I certainly knew what it meant to have my comings and goings decided by someone other than myself. It looked like it was starting all over again, but this time I would be herded around by my sons. Having my sons guard me made it hard for me to ignore the bodyguards’ advice and do whatever I wanted. I had to set an example. “All right. Your Uncle Neil and I will go and do what I do best.”
Lee groaned. “Mom, don’t be mad. You don’t just shop and look pretty. I know what a badass you are, but you don’t understand this world yet. I promise when I get my fangs and claws, I’ll take you tons of crazy places. We can steal things for fun.”
“We’ll have a long talk about that,” Rhys promised. “And you’ll only be able to take her places after night falls, so remember that when you race into your vampiric life. Now walk Mom and Uncle Neil down to the shops and then check in with Sonja. She’s got our shipment. When you’ve checked it and approve, send them here and hike back to guard Mom. I’ll text you when Shy and I are heading your way.”
“Yes, sir, general sir.” Lee gave his twin a jaunty salute before starting for the front door. “Dean? You want to come with me or stay with my mom?”
Dean had his silvery hair pulled back in a queue and hidden under a knit cap. “I’ll go with you. You can tell me all about your escapades last night.”
That got Lee’s face falling fast. “Oh, that? That was nothing. I consider it a farewell to human sex. I’m going to hit the highlights.”
I groaned and looked to Neil. “He’s going to kill me.”
“You have no idea how happy I am that Brendan and Cassie are such angels,” Neil replied.
I heard Rhys cough, and when I turned Shy was slapping him on the back, a beatific look on her face. “Sorry. He got a throat tickle.”
Rhys nodded and coughed again. “Yep. Sure did.”
So Brendan and Cassie were normal, not-angelic teens. That was good to know since at least one of mine seemed to be trying to personify a couple of the deadly sins. Neil and I followed Lee and Dean out, and I felt the sun on my face for the first time in days. There was light in Frelsi, but it wasn’t the sun I was used to, and I tipped my face up to it.
“Enjoy it while you can.” Neil glanced down at his watch. “We’ve got three hours of this before it sets again. It’s winter here in the northern hemisphere, so there’s not a ton of daylight this close to the arctic.”
“It’s why we came here,” Lee explained. “We chase the night. That’s how Sasha puts it. We spend winter here, and then when the days get longer, we move to New Zealand as winter starts in the south. You’ll like our Kiwi base. It’s like the set of Lord of the Rings. But man, don’t call the dwarves there hobbits. They get offended and they are quick with the axe. Come this way. There are some decent stores up ahead. I don’t know if they’re good enough for Papa, though. Iceland isn’t like a fashion capital. But we can get you some warm clothes.”
It sounded like I would need them if we were going to spend all our time in winter. It made sense to chase the night since Sasha wouldn’t be effective during the daylight hours. Though he would be protected from UV rays while inside Frelsi, Sasha’s body required a rest period that followed the Earth’s sun. Winter would give him more time when he wasn’t in a daytime stupor.
I loved summers. I loved taking my kids to the pool at my dad’s house and having barbecues and going to see baseball games with my guys. I loved long vacations at the beach.
I loved spending mornings on my balcony with Dev and Danny, precious quiet time together before the kids were up and we needed to take them to school or soccer games.
“Hey, you’ve got your sad face on, and Lee’s going to stop talking long enough to realize it soon,” Neil whispered my way.
Lee was giving me and Dean the lowdown on the city, pointing out some of his favorite shops and cafés. I plastered a smile on my face because I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t enjoying my time with him. I definitely didn’t want him to think I was wishing he was a younger version of himself, that he didn’t have those scars and that eye patch covering his wound. That I wished he’d never had to come here at all.
“The bookstore is called Sun and Moon Books,” Lee informed me. “It’s kind of a meetup spot for the supernatural elements of this part of the world. It’s considered a place of peace, but that stops at the door to Frelsi.”