moments, knowing his friend was going to be annoyed. “More importantly, we discovered he was Lord Richard Croft. I told Lara, and she wanted to personally inform Ethan.”
“No one thought of mentioning this to me?” Arthur was giving Nico a pointed look. They would be discussing this later. “This is something I should’ve known, especially as it affects my Clan. Ethan you may not actually be a member, but you will always have a home here.”
“This is why we’re having this conversation.” The smile he was sporting didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It took me some time to come to terms with him being alive. To be honest I didn’t handle it well.”
“Understandable.” Arthur was a few seconds from going to London, whether Ethan wanted it or not.
“So how are you going to get the rat out of the sewers?” Nico smirked, almost feeling bad for Phelps. Almost. By Ethan’s smirk, it was going to be good.
“What’s the one thing he would hate the most?”
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, a satisfying grin on his face. “Lord Croft isn’t going to like you hanging out with his daughter.”
“Even worse, claiming heritage to the Croft name.”
Nico’s chuckle was wicked. “I can see why you wanted to talk to us, that’s going to hit the news. Likely even here, especially as I’m guessing your cover is from the US.”
“Just enough to make sure he knows it’s me. We’re doing some cover up work, so it doesn’t affect my day job.” Ethan’s grin was positively insane. “The catch, as you know, is that it may pull out Galileo or it may not. But you have my word, anything we hear, we’ll send it on. What I need to know is who should I contact?”
“Westen.” Nico made a note to contact the other spy. “Galileo made contact with him a few months ago.”
“Did he try to get into the organization?” It was something he would’ve done.
“Tried, but his tie to his Mate kept him from convincing Galileo.” It was an in they could’ve used. “The downside, he knows Westen is on to him, but then we can filter info through him because of it.”
“Is anyone hoping Galileo will just kill Phelps to save himself?” Arthur asked with a small smile.
“There’s a betting pool. Luther will send you the link.”
That got them laughing.
“It’s a good trap, maybe too good. If you need any help, do not hesitate to call either of us.” Arthur made sure he knew that Ethan had backup.
“And I hope you told your uncle.” Nico gave him a look. Nathan was very protective of his nephew. And Katsumoto was protective of his Mate. “We both know he’ll send Wales to deal with it.”
He watched as Luther stiffened in the chair, then grabbed his phone and left the room. “I think Luther is on that right now.”
“Keep us posted, and you know visit.” Arthur pointed at him, not taking no for an answer.
“When you make arrangements with Max, let us know.” Nico glanced over at Arthur. “Stay on, we can discuss the insane kid here.”
“And on that note.” Ethan laughed lightly as he left the video chat to let the two Clan Leaders gossip behind his back. He closed the laptop and leaned back into the couch, head resting on the back pillows, eyes closed. “Tell me this isn’t going to go south.”
“It’s us, of course it will.” Luther settled next to him. “Nathan is patiently waiting for your apology, and Wales is plotting.” Ethan just shifted until his head was in Luther’s lap, sighing as fingers caressed through his hair. “We’ll get through this like everything else we’ve done. There is no lose situation for you, never has been. Not in Australia, not now.”
There was one left.
The inoculation gun laid innocently, in the midst of debris.
Ambrose was ranting on about how he finally outwitted the famous Ethan Hunt.
Ethan hadn’t eye rolled so hard in his life.
“You see Hunt. I know how you think…” Ambrose continued his narrative, Ethan slid to his left and leaned around his cover to shoot one of his henchmen. “Well, that was rude.”
“I’m sure he would rather bleed to death than hear your whiny voice.” Ethan settled against his shelter, hating the fact that not only was he pinned, but Ambrose had both Luther and Nyah. He could possibly take them all on, but it was guaranteed one of them would end up killed. And as much as he promised Nyah he would protect her … he knew the Vampire in him was going to save Luther first.
“You can’t sacrifice anyone for the good of many. This is why you’re in this situation.” Ambrose continued his tirade. Unfortunately, he was too far away for Ethan to shoot. “You know I hated being you, could never keep that stupid smile of yours.”
“That’s because you’re an asshole.” His brain worked the situation in a dozen different ways, and he was only seeing one option. He checked his weapons, he had a good amount of ammo, and could pick up weapons as he went. Nyah was in the back next to Stamp, Luther closer to Ambrose.
“Go get it.” Ambrose held the gun at Luther’s head. “If you don’t, I’ll shoot the girl.”
“Fuck.” Ethan could only sit there as Luther made his way towards the virus. He glanced over at him, giving him a soft smile. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Luther replied, studying Ethan for a few moments. “Kinda of a predicament.”
“Well at least there are no trains.”
Luther laughed lightly.
“Oh god you’re flirting,” Ambrose gagged. “Bring me the virus, or both of you die.”
Luther stood there, staring down at the inoculation gun that held a highly toxic virus that could kill a man in less than 36 hours, after a 20 hour incubation period. Ambrose wanted to sell it to the highest bidder, the pharmaceutical company wanted to sell the antidote to the masses.
It always came down to money.
He knew what Ambrose would do the moment he got his hands on it. Kill the two of them and release a plague onto the world. Ethan was good, beyond good. He had seen the man move faster than anyone should be able to, his shots were deadly accurate, and his backup plans, for backup plans, had backup plans. But he was not invincible. He couldn’t take everyone on and get them both out alive. But if he gave him time, he would do whatever was necessary, and he knew there was nothing stopping Ethan Hunt once he set his mind on something.
Besides, it would piss off Ambrose. And he was all for pissing off Ambrose.
He picked up the gun, glanced at Ethan, then over to Ambrose.
“Come on, bring it here. You can take orders, boy.”
One of Luther’s eyebrows went up slightly at the patronizing tone. He looked over at Ethan. “I trust you, have since the day we met.” He couldn’t help but think back to yesterday, when he had the smaller man in his arms.
Ethan frowned, not quite sure what Luther was doing.
In between breaths his world shattered, as Luther put the gun up to his arm and injected himself with the virus. He dropped the gun and gave Ambrose a cold hard stare. “I’m worth 37 million pounds, that’s just for starters. You touch Nyah I take myself out, and you’re out a boatload of cash, boy.”
“NO!” Ethan stood, guns aimed at the intruders firing shot after shot, clearing the path for Luther to take cover.
Fear and anger coursed through him. He’ll hunt down Ambrose to get the cure, there will be no place the man could run to or hide, if need be, he’ll burn the whole damn country down.
“What were you thinking?!” Ethan yelled, as he settled next to him behind the steel console, as bullets whizzed over the heads.
“I was giving you more time.” He held Ethan’s gaze. “You couldn’t save us both, and I know your exit strategy, you can’t get us out of here.”
Ethan set the countdown on his watch: 20:00:00. He reached over and pulled Luther into a passionate kiss, conveying everything he felt into that moment. “Stay alive. I will get the antidote and I will find you.”
Luther gave him a slow smile. “Anyone ever tell you, you’re really corny.”
He laughed, “tell me in twenty-one hours.”
Luther pulled him back in for another kiss, then gestured for the wall. “Get out. I’m not a damsel in distress. I’ll find you.”
Ethan nodded, stood laying down a line of fire as he headed for the outer wall, he tossed the explosive canister, shot it, blowing a hole wide enough for him to jump out of the building forty stories up. By the time he landed, Billy pulled up in a stolen vehicle, they had 19 hours and 50 minutes to get the cure.
Ethan Hunt wouldn’t be the agent he was if he hadn’t planned for contingencies. Though having his future Mate put his life in jeopardy wasn’t part of the plan. Billy was already getting them to a rendezvous point they had already established.
“I’m sorry, mate.” His voice was soft, glancing over at Hunt. “I didn’t see them go for Luther, was focused on Nyah.”
“Which is where it should’ve been. Luther is a trained Agent.” He closed his eyes for a moment, he needed to get himself under control. He’ll lose his ever-loving shit later. “Is Roland in place?”
“He’s been waiting to fuck with Ambrose.” He tried to cheer Ethan up, but decided the best option was to just fix the situation. He knew who Luther was to Ethan, knew they were Mates, and that Luther was still human. He had flirted with the hacker, just to annoy him. Damn it. He should’ve watched Luther. No offense to Nyah, good kid and all, but how the hell was he going to face Ethan, if something happened to his Mate. He had been tempted to contact that Lead Hunter in Germany, but for now they were covered. “Everything is set, we’ll get him back with the antidote and Ambrose will be dead.”
No way that idiot was going to be alive much longer. Billy glanced down at Ethan’s watch, Ambrose had 19 hours and 26 minutes or less to live.
Ambrose stalked out of the building, not quite sure what happened. There was a nagging feeling he had been played, but he wasn’t sure by who. The agent injecting himself wasn’t part of the plan, but it worked. All he’s got to do is dump him in downtown Sydney and he’s got a plague on his hands. Now just to sell the antidote to the highest bidder.
He came to a stop when he saw cop cars in the turning circle that led to the front of the building. His mind raced trying to figure out how they got there. They had disarmed the security alerts. Their presence shouldn’t have been noticed. The bodies wouldn’t be found until the morning, by then the disease would be released and everyone would think it was a break-in. With a deep sigh, it was likely Hunt’s dramatic exit that caught local cops’ attention. He just had to play the game, be courteous and give them what they wanted.
Making sure to put on his concerned look, before approaching the officer, who was obviously in charge. The tall black man wore a simple suit with a long coat, but everything about him screamed dangerous. Something was off, but he couldn’t quite figure out what. He didn’t recognize him from IMF, he couldn’t help but wonder if the man worked for Ethan, but then the Agent had no connections in Australia.
Afterall, he had done his research.
“Can I help you?” Ambrose made sure to sound professional, as if talking to a fellow colleague.
“We received reports of shots fired.” Roland gave the smaller man a hard stare as he stepped away from the vehicle, hand pushing back the long coat, to show his weapon. His back up were Officers from the New South Wales Police Department. All of them were Chosen Ones and had been specifically trained to work with Oceania Hunters. It was a program Stephen McGarrett had put into place and it had come in handy over the past few decades. They had a forensic team waiting for the go ahead to come in but were briefed that their investigations would likely never see the light of day. “Pulled up to see the whole front lobby destroyed, and the bodies of the guards in the lobby.”
