As we crossed the foyer, pushing through the masses of supes, I saw a familiar elfin face.
“Grace!” I jogged to her side and wrapped my arms around the healer. “Thank you so much for what you did in Krakov.”
She had saved my sister’s life, and the baby she didn’t even know about. We owed her big-time, and I needed her to know how much I appreciated her help.
“Will you come and hang out with us tonight?” I said as I pulled back. “It’ll be fun.”
I knew she would immediately look at Tyson. Those two just couldn’t seem to get their shit together. If anything, it felt like there was even more distance between them.
“Come on,” I said, distracting her from the intense stare between them. “I don’t want to be the only girl.”
A throat cleared behind me and I turned to find Cardia glaring. “Oh yeah, right. Cardia and I don’t want to be the only girls.”
Whoops. My bad.
Grace looked so torn. She was still sneaking glances at the handsome wizard. Finally she nodded. “Sure, I’d love to hang out with you all for the night. My family left, so it would just be an empty house for me.”
I clapped my hands together. This felt like something fun and exciting. Sure, the world might end tomorrow, but tonight we would all be together and safe. I would cherish every second of this time with my pack. There weren’t many people left in the hall now. I was sad to see that Jo and Jack had already taken off with Nash. I’d wanted to say goodbye – though I felt reassured knowing they were safe. I gave Lienda and Jonathon one last wave before leaving them to their Mischa babysitting duties.
My father warned Braxton before we left: “If for some reason the king puts out a call again and Jessa is able to be controlled outside of Faerie, you must get her back here immediately. The only reason I’m letting her leave is that you’re a dragon, and should be strong enough to contain her until we can lock her down.”
I snorted. “Standing right here, Dad.”
I was hoping like hell the king had no control over me here. Surely if he could influence me even a little, he’d have tried to use it when I was in his castle in Faerie.
Louis pulled me to the side just before I was about to leave. “You got my message about the mystics?”
I nodded a few times, a smirk quirking my lips up. “I have a good feeling about taking them from the equation. How were you able to get them away from the king?”
Every facet of his purple eyes was visible, sparkling like precious stones. “Quale helped me. The mystics are connected, similar to the marked. He brought the other eleven across to a secure location. I have a potion which can render a supe into an unnatural sleep. Generally lasts anywhere from four days to two weeks, depending on the magic strength of the individual. If we can end this thing with Larkspur without much delay, he won’t be able to call on the mystics.”
Braxton, who was standing close by, tuned into our conversation. “Were the mystics with Larkspur? Does he know they’re out of commission?”
The sorcerer grinned. “Quale arranged it so they were left behind to ferry the last of his marked across. The king was already on his way, so he may not be aware until he gets here.”
The magic user quickly switched topics. “I know you’re probably anxious to have me perform the gestation spell, but I’m not sure I can spare the time or power. I have to make sure I can hold the wards as long as possible.”
I wasn’t going to lie, there was some disappointment there. I really wanted the confirmation of pregnancy, followed by the knowledge that everything was okay. Still … it was definitely more important to keep everyone safe.
“It’s okay, if I’m pregnant, that’s not going to change today or tomorrow. Waiting is the right thing.”
Braxton draped an arm across my body, pulling me into his side. We were both anxious to know, but it didn’t change anything. Either way, we’d deal with it. And right now, everyone was waiting for us. Louis walked us out and locked down the hall again. Some of the members felt safer staying inside. Others, like us, were heading to their homes for a decent sleep. The sorcerer was going to be up all night keeping an eye on the perimeter and controlling the security systems here. He really did need all of his power. He was our best weapon, as well as an early detection system for the king.
Once we were past the fountain in the center of the town, I dropped back a few steps, and just as Braxton was turning to see what I was doing, I took a running jump and launched myself onto his back. Lucky I had wolf reflexes, because those broad shoulders were really far off the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled myself into his back.
He twisted to see me better, his blue eyes twinkling as a lazy grin spread across his handsome face. “I have no idea why you wanted Grace to come tonight. If you think for one second I’m letting you out of the bedroom, you’re crazy.”
My entire body tightened, and I found myself slightly breathless just thinking about that. Braxton had a gorgeous bedroom on the top floor, one he’d won through bloody battles with his brothers. I had never slept in his room. We all tended to share the largest room downstairs when we slept as pack. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him take a female to that room either. On those rare occasions he’d been more inclined to go to their place.
“Are you actually going to let me into the sacred space?” I let my lips graze against his ear and felt the rumbles increasing in his chest.