Reed didn’t have a real plan on what he was going to do in California, so he started volunteering at the animal shelter where Elise worked. Turns out, he was so good at fund-raising and charming donors from their money, so the shelter hired him part-time. On his days off, he took business classes at the local college as he tried to figure out what else he wanted to do now that he lived in this century.
Elise had accepted the position of director at the shelter. However, Shelley said she would wait to leave until early next year to give Elise time to bond with the baby after she gave birth. So, she and Reed decided it was time to take a vacation now, while it was still comfortable for her to travel, as well as do the one thing they had been putting off for months.
They both knew they would eventually have to go to London and visit Hunter House and Huntington Park. Though Cross had given them his research into what happened after Reed “died”, they decided that going there was something they had to do, to give closure on the events of what happened back in 1820 and finally move on with their lives.
Elise was concerned at first, but Reed was insistent. “If I don’t do this now, I may never find the courage to do it at all,” he had said. “And I don’t know what kind of father I would be if I can’t face this.”
And so, they both put in for vacation time and planned their trip. To help ease them into it, they decided to go to Scotland first, to visit his parents’ graves, before proceeding to England to pay their final respects to his grandmother, Eleanor, Jeremy, and yes, even little William.
The first leg of their trip was a commercial flight to New York. Reed insisted on paying for the trip, at least part way, which is why they were now stuck in row sixteen, seats B and C in front of a toddler who wouldn’t stop kicking Reed’s seat and behind a woman who played her videos loudly without earphones. Elise couldn’t stop herself from smirking as her husband let out the one hundred and thirty-seventh long-suffering sigh. Thank goodness they were only doing this for the first leg, as they were stopping in New York to switch to Grant Anderson’s private jet that would take them directly to Scotland. It was a long-delayed wedding gift from the former Alpha and his family, plus they were also picking up another passenger.
The plane landed five hours later at JFK, and a limo was already waiting for them outside the terminal to whisk them off to the private airstrip outside Jersey City. After slogging through Manhattan traffic and the Lincoln Tunnel, they made it to their destination. The limo stopped on the tarmac, right beside the sleek private jet waiting for them.
“Elise! Reed!” called a familiar voice as soon as Elise stepped out of the car. It was Julianna, running out of the black SUV parked not too far from them. “It’s so nice to see you!” she exclaimed, pulling Elise into a tight hug. “Oops! Sorry!” She stepped back looking down at Elise’s stomach. “Hey, momma, you popped!”
Elise laughed and Reed came up behind her, a hand slipping over her round belly protectively. “She has and she’s beautiful. How are you, Julianna?”
“I’m great.”
But something about the way she said it told Elise that Julianna was the opposite of great. Maybe it was the flatness in her voice or the way her smile didn’t quite reach her mismatched eyes.
Once again, that nurturing, witch part of her could sense something was off about the younger woman. She sensed it days ago too, when Julianna called out of the blue asking if she could join them on their trip, explaining that Lucas had asked her to be his envoy and meet with the Alphas of Caelkirk and London. Apparently, he thought it was a good idea to start meeting with other Alphas from around the world to forge alliances and inform them about mages. When she spoke to Reed about it, he of course agreed to let her come.
“I see you haven’t cut your hair as you threatened a million times,” Reed teased.
Julianna smirked and flipped her long braid of hair over her shoulder. “It’s growing on me. Thanks again for letting me horn in on your babymoon.”
“Babymoon?” Reed asked.
“You know.” She pointed her chin at Elise’s bump. “Last chance to get some alone time before the baby comes.”
“Ha! My parents and siblings are so excited and preparing to come visit us all the time that I doubt we’d even have time with the baby when he or she comes.” Elise glanced up at the waiting plane. “Should we get going? We want to get there by morning, right?”
They headed into the plane and were welcomed by the steward with flutes of champagne and orange juice. She gave Reed a teasing smile as he eased into the plush leather seats. “You told me so,” he said but grinned at her.
She gave him an innocent smile. “I wasn’t going to say it.”
The seven-hour flight to Glasgow was uneventful, and Elise was glad to have a real bed to sleep on for this last leg. She had retired to the private bedroom right after dinner, though Reed stayed behind to chat with Julianna. By the time she woke up, it was time to land, and Reed was just emerging from the bathroom, already dressed.
From Glasgow airport, they rented a SUV for the four-hour drive to Caelkirk, with Julianna in the driver’s seat. As the
