T he brisk air of the spring morning made me shiver. I stared out at the budding trees. My stomach turned as I waited for news. Hecate’s father had stopped momentarily only to leave as soon as he knew where his daughter was taken. I pondered his sudden appearance. My hope was that he would get Hecate back without any issues with Morrigan. We needed her. I had no idea what to do without her at my side. She connected us so we had a chance against Morrigan.
Warm hands wrapped around my shoulders from behind. “Hey,” Leif whispered before pressing his soft lips to the crook of my neck. “Are you okay?” he breathed against my neck.
“I’m worried about Hecate. Wouldn’t she come here as soon as she was free?” I asked. My voice quivered from the chill that had gripped my bones. I hadn’t even noticed that I was shivering in the cold morning.
“She’ll come when she can. It’s been a while since she’d seen her father. Give them time to reconnect. Hecate knows how important defeating Morrigan is. She’ll be here as soon as she can.” He rubbed my upper arms. “Now, will you please come in? You’re shivering.”
“Yeah, has Haskell heard from Shar?” I asked, turning to face him. He held the back door open for me. I walked into the house that was only beginning to feel like home. I understood why he hadn’t wanted to change anything. Besides everything being so beautiful, it was designed by his mother. Yet, a part of me wished there was something here that represented me. I wanted it to feel like home. It was Leif’s house. It was stupid to be thinking about this with so much going on. But it was one more thing that didn’t feel right in my life. I wanted to feel at home. Leif had insisted I empty my apartment and move in, but I was only able to change a few things in the bedroom. The rest of my stuff was in storage. Leif insisted that I wouldn’t need the furniture because he had everything we needed. I was stubborn. I wasn’t willing to give up everything I’d worked for just yet. I wanted to bring pieces of myself into my new home. So far, I haven't been able to do that. This house felt more like a shrine than a home. I understood where he was coming from, and someday soon I hoped he would understand where I was coming from too.
“Where did you go?” he asked.
“Oh, I was just thinking about my apartment next to Shar.” I wasn’t being honest with him. I wanted more of my things here. I didn’t care if it was simple things, like the cozy crochet throw from my grandmother that had hung over the back of my couch for years.
“Kaira, the only way this is going to work is if you’re honest with me. I know you are used to figuring everything out yourself.” He rested his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “You have me now. This is our home. It’s not something temporary. I’m willing to do what it takes to make you feel at home here, with me. Are you?” His voice was soft, yet I felt the accusation in his voice like a slap. I knew he hadn’t meant it as one, but something inside me recoiled at the words and what he insinuated. Like I hadn’t been doing my part in this relationship.
I shifted my eyes to look away from his penetrating gaze. “Leif, I want more of my stuff here.” There, I said it.
“Okay, we can go get whatever you want right now.” My eyes flew up to him. He was serious. He grabbed his keys from the hook by the door where they were hanging. My stomach twisted. We had more important things to be worried about, and he was ready to drop everything to bring some of my things here, to make me happy.
“No, I don’t want to change your mother’s things either. It’s your reminder of her.”
“Kaira, I can be reminded of her without keeping the house exactly like she left it. We can bring whatever you want here so you feel like it's your home.” He was so sincere in his words. Why hadn’t I just told him before?
“Really?” I asked, my voice small.
He closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him. “Of course, this is your home. I love you. I want you to be happy, always. Don’t ever doubt that. ” His soft lips pressed against mine. I was so elated, I opened my mouth to suck in his lip. He made an appreciative grunt and slipped his tongue between my parted lips. Our kiss was familiar yet exciting. I felt the spark of our bond light every time we kissed. I loved the feeling of him as he teased my mouth with nips and sucks. I could kiss Leif for hours and never get bored.
A throat cleared behind us. I turned to face Haskell. He was the only one in the house who would bother interrupting. There were times where I swore he enjoyed it. Like now, there was a subtle glint to his eyes and a sly curve to his full lips. His dark hair was disheveled, and he wore a t-shirt that read, What’s your favorite sin? His dark jeans were tight against his muscles. At least he wasn’t wearing leather pants today. I glared at him.
