Chapter Seven
Alvis
Pierce’s Family Estate
The estate hadn’t changed much since my last visit, but I didn’t take the time to have a good look around.
I moved to unbuckle my seatbelt, but Raiel opened my door before my hand ever reached it.
I hadn’t even seen him get out of the car.
As a vampire I was no stranger to speed, but he moved quicker than I expected any shifter to, alpha or not.
I let him unbuckle the seatbelt because it was nice to be considered.
Apparently, gentlemen alphas weren’t extinct.
They merely lived on another world and had saber teeth.
Raiel held out his hand to me and I let him help me out of the car.
While the atmosphere of The Raven’s Perch left something to be desired, Raiel made up for that.
His hand was big and warm and phantom fur tickled my palm as we walked up the path to the door.
The same brightly colored flowers lined the walk as the last time I was here. Some things really never change.
Pierce opened the door holding a tiny yellow blanket to his chest. His scent was big and protective, a blend of both of his parents and whatever extra boost the alpha gene gave to him.
If I hadn’t known he had a daughter, I wouldn’t have smelled Baby Hex at all.
Tell-tale ‘new daddy bags’ hung heavy under Pierce’s eyes.
If not for the primal cat at my side, I might’ve offered to take a night shift with the baby before I started my job trying to discern whether the dragoness was enchanted or merely conked out.
“You look lovely as always, Alvis,” Pierce managed a cordial smile.
He smelled tired, irritated, and vaguely amused. Then again, true-mate meetings are often entertaining and I was sure Moonscale London would be talking about mine for years to come.
“You look tired, friend,” I said. “I take it the little one is nocturnal?”
“She’s something but we just haven’t figured out what yet,” Pierce chuckled and motioned us inside.
“What did you do?” a tall elf asked from his perch on the couch. He sat back but his muscles were all tight and ready to fight. He smelled one more tiny inconvenience from losing his shit. I opened my mouth to answer but Raiel beat me to it. The question was aimed at him after all.
“I went to work. Late because Baby Antonio decided to decorate me and Alvis was there. Well, he was leaving,” he said and squeezed my hand.
“And everyone sort of freaked out because I slapped the beer wolf and bit my mate. Is London going through another anti-vampire phase?” I cut into the conversation, unable to help myself.
“No,” everyone said at once.
“Mori has friends and most people like him even if he’s weird,” Crilus said.
“He’s my cousin. So, I’ll be the first to admit that he’s not normal but are any of us really normal?
Derk is losing his shit because he has to wait for Crissy to get dressed and that takes forever but it’s the best I can do.
Hex has decided she never needs to sleep again and I couldn’t make the drive if I had to and---”
Raiel opened his mouth and shut it again. Was he really about to offer to go back and work his shift? I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying anything. If that bar was at the top of his priorities, so be it.
“Don’t apologize,” Crilus sighed and rubbed the heel of his hand into his forehead. “Not for leaving tonight. Hell, not even for the bite. I checked the cameras and it seems the place is packed now. No sign of Mori and Preston’s getting a bit worried that he hasn’t come home yet.”
“And I’m going to drive out if he’s not back in half an hour,” Pierce yawned.
“Isn’t there anyone else who can do it?” I asked.
“I’m sure a lot of people would but Mori’s Mori,” Crilus shrugged. “He’s probably passed out somewhere on a spirit trip. We just gotta find him and bring him home.”
“Why wouldn’t he come home before departing?
” I asked, slipping onto the sofa and reaching out hopefully toward the baby.
My innate abilities meant babies often slept soundly in my arms. Pierce looked over my head at Crilus who in turn looked me up and down as if I might eat his baby instead of rock her.
A second later, he tossed me a bottle of hand sanitizer and leaned his head back against the sofa.
Pierce made me show him my hands to prove they were clean enough before he passed me his little daughter all bundled up in her little yellow blanket that smelled like a garden.
I was no stranger to little ones and had a handful of adult kids all living their own lives in various corners of Earthside.
I’d invite them all to the mating feast of course but they didn’t need to know my life had gotten messy.
I was always the one who was put together after all.
I held the baby to my chest and silently prayed that the video didn’t leak out online.
If it did, my kids would never let me hear the end of it.
