“Your grandmother,” I finished for her.
She nodded. “It’s a lot to process and, honestly, I’m not ready to deal with it myself much less talk about it with anyone else.” Ava laid her hand over mine where it held her arm. “Can you give me some time? Even after all this is over. I just need some space with my own thoughts.”
“I can do that,” I murmured, pulling her into a tight embrace. “But when you’re ready—”
“You’ll be the first one I talk to,” she promised.
I unwound my arms and lifted my hands to cup her face. “You were right, now isn’t the time. But thank you for putting my mind at ease.”
Her eyes sparkled with tears as she looked up at me. “We should prepare.”
I released her and we left the mess in my bedroom. If we survived whatever happened next, I hoped that Ava or Kerry could repair the damage I had done.
When we entered the living room, I saw Arien standing in the center of the space. She watched Harrison as he walked in a slow circle around her, his head lowered and his body tensed.
Though he was in human form, he looked very much like an alpha wolf at that moment, and Arien clearly didn’t appreciate it. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him make another lap around her body.
“What do you want, wolf?” she asked. Her voice had lost its roughness but it was still husky and a bit hoarse.
“What are you?” he asked, inching closer as he sniffed the air.
Her spine straightened. “It is none of your concern.”
He stepped right into her personal space, his eyes golden and sparking with animal interest and anger. “It is if you put the people I care about in danger.”
Arien leaned toward him and she was nearly nose to nose. He was only an inch or so taller. “I care about them as well, dog. I have been Savannah and Ava’s protector for years.”
Harrison snarled. “And a fine job you did when Savannah was nearly killed.”
Arien tensed and her body swayed forward the barest inch. One more nasty word from Harrison and I sensed she would rain hell down on him. I could feel the power emanating from her and she was no weakling. She wasn’t quite as strong as Ava, but I wouldn’t want to face her in battle.
“Enough,” Ava said, clapping her hands together. It boomed like thunder within the small house and garnered both Harrison and Arien’s attention. “Harrison, Arien is trustworthy. I’m certain of it. We could use your help, but if you don’t feel comfortable, I understand if you’d prefer to leave.”
His eyes narrowed and darkened. “I’m not leaving unless she does.”
Ava nodded as if he’d agreed to help rather than growled an insult. “Good. Can you go outside and help Kerry and Finn reinforce the protection wards?”
The wolf hesitated for a split second before he nodded and moved away from Arien. Without looking at her again, he stormed outside, stripping his shirt off as he went. I assumed he intended to shift.
“Are you ready?” Ava asked Arien.
She lifted her chin, her expression cold and hard as if the confrontation with Harrison had frozen something within her.
I could feel Ava soften and she moved closer. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Arien nodded. “I am fine. I suppose it never changes,” she stated cryptically.
“What?” Ava asked.
“The shifters. They can tell that I am… different. There is always hostility and distrust. The Goddess was wrong to think that this realm would be any better than the others.”
Ava opened her mouth to speak, but Arien cut her off.
“I will be fine. We should begin the ritual.”
Ritual?
“What ritual?” I demanded.
