Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
REID
“Are you okay?”
I glanced up, surprised to find Jessie hovering in the bedroom doorway.
“I… am. I think.” I patted the bed beside me and she wandered over and perched on the edge of the mattress. I motioned to the brown paper bag on the nightstand. “Help yourself.”
She picked it up and looked inside, one of her eyebrows rising. “From the bakery?”
“Yeah. Danny gave them to me.” He’d thrust the bag into my hands on the way out the door. He really was a sweet guy. I’d been put off by his bouncy extroversion at first but it had become apparent that he genuinely cared as he’d fussed over me earlier.
I was a sucker for people who cared. I hadn’t known enough of them in my life.
“Is anything off-limits?” she asked.
“Eat whatever you want.”
While I appreciated the gesture, I didn’t have much of an appetite for anything other than pickles and pickle chips. She reached in and pulled out a small slice of something that smelled strongly of honey and took a bite.
“So.” She watched me as she chewed. “Your old High Priest turned up in town.”
I flinched, not expecting such a direct comment. “Yeah.”
She kept eating, that steady gaze never leaving my face. “I take it he’s horrible.”
I looked down at my hands. “That’s an understatement.”
“But he’s gone? They sent him away?”
I nodded. Thank the Gods they had or I had no idea what I’d have done.
“Will he stay gone?”
My stomach twisted painfully. “I doubt it.”
I hoped he would. Prayed for it with every fiber of my being.
But Hephaestes had spent more than twenty years siphoning power from me, and he wasn’t about to give that up because a couple of shifters chased him out of town.
Especially if he’d sensed my pregnancy and knew there was a possibility of scoring two magical batteries for the price of one.
He might not be reckless enough to attack them without a plan but he’d reassess and return later.
I should leave.
If I didn’t want to endanger any of my new friends, it only made sense for me to run and not look back.
But I didn’t want to. It was selfish of me, but the people here were kind, and I’d only just begun to let them in. I’d hate to lose them already.
Jessie finished her treat and wiped her fingers on a napkin. “Have you decided whether you trust Zander yet?”
Closing my eyes, I tuned out the sound of her rustling the paper bag and the doughy aroma of baked goods and turned my attention inward.
Did I trust him?
I was reluctant to say that I trusted anyone completely, but he’d protected me today, even after I’d made it clear that Hephaestes was dangerous. He hadn’t considered giving me up even once, and despite my meltdown, I’d never really believed that he would.
I was more worried for his safety while he’d gone to send Hephaestes away than I was scared he’d change his mind and betray me. And when he’d come to find me at the bakery, I’d thrown myself into his arms without thinking twice.
So yes, I thought it was safe to say that I trusted Zander.
“I do,” I whispered. “Is that bad?”
Her mouth curled into a slow smile. “No, honey. I’d say it’s probably pretty good.”
“But what if I bring danger to Grizzly Ridge? I don’t want him hurt because of me.”
He wasn’t the only one I feared for either. There was sweet, gentle Milo with his unborn child and Melinda, who might be the closest thing to a proper maternal figure I’d known.
Kind, determined Jessie. Protective Hamish. Good-natured Danny.
What kind of person would it make me if I stayed and put them at risk?
“Zander is strong.”
I jumped and almost knocked myself out with my kneecap. I’d been so absorbed by my thoughts that I hadn’t heard anyone approach.
“Milo!” I exclaimed, spotting the figure in the doorway. Danny hovered just behind him. The two could often be found together. “You scared me!”
His expression became apologetic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. But you should know that Zander and his brothers aren’t pushovers. I’ve seen them fight.” He shuddered. “It’s not something I’d recommend, but they know what they’re doing. If they say they can handle something, then they can.”
“They saved us,” Jessie pointed out, reminding me of the hellscape I’d witnessed that day in Moonlight Cove. The shifters had been savage. But facing magic was different from fighting with teeth and claws.
“Don’t you dare even think about leaving. We’ll come after you and drag you back. We won’t let anything happen to you,” Danny said fiercely, one hand propped on his hip. “If you trust Zander, then trust him to know the best course of action. Strategy is literally in his job description.”
I grimaced, not having realized that of course he’d have heard the earlier part of our conversation with his enhanced shifter hearing.
He had a point though. It wasn’t fair of me to assume that Zander and his family didn’t understand the threat posed by a coven of warlocks led by someone as power-hungry as Hephaestes.
Zander had likely seen more of the world than I had. Of course he’d know what warlocks were capable of—and even if he didn’t, Nathaniel did.
Something warmed in my chest.
Zander was strong.
He was brave and clever and all he’d ever done was try to protect me and my unborn child, who he seemed to accept without reservation. He’d stood between me and danger, and he’d held me together when I needed support.
If anyone was trustworthy, it was him.
“Okay,” I conceded. “I’ll stay.”
I only hoped I wouldn’t regret it.