Kat took a deep breath, silently agreeing with Connor about the aromas. Whatever was cooking on the grills made her mouth water like crazy. She couldn’t pick up all the individual scents like she had when she was a cat, but it still smelled absolutely delicious. She couldn’t wait to sample everything, especially since now she’d be able to partake in all the different barbecue sauces without everyone complaining they were bad for her.
She glanced over to see Trevor manning the grills, five of the things all going at once, the fragrant smoke swirling around him as he deftly moved from one grill to the next, stirring and flipping as required. Beside him, Hale said something, but Trevor grinned and shook his head, replying something that looked along the lines ofnah, I got this. Hale laughed, then turned to walk over to one of the many picnic tables, his steps noticeably slower than normal, courtesy of a warlock who’d broken his legs again. Kat had seen more werewolves in the Pack than she cared to remember damaged beyond belief since coming to Dallas, but none of them had ever been injured so badly that they’d still been limping days later. It made her realize once again how close she’d come to losing someone she cared for. Thankfully, all of them were okay.
Pushing that heartrending thought aside, Kat instead took in all the love and happiness filling the compound. There were probably forty people here today, some playing volleyball, others sitting at the tables, while several kids ran around with Tuffie and the other pets that belonged to various members of the Pack. Sandoval and the other detectives from Missing Persons who’d helped out that night were there, too, as well as Addy, Ben, the other rescued teens, and their families.
Sandoval and the other detectives from Missing Persons had stayed in close contact with all the rescued kids, stepping up to organize a fundraising effort to help the Gutierrez and Freeman families repair their homes. SWAT had thrown weight behind the project, along with STAT doing some stuff behind the scenes. With everyone working together, most of the damage had already been repaired and their homes should be completely done in another couple weeks.
She smiled as the teens laughed and joked with each other, having obviously bonded over their shared experience, even if they didn’t remember most of it. The fact that they could laugh after what had happened to them was more than a little amazing, especially considering they’d only been rescued four days ago. But she supposed what they said about kids being resilient was true. Of course, it helped that the kids remembered very little about their time in captivity, and even less about the ritual in the forest. The only thing they remembered was Rachel telling them where they were and that they were safe, then being led out of the woods by Sandoval and the other detectives. While she hated Marko more than ever for what he did to those poor kids, she had to admit that their vague memories helped sell the cult story that Gage had come up with.
As she and Connor made their way around the compound, everyone they ran into gave her a warm hug as they welcomed her to the cookout and told her how glad they were that she was okay. It was a little odd being congratulated for still being human, but she understood and appreciated what they were trying to say. She was happy about it, too.
Addy and Ben ran past them, laughing and saying something about grabbing some burgers. They threw a quick wave in Connor’s direction, barely giving Kat a second glance. They had no idea who she was or the role she’d played in their rescue. And she was more than fine with that. While she’d helped save their lives, that didn’t mean she was part of the SWAT team. It was time to let Connor and the Pack worry about taking care of all the dangerous stuff out there in the world.
Although now that she was back to being human full-time and done saving the world, Kat supposed she’d have to come up with something else to keep her occupied—and help pay the bills. Connor had told her not to worry about money and that he’d be able to take care of both of them on his cop pay, but she wanted to contribute.
Before Marko had destroyed her life, she’d owned a shop in her hometown. It had been a rather eclectic place, selling holistic and metaphysical stuff, locally grown food, books on meditation and self-empowerment, even a few innocent charms and potions. It hadn’t been a very big shop, and it hadn’t made her a ton of money, but it had been all hers, and she’d loved it with all her heart. She wasn’t sure if the same kind of stuff would sell as well here in Dallas, but she guessed she was going to find out.
“You’re quiet,” Connor whispered from beside her, glancing over at her with concern, having apparently picked up on the fact that she was lost in her own head. “Everything okay?”
She wasn’t surprised he’d noticed her moment of introspection. He’d gotten pretty good at stuff like that. Perhaps it was the soul-mate bond they shared, but he always seemed to know when she was upset or worried about something.