“Sadly, there was a break-in, we were called in for security.” He pulled out an ID from his pants pocket. It showed him as a private security consultant, for ‘International Security’. “We were hired by CEO McCloy. He’s been worried about corporate espionage. We’ve been conducting an internal investigation, looking for an inside man. Unfortunately, this evening a break in was attempted, and people were killed.” Ambrose snapped his fingers, and one of his men brought Nyah to the front. “We were able to catch one of the intruders, the other escaped, by base jumping out of the building. Nyah Hall is wanted in a few countries, a known thief.”
It was one way to get rid of the unneeded baggage. His men could easily put fake wanted bolos out on Nyah, plus plant evidence of her working with someone on the inside. If he could implement Hunt in the murder and break-in, win win situation.
Roland bit back the eyeroll, if he hadn’t known the truth of the situation, it was kinda believable. He motioned at Officer Wilcox to take Nyah into custody. At least they had her safely away from the bastard. “I will need you to come down to the station and make a statement.”
“Call Mr. McCloy, he’ll vouch for us.” And now he was bored, and was tempted to shoot all of them, but it would likely be too messy and noisy. Besides, his money bag might get shot, and he couldn’t have that. “I’ll leave one of my men, he can answer all your questions.” He gestured towards Stamp to step forward, he ignored the man’s glare, instead kept a cooperating smile on his face.
Roland frowned. He understood why Ethan wanted this man dead. The arrogance alone was reason enough to kill him … slowly. He glanced at Luther, who was tucked into the back, ignoring the man’s rambling. He wanted to get him away, but without using force it looked like they would have to go with the main plan.
“Mister?” He gestured towards his vehicle.
“Stamp.” Ambrose gave him a look. “He’s our point man, has all the research. Go one, tell the good upstanding officers everything you know about the shooter. It’s our civic duty to bring Hunt in.”
Stamp looked pissed, Roland couldn’t help noticing as he escorted the man to his vehicle, ‘ah did someone get tossed under a bus, that’s what you get for working for an asshole’.
“Is there anything else, Officer?” Ambrose gave him another bright smile. “We need to check in, and make sure that nothing was released that could jeopardize the company.”
Roland hated knowing the idiot had the upper hand in the situation. There was no way he could call his bluff, not with civilians in the mix. The fact Ambrose thinks his bullshit was good enough for cops to believe him was mind blowing. “We’ll be in touch.” He watched with disdain as Ambrose walked away. The only good thing was they had already tagged their vehicles, so they should be able to track them.
When they were out of sight, he moved quickly, disarming the one left behind, and pinned to his car, hand on his throat. “Here’s the deal.” Stamp’s eyes went wide, he hadn’t even seen the man move. “You will go back to your boss, said tell him we were dumb cops and fell for his bullshit. Then if by some chance you survive Hunt, we won’t bother with you as long as you get the hell out of Australia.”
“Got it.” Stamp wasn’t an idiot.
“If you think Ambrose is the better bet, think again.” Roland pulled him away from the car and tossed him away.
Stamp didn’t have to be told twice, not like he owed Ambrose anything.
Roland made his way over to where Nyah was located, she was staring at them with trepidation, not that he blamed her. “Nyah, I work with Ethan.” He could see her instant relief, tears formed in the realization that she was safe. “I know this hasn’t been easy, but any info you can provide, will be helpful.”
“The big black man, I think his name is Luther, he works with Ethan, at least it seemed like he did. He’s in danger not just from Ambrose, but he injected himself with the virus. This thing is horrible and the people who created it should be shot. You got twenty hours to get him the antidote if you don’t, be merciful and shoot him.” She took a deep breath, calming down, then made sure to tell them what she could remember, everything she had seen, heard, pieces of information she put together. “Ambrose is going to drop him in the most public space, he’s going to be the bomb.”
Ethan hadn’t told him what the mission was, just that he needed backup in case things went south. He did know Luther was the agent’s Mate, and the fact he already had this virus in his system meant they needed to step up their game.
“This is Officer Wilcox he’s going to take you to a safe house. Anything else you remember, we don’t care how trivial, tell him.” He gave her a soft smile. “We’ll find Luther, no worries.”
She laughed the smile slightly twisted. “Ambrose thinks he’s Ethan Hunt, but he’s not even a bad facsimile. He has no idea what’s coming for him. Let me know when the bastard is dead.” She stepped away and slid into the back of the cop car.
“Keep her safe, but let her think we’re working for Ethan, don’t let anything slip about our natures.” Roland stepped back when Wilcox got into the driver’s side of the vehicle. As the car left, he was headed for his own, to get to the rendezvous with Hunt.
Billy pulled up to the safe house, not surprised to find at least two Hunters, though Flanagan was a surprise. He doesn’t leave the ranch often. They usually send him out to find Rogues in areas of Australia no one wanted to wander in. Quigley gave him look as if trying to gauge the situation, Billy was sure his expression basically stated, ‘we’re fucked’.
“Ethan.”
Hunt turned towards an older man, who was standing near Luther’s equipment. “I’m Martin Bishop. A bit of an old school hacker, I can work with Luther’s equipment. Or I can get my colleague, who’s blind and won’t see any classified information.”
That got a snort out of the agent, which is what Martin was hoping for. They needed to get Hunt calm and rational. No one wanted to see a desperate Vampire on the loose, not with his skills.
“Let me give you the situation. Ambrose is responsible for the death of Dr. Nekhorvich, who worked for Biocyte Pharmaceuticals. The good doctor created a virus called Chimera, which incubates for 20 hours, then will kill the victim in 36. The antidote has been created but has to be administered within those 20 hours.”
“This virus isn’t pretty.” Billy added to the conversation, pointing towards Luther’s equipment. “We got video, so you know what we’re up against.”
Martin was thankful that Ethan logged him in, as he didn’t want to waste time trying to hack into a government system. Those present watched the video, horrified at what they were witnessing. Martin couldn’t understand why anyone would even create such a thing, then again it came down to profits.
“At this moment. Ambrose has the antidote, and the only active virus is in Luther.” Ethan closed his eyes for a moment, not wanting to relive that moment when Luther injected himself. “We have 18 hours and 25 minutes to find him and give the antidote.”
“Can we Turn him?” Quigley asked, wondering if that would be the easiest solution. Once Luther was recouping and protected, they could let Ethan do what he needed to do.
“I would think we could, but it’s going to make the Vampire very sick.” Hunt nodded, frowning slightly, as he tried to think about anyone who had done something similar. “The catch, he doesn’t know anything about Vampires. I haven’t had a chance to tell him, let alone about being my Mate.”
“I’ll get Flynn here as quickly as possible. Even if all this works out perfectly fine, a doctor would be a good idea to have on hand.” Quigley glanced over to Martin. “Any luck?”
“Roland sent me the frequency of the tracker they put on Ambrose’s car.” He studied the map, not liking where it was heading. “They are heading for downtown Sydney.”
Quigley shook his head. “Perfect set up. All Ambrose has to do is sell the antidote. Luther would infect millions before anyone would notice.”
“No, he won’t.” He moved to the map that was on the wall. “He’ll head straight for the water, likely the cliffs. He will take himself out before harming millions.” A plan started to form, one that could work. “Flanagan, the moment Flynn gets here, go with Billy. Tell Luther, you know Mango, it will get him to trust you instantly, having Billy will help.”
“That damn bitch of a sheep you brought back, mate.” He shook his head, a fond smile on his face. He had stories about that sheep, and it had only been a week. “After all this you need to come visit, to get her off our backs.”
“She’s my spirit animal.” He smiled softly.
Flanagan laughed, then glanced at Billy. “Anyway, to track him?”
“He’ll get to a phone, the moment he reaches out to me, we’ll arrange a rendezvous point.” Ethan moved back to Martin. “I’ll need you to keep tracking Ambrose. No matter what, we need that antidote. Despite the situation with Luther, I can’t let him get away.” It was likely before they released Luther to the wild, they would draw blood and try to replicate the virus.
“Again, I hate bringing it up, but if this goes to shit, should we Turn him? This isn’t just about saving him but knocking out this virus.” Quigley hated that it may have to be the route they went. “I know it’s not the best idea, but is it worse for him to be pissed at you, or losing him all together?”
Ethan closed his eyes, emotions raging through him. He couldn’t Turn anyone Without Consent even via proxy. He glanced at his watch: 17 hours 03 minutes. “Tell him everything. If he agrees Turn him.”
Billy grabbed Flanagan. “Forget waiting, let’s go. We’ll drag Flynn out of bed.”
On the money Luther broke into a shop, contacted Ethan, who gave him the rendezvous for Billy. Informed him that he had brought in trusted contacts. An hour later, Luther found himself sitting in a chopper staring at two men, not sure who the hell they were, but he trusted Ethan.
“Name’s Flanagan. Mango, Ethan’s damn spirit animal, is at my ranch.” The Hunter could see the other man working through the information in his head. “We’re here to help. Our goal is to get you safely back to Ethan.”
“He went after Ambrose.” It was a statement not a question.
“The idiot doesn’t stand a chance.” Flanagan gave him a wicked grin. “Look, you know what’s raging through your system. We have a secondary option to save you in case Ethan doesn’t make it.”
“My man won’t let me down.” Luther had no doubts Ethan would get him the antidote. “And I’m not sure death is another option.”
“In some cases, it is.” The older man stated who was sitting next to Flanagan. “I’m John Flynn, a doctor and there are always options.”
Ethan put a bullet through Ambrose’s head with 2 hours and 1 min left.
He barely remembered breaking into the hideout, taking out the guards, stealing the antidote, the chase through back streets, and subsequent fight on the bluffs. He was pretty sure he left a trail of destruction, not that he cared. He’ll let IMF deal with this fucked up situation. He had more important things to deal with, like saving his Mate, then Turning his ass.
Ethan tossed the gun to the side, snagged the small satchel, and pulled out the antidote along with the injection gun. Flynn met him halfway to the helicopter, taking the equipment from his shaking hands. “He’s doing decent but getting weaker. I’ll administer and then we’ll get him to a safe house, to check his progress.”
Ethan’s focus was on Luther. He made his way to where Billy had parked the helicopter. As he got closer, he realized Flanagan had exited the chopper, and was taking point, making sure their backs were protected.
