Here We Stand (Fated in the Stars #7)

Nix

“Wish we were all headed to Florida instead.” Nix can’t deny his urge to bundle his pack into a fast-moving jet and spirit them away from whatever is barreling down on them at light speed.

Jamie pulls the Kodiaq to a stop on the private tarmac at Tune Airport. He turns the SUV off, and Nix listens as the engine ticks in the silence.

“Me too, but Grayson and Skye can’t leave Nashville for a bit.” The words are right, but Nix can feel his mate’s heart, and he knows their alpha wishes the same thing.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nix grumps with his arms crossed.

He’d like to see someone from the Guarda try to stop him from taking his family if he wanted to.

Nix doesn’t share his thoughts on how they could be thwarting several laws, as Jamie already has enough to worry about where the magical authorities are concerned.

Rosie sighs, but the mirror hooked over the headrest shows her rosebud lips making phantom sucking motions, still fast asleep in her car seat. She’d refused to be left behind, playing strange before they’d finally bundled her into her car seat for a car-induced nap.

Nix thinks they both could have stayed home and curled up in the nest. It is beyond strange that he’s the one sitting with Jamie, waiting for the private jet to land.

Surely Grayson or even Leo would have been the better choice, but Elysia, Ignatius’s spouse, had politely insisted, without explanation.

Of course, as Pack Alpha, Jamie has to greet their guests because Were custom dictates it, especially since the plane’s occupants are here without authorization from the Nashville Guild. If officials have any concerns, they’ll need the pack’s Alpha to facilitate and take responsibility.

Jamie likes to say they had no choice but to finally circumvent official channels, but Gideon had only rolled his eyes where their upstanding, rule-following, law-abiding alpha hadn’t been able to see.

Because when it boiled down to it, they needed in-person counsel for Skye—and Rosie—and it needed to be out of the eagle eye of Nashville’s Guild.

No one was na?ve enough to think they were immune to the consequences of the law, and Nix felt better knowing their contingency plans had contingency plans in place, just in case.

Just thinking about why Ignatius, his partner Elysia, and Nimue Wyrd had to sneak into Nashville reminds Nix of the moment, two weeks ago, when everything changed.

After everyone had woken the morning following Skye and Gideon’s magical, soul-revealing interaction, they knew they had to do something soon.

They couldn’t be sure how or when Skye was using The Plain, and as easy as it has been to keep their new son sheltered from the outside world right now, they’d all agreed that the sooner they knew how to help and protect him, the better.

That is why Nix is sitting on the tarmac waiting for their Florida allies.

The phone had only rung twice before the Master of Novices at The Florida Guild had picked up, the noise of fire snapping and echoes of youthful laughter loud in the background.

“My stars, is that you, Grayson?”

“Yes, sir. We need your help.”

“Of course. Is it your Rosie? We’ve enjoyed those photos of the girls you sent a few weeks ago.

” The older man had stopped abruptly, shutting down what was surely to be a long-winded appreciation of their daughters’ obvious intelligence and rapid development (his words, not Nix’s). “Has something happened?”

“Yes, sir. Gideon’s little brother Skye just joined us, and it’s a long story, but—” Grayson had paused, eyes flying to Gideon.

Gideon had nodded, looking simultaneously concerned and at ease. There had been a settled quality around his mouth, as if his smirk was less self-deprecating and more sincere.

Or something like that. Maybe it was an aura thing. Or vibes, like Rowan says.

On the other end of the phone, Ignatius had filled Grayson’s silence. “One moment, Grayson.” They had heard him muffle the end piece of his phone, instructing a teacher’s assistant to have everyone practice small flame work, before a door closed. His voice echoed when he spoke again.

“Go on, my boy.”

“Right, uh, well…” He’d stopped talking. “He’s special, if you know what I mean?”

“Special?” Ignatius had sounded confused for a moment before sucking in a sharp breath. “Oh! Special. My goodness. And how old is Skye?”

“Three, sir. He hasn’t done anything on his own, but we can’t be certain. He’d been through a lot before he came to us yesterday.”

There had been steps in the echoing hallway of The Guild, followed by a rush of wind and a soft thud.

“You saw this for yourself, I assume?”

“Yes, sir. When he’s connected with me, it’s quite strong. And I think with Nix, as well?”

Grayson had shrugged then, as Finn made the get on with it hand motion.

Flipping him off, Grayson continued. “He used our connection to the—”

“Wait. I think I heard you incorrectly. Did you say he’s using your connection?”

