Chapter 22
Casimir
Sitting at a table cleaning my sniper rifle, I watched with a mix of admiration and amusement as Seri entered the security room, her notebook clutched in those delicate hands as if she were carrying battle plans rather than what I suspected was a glitter-adorned proposition of some kind.
The pencil behind her ear completed the adorable look, and I eagerly awaited whatever she was about to present.
“Casimir Leif Cimmerian.”
My full name, crisp and stern on her lips, had me standing instinctively, squaring my shoulders, and Zane let out a low whistle from across the room.
“Oooo! Someone’s in trouble,” he said in a singsong, clearly delighted.
“What’d you do, brother?” Koa didn’t bother hiding his grin.
I ignored them both, eyes locked on Seri. I couldn’t think of a single misstep, at least not today, but her tone made my gut twist nonetheless.
“Zoodle! Koko! I didn’t know you were here!” she squeaked and darted toward them.
Z caught her in a spin as she dropped a kiss on his cheek. The second he set her down with a smirk, Ko swooped in, hugging her as she kissed his chin. I remained where I was, watching this unfold with something tight and bitter coiling in my chest.
When she turned to me again, her eyes widened.
“Wait! No, no, Simmy!” She rushed over and reached up to cup my face, pulling me down so she could kiss me full on the mouth. “I was just trying to be professional so you’d take me seriously!”
“I— You—” I stared at her, momentarily stunned. “You always have my attention, little wife. You don’t need formality to obtain it.”
Her cheeks pinkened. Then, remembering her mission, she spun away and grabbed her notebook from where she’d dropped it on the floor, then cleared her throat and stood as tall as her five-foot-six self would allow.
Zane snickered into his palm. Ko made a valiant effort not to laugh, but his shoulders betrayed him. I, however, schooled my face into the most neutral expression I could manage. No small feat when I was two seconds away from kissing her until she couldn’t breathe.
“I’ve conducted a thorough reconnaissance mission and now wish to present my findings for your tactical approval,” she chirped, looking quite pleased with herself.
The military jargon landed like a grenade. Behind her, Zane choked on his beer and Ko’s shoulders shook harder.
“Proceed.” Sitting down again, I folded my hands, knuckles whitening as I fought to maintain composure.
The command came naturally, perhaps too naturally. I was working on that, trying to sound less like her superior officer and more like her husband. As Zane had pointed out, I needed to “dial down the drill sergeant bullshit” when speaking to our wife.
“I’ve been thinking about Foster.”
“Have you?” I hadn’t expected her to develop any particular interest in the lone wolf beyond basic concern.
She nodded emphatically, her eyes wide and earnest.
“I think we should offer him a job.”
“A job,” I repeated, not a question, but an invitation for her to continue.
When she looked down at her notebook, I caught glimpses of what appeared to be a meticulously crafted plan complete with glitter gel ink, tiny stickers, and what I believed were organizational charts drawn with the painstaking care of someone who’d never made one before.
“May I present my assessment?” she asked.
The corner of my mouth threatened to quirk upward at her attempt to use our terminology, but I kept my face blank, years of practice with Zane coming to my aid now.
“Please do.”
“I’ve identified a critical gap in our defense perimeter,” her pink tongue darted out to wet lips I’d kissed raw last night, “due to our current personnel situation.”
Dark take me, she was trying so hard to sound like us!
I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to let my amusement show.
The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was laughing at her.
This precious, earnest woman was taking this so seriously, and the fact that she’d put this much thought into helping Foster only made my chest burn with an emotion I was still getting used to feeling.
“According to my field observations,” she pointed to a page covered in swirling handwriting and a doodle of Evermere wearing a sad face, “not having an estate manager in four months has led to several tactical vulnerabilities.”
“Such as?” I prompted, curious now.
“Such as the toilet paper incident.”
Ah. Yes, that had been unfortunate.
The landscaping crew knew the routine, the cleaning staff didn’t need micromanaging, and Mrs. Wentzel ordered everything for the kitchen, but the rest of the duties of running our massive household had fallen by the wayside after Zane had terminated our previous estate manager, Gregory Storms.
“Quite a shitshow, wasn’t it?” Zane smirked.
“We require a quartermaster to…” Seri squinted at her notes. “Conduct proper majestics?”
“Logistics, baby,” Ko rumbled, shoulders twitching again.