“You look like shit.” Luther frowned at Ethan’s condition. He would argue which one of them looked more haggard, but it took too much effort to stay awake.
Ethan laughed lightly. “It’s been a rough day.”
Luther snorted, cringing slightly as the doctor administered the antidote. “I never doubted you. Your buddies state they have a crash pad, and that one,” he nodded towards Flanagan, who smirked in return, ” keeps going on about Mango. Seems she’s as stubborn as you are.”
“Well, you did say she was my spirit animal.” Ethan took a step closer, only for his leg to give out.
“Ethan!” Flanagan grabbed the agent, before he face planted into the ground. He instantly noticed the amount of blood on his hands and soaking through Ethan’s clothes. “Shit. Doc we’ve got a problem.”
Flynn glanced over his shoulder to see Ethan on the ground, blood pooling around him. “Damn fucking idiots who don’t mention being wounded. Billy, get Luther to the house, we’ll deal with the moron.”
“No.” He struggled to get out of the helicopter, only to get shoved back in, and the door slammed. He watched in horror as the helicopter lifted off, and away from the scene. The doctor had dropped to his knees next to Ethan, who looked to be barely breathing. Grabbing one of the sets of headphones, he put them on yelling at the agent. “Billy!”
“Sorry, Luther.” The pilot flew them further away from the situation. “I promise you that he’s going to be okay. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Fuck you wouldn’t.” He glared at the agent. “Who were those two, they weren’t IMF.”
“No, they weren’t, but I trust them more than IMF.” He took a moment to glance over his shoulder at Luther. “They’ll take care of him. I’m getting you to a safe location. And then, mate, we’re having a talk about Ethan.”
Two days later Luther still wasn’t sure about the new world he suddenly found himself in. He had no clue, not one, not even a smidgen of an idea of a clue. Considering his career with IMF, then living all over Europe while being Disavowed, nothing had prepared him for what Billy had told him.
He knew Ethan was a damn good agent, but never once in the two missions they worked together, did the idea of Vampires come into the mix. Though it could explain how he survive when the damn helicopter crashed into the train, but overall, it never even crossed his mind.
Billy had explained that Ethan had been working on his Vampire instinct dealing with Ambrose. The thing was, Luther hadn’t seen, nor heard about Ethan using extreme violence. Yes, he hacked IMF to get some info about the man, and even his file stated the man rarely killed unless necessary, and normally it was the situation that got the ‘bad guy’ killed. So, it was a bit of a surprise to watch Ethan, put a bullet in Ambrose’s head and walk away.
Though he deserved it, so Luther wasn’t one to judge.
“Where is he?” He asked the first person standing at the doorway of a large farmhouse. Billy stated they were going to the Clan’s home, in Adelaide, and that it was a winery and had been built a couple hundred years ago. It looked nice from the drive up, but he had an International Spy to yell at.
“Up the stairs, turn left, go until the end of the corridor, and turn right, his door is the last one on the left. It’s the Dead Presidential Wing, so if you see any, let us know.”
The accent was very Australian, and he looked like he just stepped off the range, but Luther had no idea who the hell he was, and actually didn’t care. He was halfway up the stairs, when it sunk in what the cowboy had said, but at the moment he didn’t have time to deal with that thought process. He came to a stop when he ran straight into someone and was almost knocked to the floor.
“Sorry about that.” The man was tall and had a nice smile. “Are you looking for someone? Not many wanders around the Presidential Wing.”
“Ethan.” Luther paused, eyes narrowing at the man in front of him. “Are you a dead President?”
“Abraham Lincoln.” He held out his hand. “You know Ethan?”
Luther blinked a few times, shook the man’s hand considering his family weren’t slaves because of him. “Thanks for the whole freedom thing, and yes I’m looking for the sneaky bastard.” He had no idea how Ethan Hunt knew Abraham Lincoln, and after he got the bastard to answer all his other questions, he’ll ask.
“He’s in the last room on the left, it’s where Max sticks the sneakier visitors.” Abraham gave him a pat on the shoulder, then wandered off down the hall.
“Well, this day just got weirder.” He took a moment to pause at the door, what the hell was he even going to say. He had a feeling Billy was leaving information out, just by the way he hesitated over some of the questions Luther had. All they had told him was that Vampires existed, Ethan was one of them, and he needed to talk to Ethan about everything else.
The door opened suddenly, startling Luther from his thoughts. “You’re an asshole.”
“Hello Luther.” The smile was shy, more subdued. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and some choice words about everything.”
Instinct told him that the moment he crossed over the threshold his life was going to change. Without hesitation he walked into the room, a bit surprised at how big it was. There was a comfortable looking king size bed settled against the inside wall, just to the right of him. There was a sitting area in front of him, next to the large windows that looked out over the vineyards, it was a gorgeous view. A dresser on the far wall, with a door to the bathroom. It was comfortable and personable.
Ethan made his way over to the window, settling on the wooden seat, pulling his legs close to his chest. It was a protective move, and Luther hated seeing it. “Look, I’m pissed, but I … why didn’t you just tell me?”
“When?” He replied without hesitation. “It’s not like we’ve had time to have a conversation about the unworldly.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair. “I wanted to, from the moment I saw you, but there was so much going on, let alone adding in Phelps.”
Luther moved to one of the chairs, dragging it closer until he was sitting across from Ethan. “I feel as if I’m missing a lot of information. I was informed you’re a Vampire, hence I didn’t have to worry about the two gunshots, and road rash you were dealing with. Billy also stated that Turning me was a backup plan for the virus, which okay it would’ve been better than dying, but I barely know you. Don’t get me wrong I want to get to know you, but why all this effort for me.”
“Did anyone mention Mates?” Ethan shook his head, laughing lightly.
Luther’s head tilted, eyes narrowing as his brain went to overdrive. “I got some ideas but explain to me, so I don’t jump to the right or wrong conclusion.”
“Vampires have a long life … “
“When were you Turned?” He asked, then cringed. “Sorry.”
“I was Turned in 1887.” Ethan smiled slightly. “We’ll get to that in a minute.” Luther didn’t like the tone and was worried it wouldn’t be good. “The one blessing is having a Mate, that one person meant for you. Soulmates for a better word. You’re it for me. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing for you yet, as I’m not the easiest person to be with.”
“You’re smart, caring, fight for what’s right, handsome, and have an adorable smile.” He leaned back in his chair. “You’re also crazy, but I’ve come to accept that about you.”
Ethan laughed openly. “We can take our time with this…”
“I doubt that.” Luther reached his hand out, smiling when Ethan took it. He pulled him off the bench and into his lap. He wondered for a moment if the crush he had been sporting was the pull of being the Mate of Vampire. “You just took out a terrorist organization by yourself to get the antidote, thank you by the way.”
“Ambrose deserved far worse than I gave him.” Ethan shifted slightly, easily straddling Luther’s legs. “You need to be sure about this, it’s beyond just being with someone or even getting married. It’s forever. Once Mated, it’s all or nothing. If one of us dies, the other will follow.”
Luther pulled him into a passionate kiss. The one they shared days ago was softer, more exploring with enough heat to make it interesting. This one started hot, moans were bit back as tongues explored, hands desperate for the touch of skin, both giving and taking.
He had many lovers over the years, men and women, learned a lot about himself with each of them. There had been only one, he had considered settling down for, she was beautiful, held her own, and made him laugh. They had spent a few years together, but in the end, they weren’t meant to be. Luther could say he loved her, and at one point wondered if he would feel anything close to that again.
But now, he realized that he had cared for her, but what he was feeling just having Ethan in his arms, was far stronger. He wanted to strip him down and see how flexible the man really was, but more importantly, the need to protect was stronger than he had ever felt with anyone else.
They weren’t normal men. They didn’t have normal jobs. Nothing about their relationship was likely to be normal. So, he shouldn’t have been too surprised that there was an unworldly element to the whole thing.
He barely pulled back from the kiss, taking in much needed air. His hands had found their way under the tight t-shirt caressing smooth skin. The rate they were going, he was going to have Ethan under him before they talked more about the situation. “What made you decide to be a Vampire?”
And boy was that the wrong thing to say, as he felt him stiffen instantly.
Luther held on, until he felt the body relax enough that he was sure Ethan wasn’t going to jump out the window. “I’m sorry.”
“No reason to be.” Ethan kissed him quickly then eased out of his lap and back onto the window seat. “It’s something we need to talk about.”
“Hey, in your own time.” Luther should’ve asked Billy more questions! “I take it that not everyone chooses to become a Vampire?”
“Sadly, it happens more than the community cares to admit.” Ethan fidgeted slightly. “I didn’t consent to being Turned, but I found happiness in my life. It took time, but I found a home and those who care for me.”
“Is this your Clan? I think that’s what Billy called it.” Luther startled when there was a knock on the door. He tried not to snort, when they both reached for their guns.
Ethan rolled his eyes, put the gun back under the cushion then went to the door. Herbert handed him a tray with food and drink, then pointedly looked at the mug of blood. Ethan shook his head but accepted it with ease. “Clan Caretakers are the same in every Clan, they have a sixth sense when someone needs something, and will guilt trip you into taking care of yourself.”
“There’s more than one?” Luther was thankful for the food and nice cold beer. He paused, watching Ethan drink down the mug of blood. “Can you eat anything else, wait no, I remember the burgers we downed in the safe house.”
He reached over and grabbed the small sandwich and took a few bites. “We can eat normally but need blood to survive. I’ve learned to go longer without, due to the job.” He finished the sandwich, because if he didn’t Herbert would call Wadsworth, and he didn’t need to deal with him. Though it was obvious the two were sharing how to care and feed one International Spy as there was a bag of Hershey chocolate bars. Without hesitation he sorted them out by type, then attacked the Mr. Goodbars. “This is Oceania Clan, they take care of much of the Pacific Asia areas, in conjunction with Shogun, which is situated in Japan. I’m not part of either Clan, but have ties to Shogun, as my uncle is Mated to the Clan Leader.”
“You have family, actual family, as a Vampire?” Luther remembered Ethan stated he went to visit family in Japan, that was likely who he meant. He liked the idea of meeting some of Ethan’s family. His momma had died a while ago, and he wished that she could’ve met the man.
