Osyrius chuckled. “No needless foreplay. I like that, Conner. Meet me tomorrow morning at the Tupilaq compound at nine. This fight happens in front of the entire pack. Winner takes all. Loser becomes worm food.”
“We’ll be there,” Ethan gritted out, before hanging up.
“That was short,” I noted, as I opened my suitcase to start unpacking. “Not that I’m complaining.”
My mate cracked a small, sad smile. “There wasn’t much to say. Don’t bother to unpack, Princess. We’re not going to be here long enough to make it worthwhile. I’ve booked our return flight for tomorrow evening, whether I’m on it or not. Do you understand what I’m saying, Millie?”
I did, but I couldn’t get the words beyond my stuck throat, so I simply bobbed my head to answer.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ve got a plan to get you out of this no matter what the outcome is. Do you trust me?”
I did. “Always.”
Ethan stroked my cheek and gently kissed my lips. His phone rang a second time then, and we reluctantly parted.
“Laurence,” he answered, this time, a genuine smile gracing his full lips. “It’s good to hear from you.” Winking at me, Ethan listened to his mentor for a few seconds before replying, “Yes, I think that would be great. We’d love to join you for dinner tonight. How’s six sound?”
Ethan
Millie looked like a deer caught in headlights as we approached the front door of Cascia House.
Stroking her long, beautiful hair, I said, “Breathe, baby. Laurence is going to love you. There’s no need to work yourself up over meeting him. He’s the most welcoming, warm-hearted person I know.”
Nodding tightly, Millie let out a puff of air. “I just wish I could have brought a gift. I feel so empty handed.”
“You’re all the gift Laurence needs,” I teased, pinching her rear for good measure.
Millie rolled her eyes at my sappy response, but she did relax some. When I knocked on the front door, I heard tiny footsteps pounding over to it, before it was quickly thrown wide. A small, red headed boy, no older than six, stared up at us with in gap-toothed wonder.
“Hello,” I greeted, smiling down at the child who was openly gawking. “My name is Ethan. I’ve come to see Laurence. Is he home?”
A voice from inside called out, “I’m coming! Sam, please invite our guests inside. I have to finish up a few things in the kitchen first. I’ll be right out.”
I’d recognize that warm, booming voice anywhere. It was my mentor. My friend. The man who’d raised me like his own. Laurence.
Sam stood aside and let us enter the familiar old home. To my chagrin, everything looked, and smelled, fairly similar to how it had been when I was a kid. The same bare, knotty pine covered the walls and made up the built-in shelves. The pictures of the kids on the wall, albeit with far more of them adorning it than when I was here, were hung exactly how Iremembered them. And the gingham curtains, though faded over time, were just as tacky as ever. The only difference I could see was the furniture set. With this many boys coming and going, I’m sure Laurence couldn’t keep a sofa for more than two years running.
Like a woodland creature, the tiny boy named Sam melted into the corner of the room, watching us with a healthy dose of cautious curiosity while Millie started searching the portraits for mine.
As my mate scanned the many photos spanning several decades, a tall, white-haired gentleman with a thick like-colored beard entered the living room from the kitchen. Though Laurence was an elder, he was still powerfully built and had an aura about him that said it wouldn’t be wise to test him on any level.
“Ethan! How are you, son?” The man gave me a full on bearhug, soundly thumping me on the back as we embraced. Next, he turned to Milie. “This must be your beautiful mate. I’ve heard a lot about you, young lady. So good to finally meet you.”
Millie blushed and went to shake the man’s hand. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her small shoulders and gave them a hearty squeeze.
“Where are the boys?” Laurence inquired, glancing around the room as though they might materialize out of thin air. “I thought for sure they’d be with you.”
“We couldn’t all fit in the rental car, so they dropped us off here first. They plan to meet us over at the restaurant. Flint wanted to scout it out before we brought Millie there in case the Tupilaqs tried to start something before tomorrow.”
I was careful not to say any more than that because of the tiny ears listening in the shadows.
“I was hoping to introduce the young ones to them,” Laurence spoke, disappointment rife in his tone.
“Perhaps they can meet everyone after dinner,” I offered, though I doubted Stark or Flint would want to.
As much as they both loved Laurence, they had a difficult time coming back to Alaska, albeit for different reasons. Colt, however, was a different story. He loved spending time with Lawrence and the boys and did so whenever he came home for a visit.
Laurence sighed, like he knew that wish was a lost cause. “Maybe.”
