“Thank you. For everything.”
He didn’t even need to feel her emotions through the bond—the smile and expression on Geri’s beautiful face told him everything he needed to know. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Seven
Geri
Geri brushed the soil from her hands and stood back, surveying the neat rows of seedlings nestled in the garden beds behind their home. A breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying the faint scent of sun-warmed stone and wild herbs. She felt a swell of pride.
She was especially grateful that Persephone and Demeter had stopped by last week. With just a touch of their magic, her tomatoes, cucumbers, and berry bushes were already looking more vibrant, leaves unfurling as though eager to soak in Olympus’s sunlight.
The previous garden that had been here was mostly ornamental. It was beautiful—and very much alive, as Apollo had taken her to see it—but she wanted something different for this new place. So, she thought, why not make something more useful? The soil here was divine—but still not quite the same as Alaska’s rich earth, and growing upperworld fruits and veggies in it had been a challenge. Now, though, each little plant seemedto glow with life. She wiped the sweat from her brow, smiling. It wasn’t exactly a farm in the wilds of Alaska…but it was hers.
Speaking of…she wiped her hands on her gardening apron before pulling out her phone. She hit Cade’s contact and waited.
“Geri,” he answered, his voice gruff as ever.
“Turn on the video,” she demanded, leaning closer to the screen.
A pause. “No.”
She let out a huff of frustration but let it go. Her brother was more bullheaded than she was, and some battles were not worth fighting. “Fine. How’s the pack?”
“It’s fine,” Cade replied shortly. “I’m…reorganizing everything. Changing our security protocols.”
“Reorganizing how?” she pressed, but he offered no further detail.
Instead, Cade deflected. “How areyou?”
She brightened. “Good! My garden’s coming along. Persephone and Demeter helped. The plants are finally starting to take.”
“That’s good,” Cade said, his voice softening just a hair. “I know you love gardening.”
“Olympus is…good. I’ve mostly been hanging out with some of the members of the Twelve.”
“The Twelve?” Cade repeated.
“Yeah—the council of Olympians.”
“Oh. Right,” he said. “Like who?”
“Oh, Hestia, Aphrodite, Demeter, Persephone, of course, though she’s not one of the Twelve. And Artemis.”
“Right.” His voice shifted slightly. “How is she?”
“Artemis?” she echoed, surprised by the question. “Uh…she’s fine. A little distracted, but I don’t know her well enough to know why.”
Another grunt from Cade. “Apollo said you were doing renovations? Didn’t peg you for that,” he teased.
“He’s in charge of it,” she replied, brushing a bit of dirt off her arm. “I try to give some opinions because…yeah, I’m not into those things.”
Another awkward silence stretched across the call.
“Well, I gotta go,” Cade finally said. “Xavier just walked in.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll talk to you soon,” she said, and the call ended.
Geri stared at her phone, uneasy. Cade wouldn’t hide anything truly important about the pack from her, but something felt off.
