The next morning, Garrett and I went to speak to the king. “We’re going home to take care of team business. If you need us, you can find us there.” I nodded formally in farewell.
“You two should rest. Things will be heating up very soon, I fear.” Fin hugged us both, then turned away.
We materialized in a heartbeat or two. Heinrich and Sasha were in chairs on the porch of the vamp villa, the house next-door we’d built for them and often put to use for guests.
Sash had his feet on the porch railing. My grin must have spoken volumes.
“Missed us?” Sash grinned back. Our resident Russian vampire was Garrett’s second in command.
“Sure did. No place like home and all that.” I said.
“Good. We missed you too. Where’s the kid?” Sash scanned the yard.
“Causing trouble as usual.” I sighed. Garrett raised a brow about to speak, but I continued. “I sent him off in a hurry. The atmosphere in Faerie isn’t friendly these days. Especially for Charlie.”
“For any of us,” Garrett said.
“Sent him off where?” Sash asked.
“Not sure.”
“It’s better if we don’t know the details,” Garrett added.
Rick shook his head. “Is the demon with him?”
“Of course. Brina and Jay too.” Garrett smiled. Isaiah would probably be annoyed Charlie had brought the fae female and his best friend along on the journey. Anything that annoyed Isaiah was fine with Garrett.
“Charlie has formed his own team. A team of troublemakers.” Rick laughed and we joined him. Muscles in my body that hadn’t relaxed in ages finally gave way.
There really is no place like home.
“Isaiah enjoys attracting trouble,” Garrett said, not quite as pleased as the rest of us. He and Isaiah had not always seen eye to eye, but lately they’d called a truce.
Garrett accepted a beer before sitting. Sash pulled another out of the cooler along with a soda. I pointed to the latter. Although it was late afternoon and most vampires were still resting, Garrett and Sash were old enough not to have to rest until dusk. It also helped that their vampiric bloodline sprang from an ancient one. Rick was younger, but one end of the wraparound porch was enclosed on three sides so Rick could enjoy a beer with the rest of us.
Rick had tested his stamina and found he could last about twenty minutes in cloud cover without ill effects. In another seventy-five years or so, he’d be able to walk in the sunlight for a few hours. Crescent City was foggy or rainy half the year, which was one of the reasons why Garrett chose it as a great place to settle.
“Feel like talking about what happened in Faerie?” Rick asked.
I sent to Garrett, “I don’t have the energy and you’ll explain things without getting angry. Could you please….”
Garrett threaded his fingers between mine and told our two amazing friends and Rogues Team members what happened earlier today. Garrett had a way of making things clear when he spoke about them that I didn’t possess when I was stressed out or overly tired. He unwound the tangled weave of the experience and made it all sound straightforward. I’d have started pacing or maybe cursing, messing up the timeline completely.
By the time Garrett finished his tale, Sash and Rick had all the info.
“You’re handy to have around. I should let you speak for me all the time.”
“Remember that the next time you’re shouting in anger.”
“Yeah, no. You wouldn’t add the appropriate amount of drama in that instance.”
“Definitely not.” He kissed my cheek, holding his soft lips against my skin a little longer than usual. A sigh slid from my mouth and his lips curled. “I suggest we spend a good amount of time together in the next few days. Preferably in bed.”
“The bedroom isn’t the only place to converse.”
He turned to Sash, who was used to our mind to mind moments. “Any messages I should know about?”
“Three, but they’re all related.”
“Tell me.”
“A roaming nest has taken over a small Oregon town. Three leopards are presumed dead due to the amount of blood found at the scenes.”
“Who called this in?” Garrett asked.
Sash leaned back in his Adirondack chair. “Leopards from different families, although they didn’t want to leave names. Their pack is trying to stay off the vamps’ radar, but it isn’t easy to blend in when the population is only around four hundred. Most of the residents work in the lumber industry or teach at the elementary school or have jobs in the town shops.
“The sheriff and his deputies are cougars and haven’t been all that helpful, according to one of the callers,” Rick said. “We left all the messages on the office machine so you could hear them.”
“Did you return the calls?” I asked.
Sash nodded. “Told them you were out of town and they’d be our top priority when you returned. If I didn’t hear from you by tomorrow, I might have asked Farrell to take a trip to Faerie to give you a heads up.”
Garrett pointed at the beer Rick was just about to open. “Put that back. I’m calling the team in for a meeting. I’ll take you both to the club so you can feed. You’ll call me in an hour for pick up.”
Although Sash would be fine, Garrett didn’t want Rick out in the sun.
“The fog’s rolling in. I’ll be fine both ways,” Rick said.
Garrett glanced at the sky, then at Sash. “Stick with him. If you have any doubts, call me.” The clubs were only a few miles away and using vamp speed, they could be back at the house in two minutes.
Rick rose from his comfy porch chair in the corner. “You’re having a team meeting without Charlie?”
“We’ve worked without Charlie many times in the past.” Garrett grinned.
“Yeah, but he makes catching bad guys easier.” Rick stretched, a Mack truck of a male with the heart of a puppy.
“Roll up your sleeves, big guy. There’s work to be done,” Garrett teased.
“Okay, okay. C’mon Sash. The big boss says we should feed.”
“And no hanging out with the donors, Rick. I need you back here,” Garrett warned with a grin.
