I glanced at my brothers. Zane’s jaw was hanging open and Cas looked torn between wanting to shred something and wanting to kiss our wife senseless. None of us knew how to process this. Our father, who had trained us to kill before we could drive, had apparently been charmed by our guileless beloved.
“Oh, and guess what?”
In her burst of excitement, Seri pushed herself up and straddled my waist, seeming not to notice how our groins were now only separated by her jeans and my cargo pants. My body noticed and responded instantly, and I gritted my teeth, trying to focus on her words as I bracketed her waist with my hands.
“Sebastian told me about how you chose your last name! About the ancient Cimmerian people. He said you made something powerful out of the name, something that belongs to you, and now it belongs to me, too.”
Her smile hit me like a physical blow. In the years after her death, my mother had become a story Lucian rarely told, a gentle human who had loved books and history, who had taught us about ancient civilizations before bedtime. The Cimmerians, a warrior people shrouded in mystery, had been her favorite tale. Taking that name had been our biggest act of unified defiance and a huge step toward our autonomy.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and it’s lovely. It sounds like home when I say Serafina Cimmerian.” She looked down at me, her curls falling forward to frame her face. “I like being a Cimmerian.”
“We like you being a Cimmerian, too,” I choked out, my throat tight around unshed tears.
Then Casimir surged to his feet, lifting her high against his chest, and her startled yelp dissolved into a sigh.
“Simmy,” she whispered, fingers combing through his coming-undone bun. “Your heart’s galloping.”
He buried his face in her throat, a choked sound escaping, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. My brother, who had been a statue for as long as I could remember, held her like she was the last solid thing in a drowning world. My hand found Zane’s shoulder, our silent pact to pretend we didn’t notice his shaking shoulders. Instead, we smiled at each other, genuine smiles without the usual edge of competition or sarcasm.
She was our home, now and forever.
Then Brummy whined at the indignity of abandoned belly rubs. He came over and plopped heavily on my stomach. As I let out a quiet huff, Z threw himself on the pile with a war cry, and soon we were wrestling around, Brumous’ tail whipping back and forth like a furry windshield wiper.
Cas finally set Seri down and turned his back so we couldn’t see him wiping his face as he gruffly told us to stop overstimulating the wolf.
With a peal of laughter, Seri bellyflopped on Zane, and he pretended she had knocked the wind out of him to earn a kiss of apology. Giggling, she pressed her lips to his forehead, then his nose, then finally his mouth in a series of playful pecks that had him reaching for her like a man possessed.
I lay back in the grass, watching clouds drift across the late afternoon sky, Brummy curled against my side. The wolf’s breathing had slowed, his eyelids drooping as the excitement caught up with him. In the corner of my vision, I saw Cas repacking the picnic basket, more relaxed than ever. Seri and Zane were tangled together on the blanket, his chuckles and her laughter punctuating the air like music.
For the first time in many years, I remembered what peace felt like. Not just the absence of danger, but the presence of a precious treasure, one we loved with all the ferocity burning within us, a bond that we would defend with every ounce of our strength.
10. With My Mates
Seri
I twirled my fork through the last few strands of spaghetti, savoring the rich, garlicky scent that filled our dining room. My husbands were discussing what sounded like business.Importantbusiness, by the way Casimir’s shoulders tensed and Zane’s usual smirk flattened into a straight line. My appetite, only recently recovered from months of near-starvation, faltered under the weight of their serious expressions.
“Seri, we have a call scheduled tonight,” Casimir said, placing his napkin beside his empty plate. “With Foster Collins.”
I paused, wondering if I should know the name, then decided to just ask. My mind had slipped a lot today, and I blamed it on all the walking I’d done, although Zane had given me a piggyback ride all the way home from the woods when I couldn’t get off of the picnic blanket.
Stupid siphoning,I grumbled to myself with rare sulkiness.
“Who’s Foster Collins?”
“A wolf shifter.” Koa’s eyes met mine across the table. “He’s currently positioned where we need him to be.”
The hesitation in his voice made me set down my fork. Something in their carefully measured words felt like they were handling me with kid gloves, a sensation I was growing less fond of by the day. I might have endured years under Arabesque’s cruelty, but I wasn’t made of glass.
“Just tell me. Please don’t tiptoe around me.”
Casimir’s green eyes softened just a fraction.
“Foster’s past is mysterious at best, but he’s an ally who has proven useful on several occasions.”
“By ‘useful,’ Cas means he has a knack for getting into places where nobody wants him.” Zane leaned back in his chair, balancing on two legs. “Not unlike yours truly.”
He winked, and the corners of my lips curled up.
