“Liam is showing me the fun things he can do with the bond,” I rasp, and Micah groans.
The desire eases away, and I hear Liam in my head again as the lights of the neutral zone come into view.Your mer mate is no fun,he grumbles, but his presence recedes. I guess Micah must have used their bond to tell him to cut it out. I appreciate it, but I’m also kind of intrigued about what it would feel like to fuck Micah on Hunter’s back while we’re thousands of feet in the air. Jesus, maybe the high altitude is getting to me.
Micah gives me a little squeeze but stays silent as Hunter coasts over the neutral zone, descending slowly until we get to the tall building that I recognize as night watch headquarters. He touches down gently on the roof of the building, and Micah and I climb down before he shifts. A guard pokes his head out of the security building, and Micah steps in front of me, blocking his view.
“Commander Hunter, you’re here early,” he says, and Hunter also moves to block me from his view.
“Not an early start, but a late evening, if you get my drift,” Hunter replies suggestively. “My friends and I are just heading to our apartment.” He makes it sound like we’re having a late night booty call, and it seems to work.
“Have fun,” the guard calls with a laugh and returns to the building. Hunter wastes no time ushering us to the stairwell and down into the structure. No one else seems to be around, but I keep my head down so I can’t be recognized on any security cameras the building may have.
We don’t talk as we make our way down in an elevator then out into the street. Thankfully there weren’t any teams around. Hunter quietly explained that they should all either still be out on patrol or in their apartments sleeping.
The weather has gotten worse. It isn’t quite cold enough to snow, but there is a steady drizzle, and I wrinkle my nose. Ugh, although it isn’t raining heavily, we are still going to be wet by the time we make it to the bakery, so we don’t waste any time. The three of us move swiftly, but not too hastily to attract any attention if we happen to come across a watch team. They should know Micah and Hunter have permission to be out after curfew, and hopefully they won’t stop to question us. I also have permission, but we don’t want it to be common knowledge that the queen has left the shifter zone. The girls, the king, and queens will cover for us for a few days, even if they have to share that I found a mate and I am busy sealing the bond. That will buy us time if the rest of the council starts poking around. I’m supposed to have a meeting with them in a few days, but Lucas told me he can delay it if we tell them I’m in the mating frenzy.
We use the back alley to the bakery when we arrive, and I call out so I don’t give my grandparents a fright when I surprise them with my visit.
“Granny, Grampy, it’s just me,” I call as I push the door open. The heat of the kitchen rushes out, and I sigh with relief as I enter, clothes completely soaked from the drizzle. Both the guys seem to be in better condition, and I wonder if their uniforms are water repellent.
“Colbie, what a lovely surprise.” Grampy has a piping bag in his hand, and there is a smudge of white powder on his nose, which makes me grin.
“Goodness, child, you are soaked,” Granny scolds me and hurries to the cupboard, pulling out some towels and passing them around.
“Micah, these are my grandparents, Jenny and Joseph. This is Micah. He is one of my mates,” I tell them. “And so is Hunter.” My grandparents both greet them warmly.
“You found your mates!” My granny looks at me with sparkling eyes. “And such handsome ones too. You’re a lucky girl.” She gives me a wink, and the guys chuckle while I blush.
“We aren’t the only ones. She has a few more,” Hunter tells her, and Grampy frowns.
“How many?”
“Ah… Um… Six more,” I tell him awkwardly, and his mouth drops open in shock, but Granny’s grin just gets wider, if that’s even possible.
“Very lucky girl,” she says as Grampy grumbles under his breath. “And what kind of shifter are you?” she asks, and this brings a look of excitement and anticipation to Grampy’s face, distracting him from the other news. She’s such a clever woman.
“I’m a hydra,” I tell them, and they both gape in shock.
“A hydra? Oh my, that is certainly a surprise.” Grampy sounds proud and relieved despite his shock. “Nothing will stop you now.”
“No, but we need to keep that on the down-low. We haven’t been making it common knowledge,” Hunter explains as he towels off his hair. Micah is doing the same, and I take a moment to look around my kitchen, feeling a pang of longing. I miss being normal so much, but I can’t deny that my life is certainly a lot more exciting now, and wasn’t that what I secretly wanted?
I take stock of what they have already made, and it seems like all the muffins and cupcakes are baked but need to be iced. Granny has something bubbling on the stove, which I’m assuming is the marshmallow that Grampy has been piping into animals. He has half a table full of them. I see dragons and wolves so far. He sees me eyeing the creations and winks at me. “I’ll have to come up with a hydra design for your coronation.”
My eyes prickle with tears, and I concentrate on drying myself off so no one sees them.
A commotion at the door has everyone turning to look at it again, and Gem, Brodie, Gryffin, and Liam all walk in. Liam strides straight to me and tugs me to him, giving me a quick kiss before stepping away and inhaling deeply.
“God, I missed you,” he mutters quietly. “That was rough. I don’t want you out of my sight again, if possible, for a little while. The mating bond is making me needy.”
“Pfft, you’re always needy,” Gem scoffs, grabbing my granny by the waist and spinning her around before kissing her on the cheek. She squeals with surprise but smiles at him when he says, “Jenny, you are looking gorgeous, as always.”
“Get your damn hands off my wife,” Grampy grumbles, but I see his eyes sparkle with amusement, and I’m a little shocked by how comfortable they are with one another.
“What is going on?” I ask, and my granny pats Gem’s cheek.
“These boys have come by every day to make sure your mother isn’t here causing us problems,” she tells me, and I gape at the guys in surprise.
“Well, we couldn’t have her stirring up any more trouble for our queen, who is also our mate,” Gem says, and Granny claps her hands.