“What can we help you with, Haskell?” I imbued as much venom in his name as I could.
“I just thought you would like to know that Shar’s back. She’s resting, but it sounds like it was pretty close to Moria winning the battle. Apparently, Persaeus stepped in at the last minute to save everyone. Moria tucked her Goddess tail between her legs and fled when she was accused of helping her sister.” Haskell had a shit-eating grin on his face. “I would’ve liked to see her flee for her life. It’s not often one gets to see a Goddess scared.” He licked his lips.
“You’re insufferable.” I shook my head. I was relieved my friend was safe.
“Like you wouldn’t want to see the same? She’s part of the reason there is a prophecy. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t want to see her running scared at the very least.”
“Haskell, where’s Shar now?” Leif asked.
“She’s downstairs. You are not going to disturb her,” his voice commanded.
“I was just making sure she wasn’t at her apartment alone.”
“You think I would leave her alone after pissing off a Goddess? I get annoyed with the woman, but I don’t want her dead.” Haskell rested his hand on his cocked hip. Sometimes his gestures were more female than male. He looked honestly hurt at Leif’s suggestion.
“Did she tell you everything that happened? Is Hecate coming soon? We could really use her to figure out what to do next.” I realized my words were running together in my excitement and worry.
“I don’t know about Hecate. She went with her father. Who knows how long it’ll be before she’s able to leave? Time is a bit different there.” Haskell leaned back against the couch. It slid, and he stumbled. I held my hand over my mouth to mask my laughter.
He scowled. “I wanted to tell you she was back and okay. Any word on Skyler?”
“No, and I’m concerned. She usually checks in with us.” I clasped my hands together to keep from nervously picking at my nails.
“I will see if I can ping her or Aaron’s cellphone. I wouldn’t want to worry everyone before we know there’s something to worry about. You know how they get.” Haskell rolled his eyes and headed out of the room.
“I don’t think they would get so caught up that they would forget to check in for this long.” I turned to look at Leif.
“Let’s see what Haskell finds.” He took a breath. “I think it may be time to tell your sisters. We may need the help of the packs to find them.” Leif’s eyes focused on me and I nodded. I hated keeping things from them. Leif had told me to keep Skyler’s disappearance to myself until we knew they were actually missing. He had good reasons, but I hated keeping things from them. I’d always had an open and honest relationship with my mother. It seemed like the natural thing to do. Leif had a different view from me. He didn’t want to worry anyone until they were sure we all had something to worry about. I tried to say that we were losing time if they were missing. He still convinced me to wait. He may have convinced me while shirtless, which may have distracted me enough to agree. He was sexy. It didn’t matter how many times I’d seen him naked. I enjoyed every single second of each one.
I decided it was time to call Ivey. “Good morning, isn’t it such a beautiful day for a drive?” Ivey answered. I furrowed my brow. That was a weird way to answer the phone.
“Sure, it’s a little chilly, but I guess.” I wasn’t sure how to answer her.
“Preston thought we should come see you. We’re about ten minutes out.”
“Oh, I see. Why did he think you should come here?” I asked. I wondered about shifters. Sometimes I thought Preston could sense things that we couldn’t.
“He isn’t telling me. He just said he thought it was important we get out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn to come see you. He thought we should all be close-by.” I could hear the mocking in her tone and I could almost see Preston rolling his eyes.
“Alright, I guess I’ll see you in a few.” I shrugged and hung up. No point in staying on the phone if she was about to be here. I turned to Leif. “Um, Preston and Ivey will be here in about ten minutes.”
“Oh, were they on their way already?” he sounded surprised.
“I guess. Preston had a feeling that we should be together. Do you think I should call Delia?” I asked. Maybe there was something to his feelings.
“Nah, wait and tell Ivey first. Cordelia and Flynt haven’t gotten much of a break. I give him credit. He’s been watching over her the entire time she’s been doing her summer internship.” Leif sounded awed.
