“Yes. I just left the precinct.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
Major disconnected, then called Nikita.
“Hey, Cuz. What do you have for me?” Major recounted, again, the conversation with Brad, then he also told her about Tabitha getting shot at. “I’m ready for this shit to be over so Tabby and I can have some downtime.”
“Tabby, huh?”
“Yep. She’s my mate, and I’m ready to claim her.”
“Good on you. There’s nothing like having your mate in your life. Where are you going to live, though? Are you moving to Atlanta?”
“We haven’t had a chance to talk it out, but I figure we can split our time between there and New York, since we have family in both places. I know she wants to stay close to home since Anthony just found his own mate.”
Nikita snorted. “Yeah, that shit is wild. Fae and dragons? I’m a little sad Mads and I are here in South Carolina. We miss all the action. Anyway, let me get busy tracking down Cabretti. I’ll send what I have to you, Mason, and Everett.”
“Thanks, Nik.”
Major sent up a prayer to Zeus, thankful Tabithawasn’t hurt worse than she was, then he cranked the radio and settled in for the drive. Their jobs weren’t without risks, which they all signed on for, but the fact that his mate put her life on the line for a client was hard to swallow. Then again, their parents had taught them all about courage and protecting others. All the Gryphons and Gargoyles were lucky to have such amazing parents, whether biological or adopted. He couldn’t imagine being loved by his bio mom more than he was by his Lolly. Natalia was fierce yet fun, and she loved with her whole heart. Major and his siblings were lucky to have her for a mother, and his daddo was lucky to have her as a mate. Now Major had his own mate who was just as fierce. He couldn’t wait to see what the future brought them.
It was closing in on suppertime when Major was nearly to the safehouse, so he called Tabby to see if she wanted him to pick up some food.
“Hey, Hottie. I appreciate the offer, but Mason has some burgers ready to go in the air fryer.”
“I’m about half an hour out, so don’t wait on me. I’ll fix mine when I get there.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
When Major rolled up to the safehouse, Tabitha was waiting on the porch. As soon as he parked, she met him by the vehicle and grabbed him in a hug. “Hi,” she muttered into his chest.
“You okay?” Major pressed a kiss to her temple.
“I will be.”
“Something you forgot to tell me?” Mason, who was eyeing them from the porch, smiled softly, so Major didn’t think he was mad.
Tabitha waited until they had joined him on thelanding. “We’re mates. It’s new.”
“Congratulations.” Mason inclined his head to them both. “Come on. We better feed the monster,” he whispered. Tabitha rolled her eyes. Major didn’t have to ask who Mason was referring to.
“Now can we eat?” Craig groused.
Ah. The prima donna was back. Mason and Tabitha ignored Craig, so Major did as well. He followed them to the kitchen, and Mason pulled the patties out of the fridge, then put them in the air fryer. From the dishes on the counter, almost everything else was ready to go. There were baked beans, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce next to the buns and condiments. Cailín was mixing what looked like potato salad.
Craig looked around, then left the room, heading upstairs.
“I thought he was hungry?” Cailín asked low enough that only the shifters could hear.
Tabitha huffed. “He is, but his sparkling personality calls for a bit of drama. He is an actor, after all.”
When the air fryer beeped, Mason scooped them out onto a plate, setting them on the stove. They didn’t wait on Craig to fix their plates. Cailín grabbed everyone a drink, and they gathered at the table to eat. They were almost finished when Craig came downstairs.
“What did you find out?” Craig asked as he slapped a burger together.
Major finished chewing and took a swallow of beer. “Have you heard of Damian Cabretti?”
“Who hasn’t?”