“Family lines are slightly different with Vampires, but yes Nathan is my uncle. He was my mother’s brother. Ended up in Japan in the late 1800’s, and well that’s a whole ‘nother story. There are lines, with descendants and ties to a particular family. The Meridii being the biggest and will explain all of that later. But then there’s Vampire lines. So like Sire to Childe, sibling Vampires, and grandchildes. Then there’s connections from past lives. And then there’s your fellow Clan Members.” He scooped up the wrappers and set them back in the bag. “To get back to your question, there are twelve Clans, six Kin Clans and then the Vampire Council. My Clan is Sanctuary, which is based in Rio de Janeiro.”
“How did you end up there?” It wasn’t a place he expected, if anything he figured whatever Clan was in the US would be Ethan’s home base.
“It was a place for new beginnings, plus not where I worked or had too many bad memories.” Ethan shrugged. Sanctuary was home, even with all the pirates. “It’s a great place not to be IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. Most Vampires have connections to more than one Clan.”
“So, us being Mated, I would join this Sanctuary.” He downed the last of his beer and set it on the tray, snagging some of the chocolate out of the pile.
“If you want to talk to Nico, who runs Sylum, the Clan based in the US, and swear loyalty I have no problem. Like I said it’s not that shocking that some have loyalties to more than one. I’m not a member of Sylum or Camelot, but still have ties, and obvious ones to Shogun.” Ethan gave him a slight shrug and smile, let alone his connection to one or two of the Kin Clans.
Luther leaned back in his chair, studying his ‘Mate’ for a few seconds. There was a lot to learn, most of it would take time, more than a quick lunch. But, in reality, they didn’t have time. Their jobs would be calling sooner, rather than later.
With a decision made. “Turn me.”
Ethan looked at him, expression showing his shock. “Luther.”
“I know what I’m doing, Turn me. It’s not good for me to be this vulnerable, and I’m sure those 20 hours were hell.” Ethan flinched slightly, eyes darkened in pain and something Luther couldn’t quite name. “You can give me many reasons why I should wait, and logically, jumping into a very long-term relationship with someone I barely know isn’t technically a good decision.” He held up his hand, seeing that he was going to get interrupted. “But this is different. The moment I met you on that train, I trusted you, and I grew up in a neighborhood where you trusted no one. I sat there, staring at this insane white boy, wondering who in their ever-fucking mind, thought this one should be let loose on the world, yet I followed you without hesitation.” Reaching out, he smiled when Ethan once again took his hand. “But the moment I knew that I would likely spend the rest of my life by your side whether it be on missions, friends, or lovers, was when you fell asleep.”
Ethan startled, staring at him slightly confused.
“The night in London. You came back from calling Kittridge. Claire was trying to get you into bed, Franz was out pissed that you tricked him. I told you to get some rest, that I would make sure Franz didn’t stab you in your sleep.” Luther could tell Ethan was remembering the moment. “You fell asleep in that big chair. Curled up, how you were comfortable I have no idea, but you fell asleep. You let your guard down, trusting that I would actually a) not stab you and b) keep the frog from doing it.”
Ethan was once again in Luther’s lap, hand on the back of his neck, forcing him to look up as he devoured his mouth, trying to convey what he was feeling through touch. “There is so much you need to know.”
“And we’ll work through it.” He ran his hand through the dark hair. “What do we need to do? Let’s get me Turned, and then we’ll figure out how to take over the world.”
Ethan chuckled lightly, giving him a soft kiss. “This isn’t going to be pleasant. You’re healthy and the body dies.”
Luther grimaced slightly. “It will be worth it.”
“Do you want me to get someone else to do it? If I Turn you the Bond will have started between us, and I will not be able to handle a half-formed Bond.” He didn’t get out of Luther’s lap but leaned back enough to gauge his reaction. “To give you some time …”
“I don’t want or need it. I’m an all or nothing type of guy. Our jobs aren’t simple, and what happens with the next terrorist, what if it’s you that is taken out, how do I handle that. I’m a hacker, oh I can fight, but I’m not you.” He had a feeling he would destroy anyone who harmed Ethan in front of him. “I want you, all of it. The whole forever even in death.”
Ethan studied him for a few moments, then nodded. “Know this, as much trust you are showing in me, I feel the same. Let’s do this.”
Once the decision was made, everything happened quickly. John Flynn was on stand-by, in case something went wrong, and there was a Chosen One and blood waiting for him. As he undressed, understanding that his clothes would get filthy and not something he would want to try and remove while dealing with being a new Vampire.
His mind wasn’t quite grasping the whole concept, his attention was on Ethan, whose voice was a calm influence over the flight and fight aspect that was starting to rear up. When he laid down on the bed, the crinkle sound of plastic sheeting echoed in the room.
“A bit of a serial killer…ish vibe here.”
Ethan laughed lightly as he curled next to him in the bed. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but the soft moment of the two of them in bed, laying side by side wasn’t it. The kiss was something beyond pleasure, it was warm, filled with emotion, almost as if coming home.
Honestly, Luther could barely tell you what happened during the Turning. Despite the pain, Ethan’s presence was focus and distraction. He didn’t quite come aware again until there was soothing warm water which helped relax aching muscles. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ethan kneeling next to the large bathtub. “Hi.”
“How are you feeling?” He asked, holding Luther’s hand gently.
“Sore but overall okay.” The smile was blinding, and that was when he got it. The depth of emotion he was feeling, the want, need, desire to pull Ethan into the bathtub and claim what belonged to him. “How did you not … ” He wasn’t even sure how to express what he was feeling.
“Believe me I wanted to find an empty room on that train.” He laughed lightly. “There’s some blood waiting for you, and then we’ll bring in a Chosen One. Once you’re functional, we can figure out the rest.”
Luther was thankful Ethan set out fresh clothes, ’cause the last thing he wanted was to deal with learning how to Feed, hanging in the wind. Feeding off a person wasn’t the weirdest thing he had done, but it was up there. It wasn’t long before the two of them were once again alone. Luther glanced down at the clock by the bed and realized it had only been twelve hours since he stepped into the room, and if that didn’t fuck with one’s perception.
“I feel like I’m on a real awkward date.” Ethan settled at the end of the bed, pillows up against the sleigh bed style frame.
Luther chuckled, getting comfortable at the head of the bed. “I’m not going to say this is going to be easy, but I have no regrets. I’m not always the best person to be around, can be stubborn and opinionated. And well we’re going to have to deal with racists assholes.”
“And bigoted ones.” He sighed hating the fact the world was still caught up on such stupid shit. “Between the two of us, we can ruin their lives if need be.”
Luther gave him a wicked grin. “I wish I could’ve introduced you to my Momma, I lost her just before I was Disavowed, thankfully she wasn’t caught up in that shit.”
“Would she have liked me?” He asked softly.
“She would’ve given me an earful. Most of my old neighborhood would disown me in seconds. In my neighborhood you weren’t gay, and if you were, sure as hell didn’t bring home no white boy.” Luther reached out to touch Ethan’s leg to reassure him. “Then you would have smiled, complimented her cooking, and then she would set out to feed you. ‘Cause, my man, you’re a bit underweight.”
He laughed openly. “I have a bad habit of not eating. Even when I was a kid, my mom would shove food into my mouth. I couldn’t stay still, hell even now staying still is difficult. My parents are long gone, though there are descendants from my father’s side of the family that run the Hunt farm, those were the ones Kittridge tried to threaten. I do have a ‘Family’ line out there, though I mostly only associate with my uncle.”
“Family line? You mentioned that before.” Luther wasn’t quite sure what that meant.
“I’m a spitting image of my uncle, he’s a bit taller and bulkier.” He paused for a few moments, trying to work out the best way to describe the whole ‘one day you’ll run into someone who looks like you’. “When you live a long time, you start to notice family lines, that other people look like you. It’s likely they are descendants from different branches of your family. Nathan and I are a generation apart and related by blood. Claus is German, and it’s likely the US branch of the family broke off from his a while back.”
“This Claus looks like you?”
Ethan nodded. “Minus an eye and some fingers. He’s a Hunter in Ehre/Weisheit Kin Clan, one of those Kin Clans I mentioned. I’m a Hunter for Sanctuary. Which means I Hunt down Rogues, Vampires who don’t play nice in Vampire Society.”
“So, you basically do what you do but also in the Vampire world.”
“Yeah.” Ethan smiled at him, then paused and took a deep breath. “I also mentioned connecting souls. We’re basically Soulmates. You’re my Mate, and I know you feel the pull since you haven’t bitten me yet. But some Vampires have connections to others through past lives.”
“Do you think we had one?” Luther found the concept interesting, though he was always a man who looked forward, rarely backwards.
“Possible. Not everyone just instantly knows. But there is one life I do remember and have a strong connection to.” Ethan shifted slightly, worried how to explain this part of his life. “My name was Anya …”
Luther blinked for a moment. “A woman. Wow, I never thought of that, I mean, hell I’m not sure what I mean. Sorry, go on.”
“It takes some getting used to, figuring out that gender is not as strict as one would think.” Ethan hadn’t been that shocked he had been a woman in past life. “Anya was married to Wilhelm Brandenstein, he was the Captain of the Guard to the Lady of the Manor. He was Turned saving her, and well I wasn’t his Mate. But we had a good life together, raised a couple of boys, grandkids, even a great grandkid. When I was old and dying, he stayed by my side, so I made a promise to see him again.”
“Do you remember dying?” It was an interesting concept Luther hadn’t thought much about.
“Not really.” He pulled his leg up against his chest, a protection move that worried Luther. “After I was Turned, I met him again. I instinctively knew he was someone special to me. He still is. You’re my Mate, I belong with you. But he will always be my husband. I hope this makes sense. Wilhelm has been by my side through some of my worst moments, he was behind the scenes with that last mission. I can’t walk away from him.” He glanced up at Luther, trying to gauge his reaction.
“Your souls are strongly connected.” Luther could see the fear in Ethan. He was terrified Luther would lose his mind over this ‘husband’. “I’m surprised that you’re not Mates.”
“We would kill each other.” That got a snort out of Luther. “We’re both very stubborn men, and despite our connections there are times we need a continent between us.”
“He’s not at Sanctuary?”