A burst of energy in Nix’s bonds had made everyone in the room flinch, and it had been enough to stop Grayson cold. In the same instant, Rowan had shifted to his wolf in a burst of white light.

“Sh–oot. One second, sir.” Grayson had covered the mouthpiece of his phone, but Nix still hadn’t spoken.

He couldn’t.

Something hadn’t felt right, and his hackles were raised metaphorically in the same way Rowan’s had literally been along his back.

“Nix?” Jamie had growled. When Nix had only been able to shake his head, he’d continued, “Stay here, Gray. Talk to Ignatius about your training, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Did you hear that, sir?”

“I did indeed. How are your studies going?”

Nix had led the way outside onto the pool deck, the fall sun warming the stone under his feet, with Gideon, Jamie, and Finn on his heels.

Rowan had taken off into the yard where Leo was throwing the frisbee with Luca, so he could sit between the girls in their bouncy chairs.

“What is it?” Jamie had paced back and forth, eyes alternating between the house and Nix. His aura had been all sexy-alpha-on-guard, but Nix couldn’t even spare a thought to let it get him worked up in a good way.

“I don’t know. I just felt off when Gray was going to tell Ignatius about Skye. Like, really bad, and I just knew that if I ignored it, things would go badly. My bonds are all lit up, and it’s not coming from me…or you guys, either. It’s hard to explain.”

The explanation hadn’t nearly covered the absolute dread that had coursed through him when Grayson had geared up to speak the words about Skye’s ability to read souls.

“Okay, what should we do?” Finn had asked. His eyebrows hit his hairline before dropping into a suspicious frown. “Is it Ignatius?”

“No,” Nix had been sure it wasn’t Ignatius. It had just felt like…like he shouldn’t say the words out loud at all. “Can we get them to come here without actually sharing all the magic stuff over the phone?”

“We can think of something, I’m sure. Would texting be okay, do you think?” Finn had asked, his eyes bright blue behind his glasses. “Is it just saying out loud that sets your wolf off?”

Texting hadn’t seemed to ping Nix’s dread-o-meter, but he couldn’t be sure. It all sounds super weird when he thinks about it, and even though he knew he wasn’t wrong, he wouldn’t have blamed them for wondering if he’d lost his mind. “You guys believe me, though, right?”

“Hell yes, we do. There has to be a way…” Finn had said, pulling out his phone. “I have an idea. What about a Moon Dedication Ceremony for the kids? Ignatius’s crew is just like pack, right? And they’ll need to be here.”

Gideon had been confused for a second, but he’d caught on when Finn’s eyes went big.

“Oh, yes. A dedication sounds perfect. Nothing like a party at the most inopportune time,” Gideon said dryly.

“I can’t disagree, but it will get our friends here, and it’s an excuse to circumvent the rules a little.” Jamie had almost shuddered at the idea.

“I texted Nimue. She’ll tell Ignatius they’ve been invited to a Were Moon Dedication ceremony for the kids. I’ll email her the flight details once I get Leo on it. She had some questions, but I’ll let her know what’s what. Or, at least I will once we’ve figured it out. Does that feel better, Nix?”

A wave of relief had washed over him, the previous fear slipping away to sit at a low simmer rather than a fast boil.

“Yeah, it’s still itchy, but that is much better. Even though I have no idea what a Moon Dedication is.”

“I’ll explain later. We need to figure out what set you off so hard.”

“Not just me, either. What about Ro? He might not shift back for a week.”

Nix had looked out over the yard to find Rowan lying across Leo’s and Luca’s laps, his ears perked up and nose twitching.

When they’d gone back inside, Grayson had been pacing, hair swirling around his head in a non-existent breeze.

“What was that about?”

Nix hadn’t known what to say, but as long as they weren’t talking about Skye, the itchy feeling in his bonds had stayed low-key.

“I had a bad feeling when you were talking to Ignatius before.”

“About Ignatius?” Grayson had seemed surprised. The older man was a close friend and mentor—a lighthouse helping Grayson steer the runaway ship that is his magic.

“No, just—”

Finn had shown Grayson something on his phone, and his soulmate’s eyebrows had dropped.

“Gray, you’re feeling good, though?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’m tired and a bit freaked out. The Plain was sparking like crazy, but I suppose that could just be my bond with Nix.”

Gideon weighed that for a moment and shared a look with Jamie before nodding.

“If you feel fine, then for now, we don’t talk about Skye’s…crap. Our visitors will be here soon. We can hang on until then.”

And it had been surprisingly easy to move through life without talking about magic, outside Grayson’s obligations to the Guild.