What the hell was he going to do if his brother thought he was too unstable around her and advised him to cut ties in order to keep her safe? His heart ached at the thought. He’d do it—for her, he’d do anything—but it would break the last shred of him that still hoped for a normal life.
“You okay?” she asked.
The basajaun drew closer. Having entered the property at a full-out run, he’d slowed to a crawl as he edged up to the tree line, closing in on Jimmy, who was bent over, hunting through the flowers. Austin turned in that direction, not far from the young man and easily able to rush in front of him if something were to happen.
“No, no,” Jess whispered, laughter in her voice. She plucked at Austin’s stupid shirt. “Wait.”
“I really don’t think—”
“It’s fine. I have a protective wall up. I’d singe every hair on that basajaun’s body. The smell would be terrible. But can’t you see? He’s doing his sneaky thing.” Her grin was evil. “Can’t you see him, slowly moving up through the trees?”
Austin could smell him, and he could feel him with Ivy House’s magic, but he couldn’t see anything but trees. No movement, no big, hairy body, nothing. He shook his head, continuing to look.
“Oh, right,” she murmured. “With Sebastian’s help, everything feels so second nature now. I just did that spell for finding dangerous things, and now I can see him, clear as day. Watch.” She looped her arm around his again.
“Got another one.” Jimmy straightened up and wiped his head. “This is tough. Good call on making them money eggs. Otherwise I don’t know that I’d keep going.”
“Why not?” Niamh called, near the house now. A sparkly pink egg caught the light from the grass a few feet away from her. She’d clearly thrown it after finding it, since Mr. Tom hadn’t made any eggs that easy to find. “This is good craic. We should do this more often.”
“If you followed Christianity, you’d go straight to hell,” Mr. Tom said, readying another mimosa. Jess’s was getting low.
“Shows what ye know, now doesn’t it? Ye don’t go to hell until ye die. I’d have a lovely, long life being perfectly wicked, and then I’d head down under and pull on the devil’s whiskers.”
“Down Under is Australia.”
“Same difference. Hot as the bejesus.”
“Look,” Jess whispered. “The basajaun wiggled a branch. Just one. Jimmy didn’t even notice.”
Jimmy sure didn’t. If this were a dangerous situation, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Are there more over here?” Jimmy called.
“Another branch,” Jess said. “A bigger one.”
“I heard it,” Austin said. The branches were scratching each other, the leaves rattling.
“Just one more to find before you look for the golden egg, Master Jimmy,” Mr. Tom called. “It’s hidden over there somewhere. Or maybe a little closer to the woods.”
Jimmy took a big step over a tightly packed bunch of flowers and then stopped abruptly, looking down between them. The basajaun pushed forward, put out his hands, opened his great mouth, showing his large teeth and longer canines, and softly growled.
Jimmy’s head snapped up. His body tensed. The large wicker basket in his hand dropped and plastic eggs tumbled out.
“Mom!” Jimmy yelled, back-pedaling over the flowers, crushing them under his feet. “Help! Mom!”
“Oh no! My flowers!” Edgar darted from the hedge maze.
The basajaun straightened up, all nine feet of him, and roared, filling the space with his mighty frame before he bent forward. Jimmy, face white and eyes wide, raced for his mother and ducked behind her.
Niamh cackled from beside the house.
“Now, that’s not funny,” Mr. Tom called. “The poor master will have nightmares. I feel guilty for the part I played, however almost innocently.”
The basajaun’s roar turned into hearty chuckles. He shook with them, bending over his knees and shaking his head. “Did you see his face?” The basajaun’s laughter increased in pitch. “Did you see his face?”
Jess turned to comfort her son as the basajaun finished laughing and straightened again, his gaze coming to rest on Austin, not Jess.
“Alpha. Per our agreement, I must tell you that a band of shifters was in the process of crossing my mountain when I returned from my family reunion in the Redwoods. They were headed in this direction, though they were not hurrying. The most powerful of them traveled at the front until they crossed my scent. He then altered their course and repositioned his people so that he was always closest to my scent. I watched from high in a sycamore tree. He respected my claim and removed his people from my territory in the fastest way possible. He does not owe me blood.”
“What did he look like, the one in lead?” Austin asked.