“Oh no, he’s the Lead Hunter for Ehre/Weisheit. Another reason I chose Sanctuary. I needed a space for me, and well now a place for us. I love him, he’s my husband. We would kill for each other, but it’s nothing compared to what I felt during those 20 hours.” Ethan took a calming breath, uncurled himself, then moved closer to Luther. “You saw how antsy I was on the last Mission, even moments on this one. You calm me in ways I’ve never felt. I know I joked that I don’t sit still for long, but it’s true. Like you said, I fell asleep in your presence. You’re everything to me.”
Luther shifted until he was close enough to cup Ethan’s face and kiss him softly. “We work for an organization that takes on Impossible Missions. We are both trained agents, my skills are in tech, while yours is in the field. It makes us a great team. I’ve been sporting a crush on you since the last mission, and that was while I thought you had a thing with Claire. I grumbled when I saw your report about recruiting Nyah. But it didn’t stop me from wanting you or figuring out if we could have a relationship. I already came to terms with what we do for a living, and at times what you will need to do to get the job done.” He kissed him quickly, seeing he was going to argue. “I know this husband isn’t the same, but it is in a way. You have connections that are older than I can imagine right now. In time I’ll want to meet this guy, but right now I just want you.”
Ethan surged forward taking his mouth in a passionate kiss. “I need you.” With ease he straddled Luther’s lap, grinding down just enough to pull a deep moan from both of them.
Luther slipped a hand into the long locks, holding him tightly as the kiss became stronger, more desperate. He was also starting to understand the joy of not having to breathe. It didn’t take him long to get Ethan out of the t-shirt and jogging pants, his own clothes ended up dumped on the side of the bed. He sat back and admired Ethan laid out on the bed.
“Is there anything I need to know?” He asked, as his hand slid up over Ethan’s hip settling on his thigh. “I prefer open communication between lovers.”
Ethan’s expression turned serious. “I can’t be tied up, yeah we both know I could get out of it in seconds, but it’s a hard no for me. Also, taking me from behind has to be very delicate and a lot of communication.”
Luther nodded, now wasn’t the time to ask, but he knew both those requests came from somewhere, and likely not somewhere good. “I’m open to trying something at least once. I do prefer to be on top, can be dominating, and like being the one in control. But I have no problem giving it up for someone I trust and love.”
“I’m more submissive in the bedroom. My mind doesn’t shut down on missions. I always have to be five steps ahead and figure out how to get out of a situation at any time. I have an exceptional memory. The problem is I have an exceptional memory.” He chuckled softly. “It’s here, where I can give up control. I’m not an agent, I’m just Ethan.”
Luther leaned forward and kissed him. “Let me take care of you.”
Ethan ran a hand down the muscular chest, until he gripped the thick cock. It had taken a lot of control for him to stay still when Luther had undressed. His build was much larger than Ethan’s, a very muscular chest, and shoulders, thicker in the middle and along the hips. He had to stop himself from pouncing his Mate … “The moment I saw you naked, all I wanted was to drop to my knees.”
Luther moaned at the image he was pretty sure Ethan had a very talented mouth. “Maybe later.” He ran his own hands down the pale chest, and flat stomach, the man was all lean muscles. He watched as Ethan arched into the touch. It would take time to learn what spots drove his Mate crazy. With a gentle nudge, Ethan spread his legs wider, making Luther cringe slightly, there was no way he would ever be that flexible. He took the hard member in his hand, stroking it softly, reading what Ethan liked.
Seeing his Mate with his head thrown back, eyes closed, hands gripping the sheets, made him groan. He needed to be in him, make him fall apart from his touch. With a quick kiss, he leaned to the side to dig through the bedside table, hoping that these Clans were well prepared.
And he wasn’t disappointed.
He grabbed the lube, set it on the bed and pulled out the wipes and put them on the table. Maybe later, they could take a look at some of the fun things he found in the drawer. But right now, his focus was on the beautiful man laid out under him, who completely trusted him with not just his body, but his heart.
And wasn’t he being corny
Luther slid one finger into him, using all of his self-control to not come at the sounds Ethan was making. By the time he had three, he was leaking and desperate. He reached for one of the pillows and slid it under Ethan’s hips, then slicked himself up … it had been a while since he’d been with anyone without a condom.
“If you don’t get in me, I’m taking matters into my own hands.” Ethan’s legs tightened around him, eyes blown from pleasure, but there was a hint of a challenge in them.
Luther laughed, then slid into him in one hard thrust, both becoming lost in the moment. “Fuck.”
“Yes please.” Ethan shifted slightly, pulling him in deeper.
He kissed him, laughing lightly then gave him exactly what he wanted. Luther wasn’t going to last long, his body was keyed up, and Ethan was tight and warm, and so perfect. He reached down, taking the hard cock in his hand, stroking it only a few times before Ethan threw his head back, lost in his release. Instinct kicked in, and the fangs he was still learning how to use dropped, he bit down on the elegant neck, as he slammed into him hard, finding his own release.
Luther blinked awake, not quite sure what happened, yet somewhat embarrassed that he passed out. He reached out to Ethan who was lying next to him with the corniest grin on his face. “How do you feel?”
“Like I just had the best sex of my life.” Luther realized he was feeling more than his own contentment, there was an underlying giddiness. “Is that our Bond?”
“It’s complete now.” Ethan shifted and kissed him softly, before sitting up. “How about a nice shower, I can finally get my mouth on you.”
Luther nodded, he felt a weird sense of anticipation, almost a feeling of dread. It took a moment to realize it was coming from Ethan. He knew the ‘husband’ wasn’t the main thing they needed to talk about. He still wasn’t quite sure what to think about the idea of another man in his Mate’s life, there was no doubt Ethan cared for this person. What became more obvious was with the Bond, Ethan was truly his and it settled something deep inside, and he would deal with everything else, as it came.
Neither were surprised to find a tray with food, blood and water sitting on the small table in the sitting area, when they found their way back to the bedroom. Luther was starting to truly appreciate his Mate’s flexibility, and worried that a body shouldn’t be able to bend that way. When he made a comment about it, Ethan only laughed.
Ethan dressed in a soft pair of jogging pants, turned off the lights, before climbing back onto the bed. Luther watched as he settled at the head of the bed surrounded by pillows, legs tucked close to him. It was going to take time for him to learn his Mate’s nuisances and emotions, but this particular one was becoming too familiar, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t need to feel the anxiety creeping in to know that Ethan was preparing himself for a worst-case scenario.
Luther slipped on a pair of boxers, pulling on an old t-shirt. Smiling to himself when he felt a sense of relief and disappointment at the same time. He fluffed his own pillows and settled next to Ethan, letting him lead the situation.
“I need to tell you about Phelps.” Ethan looked over at his Mate. “He was more than my Team Lead, he was my Sire, and he Turned me Without Consent …”
From that day forward Luther hated the man, but at least he had been dead. He spent the next fifteen years by Ethan’s side, watching him live without the shadow of Phelps over him. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out how to handle Brandt ‘the husband’, who was as crazy as Ethan, though he would never admit it. When the two met, Ethan was nervous as fuck, but tried to look calm. Neither of them fell for it and was likely the reason they both pushed past their own emotions.
“I wish I could tell you that I would be the better man and walk away.” Wilhelm put down a glass of the good scotch in front of Luther. “But I’m not. I’m sure it’s confusing to you, he’s not my wife, hell he’s not a woman as he’s pointed out to me a time or two hundred.” That got a laugh out of Luther. “But his soul still calls out to me, and over the century I’ve spent with him I fell in love with him. I knew we weren’t Mates, and that we’ll both end up with someone else. I prayed that our Mates would understand.’
“I’m starting to.” Luther downed the alcohol. “There is something about Ethan that draws you in. He drew me in seconds after meeting him. I’ve known about you from the beginning. I told myself not to be that person, and it was hard. You’ve had a hundred years with him, been there when he needed someone. I kinda hated that I wasn’t, but I’m starting to realize I wasn’t the one he needed. I’m here to pick up all those pieces, I’m not tainted by Phelps.”
Brandt settled in the seat across from Luther, nodding softly. “Never thought of it that way. You get him in ways I never likely will. Not a bad thing. And when my Mate shows up, they’ll be that for me. I am kinda jealous he got his before I did.”
“I’m sure I was the last thing you expected.”
Will laughed. “But you’re perfect for him. How you put up with his craziness full time I have no idea.”
“You do realize you’re just as batshit.”
Brandt scoffed at the thought.
He smiled, noticing Ethan had fallen asleep, while Luther had been down memory lane. He glanced at his phone to see that Benji and Will were back in London and would meet them at the Penthouse in the morning. Just below it was a similar text from Jane.
He may not have been there the first time dealing with Phelps, but he was now. And if that son of a bitch thought for a second, he was going to allow him to fuck with his Mate … he had another thing coming. Luther may not be able to physically burn down a country to save his Mate, but he had other ways of destroying one, if need be.
***
Trevor Hanaway took in everything that was being told as if this was a typical IMF Mission, which in some respects it was, yet so much more personal. He had only known Ethan Hunt by reputation, and had read up on his old missions, while he trained. Everyone had thought most of what was said about the Agent was a myth, but Hanaway knew better. When he graduated ‘spy school’, he made a goal to be like Hunt. It took three missions for his Lead to tell him to stop being something he wasn’t, no one was going to be Ethan Hunt, but the man himself, and at times even he wasn’t the myth people claimed him to be. In time he built his own reputation and had found his own place.
Then he met Jane and fell in love.
She was his best mistake.
They learned to love and let go. It was hard and painful. The first time she got hurt, he wanted to kill the bastard who did it, the first time she seduced some target, he wanted to get rip roaring drunk. But he didn’t, and she admitted the same to him. They accepted that they could be together and still do this job.
Then he had been shot.
He was a fucking moron, smiling at a beautiful woman, instead of being alert. The first bullet was a shock, the second brought pain, the third was numbness, and the last one came with realization he was going to die and fucked up the mission.
Waking up in Germany to someone who looked like Ethan Hunt had been a very odd experience. They told him about being a Vampire, gave him a great history lesson, and all about Mates. He didn’t take him long to figure out Jane was his, and what he hated the most, she was on an impossible mission to save the world – ’cause he fucked up.