“Okay, boss.” Rick grinned back and they took off using vamp speed. Rick was very popular with the ladies, so telling him not to dally was on the mark. Sash had already committed heart and soul to Elle, a fae female we’d all come to love. Like Rick he had regular donors who’d become friends, but he had no sexual interest in them.
“You’re back!” Elle appeared with an enormous plate piled with cookies. She’d really gotten into baking since she’d decided to make her home with us, giving her a five-star rating as far as our team of hungry shifters, werewolves and fae were concerned. “Where’s Charlie? I need an opinion on this new recipe.”
“I’m happy to be your first taste tester.” I stood and surveyed the platter. “Wow. These look amazing.”
“Wonderful.” She pointed to a chocolate topped red, green and yellow layered confection that should be on the cover of a food magazine. “This one is a seven-layer cookie, or a tricolore cookie or a rainbow cookie. I guess it depends on where you live. I like tricolore the best. The recipe originated with Italian families living in the U.S., or at least that’s what the baking show host said.”
The first bite was heaven. The next was even better. “I think I have to sit down before I pass out from ecstasy.” I sat on the top step as her musical laughter rang out.
“I’m jealous. They do look extraordinarily delicious.” Garrett pouted and I kissed his even more delicious mouth. Just couldn’t help it.
“Mmm. The flavor is unusual.” He licked his lips.
“Apricot jam between the layers and almond paste in the cake mix.”
“I hope you made at least four dozen. I’m having a team meeting.” Garrett picked up a cookie and took a sniff.
“No. These are to be a special Thanksgiving treat. I’ve only made a dozen just to test it out.”
“Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?”
“Yes. I convinced Sasha I could do it. He hates for me to take on more than he thinks I can manage, but really. Females and males all over your beautiful country have made this meal for centuries. I can certainly handle it.”
“Magic helps too.”
“No magic. I’m doing everything the normal way.”
“I hope you’ve asked for assistance. Most families make the meal together. Or people bring the stuffing or a vegetable or the rolls and biscuits. No reason for you to do everything.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful. What would you like to bring?”
She was looking at me. I glanced at Garrett but he’d clamped his mouth down tight, doing his best not to laugh. “We’ll bring mulled cider. I made it last year, remember?”
“It was delicious. That would be perfect.”
“Watch your mate. He spiked it when no one was looking,” Garrett said, rising to head back to our house. “I’ll put in the call for a meeting at seven. I’ll order some food too.”
I raised my hand. “Italian.”
“Done.”
I watched my mate walk away, already pulling out his phone. He was beautiful from any angle. Fortunately, every angle of that long lean body was mine. Garrett would be contacting Farrell and Liam with a mind to mind message about the Rogues Team job, but he had to call the shifter and werewolf factions in the usual way.
“I’m going to talk to Sasha about keeping his hands off the cider. Children like it too,” Elle said, looking anxious.
“Which kids are coming?”
“Sinc and Gabe are bringing their baby and Aaron’s little ones will be wreaking havoc, I’m sure. Cathy mentioned they may be bringing one other child. The little boy doesn’t have parents or many friends. It’s a sad story, I’m told. Aaron and Cathy are thinking of adopting him.”
As if they didn’t have enough wolves to look after. “Is he a wolf?”
“A shifter, I think.”
“It’ll be great to have kids around.” My voice had sounded surprisingly wistful. I’d loved the days when Charlie, Jay, Grady and Aedus’s daughter, Linn, had raced around like greyhounds, sneaking cookies and chips, and playing soccer well past sundown. They were hellions at times, angels at others, but mostly they were kids, growing and changing in incredible ways with each new dawn.
I shook my head to clear the memories. This was certainly no time to be thinking about raising children. I had a lifemate who kept me occupied in all the best ways along with a bevy of dogs who demanded my attention. In fact…
“Where are the corrupted canines?” Elle always spoiled them when Garrett and I were away.
“Samson is lounging in the living room with Delilah, and Hercules has passed out on his doggy bed after a run on the beach. I’ve also invited Liam, Kellaine, Grady, Farrell and whatever female he decides to bring.”
Elle’s slightly snarky tone had me giggling. Farrell was a handsome rogue, a fae male who enjoyed the excitement of our world more than the predictability of his life in Faerie. He was also an honorable male who I’d trusted with my child’s life for more than seventeen years.
When Farrell heard about what happened in Faerie, he’d be steaming mad. Liam too.
Elle and I chatted for a while longer until Garrett arrived to escort me and the puppies through the lovely garden on our way toward home. Sinlae greeted me, as did Aymis, who was busy playing hide and seek between the hydrangeas with one of his great-great grandchildren. Sinlae and her adoring males had turned a so-so garden into a magical place where enticing scents and bright colors widened eyes and nostrils. Curving paths led you to a gentle stream, a series of benches, all with gorgeous views, or a fountain that always seemed to sparkle no matter the weather. I could almost believe I was in Faerie when I was here. Truth be told, I liked this garden better than any place I’d ever experienced in the fae realm.
This was home and home had all the good feels I’d dreamed of when I was a child in foster care. We were almost at the patio door when I stopped and stepped into Garrett’s arms. He tightened them around me.
“I’m going to try to reach him now. If Charlie doesn’t respond, I’m pretty sure I can get Isaiah’s attention.”
“I’m here, mon ange.”