“Yeah, they do. I’ll tell you about it later.” Echo opened the passenger door at the sight of their group getting out of the SUV.
Elijah followed her out of the car, and they gathered with Rose, Fionn, Niamh, and Kiyo. They all stared at the coach house. Echo fought against raising her face to the sun, but her gaze dropped to her hand as she turned it in the light. She was so pale. Almost like marble. How could anyone possibly think she was human? Then again … they’d never seen her in the daylight.
Painful hope tugged in her chest.
“How did MacLennan sound on the phone?” Elijah asked Fionn.
“Ready. He and Thea always suspected this day would come.”
“I hate that it’s come to this. I wanted to keep them out of it, but I know we need them. And anyway, Thea would never turn us away,” Niamh supplied. “She might be wolf now, but she was once hunted for being one of us.” The fae suddenly turned to Echo. “It’s real and it won’t go away. I promise you. I swear it.”
Echo gaped at her, stunned the fae understood her fears about being a Daywalker.
She felt Elijah’s attention as she stared at Niamh in gratitude. “It’s just going to take some time to get used to.”
“Of course.”
Rose grinned at her. “Daylight suits you. Anyone ever tell you, you’re kind of a total hottie?”
She chuckled at the inappropriately timed comment as Rose’s mate rolled his eyes and Elijah sidled closer to her.
Rose huffed. “Cool it, Elijah. It was just a compliment.” She muttered now, “Mated males and their posturing possessiveness.”
Sure enough, a quick look at Elijah revealed his jaw was clenched, as were his fists.
Not quite sure what to do with the delight she felt at his obvious jealousy over a simple compliment, Echo stepped closer to him.
“You’re just as bad,” Fionn offered dryly. “Or was that my other mate who practically clawed the face off the blond in the bar two nights ago,mo chroí?”
“She put her hand on your thigh when I was sitting right there.” Rose scowled up at him. “I’d like to see you restrain yourself if a male did that to me.”
“Then I’d disappoint you because he’d be dead before his hand even touched you,” Fionn said it so blandly, Echo snorted. Rose grinned smugly.
The door to the Coach House opened, drawing everyone’s attention, and Echo raised an eyebrow at the couple walking toward them.
She’d seen photos of Thea and Conall, of course, but it was different seeing them in real life with all that power crackling between the couple. Thea MacLennan gave off enough alpha vibes to confuse a supernatural into thinking she was Alpha of the pack. She was pretty in her photos, but the tall brunette was even more beautiful in real life. Her mate was six and a half feet of pure muscle at her side. Megawatt alpha energy to match Thea crackled in the surrounding air. A wicked scar slashed Conall MacLennan’s cheek, and he had strikingly pale gray eyes. Altogether he might have been one of the most intimidating males Echo had ever encountered … if it weren’t for the way he cradled the tiny baby in his arms.
Echo sucked in a breath as Thea kept close to her mate’s side.
Her mate … and her child?
Rose’s head whipped around to glower at Niamh.
The Irish fae shrugged. “Did I forget to mention Thea gave birth to their first child two weeks ago?”
“Yes, you did.” Rose huffed, throwing her hands up. Her sleeves slid down with the movement, and Echo saw the twin scars around her wrists. They matched Elijah’s, which meant, at some point, Rose had been held captive in iron too. Renewed guilt rushed through Echo at the reminder of what she’d done to her mate. “We can’t pull them into this now!”
“We’re already in it,” Thea called as they approached. She gave them a weary smile. “The only thing our daughter changes is how much harder we’re going to fight to keep this world safe for her.”
Conall nodded as he cuddled his daughter closer to his chest. “What Thea said.”
Fionn approached the couple. Echo noted the pained expression on his face as he asked quietly, “May I?”
Thea gave him an understanding smile. “Of course.”
“Her name?”
The wolf looked at Niamh. “Niamh Caledonia MacLennan.”