When he got the call from Ethan Hunt of all people, that Jane had been injured but would make a full recovery, he was on a plane to Mumbai. Met Brij Nath, hated him instantly, but admired his protection racket for Jane. Ethan only chuckled, told him to fix his relationship, take some time, then come find him.
They took six months to get things figured out. He took her back to Germany, having made friends in a way to Claus and Preston. And damn if he thought the sex was good before they Mated, fucking hell it was mind blowing afterwards. They learned how to be Vampires, Mates, and Hunters in those months.
Once back with IMF, he wasn’t surprised they usually ended up teamed with Hunt. They had their own missions, and suddenly no one really noticed that they were always together. A few times they ended up taking on Rogues as much as Terrorist, sometimes both.
In the past year he’s gotten to know more about Hunt, Stickler, Brandt, and Dunn. Though still not quite in the group, which he was okay with. He was the odd man out, yet part of the team. A system that had worked well on a variety of missions.
Which after hearing the edited version, no doubt, about Phelps. The history of the Illuminati, the fact Galileo was a Vampire, somehow not shocking, who tried to blow up the Vatican, still not that shocking, and that somehow it all tied together. “It’s like those video games. Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.”
Brandt coughed.
Benji hid behind his laptop.
Ethan pointedly looked at Brandt.
Luther rolled his eyes and ignored all of them.
“I don’t want to know.” Hanaway figured out early on that there were things he just didn’t need to know. “Let me get this straight. We’re going to taint the Croft name by claiming Ethan is an illegitimate kid from way back, to piss off Phelps. Hopefully, he’ll come out of the rat hole he’s been hiding in. The secondary part of this mission is to find anything we can on the Illuminati.” They all nodded. “Okay, just adding something in here, what do we do if they approach me.”
“What?” Jane looked at her Mate with a confused expression.
“I’m your odd guy out.” He leaned against the table with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m part of the group but not. I’m sure Phelps is going to be annoyed, but if he pushes it, it seems like his boss will be more annoyed. And if what you say is true about the Illuminati, then he’s going to look for a way in.”
“And you think you’re it?” Will glanced over to Ethan, to see that his mind was already running scenarios.
“Galileo isn’t going to go directly after Ethan, he’s got some serious ties to powerful Vampires. Not going after Luther, because well, Mate. If he had wanted to, he would’ve already approached Will, and he likely thinks Benji isn’t even worth his time, no offense.” Hanaway gave Dunn a smile.
“None taken, I think.” Benji glanced at his Mate. “Though he’s right.”
“What about me?” Jane pointed out, though her own mind was racing with possibilities.
“He’ll either use you against me or hope I can convince you of the right way.” He smiled at his Mate. “I’m not saying Galileo would, but we should have a system in place in case.”
“Code words so we know what’s going on.” Ethan took a deep breath. “We’ll need to set up a system, so you can drop information.”
“We’ll need something that can warn you to get away from me.” He looked at his Mate. “Get to India, to your sugar daddy. I might not like the guy, but he’ll protect you even from me.”
Jane snorted. “Brij is a sweetheart.”
“Who wants you to spank him.” Hanaway gave her a pointed look.
“Leave your kinky shit at the door.” Luther smirked at the two of them. “We’ll get it set up, plus make sure that you have just enough missions with and without us. So, there’s opportunities to be approached.”
Hanaway glanced at Jane, who gave him a nod that she was good with the mission. Even now as Mates, they understood the mission came first, and it wasn’t always easy.
Jane stepped away for a moment, still listening to the planning but lost in her own thoughts. The whole Vampire thing had been overwhelming at first, but then to learn about everything else. The Illuminati, Rogues, and other Vampire organizations set out to do harm. Sometimes it felt as if it was too much, like it had been on the plane to Mumbai.
The call to Trevor had helped, she was calmer just hearing his voice. He had been excited about everything he was learning and couldn’t wait to see her. He believed in her, and that she would do what was necessary to get the job done.
When she returned to the safehouse, Benji and Will were at least dressed, even if they were making eyes at each other. After a quick shower and change of clothes, they quickly ate something not knowing what would happen next. An hour later they got a call from Ethan.
The three stood on the tarmac completely overwhelmed with the gear that was suddenly available to them. Let alone the intel that had them on their way to Mumbai. As far as she was concerned, whoever this Max was, they were friends for life.
They went over the mission parameters. She would need to seduce Brij Nah, to get the codes for the old Russian Satellite, so they could shut down Cobalt. Jane was reading everything they had on the media mogul. Trying to figure out the best way to approach. She could hear Will and Benji discussing how to access the servers, trying not to laugh at the commentary.
“And I jump.”
“Yes, and I will catch you.”
She could understand Brandt’s hesitation, it was a leap of faith. Despite the Vampire Mate thing, he still barely knew Benji for less than a week.
“Yes, yes. You jump and I’ll catch you. How hard is this to understand?”
“I’m jumping down a 200ft shaft.”
“You’re a Vampire Will, it’s not going to kill you.” Ethan snarked off from the corner. “Besides, didn’t your buddy Gretal teach you ‘Leaps of Faith’.”
“Who’s Gretal?”
Jane glanced over to see Will glaring at Ethan, who was giving him a shit eating grin. “She’s a friend, like a sister, we Hunt together. And there’s a difference, Ethan!”
“Not really. I trust Benji’s tech more than a haystack.” He walked over and squeezed Will’s shoulder. “I’ve seen what Aguilar jumps off. You’ll be fine. Benji will catch you, I have no doubt.” He smiled at them then made his way over to Jane. “How are you doing?”
“I can do this.” She wanted to assure him that Dubai wouldn’t happen again.
“I know you can.” He gave her a smile. “Rest up, we’ll be there soon enough.”
“You look tired, you should get some rest.” Jane could see the stress around his eyes. The man hadn’t looked healthy or rested since they grabbed him out of the Russian prison.
“Too much on my mind.” He gave her a tight smile, then headed towards the back of the plane, grabbing his tablet to go over the information they had.
Will glanced over to see Ethan curl onto one of the couches settling in to do more work. With a sigh he glanced back at his Mate. “I jump, you catch me.”
Benji nodded. “That’s what I’ve been saying!”
He stood from his seat, kissed the top of Benji’s head. “I trust you.” He made his way over to his wife, snagged the tablet from his hands, then settled into the couch before he could protest. “We need you to be at the top of your game.”
Ethan gave him a look, then let his husband pull him into his arms, resting his head on his lap sighing as fingers caressed through his hair. “We got one shot at this.”
“I trust no one more than you, to save the world.” Will shifted until they were both comfortable. “I want you to close your eyes, go through your plans, stop at the back up plans, back up plans.” That got a small chuckle. “Now let your mind wander back to Australia the last time you went sheep hunting.” He felt Ethan’s breath calm, though he doubted he was asleep, he was relaxed enough to let his body rest.
Will took the opportunity and laid his head back, hand still sliding through the long hair. He closed his own eyes, mind wandering back to a time long ago. Their first born son was barely six months, teething, and had his father’s lungs. Anya had lost her calm composure, dealing with the newborn. He had come in from dealing with some drunks trying to break into the guard shack, to find her sitting on the floor, holding their son, both bawling their eyes out. He took the wailing child into his arms, letting him gnaw on one of his leather straps, and then helped his wife off the floor over to their bed. He got the three of them settled and just held his family close until both had stopped crying. Anya would usually relax enough to sleep when he ran his fingers through her hair, Ethan was the same.
Jane slid into the seat across from Benji. “Are you okay with that?” She nodded towards the two who looked to have fallen asleep. I mean technically it was a good thing, Ethan needed the rest.
“I’m learning to. We talked about it. They are close. I mean he was his wife at some point. And isn’t that the weirdest thing to say.” Benji glanced over smiling softly, both looked more relaxed than he had seen them. “I’ve seen Ethan with Luther, and he loves him dearly. It’s still odd to see them that way, but I can feel what Will is to me, and I know Luther can feel Ethan. Right now, they both need sleep, hell we all do.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “I never thanked you for saving Trevor.” Benji shook his head, not wanting to really talk about it. “How about we crash for a few, then save the world.”
Three hours later they were set up in a penthouse that Jane would never be able to afford in her lifetime. “Look I’m sure this Max situation is still a sore topic, but as far as I’m concerned – new best friend.”
Ethan laughed openly. “Max would like you, I’m going to have to watch that they don’t try to recruit you.”
Will just glared at him. “We will have that conversation later.”
“Sure honey.” Ethan ignored his husband and made his way into one of the bedrooms. He pulled out his own suit, laid it out on the bed, then grabbed Will’s and the dress he had ordered for Jane. He handed off the suit to Will. “Should fit, yet give you enough room for the chainmail, been a while since I figured that into your wardrobe.” He handed the dress over to Jane. “I’ll likely need to make a few adjustments, but the dress should fit.”
“When did you have time to pick up clothes?” She asked, admiring the outfit.
“Ordered it while waiting for you guys to get to the airport, then had it delivered to the penthouse.” He tossed a bag at Benji. “No suit this time, but a nice set of workers overalls.”
“At least I get to go to the ball.” He rolled his eyes, as he grabbed his outfit and set to follow Will to the bedroom to change, when he paused and glanced back at Ethan. “How did you know everyone’s sizes?”
“Anya was the town seamstress.” Will stated, as he made his way to the room. “Highly respected and sought after, especially for wedding dresses. Even made a few of the Queen’s gowns.”
“And how does that relate to Ethan?” Benji asked, not quite sure how the two connected.
“It’s not uncommon to have some skills transfer over,” Will explained. “I’m sure he already figured out, size and measurements the moment he looked at you.”
“I did.” Ethan grinned then turned to Jane. “I’ll make adjustments once you get your shoes on.”
Jane had never had a dress fit that perfectly. It moved with her body, instead of fighting against it. Ethan escorted her into the party, and then let her go after Brij. Except the man was playing hard to get, too hard. She was getting frustrated as they didn’t have time to deal with him being ‘cute’. Ethan surprised her, when he slid up to her at the bar, gave her a charming smile, then kissed her. And damn was Luther a lucky man. With a wink he was gone, and a phone appeared. She was pretty sure the smile was predatory, as she began her hunt.
