Exhaling in relief, Ash slipped her cell into her jeans pocket.
“I heard. Come.” He draped his arm over her shoulders as they navigated the pathway around the expansive castle. “I normally would’ve done this meet back at the abbey, but I figured you might like to see the women here again.”
Her smile widened. “Yes. I’d love that. I like this place.”
He snorted. “I don’t know why. My cave has the same comforts.”
“Unlike your mountain cave…” Ash smirked, grasping his hand over her shoulder. “This one comes with hot water, tea, and my new friends.”
He chuckled. The sharp crack of colliding pool balls shattered the quiet as they stopped at the open French doors. Sure enough, the Guardians were gathered around the table.
They were so intent on studying the balls—calculating angles, whatever—no one noticed them.
Oh, they know,Race said through their mind-link.Just being assholes.
Ash bit back a smile, watching as Aethan leaned on his cue, his eyes narrowed on the table. Blaéz chalked his stick with deadly focus, and Týr stood opposite, eyeing them like he planned to take all their worldly goods.
“Norse, you owe me a buck.” Aethan tapped his cue on the floor. “I made the shot.”
“What shot?” Týr retorted. “That hit went wide.”
Lore laughed, leaning on his stick.
“Because you picked up the ball, you cheating bastard,” Aethan growled.
“Are they always like this?” she whispered as they stepped inside.
“Worse,” Race drawled loud enough for them to hear, and all attention turned to them.
“Well, well.” Týr grinned. “Look what Bob dragged in?—”
As if summoned by chaos itself, a screech split the air. An enormous, long-haired gray blur bolted past them for dear life, pursued by two tiny, yapping furballs hell-bent on winning this chase.
Ash laughed and pivoted just in time to see the enormous cat vanish into the garden?—
“Ash!” A delighted squeal cut across the hall, followed immediately by a sharp gasp. “What happened to your arm?”
She turned as Kira barreled toward her but then stopped short, her hands hovering, mindful of Ash’s injured arm. Echo was right behind her, her mismatched eyes dark with worry. Then Nia appeared, offering Lore a quick smile before wrapping Ash in her familiar, fierce warmth.
Ash blinked back sudden tears as the women crowded around, fussing over her. “I’m fine, honestly. Just a scratch or two. Need a badge for my efforts in the war of dragons.”
“Liar,” Echo said drily, but her fingers squeezed Ash’s good ones tightly.
Race stepped back, watching as the women surrounded his mate. For a male who’d once revered solitude, he wondered how he’d survived millennia alone.
Her bright laughter, the way her eyes came alive despite everything she’d endured in his world, the magnitude of his feelings for her and hers for him…all of it fisted his chest. In a good way.
Aethan snorted as he followed Race’s stare. “We’ve all been there, man—hell, we still are in awe of them.” He nodded at the women. “So, might as well get used to it.”
The others nodded as well.
Fair enough.Race dropped the backpack on the couch and joined his fellow brethren by the pool table.
“How did it go?” Aethan asked. “We waited for your call. It never came.”
Race rubbed his jaw. “It went as well as one can expect in a world torn apart. You, Empyrean, would have likely killed my people with your whitefire?—”
“Yourpeople?” Blaéz leaned his cue against the table and braced his hands on the edge, one eyebrow raised. He and Lore both watched him like they almost knew.
