As everyone disperses to collect their water bottles, Asher sidles up next to me. I'm not sure what he sees when he looks at me, but his grin falters. "You good, Pops?"
"Yeah, just a bit winded.”
“And worn out."
“Yeah, that too.”
“Is it the sleeping thing?"
"Among other things."
He bumps his shoulder against mine. "Want to talk about the other things?"
I glance over to where Orion and Rowan are walking with Eliza back to the house. Orion and Wylder are friends outside of the coven. I wonder if Wylder has talked to him about why he's avoiding me like I'm a particularly infectious plague.
"Not really."
"Cool, but just so you know, I'm here for when you change your mind. Or for making inappropriate comments at wildly inopportune moments. Whatever you need."
That pulls a real laugh out of me. "What would I do without you?"
"You'll never have to find out." He grabs two water bottles and tosses me one. "We're lifers, you and me. This is the way."
I nod. "This is the way."
We rejoin the group at the bottom of the back porch steps. Rowan has her leather jacket pulled tight against the November chill. Orion leans against the railing, his inner shifter furnace keeping him toasty despite the sweat and the cold. Eliza stands with her arms crossed, somehow looking completely unbothered by the cold despite wearing only a flannel long-sleeve shirt.
Asher takes a long drink from his water bottle. "Another training session in the bag for the Justice League."
Rowan grunts. "I hate that name. It sounds like we're all going to be wearing spandex tights and capes."
"No capes!" Asher says in his best Edna Mode accent. "Do you remember Thunderhead?"
I laugh at the vacant blinking looks from the others, thankful that I speak fluent Asher. "That's from The Incredibles. And he's right. No capes."
Orion grins. "What if we were called the Incredibles?"
Eliza arches a brow. "That would come back to bite you in the ass."
"What about Shadow Court or the Ember Guard?" Rowan asks.
"Too formal," I counter. "We're more a band of misfit toys than a court or guard."
"What about the Paranormal Incident Surveillance Squad?" Orion suggests.
Asher snorts. "You want us to be called the PISS?"
Rowan makes a buzzer sound. "I amnotbeing part of a PISS group."
A laugh bursts out of me. This is what we're about… this easy back-and-forth craziness, the feeling of being part of something, even if that something is off-kilter and unexpected.
Asher lights up with sudden inspiration and grins. "What about the Life and Death Brigade?"
The words hit, and I laugh again before I can help it. "You totally stole that from Gilmore Girls."
He arches a brow, completely unrepentant. "So what if I did?"
"I mean, it fits." Rowan tips her head, considering. "We're definitely dealing with life-and-death situations on the regular."