Shaking herself out of the memories, Jane glanced over to the team. That last hour had been hell. It had been hard to believe that within one hour, she had gone from sashaying around a party flirting with Brij, to barely stopping a nuclear war.
None of them had come out unscathed.
Brandt had taken on Wistrom, only to discover the man was a Vampire and it was a harder fight than anticipated. It had taken Benji to shoot the bastard, to get the power up. Jane, despite her own injuries, slammed the hard drives back into place.
All three sat there, staring at the news screens wondering if they were going to watch the world slide into chaos. Five long minutes later, they got a call from that damn Russian cop, Anatoly Sidorov, who had contacted Will stating their Agent was injured, but the case was secure, and Cobalt was dead.
When she discovered Ethan purposely drove a car off the ledge and down a few flights, she realized Luther deserved Sainthood for putting up with him.
In the end, she spent time in India recovering from the gunshot wound, Brij paying for all her medical needs, becoming a dear friend. Ended up meeting Simon Masrani, who hid them away in one of his penthouses. A few days later Hanaway showed up, and life changed completely. Once she emerged from Germany six months later, she discovered Brij had been Turned and was now working with Masrani, Brandt had set out to Hunt down Wistrom, only to have him settled into Mod Clan, smirking like a bastard. Luther kidnapped Ethan, and the two weren’t seen for a while.
Until the next mission.
She didn’t like the idea of her Mate possibly infiltrating the Illuminati of all things, but she understood that he was the best man for the job. She would support him, even if it meant staying in India. Right now, they had to focus on the next step of this particular mission, then trying to figure out what might happen.
Jane settled next to her Mate, giving him a soft smile. Hanaway slid his hand into hers, giving it a quick squeeze. She really didn’t know much about Phelps, since the man was long dead by the time, she joined IMF. Trevor had known more about him, specifically about the NOC List Mission. She had always known Ethan and Luther were ‘team’ goals for most IMF Agents, but she had no idea the two had broken into the CIA on their ‘first date’.
They went over how tomorrow was going to play out, then shut down for the day.
All of them needed time with their Mates.
Jane couldn’t help but think, tomorrow was going to change everything.
***
Ethan stood in front of the mirror adjusting the sleeves on his shirt, making sure they fit perfectly under the suit coat. He needed to look the part, yet not. He had let his hair grow slightly, it wasn’t as long as it was in Australia or that year in prison, but enough to be rough and shaggy. He glanced into the mirror to see Will standing in the doorway.
“I know you’re worried.”
“Of course, I am.” Will had his waiter outfit on, he was going to be infiltrating the small, or should say, large cocktail party that Lord Wessex was hosting. The party was a fundraiser, they were going to use it to start spreading the rumors about Ethan, as he was a guest of Lady Lara Croft and her husband Henry Jones the Third. “I can at least come up with a dozen ways this can go wrong.”
“Only a dozen.” He teased him slightly, then pulled him into his arms. “You have my back, not many I trust to do that.”
“I’ll kill him, I swear to you, the man will die on my sword.” Wilhelm sealed the vow with a kiss to his wife. “Benji is in the van, doing his thing. Is there a reason you didn’t want him at the party?”
Ethan gave him an odd look. “Really?”
“What?” Will gave his wife a look. “What are you not telling me?”
“Might be more what Benji isn’t telling you. It’s not my place.” He kinda felt bad for his Childe when his husband stalked off to find his Mate. “How are you doing?” He glanced over at Luther.
“I won’t make such an eloquent vow of death and revenge.” He smiled at his Mate. “But I promise you that Phelps will learn a valuable mistake of not staying dead.”
“You’re plotting with mum.”
“Fuck ya.” Luther smiled at Ethan’s laugh. He was starting to see his Ethan come back. The past months had been hard on all of them, but Luther especially hated seeing his Mate being more reserved. Ethan had been talking to Friedman, trying to come to terms with the backlash he was feeling knowing Phelps was still out there. “I’m just going to get the popcorn and watch the destruction on repeat.”
Ethan slipped into Luther’s arms, taking in the warmth and love. “As long as you’re by my side.”
“No other place I would rather be.” He kissed him deeply, mind wandering to the night before when he took his Mate apart expertly. By the time he was done with him, Ethan couldn’t remember his own name. It wasn’t often he got his Mate’s mind to shut down to that degree, when he did … it was beautiful. “By the way, why isn’t Benji mingling?”
“Seriously?” He looked at his Mate with a shocked expression. “Am I the only one who’s noticed?” By the blank expression on Luther’s face, he was. “Okay. This is going to be fun.” He stepped back in front of the mirror to do a final inspection. He looked like his great grandson. “Jane and Hanaway ready?”
Luther watched him for a few moments, realizing Ethan wasn’t giving up the secret, so figured it was time he did some research. “Who knew Hanaway was good at bartending?”
“I actually took classes while at IMF, I’m pretty sure it’s still a course.” Ethan turned from the mirror and smiled, holding his arms out. “So do I look like a farm kid from Wisconsin who has been thrust into the forbidden world of Lords and Ladies?”
“Well, you look like a geeky farm boy from Wisconsin.”
“Love you too.” Ethan laughed as they headed out of the penthouse, the last thing was turning on his heart monitor. There were going to be a few Vampires running around the party, so his team was wearing monitors, the newer ones made by Stark Industries to have a variation in rhythm, so as not to be picked up by Rogues. “Indy and Lara will be downstairs in the lobby. Jane is enjoying being Lord Wessex’s new assistant for the day.”
“Is it dangerous to put Max and Jane that close?” Luther asked, fixing his own jacket as they headed down the hallway. He flipped his fedora, making sure to angle it just right, checking the mirror by the elevator.
“Probably not.” Ethan couldn’t help but check out his Mate, who looked handsome in the dark suit, accented with the purple shirt. “It’s not often you come out of the van.”
“For this, I want to see you physically.” They two entered the elevator, both smirking. “By the way Jake called, said he’s got one Rook as valet, another as a waiter. Plus, the chef is someone he knows personally, and who is keeping an ear out for gossip in the kitchen.”
“It should worry me that there’s Rooks around, but it actually makes me feel better. Though, let’s make sure the ones we like hold on to their wallets.” The rest of the elevator ride was quiet, both lost in their thoughts. Before they got to the lobby, Ethan reached out and took his Mate’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thank You.”
“For what?” Luther glanced over to his Mate, he didn’t tell him up in the room, but he looked fine in that suit, and he couldn’t wait to see it on the floor.
Ethan gave him that soft smile that was reserved for Luther. “For loving me.”
“Not hard.” He let go of his hand, then gave him a wink, before stepping out of the elevator, making his way to the side exit to get his own ride to the party. And wasn’t his Mate going to be surprised to find out he’s escorting Max, there was no way mum wasn’t going to show up.
Ethan took a deep breath, shook the tension out of his shoulders. He closed his eyes for a moment, counted to ten, then put on his game face. He rounded the corner, smiling bashfully looking slightly uncomfortable with the expensive suit and atmosphere.
Lara stood from the chair she was waiting in, smiling brightly. “Don’t you look handsome.”
“Thanks.” He put his hand out to Indy, as if just meeting. “Dr. Jones.”
He was wearing a nice dark blue suit, the Fedora even matched. The two had talked on their own a couple of days after they came up with the plan. He was worried about his family, concerning Lord Croft.
‘I’m not worried he’ll hurt her but am worried he would kidnap her to inform her how evil you are.’ He poured himself a glass of bourbon. ‘Lara would kick anyone’s ass for trying to kidnap her, and she knows I’m scrappy in a fight, but it’s just not us. I’m worried about Cassie.’
‘Shit. I’m sorry I forgot about your daughter. We can come up with another …’
‘Oh no, we’re not.’ Indiana held up his hand stopping that train of thought. ‘Lara will kick both our asses and let Cassie help. They aren’t wilting ladies. We’ve kept Cassie pretty isolated from the Croft Family, we talked about it, and figured it was time Cassie learns more. Especially her relationship with Brad, if those two don’t marry, have kids, then get Turned I’ll eat my hat.’
‘I need to meet both of them.’ Ethan shook his head slightly. ‘Is Cassie going to become the next Lady Croft?’
‘Possibly. Then Lara comes back around as a kid, as she doesn’t want the family name far from her control.’
‘My suggestion, let it lay low for a while. Phelps likely does know about his ‘grandkid’, so make sure she’s prepared for the ‘you’re my darling grandchild and can you tell me about the weird uncle’. With my job it’s best if Cassie is never seen with me for her own safety. If a threat pops up. I’m handing her to the team and she’s getting trained in ways that will make Lara want to kill me.’
‘She won’t be upset over Cassie learning to defend herself.’ Indy snorted, knowing full well Cassie was already trained in many ways to defend herself. Uncle Nico made sure of that.
‘Well, no, but making sure she knows how to shank someone in a dark alley.’
‘Have you met my wife?’
Their laughter had their Mates staring at them suspiciously.
“Clean up nice.” Indy gave him a big smile, as he shook his hand. “Don’t let all this hoopla worry you, just nod and smile. Lara will charm them all.”
The Croft Family lawyers, and publicity team were already laying groundwork for introducing the newest member of the family. It was best in public to play the role to the fullest, in case of reports or even tourists, especially with social media rising.
“Don’t listen to him, he’s still upset that he hasn’t met the Queen.” Lara took Ethan’s arm and led him out to the waiting car. Ethan almost laughed when he saw Hillary holding the door open, who gave him a wink before closing the door and getting behind the wheel.
“Didn’t trust anyone else.” She gave Hillary a wave from the back of the vehicle. “Anything we should know at the last minute.”
“Now it’s just about setting the trap.” Ethan glanced out the window watching the scenery go by. So much of the city had changed, yet not. “We’ll do the smooze around the party, let Lord Wessex be, well Lord Wessex.”
“Lara introduced me to him after we were Mated, that he was a good friend of the Croft Family, how do you know him?” Indy was curious, he knew Ethan had connections everywhere, but Mark Wessex seemed an odd one out.
“Family connections.”
And that was about all they were going to get out of him.
