Given that I regularly woke at dawn—there had been no electricity in Kalevala and the days were short so we were up with the dawn and in bed by nine—I decided to forego unpacking the rest of our things. I wanted to bathe, eat dinner, and get some sleep.
“I’ll order takeout,” Kipa said. “You get in the tub and I’ll call you when the food’s here.”
He smiled. My Lord of the Wolves was gorgeous, just as handsome as the day I met him. That I was in love with a god still shocked me, and while one day I’d take part in the Gadawnoin to become a goddess so I could be at his side forever, now was not that time. And unless something happened, I had time. I was young for one of the Ante-Fae and in no hurry.
I turned on the tub and poured some amber bubble bath under the flowing water. I had to admit—I had missed this. And all the other amenities that living over here offered. Stoves you didn’t have to stuff with wood, water you didn’t have to fetch from the well, computers, and best of all, flushing toilets.
As I stripped, I realized that I’d actually put on a few pounds. I’d always been curvy, but now I was a little more padded, and that was fine. I still fit into my corsets and my tops, and that’s what mattered. My skirts were all flowing—I didn’t like pencil skirts—so that was fine.
I stepped into the tub and settled back, letting out a long sigh. Even the cool porcelain of the bathtub was welcome. The tub in Kalevala had been made of wood, coated with resin. I had never gotten splinters, but I was always nervous.
As the water rippled around me, the bubbles frothed into a cloud of wonderful scent, and I began to relax. I thought about what Herne had said. They had moved back to Seattle. I wondered how Ember felt about that. No doubt I’d hear all about it, probably sooner than later. But since they had moved back and they were recalling Viktor and his wife, something big must have happened.
I lathered up and leaned my head back. Before I realized what was happening, Kipa was waking me up.
“Raven, sweetheart, time to wake up. The food’s here.”
He smiled seductively as he tossed a towel over his shoulder, then gently reached down and lifted me out of the now lukewarm water. Kipa was sexual, and so was I, but right now I was exhausted, and he knew it. He carried me back into the bedroom and handed me the towel. I dried off, shaking my hair out as a light breeze played over my body from the open window. We had screens on the windows—sturdy ones that were hard to cut—and during the summer months we kept the windows open.
Kalevala’s summer was lovely, but the temperatures were about twenty degrees cooler than here in the Seattle area. I actually found myself welcoming a warm day like today.
“You look good enough to eat,” Kipa said, his eyes twinkling.
“I’ll take you up on that later,” I said, warming from his gaze. Every time Kipa was near me, I felt his desire. But he merely handed me a nightgown and a robe. It wasn’t late, but we were both tired from traveling through the portals. They could cause fatigue almost as bad as jet lag.
I stood on my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around him. Kipa pulled me close, smelling of musk and cinnamon and all good, warm, male scents. He was one of the good ones.
Herne’s cousin, Kipa, and Herne showed more respect to women than most of the men I had ever met. And yet, Kipa was passionate and sensuous and made me feel desired and cherished. I’d never been in a relationship like this before.
I rested my head on his shoulder. “I’m glad to be home. I loved Kalevala, but I was born here, and this is where I belong.” I didn’t want to think about the future. Surely Kipa would never be happy if he had to stay here forever, but I didn’t know if I’d be ready to leave when he was.
“Don’t think about tomorrow,” Kipa said, tenderly rubbing my back. “It will take care of itself. Now, come and eat. The food is waiting, unless Raj got into it.”
I smiled. “Raj will behave himself. Mostly.” And with that, we headed back to the living room to eat.
CHAPTER TWO
Next morning, I dressed in a lightweight dress that had a built-in corset top. It was hunter green and black, and would be cool in the August sun, while still looking good. I added breathable net stockings, and then a pair of ankle boots with platform soles.
“Ready?” Kipa said, handing me my purse. “We can stop on the way to grab breakfast.”
I turned to Raj. “Does Raj remember the times when Raven and Kipa had to leave for a few hours? How Raj promised to behave and Raven expected him to keep his promise?”
Raj thought for a moment, then burped. “Raj remembers.”
“Well, Raj needs to promise to behave again, now that we’re home. When Raven is out, Raj will behave himself. He can catch up with his TV friends. Raven will turn on the TV and put on the shows she recorded for Raj. And Raj…”
Raj broke into a grin that only another gargoyle—or someone who knew them—could love. It looked like he was ready to attack, but instead, he was just smiling.
“Raj promises. Raj won’t worry Raven.”
During the time we’d been away, Raj had learned that the warriors of Kalevala, who attended Väinämöinen, valued honor above anything. He wanted to be like them because they treated him like a little buddy. He’d started minding the rules more, and in turn, I’d given him a little more leeway.
“All right. Raven isn’t sure how long she and Kipa will be gone, but if it’s too long, Raven will let Raj know by talking to him through the Home Guardian camera.”
One of the first things I’d done before moving back was to contact Vixen and have them install a set of security cameras in the house, ready for when we got back. Now, I could see what was going on in the living room and a couple of other rooms of the house. If I needed to talk to Raj, I could just use my phone like an intercom. He couldn’t handle a telephone—he didn’t have the dexterity with his paws.
Kipa armed the security system, and we headed out to his car. He had bought a new hybrid SUV, and it suited him. Rugged and rogue, but with a conscience. As we pulled out of the driveway, discussing where to stop for breakfast, a flash of déjà vu washed over me—memories of driving into the office to help out Herne and Ember after I first met them.
