Just what I didn’t need right this second.
I had the door open before he could knock and backed him out onto the porch. “What?”
The vampire recoiled at my tone before packing away his affront. “The master will see you.”
“Oh. Good.” I reordered my thoughts. “When?”
“Now.” He stared back at me, expectant. “You did say it was urgent.”
“I—” I wanted to hop on Jolene and drive her like a bat out of hell to Abercorn. I wanted to find Linus in the apartment before he got any ideas about going back to Atlanta. But I had to offload Corbin. With his history, his connection to me, it was too dangerous to keep him in my home. Not to mention the fact he couldn’t feed himself, which meant I might as well go stab a few humans to death if I didn’t get him the help he required to mature into a self-sufficient vampire. “Give me a second. I’ll be right back.”
I retreated into the house and shut the door. Backtracking, I found Lethe texting her mate while scrambled egg clung to her bottom lip.
“New plan,” I called. “I’m getting my gear, snagging Corbin, and we’re going to see my grandfather.”
“What about Linus?” She set down her fork, never a good sign. Actually, I’m not sure I had ever seen her do it up until now. “You need backup.”
“I’ll have Hood.” I smiled at her. “And you, if you’re interested.”
“Hell yes.” She pumped her fist. “Gimme a sec. I need to pack a few snacks.”
“Shocker.” I left her rummaging in the cupboards while I went to find Corbin, who was bleary-eyed but more alert than he had been. “A vampire is here to escort me to see my grandfather. This is your only shot with him. You either come with us, or you move on to Plan B, whatever that is.”
“I’ll go.” Tension bunched his shoulders. “I want to hear what he has to say before I agree to anything.”
“Get dressed, and meet me on the porch in ten.” With that done, I found a quiet spot and called Cletus in close. “Tell Linus where we’re going and why. I’m going to give Amelie a heads-up so we have a backup for our backup.”
Using the back door let me escape into the rose garden without encountering the vampire stationed at the front door. That was a blessing. I didn’t want witnesses for this conversation.
Amelie had the door open when I got there, proving she had been spying on the yard. Not that I could blame her with so little else to entertain her.
“What do they want with you?” She stared past me to the front porch where my escort waited. “Are you in any danger? I can—”
“Don’t call your brother.”
“I was going to offer to go with you.”
Lifting her house arrest would be more trouble than it was worth. Plus, it would get me in even hotter water with the Grande Dame if she found out I had allowed Amelie to slip her leash.
“Lethe and Hood volunteered.” I ignored the hurt in her eyes. “I just wanted to let you know I’m going to see my grandfather. I don’t expect any trouble, but trouble has a way of thwarting my expectations.”
Hearing the name left off that list, she checked to either side of me. “Where’s Linus?”
“He’s in town. His wraith is with me. He’ll be getting live updates.”
“I saw him leave with a bag last night.” She reached for my arm. “Are you guys okay?”
“I don’t know.” I looked at her hand, wishing her touch still meant comfort to me. “Ask me tomorrow.”
Her eyes brightened in an instant. “Does that mean you’re coming to visit again?”
I walked right into that one. “Sure.” I started backing away. “I have to go.”
“I won’t call Boaz,” she said softly. “You have my word this doesn’t go further than us.”
Uncertain how much worth her words carried these days, I nodded without conviction then turned back to the house, wondering how much her attempts at atonement stemmed from guilt and how much from boredom. Loneliness bred desperation, and foolhardiness had landed her in this mess in the first place.
If I wanted her to get better, I had to do better by her. That didn’t mean putting myself in the line of fire, but it did mean bringing in someone who could help her adjust to cohabitation with Ambrose, since we had no clue how long their essences would mingle before his dissipated enough she could evict the jerk.
With Odette skittish about the gwyllgi and currently unavailable for consultation, I would have to cast a wider net. That meant asking Linus for tutor recommendations of a different kind.
If I caught him before he did something drastic like give up on us faster than I could digest all I had learned in the last twenty-four hours.
Lethe met me in the kitchen, pockets bulging with snacks. “You visited the ex?”
I gave her a look. “Yes.”
“What?” She popped a mini donut in her mouth. “We both know I’m your new best friend.”