“Just thinking about what to do for a job,” she admitted. “I’m still not sure about that Little Shop of Magic idea I was telling you about. Besides the fact that I’m not sure if it’ll work in Dallas, I don’t know if it’s where I want to put all my energies right now.”
“Yeah. Opening a brand-new shop can be risky,” Connor agreed, giving her a look that he probably thought was casual as he handed her a bottle of water he’d grabbed from one of the many coolers. “You know, since it seems like you’ve been getting more comfortable with this ley-line magic, maybe you could do something with that. So you can get better at controlling the power that comes off them while earning some money on the side, I mean.”
“Uh-huh,” Kat said, opening the bottle and taking a sip. “And did you have something specific in mind?”
It was obvious from the eager expression on his face that he did. She wondered if he realized how bad he was at being sneaky and whether she should tell him. Then again, maybe it was the connection the two of them had. Maybe it made it impossible for either of them to even think of hiding stuff from each other.
“Gage mentioned he might be able to get you a paid consultant position with the department,” Connor said, as if the pack alpha had brought it up in the middle of a hostage negotiation or something. “We’d have to come up with a good cover story to explain your presence around the team and the department, of course.” He flashed her a grin, then took a long drink of water from the bottle in his hand. “Since we obviously can’t tell anyone you’re a witch.”
“Obviously,” she agreed.
“And we’d have to use your skills sparingly so people wouldn’t get suspicious,” he continued. “But we’re pretty good at that. I mean, we’ve been hiding the fact that we’re werewolves forever.”
She nodded. “Valid point.”
Connor’s eyes danced. “And think of all the awesome stuff you could do. You can help track down missing people, obscure the team with that Look Away spell, even stop bullets in midair. Those are all things that could really come in handy.”
Kat couldn’t believe it, yet she was not only considering the offer but liking it. A lot. Especially since she was a lot more comfortable with the ley-line magic.
That night after the rescue—once it had become clear she wasn’t going to turn back into a cat—she’d thought about what she’d done during the battle with Marko and admitted to Connor that she had concerns about accessing so much magic. She even wondered if she’d lost the ability to tap into all that power now that the ritual was over. But she hadn’t, and as the days passed, being connected to the ley lines had become less scary and more comforting. That’s when she’d come to the conclusion that maybe being one with the ley lines wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought.
“Hey,” Connor said, taking her hand, concern on his handsome face. “If you’re not comfortable using your magic anymore because of the influence of the ley lines, I completely understand. I’m not trying to force you into this. You know that, right?”
She smiled up at him. “I know that. And you’re right, I am getting more relaxed using the magic from the ley lines. I think being a consultant would work. I definitely like the idea of helping protect people. I could also set aside some of the money I make if I ever do want to open that shop I told you about. And being able to work with you now and then would totally be a plus.” She paused. Maybe she should slow down a little bit. She didn’t have the job yet. “Do you honestly think Gage could talk the department into hiring me? Do they even hire consultants?”
Connor shrugged. “I have no idea, but if anyone can pull it off, it’d be Gage.” He flashed her another grin. “So, what do you say? Should I give him the go-ahead to make it happen?”
Kat didn’t even have to think about it. Going up on her toes, she kissed him. “Definitely. Let’s do this!”
She opened her mouth to suggest talking to Gage about it right that second only to get distracted by a murmur of excitement ripple through the compound.
“I can’t believe it. They actually showed up!” Connor chuckled. “And they brought Mini Cooper!”
Kat turned to see Cooper, his pretty wife, Everly, and their adorable lab mix, walking into the party, a tiny bundle held carefully in the former’s arms. The sight of the big, strong alpha cradling his daughter like he was terrified he was going to drop her any second was about the cutest thing she’d ever seen.
Within seconds, everyone was up and hurrying over to the newest addition to the Pack, rolling forward like an ocean wave. Kat couldn’t help but laugh at the panicked expression that covered Cooper’s face, as well as the way he protectively hugged the baby closer to his chest, like he was worried the Pack was going to knock them down. Thankfully, Everly was there to keep him in check or Cooper probably would have run off with the infant without letting anyone get a look at her.
