“Oh, yeah. Okay, tomorrow then.” She speared me with her emerald peepers. “Be safe.”
She winked out, taking The Elites with her. Rune nudged me with his nose. I’ll see you inside. I’d offer to put the kettle on but… He padded away, leaving me alone with Conah.
“Is that one of your mates?” he asked.
“Yeah, that’s Rune.”
“The one who doesn’t take human form.”
“You’ve been talking to Fee.” I tipped my head toward the cabin and started walking.
He joined me. “She’s worried about you, but she wants to respect your boundaries. She understands you need to do this yourself.” He frowned. “Why do you need to do this yourself?”
I’d thought about this a lot over the past few weeks. Why did I need to go solo on this? Why did the thought of Fee being here with me make me anxious?
I finally understood. “I’ve always felt like a part of someone else’s story. A part of someone else’s life, and for the first time I have my own path to walk. It’s a bit of a mess at the moment, but it’s my mess. I love Fee. I always will, but I don’t want to be her tulpa anymore. I want to be my own person, and to do that I need to walk my path without her for a while. I need to master all this myself and settle in before I share it with her.”
He was silent for a long beat. “I understand, but you should know, if she hadn’t been called to deal with Underealm business she’d probably have broken and come here with me.”
Yeah, I could totally see that happening.
“I’d like to help if I can. I know a little about what the Grimswood coven protects. I understand the importance of keeping it hidden, and I’d like to offer my expertise in any way possible.”
He was an archivist, a master of ancient and otherworld languages, and an excellent researcher, not to mention a kickass Dominus reaper. Being able to call on him would be a huge bonus. Fee couldn’t be here, but this was her way of making sure I was taken care of, just like I’d made sure she was safe.
Still, he had a whole other life and responsibilities. Was it fair to drag him into my mess? “What about your Dominus duties?”
“Taken care of. I can come and go without too much issue once Sloane puts me back on the guest list.” He winked. “And I found this.” He pulled a book from beneath his jacket, aged pages bound in soft leather. “Lilith’s journal. Her only journal.”
“One journal for all those centuries?”
“I know.” His expression was grim. “Minimus, her advisor, told me she only ever kept one journal and recorded only troubling or vital events in it. I had a flick through and found a couple of references to Sons of Adam. I need to study it better. The handwriting isn’t easy to decipher and neither is the language used.”
We climbed the steps to the cabin, and I turned to face him. “Thank you for doing this.”
His shoulders sagged in relief, as if he’d been expecting me to turn him down. I was stubborn, not foolish.
“I’ll get started on a translation for you,” he said. “It should be ready in a couple of days.”
He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s good to see you, Cora. We’ve missed you.”
Nostalgia for the life I’d known bloomed in my chest. “I’ve missed you guys too.”
He studied me, gaze tracking over my face. “Are you happy here?”
I smiled. “It’s beginning to feel like home, Con.”
He nodded. “That’s good. That’s really—”
“Who the fuck are you, and why are you standing so close to my mate?”
Tor stood at the base of the steps, naked.
As usual.
Conah blinked at him and then looked at me. “Tor?”
“Yep.” I walked over to the box by the door, snagged a pair of joggers, and chucked them at Tor. “Cover your epic tackle and you can get to know my friend Conah over a cup of tea.”
It was time for my mates to meet a big part of my old life.
I tidied up the tea things. Conah had left five minutes ago and it was now just Tor and me. He sat at the table in his joggers, commando, because he hadn’t left Conah and me alone long enough to go put on boxers and a T-shirt. He watched me in silence.
I glanced over my shoulder. “You could help, you know?”
“Oh, but that would mean lugging my epic tackle around the kitchen. So exhausting.”
I loved the banter with Tor because it didn’t happen often, but when it did it was a treat. “Seriously, Tor?” I injected a dry tone into my voice.
“You think it’s epic.”
I shrugged, my back to him. “It’s a good size.”
“I think the word you’re searching for is epic.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Boundaries, Tor.”
“Says the woman who’s been sizing up my tackle.”
“Says the shifter who spends most of his time naked with his tackle on show.”
“Shifter life, Cora. You’re more than welcome to get naked with us.”
There was the barest hint of suggestion in his tone and my pulse hitched. “I’ll pass.”
Although it was getting harder and harder to pass up being around them, of being close to them. It was more than a sexual need. It was an emotional draw. I enjoyed their company and cared about them more and more every day. It was getting harder and harder to keep my stupid heart on a leash. The fact that they were naked half the time didn’t help, but I’d made sure to keep boxes of spare joggers by the doors.
I was used to taking what I wanted when I wanted. I hadn’t had sex for months before coming here because of Jasper, the pussy block, but I’d been able to get off with my toys. Now I was joined by one of the guys every night, and I hadn’t
