“What happened thirty years ago?”
“A significant magical surge was detected in thatregion. Strong enough that it pinged sensors across three countries.” Jason swiped to another screen. “A mage named Declan Rourke showed up shortly after.”
Declan Rourke. Muriel’s father, according to the Codex.
“What do we know about him?”
“Not much. He seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I can find no records of him prior to that. No magical registration, no family lineage, nothing.”
Armand leaned forward slightly. “A Collector?”
“It is a logical assumption.” Jason's expression was grim. “Acquisitional operatives are ghosts. The Consilium wipes their existence from public records. The only reason we know anything about him is because there are people in Kilfenora who remember him. According to them, he spent about a year there. Rourke courted Siobhan, and by all accounts, they were inseparable. However, Siobhan’s family did not approve of the match, and they disappeared without a trace. Villagers believed they eloped.
Brandon's hands curled into fists. “But?”
“But… several months later, Siobhan resurfaced in the Shenandoah Valley with a newborn daughter. She purchased a plot of land on the outskirts of the pack lands and stayed off every grid imaginable for the next twenty-eight years, give or take.”
“Siobhan ran,” Brandon said quietly. “She discovered what he was and she ran.”
“Maybe.” Jason's tone was carefully neutral. “I’mstill working on getting the Consilium records, but he appears to have vanished as completely as Siobhan did.”
“What does that mean?” Brandon asked.
“Could mean several things.” Jason leaned against the desk. “Either he was sent to investigate the surge, completed his mission, and went deep undercover for his next assignment. Or...” He paused. “He didn't complete his mission, and the Consilium dealt with him accordingly.”
Armand's eyes narrowed. “You think he may have bonded with the witch?”
“I think it's worth considering,” Jason said, shooting a meaningful glance at Brandon. “If he knew Siobhan was pregnant with his child—” He shrugged. “Not every operative follows through. Some develop attachments. Some have lines they won't cross.”
“Or he reported back exactly what he found, and they eliminated him to tie up loose ends,” Brandon said. “Either way, Siobhan ended up alone and terrified enough to go into hiding for the rest of her life.”
“True.” Jason tucked his phone away. “The point is, we don't know his full story. What we do know is that the Consilium had eyes on Siobhan thirty years ago, and whether Declan Rourke was a willing participant or not, his presence there wasn't coincidence.”
Brandon thought of Muriel's face when she'd mentioned her father.A handsome traveling mage with a golden tongue and empty promises.
Had those promises been empty? Or had DeclanRourke genuinely cared for Siobhan and been forced to leave?
Brandon felt his chest tighten. If they discovered Declan Rourke had been eliminated for refusing to betray Siobhan, it would make Muriel's father a tragic figure rather than a villain. It wouldn't change the fact that Brandon was now in a similar position—magically bound to Muriel while keeping secrets that could destroy her trust.
The difference was intent. At least, that was what he kept telling himself.
But would that matter to Muriel?
“It's different because you love her,” Armand said, as if he’d read Brandon’s mind. “Because you would die before you'd hurt her. The bond isn't a tool you're using. It's a gift you're terrified to accept.”
“A gift she didn't ask for and doesn't know about.” He turned and paced, running his hand through his hair. “Every moment I keep this from her, I'm lying. I’m living proof of her theory that mages can’t be trusted.”
“Then fix it,” Jason said.
“I can't. Not yet.”Not when she looks at me with those big, trusting eyes and pierces my soul.“If I tell her about the bond now, she'll bolt. If she bolts, she dies.”
“So you'll keep lying?” Jason's voice held an edge. “That's your plan?”
“My plan is to keep her alive long enough to learn what she needs to know. To give her the tools she needs to protect herself.” Brandon met Jason's eyes. “Andthen, when the immediate threat is handled, I'll tell her everything and let her choose what happens next.”
“You're gambling that she'll forgive you.”
“I'm gambling she'll be alive to make the choice at all.” Brandon turned back to the table where theCodexsat. “Right now, that's all that matters.”