Rose Gunderson hurried in on his heels in one of her classy sundresses she made look adorable even at three in the morning. She had her brown hair pulled back in a messy sports bun to keep it off her pretty face. She marched right up to Bryan and didn’t slow until she had her six-plus-foot barrel-chested son on his feet and standing at attention. “Don’t you ever, ever do something that stupid again. Do you hear me? Do you? Answer me, Bryan Anthony.”
Bryan Anthony? I tucked that one away for later.
“Mom—”
“Do you have any idea how freaked out I am right now?”
“Mom—”
“Don’t you dare interrupt me, young man.” She tapped her finger on his chest. “You don’t…” She inhaled sharply. “You c-can’t…” She choked on a sob and covered her mouth with her hand.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I love you.” Bryan pulled her into his arms, and I swear, the entire room sighed at the tender moment. “I’m sorry I scared you. I scared me too.”
Rose cried on her son’s shoulder and hugged him tight. The rest of us averted our attention to give them a little privacy. I stole a glance at my mom, standing off to the side, her focus on her phone instead of her only daughter—her only child—who’d nearly died battling two dark, demented elementals. Instead of her showering me with love and attention, she scrolled through her phone. Fucking awesome. I ignored the pinch of regret mixed with a dash of envy over the way Bryan’s mom totally and completely broke down with relief over seeing him. Mine, well, didn’t.
I snagged Leo’s attention and nodded for him to join me with my mom. I might as well take advantage of the distraction and introduce my boyfriends. As uncomfortable as that sounded, putting off the introductions would be far more uncomfortable.
“Mom,” I said once Leo stood next to me. I took his hand. “This is Leo Jackson. He’s my boyfriend.”
Her warm gaze traveled Leo’s trim frame, clearly assessing him. She tilted her head and continued to study him. When she took his hand, he let her. She dropped her attention to their hands before bouncing it back up to regard him with a bright expression. “You have magic in you.”
That was her first impression? What about his piercing blue eyes? His amazingly fit body? The fact he had a huge knot on his head, courtesy of the dark elementals who’d attacked us? Or grime all over his everything, again courtesy of the same dark elementals? She didn’t seem to notice anything obvious, only the fact my water elemental had magic in him. I didn’t know how I felt about that.
“He’s also an amazing surfer,” I pointed out, annoyed. I’d watched him a few times. He’d create waves in a secluded area away from the prying eyes of a Nelem, call the water to bring the perfect roll, and ride the surface without a board. He had such amazing control, it impressed the hell out of me. If I weren’t so scared of drowning, I’d have him teach me to surf. He made it look easy.
“All I’m saying is only the strongest elementals have magic on top of their powers.” She lifted her eyebrows, shutting me down. Clearly, her mom looks hadn’t diminished either. She returned her attention to him. “It’s very nice to meet you, Leo.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Um… Ms. Um… Uh…” He colored furiously.
“Call me Sammie. Everyone does.”
Since when? My dad had made the mistake of calling her Sammie once in a tease. They hadn’t talked the rest of the day. Now she preferred it? And since when did she have so much knowledge about magic?
There was so much about my mom I didn’t know.
“That’s an awkward situation right there.” Clay waltzed over, scratching his beard as he glanced back at Bryan and his mom. “Glad my mom isn’t here. She’d lecture me on my appearance and then tell me to stand up straight.” He eyed my mom and offered his hand. “Clay Williams. I’m Mont—I mean, I’m Katy’s boyfriend.”
“You’re her boyfriend?” She accepted his hand and eyed him right back.
Rob joined us. “Are we being introduced to the mom?”
“Let me guess,” my mom—Sammie—stated. “You’re her boyfriend.”
He shrugged and regarded each one of my guys. “Well, yeah. We all are. We’re kind of a package deal.”
“Is that so?”
I really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Although my mom didn’t say anything, I sensed her judging me. Judging us all for our choice not to choose at all. We were happy together as one unit. Why was that so hard for people to understand? For people to accept?
“How about we talk about something else?” Like the fact you’ve been missing for oh…what? Almost six years?
“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo.” Clay rolled up his sleeve and slapped his forearm. “Maybe right here. A ward to keep the dark magic out.”
“You don’t have magic in you.” My mom continued to study him, uncertainty evident in her tight expression. “I doubt you’ll need a ward to keep the dark magic out.”
Way to win over my boyfriend, Mom.
He ran his fingers along his beard, something he did when he contemplated one of life’s great mysteries. With his giant brain and ridiculously high IQ, he’d already solved quite a few. “I’d rather be safe than take any chances, especially in my line of work.”
“And that is?”
“I’m a hunter with the Council’s patrol.”
“No, you’re not.” Brooks invited himself into
