Chapter 40
Serenity
The Grand Terrace stretched so far in both directions, I could barely see the ends through all the bow ties and ballgowns.
And the gardens, holy crap. It was like half of New Nebraska had been landscaped.
Melodious fountains, tinkling and gurgling their watery songs, were dotted around the grounds like giant chess pieces, lit up and shining brightly under the star-speckled sky.
We sat at the terrace restaurant, our table cordoned off to the side of the bar. I hadn’t found Ceci yet, but hadn’t looked too hard, focusing on filling my belly first.
Seb had reappeared not long ago, with a report that Dagger was in too good a mood to badmouth anyone.
“You might have to let him keep those winnings,” he’d told Bryce as he sat. “He’s already halfway to the goal.”
I cleared my first plate in record time and stood up to grab more bruschetta with Hunter when I spotted Prince Osric leaning on the bar top, sipping from a tumbler of amber liquid and ice.
“We should say hello.” I nodded toward him, thinking he’d know where Ceci was, and Bryce and Seb got up from the table too, followed by a cluster of security.
Bryce told the lead bodyguard to spread a few of his team along the central terrace’s outer rim, keeping their noses peeled, while the rest joined us in surrounding the prince.
As we got close, I saw sadness lingering in the prince’s striking emerald eyes.
“Your Highness? Are you all right?” I asked.
He blinked and jerked his head, as if waking from a dream. “Oh, please excuse me, I’ve been drifting as usual.” He stuck out a hand. “It’s very nice to meet you again, but I’m afraid I was incredibly rude last time and forgot to ask your name. Miss…?”
“Dawson, Serenity Dawson.” When Osric released my hand, I reached for Seb’s, pulling him up beside me. “You know Hunter and Bryce, but did you meet Sebastian? He works with me at Midas News.”
“Charmed,” Osric said, shaking with Seb. “Solid journalism is noble work.” He peeked over my head. “Speaking of noble work, is Detective Pierce here?
“He’s over at the craps tables, causing pandemonium as usual,” I said with a laugh.
Prince Osric drained his glass, clinking it on a nearby table.
“I think I’ll make my way over there. See if he’s got time to discuss the worrisome issue he brought up at Serafina’s funeral.
” His composure wobbled, but he forced a smile.
“And of course, I’ll try to lose as much money for good causes as I can. ”
He half-turned toward another table as if about to leave, and I cleared my throat.
“Osric,” I said a little bashfully, “is Ceci around here somewhere?”
He turned back with a smile. “Yes, she was touring the garden, but she’s coming out now.” He pointed toward a path poking out of a hedgerow, where Ceci appeared, holding the hem of her dress up off the path like a princess. “She’s headed toward our table there. She’ll be delighted to see you.”
Osric ducked away from the bar, inclining his head to us.
When I looked back to the table, I found Ceci’s hand frantically waving for my attention.
That sweet-looking bear shifter from the funeral was at her side, steadily devouring what looked like a whole leg of lamb.
He looked up as we approached, smiling at Hunter who said, “That as good as it looks?”
The bear shifter just smiled around his huge bite, and Hunter moaned.
“You just ate,” I laughed, swatting Hunter’s chest.
“That was finger food.” He took the seat the bear shifter offered silently. “That’s a real meal.”
“Aaron said almost the exact same thing.” Ceci chuckled.
Hunter raised his hand with a polite call to a nearby waiter.
While Hunter ordered, Bryce stayed standing, his smile showing hesitancy at sitting near to strangers. “Good evening you two. Nice to meet you.” He looked to Ceci. “Hope you’re having a nice time?”
“I am.” She pointed her fork toward her salmon. “And everything’s delicious. It’s really nice to meet you too, Mr. Harding. I know you’re a big part of this happening tonight.”
“Yes, thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m Aaron Belanger,” Aaron mumbled around another bite before wiping his hands on a napkin. “A professor at New Lincoln University.”
“Oh, how wonderful. What do you teach?”
“Literature. Focusing on the treatment of the paranormal in the classics.”
“Very interesting. Hopefully we can chat more tonight. But I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me for now. Duty calls.” Bryce turned to me. “I promised a few business acquaintances I’d catch up with them.” He stole a soft kiss from my lips. “Forgive me, angel?”
“Of course.” I caressed his cheek. “I’ll be happy here with Ceci.”