“I see.” I nodded once. “And you believe Foster would be suitable for the quartermaster position?”
Her face lit up as she flipped to another page in her notebook. This one featured a stick figure I assumed was Foster since it had a wolf’s head, surrounded by stars and what appeared to be bullet points of qualifications.
“Yes! He’s smart and observant and strong. You’re already friends with him, so that means he’s trustworthy. Plus, he needs a place to stay and—” She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. “I know you might have some objections because he could say no, and you don’t want me to be disappointed.”
Her perceptiveness caught me off guard. She’d read my hesitation perfectly, although she’d phrased it more simply than I would have.
I didn’t want her to be denied anything she wished for, but I also couldn’t force Foster to do something he didn’t want to do.
I had learned that lesson too well in my own life.
“That’s a fair assessment,” I conceded.
“But I really think he’ll say yes! And even if he doesn’t, it’s okay to ask. That’s what you three taught me, right? That it’s okay to ask for things I want?”
My heart pinched so painfully, I thought it might crumble to dust. Anatomically impossible, but there it was.
“You’re absolutely right, my love.”
“He’s a thirty-old alpha werewolf, moonbeam,” Zane drawled, setting down his empty beer bottle. “Not a Cub Scout earning his hospitality badge.”
“But we could help him!” Seri’s head whipped toward him. “And I want him to be my friend.”
That made us all pause, not out of jealousy, but from the realization that Brummy was as close as she’d ever had to a friend.
“You’ve planned this out carefully, beloved,” Ko said.
“I have!” With a beaming smile, she looked down at her notes. “May I present my formal briefing to Foster?”
“When would you like to do so?” I asked.
“Um, now? If that’s, ah, acceptable to command.”
Command. I nearly broke then, the laugh threatening to escape. Koa coughed to cover his. Zane wasn’t so strong and burst out in peals of giggles, making Seri’s brow wrinkle up. She looked like a puzzled little kitten.
“Quite acceptable. Zane, fetch Foster and meet us in the library.” I raised an eyebrow at him, and Seri squealed as he ducked out of the room. “Show me more, my love.”
She passed me her notebook, and I flipped through it with growing pride at war with increasing concern.
She’d created a comprehensive analysis of Foster’s potential role, complete with salary projections, duty schedules, and even vacation allowances.
Her thoroughness was both impressive and concerning; how much sleep had she lost putting this together?
“When did you do all of this?” My fingers brushed against her wrist to check her pulse. Slightly accelerated.
“Last night. Just for a few hours after you all fell asleep. I wanted to make sure it was perfect before I showed you.”
I exchanged a glance with Ko, whose lips were tightly pressed together and his eyes as worried as I felt.
This was problematic for multiple reasons.
One: Seri needed more sleep, not less. Her body was still recovering from the effects of malnutrition and trauma.
Two: She still believed she needed to be “perfect” to be worthy of consideration.
Three: We didn’t want her out of our bed after we fell asleep. We wanted her safely tucked among us.
But now wasn’t the time for that conversation. She was wriggling with excitement, and I would not extinguish that flame for anything in the world.
“As Ko said, you’ve been thorough. Exceedingly so. I’m proud of you for thinking of Foster and for creating such a detailed plan.”
The way she bloomed under my praise was breathtaking.
Her eyes brightened, her smile widened, and her entire body seemed to glow.
It was like watching the sun break through clouds, and for a moment, I was transfixed by how beautiful she was when she felt valued.
I felt an almost overwhelming urge to take her to our bedroom and praise her until she came apart in my arms. To whisper admiration against every inch of her skin until she trembled with it.
To show her physically how much I cherished her mind, her thoughtfulness, her kindness…
But that would have to wait. She had a mission to complete first.
#
In the library, my brothers had claimed their usual spots: Zane sprawled across an armchair like he was posing for a magazine, one leg thrown over the arm, and Ko standing by the window, silhouetted against the light.
Foster seemed mildly confused, but intrigued as he leaned against a bookshelf, looking like a shaved grizzly.
Seri stood behind her desk, notebook open and a pink gel pen in her hand. At her side, Brumous sat wearing Ko’s aviators like a furry Secret Service agent. Our beloved, however, looked small and uncertain faced with all of us. I gave her an encouraging nod, and she cleared her throat.
“Thank you all for, um, answering the call to assemble.”