Baby Hex looked up at me with big, inquisitive eyes.
Her little fingers curled into a fist and pumped in the air.
I settled the arm down back under her little, yellow blanket and scooted back on the sofa.
It was only a matter of time before I had another baby now that I’d met Raiel.
Maybe he’d sire my first little girl. All mine had come out big-headed brutes.
I hummed under my breath to the baby and let my magic seep over her.
Rest. Rest, little one. Time to close your eyes and sink into the safety that is home. Rest.
My magic ran over her, clouding her little active mind until she gave the biggest yawn a little girl had ever given before those big eyes of hers started to drift closed.
I rocked her a bit before falling still and looking around at the others.
Crilus smelled in awe, Pierce had fallen asleep in the armchair across from the sofa, and Raiel was grinning like he already had thoughts of putting a baby inside me.
“She’ll probably be out until morning,” I said to Crilus.
“Thank the old gods,” Crilus said and sank deeper into the sofa. “I love my baby. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me but I am so tired.”
I settled in against the back of the sofa happy to hold the baby longer before setting her into her little bassinet on the other side of the room.
I might’ve held her until my arms fell asleep if not for the banging on the door and the bear growl that followed.
Baby Hex wailed and Crilus snatched her from me, jumping over the sofa in a sleepy but smooth motion before crouching down.
Poor guy was running on instinct more than anything else.
Pierce moved toward the door, but Raiel beat him there. On the other side stood a sleepy omega bear, clutching a ball of fur to his chest.
“Mori’s having a break down at Beal and Nic’s place. I need a ride,” he said.
“Shit,” Crilus swore under his breath.
“Looks like I’m driving,” Raiel said.
“You two just met---” Pierce started but I let my magic run over him and his daughter. All three of them needed rest but I didn’t dare try that trick on Crilus. I was lucky he wasn’t pecking out my liver for using it on his baby. The elf narrowed his eyes on me but didn’t say anything.
“It’s for the best for now,” I said to him as Pierce walked back to the chair and slumped back in it. His eyelids slipped closed as soon as his head touched the plush back.
“Are you sure you want to come, Preston?” Raiel asked.
“He’s my twin. I have to,” Preston sighed.
I opened my mouth to tell him that whatever mess was going on was at least partially my fault. Had I known of the wolf’s work with spirits I wouldn’t have slapped him so hard. Probably. Raiel shook his head and looked over to Crilus with a quiet question.
“Andy can stay here, if you want, Preston. Might be easier than taking care of two crying babies,” Crilus rolled his eyes.
I let out a long, quiet sigh. This was karma and it had come around to bite me on the scrot. I slapped one rude ass wolf, and it changed everything. He had warned me that he was changing my destiny.
Preston considered his cousin’s offer for a long moment and shook his head, “There’s room for his car seat. I can sit in the back with him. Maybe if Mori sees Andy he’ll calm down.”
“Do you know what’s crawled up his ass this time?” Crilus yawned, sitting back down on the sofa.
Preston eyed me and I bit my lip.
“I shouldn’t have slapped him, but he did dump his drink on me,” I admitted.
“Not that, but I should box your ears for it,” Preston said and Raiel stepped in front of me. The bear turned his attention back to his cousin. “You guys had Nic hire him instead of Mori.”
“He’s a sleep specialist,” Crilus said.
“Yeah, but Mori had it in his head that eventually someone would ask for his help,” Preston sighed. “Either way, it is what it is.”
“Mori should’ve offered to lend a hand,” Crilus said. “That’s on him. Besides, we’re exhausted from the baby. He’s helping with Andy and honest to crows I thought he’d be too tired to take on anything else.”
“Let’s just go. No hitting my mate,” Raiel said, pushing the front door open and holding it for both of us. “Guess you’re going to see where I stay on Earthside after all.”
When I passed him, I tensed the tiniest bit ready for him to touch my ass, but he didn’t. Maybe he had been serious about no fun until he finished his catly courting ritual.
“I’ll book you guys a suite at one of the hotels, okay?” Crilus called out behind us before the door shut.
Raiel didn’t answer him but I hoped he’d be agreeable to taking him up on that offer. I was only slightly miffed when my mate opened the door for Preston first. The bear let out a content sigh to see a rear facing car seat already installed.