“A great tiger, strong and fierce.” The basajaun scratched his chest. “This one would give me trouble. Not the sort of trouble you would give me, but nearly.”
Adrenaline flooded Austin. He should have known his brother would show up a day early and sneak in through the back door. He’d want to test Austin’s territory borders. He’d want to see what resistance stood in the way.
Austin had some good people already, but he’d expanded the size of the territory quickly, and they were stretched thin. If Kingsley hoped to be impressed, he’d be left wanting. Still, it was worth trying to rally the forces and present a good defense to outsiders. Austin would need to show Kingsley his best if he expected help.
Or maybe it would be better to display his weaknesses. To be humble.
“Help yourself to a few flowers,” Jess said, Jimmy now back with Mr. Tom, staring for all he was worth. “It was a long journey.”
“Oh. You are so kind.” The basajaun offered her a toothy grin. “Very generous. A great hostess.” The basajaun picked up some of the smashed flowers Jimmy had crushed in his haste to get away. “Since I was the reason behind this catastrophe…”
“Yes, fine, that’ll work, I guess,” Edgar said, wringing his hands as he watched.
“Jess.” Austin squeezed her upper arm gently. “That’ll be my brother. I have to go. I need to make sure everything is set up for him. I wanted to spend the day with you guys, but…”
“Of course you have to go,” she said. “I doubt your brother is that far behind the basajaun. Do you need anything?”
“Rain check?”
She smiled, and her lashes fluttered, a pretty gesture that thawed something inside of him. “Easter only comes once a year, but…I’m sure there’s some way you can make it up to me.”
He ran his thumb across her skin before pulling his hand away. “In the coming days, depending on how it’s going, I might need you to show off your power and your people and your house. I might need a spectacle.”
“I say, if ye want to make an impression, don’t invite us all,” Niamh said. “Some of these clowns would only make yer brother pity yer new setup.”
“Speak for yourself, old woman.” Mr. Tom sniffed. “Most of us are housebroken.”
“Says the eejit who names his weapons.” Niamh shook her head and went back to looking for eggs. “Ye didn’t even think up good names, either. Who names a bludgeon Ron, fer feck’s sake?”
“People have spirit animals, and weapons have spirit people. How is that so hard to grasp? I simply evoked their human likenesses.”
“Ye and the vampire. Ye’ve both lost yer marbles. This house has gotten to yis. Why do ye think I never moved in? I know why.”
“You throw rocks at tourists. You don’t know why.”
Austin pulled himself away from the fight. When they got going, it was hard to drown them out.
He squeezed Jess’s arm again. “We’re in the same boat. We just have to do what we can with what we have.”
She laughed, but nervousness bled through the link. It felt muted, which meant she’d learned to turn it down. That was probably good. Hopefully it didn’t extend through bedtime…
“Good luck,” she said as he turned.
He stopped in front of Jimmy, the kid now in rapture, staring at the basajaun like, well, like someone who’d just found out Bigfoot was real. His gaze slowly shifted to Austin.
“Enjoy the rest of your day. The golden egg is at the center of the labyrinth, or near enough—”
“Austin Steele, that is cheating,” Mr. Tom chastised.
“Maybe have the basajaun go with you to find it,” Austin continued. “He can nearly see over the hedge. I will be here tomorrow for a proper send-off.”
“Okay.” Jimmy leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Just so you know, my mom’s dream has always been to find a man that cooks her dinner. She likes romance, too, like roses and candlelight and stuff. I mean, all girls do, right? But I’ve always heard her say that she loves the idea of a man in the kitchen.” His face colored. “I don’t know, she’s just always wanted someone to cook for her, I guess, and she never got it with my dad. My dad always said it wasn’t his job. I don’t think she liked that much. But, you know…” He shrugged. “If you wanted an in with her…”
“Well.” Mr. Tom puffed up. “It’s good to know I’m appreciated.”
“No.” Jimmy placidly pointed at Mr. Tom. “I mean, you are, but I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” Austin winked at the kid. “I’ll take care of it.”
Jimmy smiled, and it was the look of a boy who thought something good was going to happen to the most important person in his life.
Austin hoped he could make good on his promise.
Fifteen
It was the day after Jimmy left, and I’d decided I wasn’t going to mope around the house anymore, teary-eyed from the image of his car pulling away. It was time for action.