“Hey.”
Audor’s gaze flickered his way before returning to his work. “Hey. I heard you were back in town.”
Damn. Audor was angry with him. It wasn’t as if he had left town without leaving a note. Audor should know Leif wouldn’t completely abandon their friendship. Still, Leif treaded lightly.
He moved closer and eyed the gorgeous, finished wood pieces nearby. “These look amazing. What has you building up a storm?” Working with his hands was how Audor dealt with stress. He hated the idea that he hadn’t been here when Audor obviously needed him. This much furniture surely didn’t have a purpose in their home.
“You know me. I can’t sit around on my thumbs. With Frost gone, I have a ton of free time. I got the old website up and running again, changed the name, and put out the open for business sign. Tons of orders poured in. I don’t know if I can keep up.”
Considering Audor was a vampire who could move at speeds unseen by the naked eye, that said a lot.
“Wow. I’m glad to hear it’s a success. At least it’s not like the good ole days of having to fake an entire life again, retiring, and having a son take over the business.”
“That shit did get tiring.” He finally stopped working and focused on Leif. His gaze immediately moved to the mating mark. “Wait. Is this…? Are you and Aspen…?”
A bright smile exploded across Leif’s face. He had known Audor wouldn’t stay angry for long. “Yeah.”
Audor turned into the giant child he could be. “Yes!” He bounced up and down a few times before barreling toward Leif. If Leif had been a lesser vamp, he would’ve been taken to the ground from Audor’s enthusiasm. He hugged Leif and bounced again, taking Leif with him. “Yes! Yes! I’m so happy. Oh, my Goddess. This is so, so amazing. No one deserves this more than you two. I can’t believe it.”
Even though he smiled so hard at Audor’s excitement that his face hurt, Leif pushed at Audor’s chest. “Ewww. You’re all sweaty and stuff.” Leif knew he sounded like as big of a kid as Audor did. They were dumb when they were together. It was like they lowered each other's IQ by at least five points. “Save all that nastiness for Waylon.”
“Did I hear my name?” Waylon stepped through the door. While he smiled at their antics, he also looked confused by them.
Audor released Leif, but he didn’t stop bouncing on his toes. “Look!” He stabbed a finger toward Leif’s neck, nearly taking out Leif’s eye in the process. “He has a fucking mating mark. I’m so excited.”
Waylon’s gaze slid his way. His smile didn’t dampen. “Who? You’d better say Aspen? Otherwise, I’ll have to get my ass kicked by you on behalf of my pack. I can’t have you out here betraying a pack member.”
Leif laughed. He didn’t take the threat to heart. “Yeah, it’s Aspen.”
Waylon’s smile grew. “That’s really good to hear. I can’t believe I got the hottest town tea firsthand. This never happens to me.”
The way Audor smiled as he looked between them warmed Leif’s heart. He felt the happiness pulsing from the couple. Audor had been blessed with an excellent mate. That mattered to Leif.
Leif accepted a handshake from Waylon before he pivoted topics. “Now that I’ve ensured the news will reach everyone in town.”
“Are you calling me a gossip?” Waylon clutched his chest in a dramatic show. “I’m hurt.”
Audor snagged Waylon’s belt loop and tugged him closer. “No, you’re not. You can’t wait to get out of here and tell everyone.” He never stopped smiling even as he stole a kiss from his mate.
Waylon pulled away. “You’re right. I never get to be first. I’m taking full advantage.”
Leif laughed at Waylon’s genuine excitement. “My late mating gift to you. Feel free to use your megaphone and everything.”
They chuckled before Leif turned things to the serious side. “Tell me what’s happening with Frost missing.” While Leif didn’t know exactly where Frost stayed now, he knew Frost was safe. His concern was about the shakeup Frost had caused.
Audor’s hands rose and fell. “The demon Lucifer put in place at the ER is holding his own. Frost’s pack clients seemed to be oddly fine.”
“I don’t know what’ll happen when those babies decide they want out. A lot of these folks came here just for the shot at bringing a pup safely into the world. Without Frost…” Waylon shook his head. “I don’t know, but I haven’t heard a whisper of fear amongst the pack. Honestly, the entire situation is strange.”
Leif fought the urge to fidget and give himself away. He felt guilty as hell knowing something they didn’t when it was this important. “I have faith. Frost is powerful and kind. I can’t imagine him allowing any harm to come to anyone.”
Audor backhanded Leif’s chest. “I forgot.” He focused on Waylon. “Leif here is pretty damn powerful too. I mean, he’s not trained as a healer. But if push comes to shove, I’m sure there’s something he can do to help if babies start popping out.”
Audor’s speech gave Leif the excuse he needed to shift from one foot to the other. A nervous laugh escaped him. “Um, yeah. I’mnot sure about that. Like you said, I’m not a healer. Everything I can do is basically a parlor trick.”
“Bullshit.” Audor was always his biggest cheerleader behind Aspen. “You kept me alive until Frost could reattach my leg.”
“Barely.” It seemed Audor needed to clear his memory. “You lost so much blood, I doubt you remember much of anything that happened.” In truth, Leif had panicked. When Lucifer had caught them trailing him, Leif was certain they were dead. Lucifer plucked Audor’s leg off like it was a butterfly wing. Leif had snatched Audor and his leg and zapped them to the nearest empty cabin. Then he had basically kidnapped Frost and forced him to save Audor. Nothing he could be proud of happened that night. Now he was thrilled Audor had survived with all his limbs, but he hadn’t done the work. That was Frost. Leif stayed far away from the magic hero business. The first rule of any healer was to first do no harm. Leif was a walking disaster.