I smiled, remembering how cute the two were together. I was so happy for them. Flynt hadn’t left her side since the incident at the park. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, but I suspected it was a shifter thing. Preston seemed pretty protective of Ivey. He seems to be attached to her wherever they go. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. I walked into the kitchen. “Any chance they’re bringing breakfast or should I start cooking?” I asked.
“I doubt they brought breakfast.” Leif chuckled.
I sighed. “Okay, I guess I’ll cook something.” I grabbed out the pan. I didn’t mind cooking, but I really wanted more coffee before doing anything. Leif walked over with the coffee and refilled my cup. He kissed my cheek before putting the carafe back.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” I said as I set the frying pan on the stove.
“Not in the last ten minutes. I never get enough of hearing you say it though.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. “For the record, I love you too. Especially if bacon is on the menu this morning.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why do you think I got out the pan?” I smiled and turned to kiss him.
“A woman after my own heart.” He kissed me again. I felt his absence when he went to the fridge to grab out the eggs and bacon for me. He set them next to the stove.
A knock sounded at the door before it opened. Ivey walked through it like she owned the place. I wasn’t surprised. She’d been here as often as she’d been at her new place with Preston. She’d made their house a home. It was cute to see all the touches she’d added to their home. I loved her lunchbox collection she’d displayed in the living room. I didn’t actually know many of the bands, but they were one-hundred percent Ivey. It made me smile. I was happy Leif was going to let me change some things up here. I wanted our home to feel like ours. I didn’t want to change everything. But something that made it feel more like my home would be nice. Preston certainly didn’t have a problem with Ivey’s unique changes.
Leif came up behind me again, wrapping his arms around my waist and whispering in my ear. “You should wait until after breakfast to tell them.”
I nodded. He kissed me and stepped away. “Ivey, Preston, it’s good to see you. What brings you here this morning?”
Ivey rolled her eyes. “Preston had another one of his feelings. He thought we should come visit right away, despite my need for beauty sleep.”
I laughed. Ivey’s green and black hair was pulled into a high ponytail. I wondered about how much time it took her to get the black and green chunks of hair evenly spaced, without a single piece out of place. She had two tight curls hanging in front of her face. Her black eyeliner made her green eyes pop. She donned her black leather jacket and ripped jeans. I loved how she was both stylish, but somewhat predictable. Ripped jeans and leather jacket were her signature look.
“I’m sorry, babe. I wanted to make sure you had time to get ready.” He smirked. I couldn’t help it. I had to cover my laugh. I turned to the stove and flipped the eggs. I couldn’t look at the two right now without laughing.
Preston sniffed the air. “That smells delicious.”
“I figured we could have some eggs and bacon before we started talking about everything else.” I smiled. I agreed with Leif. I wasn’t exactly ready to tell them what was going on. Ivey had enjoyed a few peaceful days at home. I already felt guilty for not noticing Skyler’s disappearance sooner. I should have noticed. The guilt left a knot in my stomach. I hoped to fill it with eggs and bacon. At least it seemed like a good idea to be full before dropping horrible news on the people you love. I plated up the food, and we ate far too quickly. I could almost feel the tension of the unshared information. Ivey wasn’t like Zoe. She couldn’t sense my information, but I think she knew I wasn’t telling her something.
Ivey pushed her plate away and sat back. Her eyes were laser focused on me. “Okay, Kaira, spill. I know either something is bothering you or you are keeping something from me. Just tell me already.”
I shifted in my seat. “What are you talking about?” I planned to tell her after breakfast, but we hadn’t even cleared the table. I stared down through the glass to the grey lines in the white marble floor. I really wasn’t ready to share. My guilt was eating away at me.
She narrowed her eyes on me. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Come on, Kaira. You’re practically screaming how stressed you are right now.” Her eyes bore into me.
I let out a heavy breath. Might as well rip off the bandaid. “Skyler’s missing.”
“Excuse me? What did you just say?” Her eyes widened. I didn’t believe she didn’t actually hear me.
“Skyler’s missing.” I said again, a little louder than last time.