He scanned the bodyguards, who were standing vigilant. “I’ll leave my security team.”
“You’ll need some of them too, in this crowd,” Hunter cut in, looking to me for approval.
“Yes, at least take half.”
The lead security guy instantly picked four to stay while Bryce said, “I’ll send the full cavalry back in the unlikely event they detect something.” He tapped his nose. “Oh, and Hunter, please try and leave some food for the other guests.”
Ceci excitedly beckoned for me to sit next to her, moving her chair closer, linking her arm through mine as Seb sat on Aaron’s other side. Aaron could barely take his eyes off her since she’d returned.
She looked lovely in her lilac gown with a small sprig of the same flower tucked behind her ear.
Her voice was hushed, her eyes darting toward the men to check they weren’t listening.
“So, erm, I hope it’s not rude to ask, but I thought Bryce Harding, you know, couldn’t be touched at all? On the skin, I mean.”
My heart sped up at the reminder, still unable to fully grasp why or how I was capable of having a physical relationship with someone like Bryce.
“It’s, uh, very—no, extremely complicated.
We have a special connection. I, well, me and all my guys are…
bound I guess? I don’t know. I’m still getting used to all this paranormal stuff, and what ‘bonds’ really mean for them.
But something about our connection lets me touch Bryce. ”
“Boy, do I know that complicated feeling.” She squeezed my arm. “I’m happy for you though. How many partners to do you have?”
“Uh, four.” It sounded so strange, so almost… selfish, that I nearly cringed. But Ceci was doing the same, and I just knew she wouldn’t judge me for anything romance related.
“Really? Me too! God, it’s a handful in the best way, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s still kind of casual and new…”
“Well, if they feel a mate bond, I doubt things will stay causal… But I don’t want to overwhelm you.
Boy, did my four move quick. And we had some growing pains.
” She held up four fingers and started ticking them off.
“Osric and Aaron were already friends. But Jax, who I don’t think you’ve met, and Xander didn’t get along at first. Now they’re like best friends though.
Jax got into a nasty football injury last night—he’ll be healed in a couple of days though, being a wolf—but Xander fussed over him like a mother hen all night.
” She giggled and sighed. “Xander is out celebrating his aunt’s two hundredth birthday tonight or he’d be here.
It’s so hard for us all to be apart now. ”
“Wow. See, that’s the craziness I’m talking about. Two-hundredth birthday? Things like that are thrown around so casually here, and then the conversation carries on and I’m left behind with my jaw hanging.”
Ceci gave a firm nod. “Totally. Persephone, his aunt, doesn’t look a day over thirty-five. I swear her skin’s clearer than mine.”
We both laughed. New Nebraska’s weirdness didn’t seem so bad when you could see its funny side with another normal girl.
“My best piece of advice is just to let yourself enjoy how different things are here, when you can. And with your guys. And what they feel for you. Let yourself be awed and freaked out and turned on.” She let out a little chuckle.
“Ask the stupid questions and try the weird things they love, you know? If they care for you, and you feel the same, wrap yourself in it, experience all of it.” She let out a soft sigh, smiling out over the gardens.
“It can be so exciting.” She nudged me. “And hey, you may find out, like me, that you’re not so one-hundred percent human.
You might have a little magic in you somewhere.
I think we all do, in a way. But guys like ours, they can really bring it out in you.
And I’ve found, I can bring it out in them. ”
I startled. “Wait… you mean literally?”
One look at my face and she leaned in. “You’ve noticed something?” Her voice fell to barely a whisper. “Your partners’ powers… growing since they met you?”
I clutched her wrist. “How did you know?”
She locked onto my wrist, so we were cuffed together. “Well, if some of your guys are feeling mate bonds and you’re the only one who can touch Bryce…”
“What’s up with all this?”
Ceci shook her head. “I don’t really know.
Not for certain anyway. My mom’s boyfriend knows a bit about the history of women like us.
And I’ve started looking into it more. Women were once burned at the stake as witches for doing what we can.
” She shuddered. “Not many paranormals know that some human women can enhance their partners’ powers. Probably best left as a bit of secret.”
“Yeah. But let me know if you find out more.”
“For sure.”
I polished off my champagne. “Damn. I know we shouldn’t make it public knowledge, but I wish I could have thrown that in Overseer Blunton’s face. A human enhancing paranormals? That would’ve shut him up.”