“I’ll come with you,” Gray offers, and I nod.
“Good.” Tristan looks around. “We’ll get this place cleaned up and some food sorted out.”
We have a plan.
Gray is quiet as we get into the truck and I pull out, merging onto the highway and heading back towards the city.
“You okay?” I ask, and he sighs.
“I’m just wondering if this is the best idea. We know a lot of people down here, Lo. Word will have gotten around.”
A pit opens up in my stomach. Of course. Word about mine and Gray’s relationship will no doubt have spread by now. But resolve follows quickly.
“Fuck them all, remember?” I remind him. “We have nothing to be ashamed of.”
He nods, but he’s still quiet as we park up. The Quarter stretches out in front of us, jeweled lanes decorated with beautiful lights, coloured scarves and various other materials that make it almost glitter in the light. The people are just as bright, artists and musicians and creators all mixing together in perfect chaos, calling and shouting and laughing.
It never fails to take my breath away.
“We need to bring Sienna here,” I say to Gray. I want to show her my studio, my work.
We start walking through slowly, and people start looking towards us. We’re familiar faces, not just here in the Quarter but across Navarre, thanks to the notoriety of our pack, and it doesn’t take long for someone to call out.
“Logan Cohen,” drawls a rich voice. “As I live and breathe.”
Grinning, I grab Gray’s hand and tow him over to where Maureen is sitting outside her shop. The older woman is decked out in so much color she stands out like a firefly, even amongst the vibrancy of our background.
She purses her lips, blowing a ring of smoke from the pipe she always carries. “Thought it was you,” she rasps. “Heard you left Navarre.”
“I did,” I say, pulling Gray until he stands next to me. “But now I’m back.”
“I can see that.” Maureen leans forward, her eyes flicking to Gray. “He yours? Looks like he’s got a stick shoved up his ass. Handsome though.”
Gray chokes. “I do not look like I have a stick shoved up my ass!”
“Ignore him,” I say, giving her a wink. “He’s nervous.”
“Logan.”
“Nothin’ to be nervous about down here,” Maureen says, eyeing him. “What’re you here for, Lo?”
“I need to kit out an omega’s nest,” I say, spreading my hands and giving her a pleading look. “This is just to get her started, but I’ll bring her down at some point.”
Maureen tsks, getting to her feet and disappearing inside her shop. We wait, listening to the clinking and low curses before she emerges with something in her hand.
She presses it into my palm, and I look down at the perfectly crafted stained-glass star. Each point is a different color.
“That’s beautiful,” Gray says over my shoulder, and I smile at Maureen.
“That’s because Maureen is the best stained-glass artist in Navarre. How much do I owe you?”
She waves her hand. “No charge. Bring your omega, Cohens. I’d like to meet the girl who’s Soul Bonded to the Cohen pack.”
Nodding, I carefully pocket the gift. “We will. Thanks, Maureen.”
We continue on down the Quarter lane, and I keep Gray’s hand locked tightly in mine. We get a few looks, but more and more people keep calling us over, word spreading that we’re in the quarter and on the hunt for omega nesting materials.
We stagger back to the car with our arms full of bags and materials, and a few additional gifts for Sienna. My chest feels full as I glance behind me. Gray isn’t looking at me, his face turned back to the Quarter.