“We do, huh?” It was fun to watch her sweat in the wake of that bold statement. Not much got to Lethe. She was fierce, tough, and…she had never had a best friend. Never had a friend worth promoting. “You offer to throw one baby shower…”
“How do we do this?”
“Do…what?”
“Make it official?” She tapped her chin. “Do you want me to spit in my palm then shake your hand? Cut your palm and mine then smear them together so we can be blood sisters? Do I create a righteous mixtape then blast music beneath your window at noon?”
“Um, I think those are mostly things that happen in eighties movies or at summer camp.”
“You’re not going to make me get down on one knee and ask, are you? I have some pride.”
After fishing a donut out of the bag, I dropped to one knee at her feet and took her hand.
“Lethe Kinase, we haven’t known each other long, but I get this feeling whenever I’m around you. I think it’s hunger, because you’re always eating something that smells good, but maybe it’s my gut telling me that you’re the one. Will you accept this donut as a token of my affection and agree to be my BFF?”
“What the actual hell?” Hood roared into the kitchen. “What are you two doing? And why is there always food involved?”
Ignoring her mate, Lethe sniffled. “I do.”
I slid the donut on her pinky finger with a grin while Hood looked ready to tear out his dreads.
“Now to consummate our union.” Lethe waggled her eyebrows at me, dancing aside when he grabbed for her. “You can’t stop me, Hood. This is fate. It’s destiny.” She bit into the donut. “It’s delicious.”
Face straight, Hood glanced at me. “How long did you say Linus would be gone?”
“Linus can’t help you now.” Lethe crammed the other half of the donut in my mouth. “We’re official.”
Hood just shook his head. “She wasn’t like this in Atlanta.”
“What do you mean?” She stopped goofing off to listen, and her pulse jumped in her throat.
Since I’m not a vampire, I pretended not to notice that or the smell of my ruined smoothie lingering in the air.
“She growled when others got near her food,” he said. “She didn’t share. She picked fights that ended in bloodshed. Now she picks fights with you that end in takeout. She spent too much time alone, even though our packmates were always around. Now she crashes on your couch, raids your fridge, and eavesdrops on all your private conversations.” He crooked his finger at her, and she inched closer to him while staying out of reach. “She smiles and means it. She’s…happy. She hasn’t been that in a long time.”
Keeping to the balls of her feet, she cocked her head. “Does this mean you’re giving us your blessing?”
The smile he shot her way hit its target, and she swayed like a lovestruck teenager.
“I’m happy you’re happy.” Lightning fast, he caught her by her upper arms and yanked her to him. “That’s all I want, all I’ve ever wanted. If that means letting you feed other women donuts off your fingers, or whatever the hell I just witnessed, I can deal. But don’t invite her back to the den with you. That’s where I draw the line.”
Clamped against his chest, Lethe didn’t have much wiggle room. She still could have broken free if she chose—I had seen her do it a hundred times in practice—but she melted against him. “Deal.”
I left them to their mated bliss and went to check on Corbin. I found him waiting in the living room. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah.” He ducked his head. “You?”
Taken aback that he would ask, I had to dig for the right answer. “Yes.”
“Have you spoken to your grandfather since you declared a truce?”
“No,” I admitted. “This will be the first time we’ve seen each other since.”
Corbin lapsed into silence, and I let him think while I veered into the hall. I had wavered on bringing the goddess-touched artifact with me. It was dangerous—to me—and valuable. But it was also a powerful weapon I was willing to bet had some impact on vampires since it had affected me. When Heloise jabbed me in the spine, I lost touch with my magic, leaving me defenseless against her power. While I wasn’t eager to experience that sensation again, I wasn’t above inflicting it on others as a last resort.
Plus, it was a stake. Where magic fails, pointy ends prevail.
The gwyllgi entered the living room as I was leaving, and I pointed to clue them in to my intentions.
Thankfully, the basement door didn’t fight me. I got in, beat the gloom, and hit the library.
I hesitated a moment when I passed the cabinet where I was storing the marriage contract, but there was no time for lingering. I strode past it and retrieved the artifact from a locked bin filled with palo santo sticks.