I blinked at him, certain I’d misheard.
“But you hunt monsters. You’ve faced things I can’t even imagine.”
“With weapons, training, and each other.” Casimir rarely handed out compliments, which made his next words even more meaningful. “You faced your monsters, alone and unarmed, for years. Don’t underestimate what that took.”
A warm flush crept up my neck, and I stared at his fingers in my stomach, unsure how to respond. I wasn’t used to being seen after so many years of being treated like furniture at best, a punching bag at worst.
“Still,” I said after a moment, “I need to be stronger. For all of us. I want to help with whatever’s coming, not just be something else you have to protect.”
My three husbands exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them. It was Koa who spoke first, his eyes holding mine.
“You don’t have to prove anything to us, Seri.”
“But Iwantto. For this call tonight, for whatever comes after. I’ve spent too long being afraid.”
“Well, if you’re sure, the call’s in an hour.” Zane squeezed my hand. “Plenty of time for dessert first.” His grin turned mischievous. “I was thinking something sweet. Maybe with cream?”
Something in his eyes made heat bloom in my cheeks, but I wasn’t sure what he was implying. Whatever it was made Koa roll his eyes and Casimir cough into his fist.
“Dessert would be nice,” I agreed with a smile. “Maybe there’s still some apple pie left from yesterday. That would be good with whipped cream.”
Zane burst into laughter.
“Apple pie it is, sunshine. With whipped cream.”
As Koa began clearing the plates and Casimir poured us each a cup of after-dinner coffee, I felt a flutter of determination. I’d survived years under Arabesque’s thumb. I could certainly handle a phone call with a man who was helping to keep us safe.
I had to be brave. I had to be strong.
Like my husbands.
#
The security room reminded me of a butterfly mid-transformation, caught between what it was and what it would become. The brothers had only started converting this room into a proper command center. Cables spilled from unfinished walls like exposed veins, computer monitors crowded a makeshift desk, and three rolling chairs huddled before them like eager students.
Zane snagged one of the rolling chairs, spinning it once before dropping into it with the casual grace that seemed to define his every movement.
“C’mere, pixie.” He patted his lap with a grin that made my insides flutter.
I hesitated, glancing at Koa who was already busy waking up several computers, his fingers dancing across keyboards with practiced precision.
“Should I get another chair?”
“Nope.” Zane reached out to snag my wrist and tugged me toward him. “This one’s perfectly sized for two. And I sacrificed my turn to Cas earlier, remember?”
I found myself settled across his lap, his arm a warm, secure band around my waist. My cheeks burned, still unaccustomed to even innocent intimacy.
“To save our topiaries,” I acknowledged with a small smile.
“Temporary reprieve.” Casimir stood behind our chair like a sentinel, arms crossed over his broad chest, face arranged in what I’d come to think of as his business expression, all sharp angles and unreadable thoughts.
“We’re connected.” Koa adjusted one final setting before leaning back. “Just waiting for—”
The largest monitor flickered, then filled with a man’s face. My breath caught, not because I recognized him, but because he was so intimidating. He had skin like polished walnut, a sharp jawline softened by a neatly trimmed beard, and eyes that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. His black hair was long and wild around his face, and his expression made my skin prickle with instinctive wariness.
“Gentlemen.” The wolf shifter, Foster Collins, had a smooth, rich voice. He nodded as his eyes swiveled to me. “And lady.”
I may have never seen him before, but something about him sent cold fingers dancing down my spine. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was surrounded by rogues at my old home, where I’d suffered for so long. Or perhaps it was simply the predatory alertness in his nearly black eyes, so different from the warmth in Koa’s.
