Sorrel's father bespelled their truck to make sure they couldn't drive it anywhere else until they visited city hall first, which severely pissed off Armin's mate. Armin could tell Sorrel hated not being given a choice. At the same time, Armin knew why the cherub had done it. Without the excuse of the coercion spell, they never would have gone. The idea of meeting Conquest was just too terrifying for the average person.
"Billy Kingston," Armin said. "It might be easier if you think of him by his chosen name instead of his given one."
"I'm fine," Sorrel squeaked, his high pitch giving away the severity of his nerves. He coughed and tried again. "I'm fine. This is all part of the whole 'getting to know your mate' thing. Right? It's only fair. You met my dad without any warning and now I have to meet yours. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet my mom, but we can swing by the station to say hello. Actually, maybe we can do that now?"
"Sweetheart," Armin murmured gently. "There's no reason to be scared."
"Who's scared? I'm not scared. I clean up Calamities for a living. Why would you think I'm scared? It's just the Mayor."
"We've circled the parking garage three times and passed dozens of open spots," he replied calmly.
Sorrel flushed and pulled into the next open spot he saw. As he turned the engine off, he plunked his head against the steering wheel and tried to gather whatever scraps of dignity he had left.
Armin chuckled and reached out to pet the short hairs on the back of his head. "You're adorable," he said.
Sorrel lifted his head up and made a face. "I am not. Take that back."
"You are adorable," he replied as if he were stating a fact. "There's truly no reason to be afraid of my father. It is true he is powerful, but he's different from the Mayor you see on television. Do you think he would have earned the loyalty of so many people if he was a hardass all the time?"
Sorrel's jaw dropped. "You did not just call the Mayor a hardass."
Armin chuckled. "In my defense, that's what my father calls the persona he plays in public—Mayor Hardass. In private, around people he trusts, he's much more normal than you might expect. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet he's doing one of three things right now—he's playing a mobile game on his phone, he's asleep and drooling on his paperwork, or he's changing into a new shirt because he spilled something on his last one."
It was probably hard for Sorrel to imagine the Mayor doing any of those things. The Mayor on television was a stately, bearded king with the imposing aura of a mob boss. Certainly, death awaited any who crossed him.
Armin took Sorrel's hand from the steering wheel and gently cupped them between his two massive palms. "Please, trust me. I would never introduce my mate to someone I thought might harm him."
Armin put on his best puppy-dog expression, knowing it would take a harder heart than Sorrel's to ignore him. If ogres had anything going for them, it was their sincerity.
"Ug, fine. Let's go meet your dad."
City Hall wasn't anything extraordinary. It was built in the same manner as any small town courthouse and expanded vertically as Limbus Peak grew into a major city. Their footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors as they made their way to the elevator bank, then up to the fourteenth floor.
Sorrel shuddered when he saw the clouded glass door at the end of the hall labeled 'Mayor Kingston'. A small woman in a white business suit manned the secretarial desk in front of it.
"Armin!" she greeted when she saw them coming. Armin pressed a hand to Sorrel's back, offering firm support as if he could sense his mate's desire to run. "If feels like it's been ages. How are you doing lately?"
"Good," Armin murmured. "Real good. Is father in? I have someone I'd like him to meet."
She gave a flippant wave at the door to the Mayor's office. "Go on. I have a feeling he's expecting you."
Armin's pace didn't slow to digest her statement. Sorrel found himself ushered through the door and into a spacious office holding four very recognizable men.
Behind the main desk sat Billy Kingston, Mayor of Limbus Peak, in a designer suit. Mark Lawton, Sheriff of Limbus Peak, stood at the small wetbar built into the wall. The last two men lounged in the corner sitting area. Trendsetting investor Creed Goldsmith wore the latest street brands while Doctor Ronin Rubicon looked like he'd just come off a twelve-hour shift.
Armin gritted his teeth when he saw all of the four Horsemen had gathered together in the same room and he prayed his Uncles didn't completely scare off his mate.
"Holy shit," Sorrel muttered. "Did we just initiate the apocalypse?"
Mayor Kingston laughed lightly like he'd just heard the world's best joke. His brothers either snorted or smiled as their natures demanded.
Armin leaned down to whisper in his mate's ear. "My father and Uncles meet more often than the paparazzi would have the public believe. They just don't announce it unless they're really, really pissed off about something and want to scare a few people into toeing the line."
"Which we'll probably be doing shortly," Mayor Kingston commented with a distracted frown.
