THIRTY-SEVEN
What?Me?
We were getting up and returning teacups to the kitchen sink when Declan walked in the back door.
“Hey.There are some construction people out here.They look like they’re yelling, but I can’t hear a thing.Should we be concerned about this?”
“Oh, shoot.”I waved my hand and two men stumbled into view, like they’d been leaning on an invisible wall that had disappeared.
“Bracken!” one shouted, making us all jump.
“Sorry.”I went out to the deck.“Really.So sorry.We had a meeting, so I threw up a privacy wall.”
I recognized one as a member of Declan’s pack.The other looked like one of the bear shifters Kenji’s family employed in their construction company.The men took a moment with that information.
“Good one,” the taller one said.“We could use one of those when we meet too.”
The other nodded.
Bracken stepped out onto the deck.“Let me walk you gentlemen back and you can ask me what you need to know.”
The shorter of the two, who was still at least six feet tall, bowed his head toward Declan and said, “Alpha.”
Declan patted him on the shoulder.“I saw the work you’ve been doing for my mate’s family.Excellent job.”
The man’s face lit up.“Thank you, Alpha.”He gave me a respectful nod, then followed Bracken and the other man back to the far side of the gallery.
Declan kissed me, his hand resting on my stomach.“How was your day?”
“Interesting.Oh, which reminds me.”I went back into the studio.“I had a dream about the baby last night.”
Mom popped up from the couch.“Is everything all right?”
I told Mom and Faith everything I’d seen, while Declan pulled the drawings from my backpack and placed them on the worktable.We talked for a while.Mom was beside herself, but Faith just stared at the drawings.
I moved to her side to see her face and feel her emotions better.“Faith?Are you sensing something wrong?”
Mom stopped mid-sentence, looking warily between Faith and me.
Faith shook her head.“No.Not at all.I was thinking that it’s kind of a bummer I was born too late to be your friend and too early to be theirs.”
Declan walked up behind Faith and put his big, warm hands on her shoulders.“You’re not too young to be Arwyn’s friend.”
I shook my head.“Cousins are closer than friends.”I laughed.“I mean, notallof our cousins, but you, me, and Frank?Absolutely.”
“And,” Declan said, “you’re the perfect age to be these guys’ babysitter, if you want.”
Mom put her arm around my waist, making sure not to touch any exposed skin.“She’ll have competition for that role.”
Faith grinned.“I think I’d like that.”She turned to me like something had occurred to her, but then she glanced at the other two and clamped her lips closed.
“It’s okay,” I told her.“You can ask.”
She tucked her hands into her hoodie.“It’s nothing, really.It’s just that that rumor didn’t make any sense.”She waved her hand at me.“You’re beautiful and I’ve seen pictures of you and Aunt Sybil when you were little.You’ve always been beautiful.Like your daughter will be beautiful.Why did they say you were deformed?”
Declan stepped back from Faith, his hands fisted.“Who said that?”he growled.
I patted his chest.“It’s nothing.Swans—we believe—started rumors about Mom’s sister Bridget, then about Mom and me to rattle Gran and get her out of the Wicches’ Council.As to why…” I unhooked one side of my overalls and lifted up one side of my top, exposing a ribbon of iridescent scales.They went from one shoulder, across my back, and over a hip before wrapping around my thigh.