The party was at the Mandarin Oriental, in Hyde Park. The gathering was to raise funds for Silver Eagle, a non-profit organization that went into disaster areas with the intention to feed, cloth, bring medicine, and then help rebuild. The fact Silver Eagle was run by Vampires, and Ethan had worked with them a few times in Brazil after major floods and fires, he was starting to understand Nico’s … Everything is Connected.
An hour into the party, Ethan was exhausted, he would rather climb Big Ben freestyle. He was introduced to way too many people, who had way too many opinions about everything. Most had no idea where Wisconsin was, others joked about the colonists, and some treated him like he was scum of the earth.
Wilhelm had delivered food and drinks in time to stop him from killing a few people. Jane had been excellent at moving potential wives of ‘Lady Croft’s new American cousin’ away before Lara strangled a few with their expensive necklaces.
The best moment was watching Max, vicarate some politician who explained to Lara that these things were expected, she really shouldn’t be that surprised her grandfather slept with the help.
Indy grabbed the bottle of scotch that Will just happened to be carrying as he went by.
When the table looked at him with horror, he gave him the infamous little boy smile. “Care for a drink.”
No one turned it down.
The only good thing was the food. He would have to ask Jake who the hell his Chef was, ’cause it was delicious and he ate everything, which was a first. Considering Luther’s expression from a few tables over, he was already texting Jake for more information.
As Mark gave a passionate speech about the works of Silver Eagle, Ethan patted Lara’s hand and wandered over to the bar. He wanted to check in with the team. Hanaway gave him a smile, handing him water. “You look exhausted.”
“Remind me never to be the illegitimate kid of some Lord ever again.” There were a few good publicity shots that should make it out to the internet, and into the hands of Phelps. They still didn’t quite get a full shot of him, mostly from the side or his head was turned.
Will set his tray on the bar top with a groan. “I forgot how hard these were. It was easier standing in the corner being a guard, I didn’t have to talk to people.”
“Any information?”
“Most people think you’re conning Lara for money. Another group wants to introduce you to their daughter, granddaughter, niece, hell one was even liberal enough to mention their son, who by the way is a nice doctor.” Will gave him a pointed look. “So far it’s as typical as you can expect for these types of things.”
“Who’s the older woman with Jane?” Hanaway pointed over to see Jane talking to an elegant woman, who was sitting next to Luther. “Those two have been chatting for a good half an hour, and it’s worrying me.”
Will leaned over to look, reaching out his hearing, the two were talking fashion, seemed harmless. He glanced over at his wife, to see Ethan with a slight smile, the one that usually meant trouble. “What?”
“Nothing.” He downed the water, ignoring the look from both men. He was about to head back to his seat, make more small talk when the last person he expected to see slid up to the bar. “Arthur.”
“Hello Ethan.” He gave the man a smile, then glanced over to Will, who decided drinks needed to be served somewhere else. “You’re a hard man to get close to.”
“I didn’t see you in the crowd.” Ethan glanced around until he spotted Guin, talking animatedly with Max of all people. He wanted no part of that situation. “You didn’t need to be here, though I appreciate it.”
“Nico figured one of us should check up on you.” He gave him a smile. “Besides I need to get back in the game and figured this was a good start. After all, it’s for a good cause.” He glanced over to the front of the room, to see Catalina giving a speech about being first on the ground, to help people in need. “The Pendragon name still holds some clout, and I don’t mean the Druid who hangs out at Stonehenge. Besides, Excalibur has been bored.”
Ethan laughed lightly, noticing that Hanaway had moved away, not wanting to deal with a Clan Leader. “Thanks.”
“I meant it. You and Luther might not be officially a part of Camelot, but always welcome and protected.” He paused for a moment, glancing around but still looking casual. “We have our own Giles inside Camelot, but at least we know who it is.” Ethan paid attention even if it didn’t look like he did. “I made sure to drop enough information to get him intrigued. M has put one of her boys on him, a Paul Mallory, another she’s kept hidden from me.”
“Good guy.” Ethan gave him assurance. “Works mostly in Asia, heard he tamed Hannibal or at least as much as one could tame Hannibal. Part of the family line runs in your Clan and Integridad, the twins.”
“Interesting.” Arthur sipped his drink taking in the information. “He’s an odd man out, not connected to the Clan, he’s going to try and pull strings and see what he gets. We’re hoping the traitor pulls the string we left dangling.”
“I’ll check in with M.” Ethan glanced up as someone approached the bar. He paused when he realized it was the Prime Minister, Benjamin Beckett. As an American from Wisconsin, he wasn’t supposed to know who the hell he was, so he acted like it was just some random stranger.
“Mr. Pendragon.”
Arthur stood to his full height, startling the guy slightly. “Prime Minister.”
“Ben, please.” He held out his hand with a true smile. “I heard you snuck out of Cornwall, I wanted to come by and do the meet and greet thing.”
“Ben.” He turned towards Ethan. “I’m sure you’ve heard the gossip. This is Ethan Algren …”
“Oh yes, the American who is causing all the women to swoon for themselves or their daughters.” He laughed holding out his hand. “How do you like London?”
“It’s very different from what I’m used to.” He shook it, putting on a shy act. “I’m not sure how to address you, Prime Minister.”
“Well, he’s more polite than some of my fellow Englishmen!” Ben laughed lightly. “Seriously I’m okay with Ben, or if you have to be formal Mr. Beckett.”
Ethan stood awkwardly for a few moments, letting the two talk until he made the dash for safety. He settled back at his table, Lara giving him a look. “Is your Prime Minister related to Cutler Beckett? He looks just like him, but older.”
“Who?” Indiana asked.
“Oh yes, I forgot you don’t have as many pirates as we do.” Ethan glanced at Luther then grabbed his phone to get him to research the Prime Minister. “He ran the East India Trading Company and was part of the whole Davy Jones thing. Mated to William Tavington, both in Knight. Hiding from either Sparrow or Speed.” He glanced down at his phone to see what Luther was able to turn up on his phone. “Okay so yes, Cutler is a few great grandfathers to the Prime Minister. Well let’s just hope he isn’t as much of an asshole.”
Ethan filed the information for later use. He may mention it to Turner, just in case of Pirates. He would be more concerned that Cutler would come out of the woodwork. The two have been quiet, considering Tavington had fucked with Sylum a few years back, there was a reason they were hiding in Canada.
By the time they got back to the hotel, Ethan was done.
The moment the door was closed, Luther had him stripped, and up against a wall. His legs were wrapped around his Mate, using the wall as leverage to get the thick cock to go harder and deeper. His moan was indecent as he was fucked thoroughly. Neither lasted long, both keyed up from the situation.
After a quick shower, they were curled in the bed talking softly. Luther was gently running his fingers through Ethan’s hair, getting the man to fall asleep. He cursed to high heavens when there was a knock on the door.
“If that’s Brandt, do not care he’s your husband I’m tossing him off the balcony.” Luther grumbled as he pulled on a pair of pants and made his way to the door. Only to curse when he saw the package at his feet with a familiar logo. “Fucking hell.”
Ethan sat up in the bed, watching as Luther stripped back out of his pants, before getting back into the bed with the package. “Back to work.”
‘Team Hunt there has been a new terrorist group that calls themselves The Syndicate …’
***
Ilsa made her way to the Penthouse, the guards giving her a nod as she headed down the hallway. The expensive Jimmy Choo shoes were in her hands, despite being comfortable, after six hours they had to come off. The guard at the door opened it, letting her into the luxury flat.
She set the shoes on the long table by the door, along with her gun. A quick glance in the mirror, made her cringe, she looked tired and worn out. This job had been harder than she anticipated and was close to telling all of them to go screw themselves.
With a deep breath, she centered herself, and made sure to look aloof as if she didn’t have a care in the world. With an internal sigh, she turned and headed into the main room, noticing that he was standing at the windows overlooking the city.
“How did it go?”
“We may have found a new recruit, but overall, it was a pointless waste of time.” She sat down in one of the chairs. “I couldn’t get close to the Prime Minister. He was too busy chatting with influential business professionals. There was one I didn’t recognize. After a few questions, I was told it was Arthur Pendragon.” She couldn’t stop her eye roll. “He owns a few international businesses, contributed a lot of money to the Prime Minister.”
He glanced over his shoulder taking in her slouched position. “Anything else?”
“Besides the Croft drama. Not really.” She pulled her feet up onto the chair. “A lot of money was made for Silver Eagle, which, by the way, there is no way you’re getting into that group. There’s something about the owner, Catalina, that just screams incorruptible.”
“Someone needs to clean up the government’s mistakes.” He settled into the couch across from her. “What about this Mr. Algren?”
Isla looked at him contemplative. “Solomon, what does he have to do with anything?”
“My dear, you do realize that’s Ethan Hunt, our old friend from the war.” Solomon Lane gave her a hard look.
“Not a Vampire. I got close enough to check, and he looks more like his grandson.” Isla had thought at first it was the agent she had meant during the war, and if it had been, she would’ve approached. “He’s a stupid kid from Wisconsin, from what I can tell. I’ll run a background check.”
“I’m sure you’ll find everything in the right order.” He grabbed a folder that was on the table and handed it to her. “His name is Ethan Hunt, and he works for IMF. Supposedly he’s one of their best agents. Obviously, named after his grandfather and it would seem spying runs in the family.”
“Told you not a Vampire.” She looked through the file, reading the little they had on him. Family was from Wisconsin. There was a cousin who ran the family farm. “What was the show then?”
“Likely an Op of some sort.” Solomon shrugged, not really caring unless it would bite them in the ass later. “The main thing that should concern us, he’s met the Prime Minister, he could be our way in.”
“What’s next?” She asked, hoping to get enough information to warn the right people.
“We’ll have to take it slow. Get rid of the Secretary, then ease someone close enough to get his missions. Then when the opportunity is right.” Solomon Lane smiled. “We strike.”
Oh, now that was very interesting. I have questions that I will be sitting on because I have patience. Thank you for the lovely speculations you’ve given me!
Just finished a second read through, excellent story, you have made me fall in love with Benji and his relationships with Will and Ethan, he’s now in my top 15 characters. Thank You
Lots of ends dangling here. Very nice. These guys are close to the top after the Family at Sylum Manor. So intrigued with Max. She was always a favorite. I love seeing people interacting with Ethan or Nathan or Claudio. Thank you!