"You seem like you could use this," Sheriff Lawton added. He walked over to thrust a tumbler of amber liquor into Sorrel's hand. Sorrel glanced down at it and, slowly, he nodded while his brain rebooted. He probably didn't know why he was nodding. It was just something people liked to do around Armin's father and Uncles. Everyone became a bobblehead in their presence.
"Thanks," Sorrel muttered. "This has been a weird day."
"It's about to get weirder," the Mayor promised. "Let's all get comfortable before we continue."
As if they'd been given a royal command, everyone moved over to the sitting area and arranged themselves comfortably. Sorrel acted like a numb participant and didn't even try to complain when Armin arranged for him to sit in his lap, despite the fact Sorrel was slightly too big to fit the lap-sitting stereotype.
"Really weird day," Sorrel repeated. "I feel like I'm coming off like a neurotic freak, but I swear I'm not usually like this."
Armin tightened his arm around Sorrel's waist, which somehow magically helped his mate relax. "You'll get used to being around them," Armin promised. "It might make it easier if you remember how much humans get wrong in their myths. Considering how much they invented about vampires, shifters, fae, and demons, don't you think they got a lot wrong about the Horsemen, too?"
"Amen to that," Creed said, raising his own tumbler of liquor in a one-man toast. "As much as I love the trend of the written word, there are also times I loathe it. Even paranormal groups are starting to believe in human drivel."
Mayor Kingston cleared his throat. "Save that particular rant for another day, brother. We have more immediate concerns." He gave Sorrel a reassuring smile. Despite knowing who and what the Mayor was, that smile eased Sorrel's nerves and made him feel like he was truly among family. Armin knew it was one of his father's best tricks.
"I understand it can be nerve-wracking for people to meet their new in-laws for the first time, so I'm going to skip the interrogation and just let you know I'm a fan of Mage-Me-Tidy, Warlock Grum. I've been following your work for some time and I'm very pleased Fate decided to mate you to my son."
Although the Mayor's words were supportive, Sorrel expression filled with confusion. The reason was obvious. Armin hadn't been given a chance to introduce him yet, so how did his father already know about the mating?
"He has prophetic abilities," Armin grumbled. "He probably saw this entire meeting played out."
"A few times," Mayor Kingston confirmed. "This is a delicate situation and Fate seems to be determined for it to be handled Her way. So, although I'd very much like to call Wizard Alabaster here and make him explode into stardust for what he's done to you, the bastard will be permitted to keep breathing. But I do have some leeway in how we can handle this, which is why I've called Armin's Uncles to help. With your permission, Sheriff Lawton will take your statement and have Alabaster arrested. Doctor Rubicon will make a record of the power stent your former mate inserted into your bond and he'll set up blocks to keep it from affecting you until your bond with Alabaster is fully severed. As for Creed—"
"People can be dicks," Creed said with a sympathetic grimace. "I won't sugar-coat it. Although what Alabaster did to you is reprehensible, there are some who still stigmatize Warlocks and they will side with him. I'll work my magic so the majority of public opinion stays on your side."
Sorrel shook his head. This sounded like it was going to blow up into something big and that was the very last thing he wanted. "Can't we just remove the stent and—"
"No," Doctor Rubicon said with a clipped accent. "It could kill both of you if we tried. For now, the only thing I can do is minimize its affects on you, monitor it, and let nature take its course. Once your matebond with the wizard dissolves completely, the stent will remain with the person who inserted it. And without two people to support the stent, the owner will bleed magic until they run dry—unless they seek medical attention, of course."
"And to completely dissolve a broken matebond, you'll have to apply for an audience with Fate," Sheriff Lawton continued. "The first layer of a matebond is initiated by Her, so only She can sever it. We need evidence of misconduct to apply. That means you must officially report the wizard's abuse and allow me to arrest him."
"Unless you don't intend to pursue a complete matebond with Armin, this is your only option," Mayor Kingston said.
Everyone paused to give Sorrel a chance to respond and Armin held his breath. As much as he wanted to tell everyone to back off since this had to be bringing up old wounds for his mate, a part of him really hoped his mate wouldn't hesitate.
"This can't be easy for you," Armin said softly. "Dealing with this means dredging up the past. And that doesn't just mean facing what Alabaster did to your bond. It also means letting go of all the hopes and dreams you could have fulfilled with him. But I promise I won't let you regret losing those things. Instead of fantasies, I'll give you something real. Me; if you'll have me."