I nodded. “That’s good to know.” And it really was. I was going to make a list later of everyone who’d backed the siren.
Croft raised one eyebrow. “You both caused a lot of trouble last night. The seethe is now divided. We’re voting next week on whether to break off into two seethes or remain as one.”
My jaw dropped. “Oh man. I’m sorry… I—wait, who would run the new seethe?”
Seethe lords, once voted in, ruled for centuries before they could be kicked out of their positions. It was a powerful and long-lasting honor.
Croft grinned. “Me. So I guess if that happens, I owe you one.”
I chuckled. It’d be nice to have a seethe lord and lawyer owing me favors. “Good luck,” I wished him honestly.
Croft sniffed the air then, nostrils flaring. “Molly, meet me in my car. I’m hungry.”
“Kay.” Molly’s voice drifted down from the loft, sounding more timid than usual, and my stomach squirmed. I didn’t like the idea of Croft sucking on Molly like a leech one bit. It didn’t matter that he was on our side, it felt wrong now that she was my friend. I’d have to talk to Molly about it later.
With one last glare at Brock, a final warning look at Cass, and a nod to me, Croft left.
Molly traipsed downstairs in a baggy t-shirt that fell to her knees and followed the vamp outside. This was one of the weirdest unintentional breakfast parties I’d ever had.
“Eat,” Brock grumbled, pointing to a stack of toasted frozen waffles.
“I can’t eat now. My Gran sent me a package!” I strode to the table and picked up the letter.
“Fine, but at least take your prenatal vitamin.” Brock shoved a glass of orange juice and a giant pill in front of me.
“Since when do I have prenatal vitamins?” I looked at the ginormous thing, wondering how I’d swallow it without choking.
“Since I texted Sabine to drop them off outside at 4 A.M.” He eyed my hand, probably wondering why I wasn’t swallowing the small boulder yet.
Ugh. I tossed the thing in my mouth and guzzled it down forcefully. Ow. Next, I took in the floral paper again as I ran my fingertips across the lettering on the front. Gran had the best handwriting, all wild flourishes and fancy loops.
I was about to open the envelope when my gaze flicked to Brock. “What are you doing?” I asked, the alpha was hunched over the box, sniffing it.
Straightening, he pointed to it. “This thing reeks of magic.”
Excitement trilled inside of me. Maybe Gran left me a ton of spells! That would be awesome.
Deciding to read the letter last, I tore open the box, but all I could make out at first were wads of bubble wrap. Whatever was inside the box was too big to be any of Gran’s potions, which were normally enclosed in pocket-sized vials. “Magic on the go,” she’d called them.
I exchanged a glance with Brock. His was wary; mine was still excited. It’d been easy not to think too hard on my Gran since so much had gone down after her death, but her loss still hurt whenever my thoughts drifted her way—something that happened often in her cabin, where everything reminded me of her, and the good times we’d shared together.
Leaving me something after her death was just like her, always thinking of me, even when I didn’t realize it.
‘Cass, are you seeing this?’I silently asked my imp friend, who’d returned to the kitchen to check on something.
‘Wouldn’t miss Gran’s parting gift for the world,’he replied, surprising me when I discovered he was right behind me.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from the package, from the items Gran had touched in anticipation of her death.
“Well?” Brock prompted. “Are you going to find out what’s in there or what?”
My finger trailed along the length of the bubble wrap, as if it were as great a treasure as whatever it protected. “I just... can’t believe she left me something.”
At the tone of my voice, Cass took a step closer to me, but Brock circled the table and nudged him artfully out of the way, so he could be the one to comfort me instead.
‘Hey!’Cass protested so that only I could hear.‘You better tell your alpha that I’ve had your back long before he entered the picture.’
‘Thanks, Cass. I know that, and I’ll make sure he does too.’But some other day, and it wasn’t just because I didn’t want the tiny imp too close to me, when all that separated me from his manly parts was a well-worn apron.
