“I ruled,” Sami agreed, flexing her bicep and making to kiss it.
James stared at his daughter-in-law a beat longer and then blew out a sigh before turning back to Sami. “You frighten me. You know that, right?”
Sami nodded. “You wish I was a quiet and demure flower.”
James’ lips curved down. “I don’t believe I’ve ever used those words.”
“No, Mom does, though,” Sami replied. “I heard her and Dad talking once and she said you have antiquated beliefs about what girls can do and that you’re going to have to get over it eventually because otherwise she’s going to pull the stick out of your ... um ... behind. Oh, and then there was something in there about beating you to death with the stick.”
Zoe’s smile was so big it threatened to swallow her entire face as James pinned her with an annoyed glare. “I think she’s paraphrasing.”
“I am not,” Sami shot back. “You and Dad said it when you were on the balcony one night. I was supposed to be in bed but I was trying to find your chocolate stash because I wanted some and I was eavesdropping so I wouldn’t get caught.”
Zoe extended a finger. “I knew you got into my stash. What happened to those mint ball things? Those were my favorite and suddenly they were gone.”
“That’s on you.” Sami didn’t look bothered by her mother’s tone. “I think those are gross, and same with those chocolate-covered cherries you like. I only ate the peanut butter cups, and Dad replaces those once a week so you don’t realize we’re constantly eating your candy.”
Aric made a groaning sound and rubbed his forehead. “This is why we can’t go on secret missions together, Sami. You have a big mouth. You inherited it from your mother, so you come by it naturally, but it’s still annoying.”
“Whatever.” Sami rolled her eyes until they landed on her grandfather. “How is Trouble? Does he miss me? I miss him. It’s like I’ve barely seen him in the past month.”
“Trouble is fine,” James reassured his granddaughter. “I walk him every night – or when I can’t, the butler does – and one of the valets walks him during the day. He’s taking over your grandmother’s garden, peeing on all of her roses and being a general nuisance. I think he’ll be happy to see you in a few days.”
“Yeah.” Sami momentarily looked sad and then brightened considerably. “I found new boys to drive Dad nuts with.” She gestured toward Redmond, Cillian, and Aidan as they stood in the corner, their heads bent together, and whispered. “Dad says I can’t go out on a date until I’m forty but I’m going to wear him down.”
James chuckled and smoothed Sami’s hair. “That sounds fun. You should remind him that he fell in love with your mother when he was way too young to commit to someone and it somehow worked out for him.”
“Oh, I use all the ammunition you’ve given me on a regular basis,” Sami reassured him.
“And it doesn’t matter,” Aric countered. “You’re not dating until I’m ready ... and it’s never going to happen. That’s a conversation for a different time, though.” He pressed his hand to Sami’s back and nudged her toward the boys. “Go and hang out with your future boyfriends, okay? I need to talk to your grandfather in private.”
Sami glanced between their faces for a moment, debating, and then nodded. “Okay, but I already know what you’re trying to hide from me. The fact that the revenants and wraiths are working together is some big deal. It might even tear the very fabric of our lives apart forever.”
Aric made a face and poked Zoe’s side. “She says things like that because of you. This overly-dramatic thing she has going is all you.”
“Says the man who’s trying to keep his daughter from dating until she’s forty,” Zoe drawled.
“That’s a smart move,” Aric argued. “There are perverts out there, and teenagers are the absolute worst. Do you want your daughter dating a perverted teenager?”
Zoe snickered. “I hate to break it to you, but you were a perverted teenager when we started dating.”
“No, I was twenty.”
“Oh, well, there’s a lifetime of living in that year, huh?”
“That’s neither here nor there.” Aric was firm. “Everything cute she does she gets from me. All the rest comes from you. It’s time to get on board with the ‘Sami isn’t dating until she’s forty’ plan because I refuse to back down.”
“Right. You keep telling yourself that.” Zoe patted his arm and then tilted her head at Sami, clearly indicating the girl should remove herself from the situation.
Sami stared back at her mother for a long beat and then let loose an exasperated sigh before nodding. “Fine. You’re not hiding anything from me, though. I know all and see all.” She tapped the side of her head for emphasis. “There’s no outsmarting me.”
Zoe pressed her lips together as she watched Sami stalk off and then turned a rueful smile toward Aric. “She definitely gets that little bit from me.”
“Uh-huh.” Aric rolled his eyes but slung an arm around his wife’s shoulders as he regarded his father. “I’m sorry we had to call you for help like this but ... it seemed the most prudent way to get things done.”
“I’m not upset as much as curious,” James said. “I thought you guys were down here visiting Paris and introducing Sami to the city.”
“We are,” Aric reassured him. “We’re also helping new friends with a revenant problem.”
“I don’t know what that means.” James slid his eyes toward an incoming Cormack, his forehead wrinkling. “Wait, I think I know you.”
“We’ve met at a few functions,” Cormack confirmed. “Several fundraisers over the years and a few political dinners.”
“Right.” James bobbed his head. “You’re Cormack Grimlock. I couldn’t immediately place you. Now I remember.”
The
