“Babe, that room has always been yours. I was just waiting for you to figure it out.”
I buried my face against his neck. Perfect, he was just perfection.
“Are you concerned that our bond is still not fully formed?” I murmured.
He took a moment to answer, continuing to piggyback me toward their place. His voice was a little rough when he finally spoke. “I’m not happy about it, but as long as we’re together, the rest we can figure out.” The gruff tone got more pronounced. “When you were taken from us, well, that was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. Life is more in perspective now. As long as we’re both alive and free, everything is okay.”
I pressed my lips to his cheek, the slight stubble rasping across my skin. “I can’t wait for tonight, but I’m telling you now, food first, then sex. I need my energy.”
He laughed loudly. “Very true, Jessa babe. You’re going to need a lot of energy tonight. I’d better find you some cake.”
I groaned. He knew the way to my heart, that was for sure.
Beside us, the other five strolled along quietly. It was just on dusk now and the town was still all creeped out in silence. It was like an abandoned ghost city, and I couldn’t wait to feel the life return to it again. I don’t think I ever realized how much I loved my home until I was forced to leave it. I did enjoy the adventure, traveling the world, and planned on doing much more of it in the future, but I’d always hoped that Stratford would be here to return to. It was where I wanted to raise my kids, with family and pack close by.
As the large wooden wraparound porch of the boys’ home came into view, I wiggled my way down off Braxton and ran up to the door. Cardia gave me another glare and I wondered what the bitch’s problem was now. Did she think she owned Maximus and the house? I was sure she’d been staying here while the boys were in Faerie, but that was no reason to get all territorial.
I’d been here when they built the damn place.
I guess, if I was being fair, I might be a smidge on the upset side if my mate disappeared for weeks to look for another chick. I didn’t actually know how much time they’d been apart since Romania, but I was thinking a lot. When they had first mated, and I’d kind of lost my mind worrying that our pack dynamics were over, Maximus had told me he would choose me over Cardia, over his true mate. His loyalty and sincerity had melted my heart, but I’d still always known that was going to cause problems between them.
True mates was a magical bond – you were magically predisposed to love them – but it didn’t mean you always got along perfectly, or that they were even the best suited to you. Unfortunately, you didn’t get much choice in the matter. The fates decided who your true mate was, and you just had to hope they chose well.
So, I guess Cardia had every right to be upset about his choices. My eyes alighted on Maximus. I’d been avoiding his gaze, worried he’d somehow read the truth about Mischa in my face. Probably just my own guilt talking, but this secret felt so big and I was bursting to tell him.
Examining my emotions, I was glad I wasn’t mad at him. Sure, he made some bad decisions with Mischa, but there was nothing innately bad in what he did. Sex happened, especially during highly emotional times. I had no doubt Maximus would step up and be a great father and support to my sister. It just sucked that Cardia and Mischa would be caught in a territory war, one which could divide our pack. We had to make sure that didn’t happen. We had to think about the new pack young on the way.
Opening the front door, I stepped inside and the scent of home surrounded me, that rich, spicy heat that all of the Compasses exuded, all male and all delicious.
I pretty much ran down the long hall and threw myself onto their large, comfortable couch.
“Food me, bitch,” I hollered to Jacob when he burst into the room after me.
“On it,” he said, cutting left into the rustic-styled kitchen.
As the rest of my pack wandered in, rustling and clanking could be heard from the other room. Braxton gracefully dropped down on one side of me, Tyson on the other. Grace took the seat across from us, leaving enough distance between her and Braxton to label her as an outsider of our pack. I was wondering if Tyson’s tense face had anything to do with that distance.
I ran my hand through the wizard’s shorter hair. “I’m still a little weirded out seeing your hair all gone.”
His eyes crinkled. “Well a lot happened while you were missing, and none of it good. It’s in my hair’s best interest that you don’t get kidnapped again.”
I looked over at Grace and was not surprised to see a secret grin tipping up the corner of her lips. I had to give her props for not caving into the charismatic wizard. Even if she had forgiven him for past hurts – and I think she had – it was not as easily forgotten.
Braxton shifted next to me, and I found myself eyeballing him hard. “You ever going to tell me exactly what happened when I was kidnapped?”
He let me have that lazy grin of his. “I think it’s better that we don’t go too deeply into it. If the councils ever get their shit together and come calling, I’d rather you didn’t know the details.”
I punched him in the ribs. “Dude, if you go down, I go down. We ride or die, right? In this together forever.”
His grin spread, and he looked extremely pleased with that response. “Let’s just say I had to hurt a few people to get information about Larkspur, although no one was really up to date seeing he’d been absent for a thousand years.”