“We both know nothing lasts forever. Come on.”
I lead her to my walk-in closet.
“Witch, you’ve been holding out on me.” She runs her hands over the clothes as she walks the length of a fashionista’s wet dream.
“This is all Gil. The vampire society is pretentious. Appearances matter.” I roll my eyes.
“Wow, someone more stuck up and stuffy than witches? After all the balls we’ve been to?”
“They’re on a whole other level. To be fair, their eras were very different from ours. When they get together, it’s a time to be with others who remember. I can understand it. I just hate having to slip into a role I’m ill-suited for and play dress up in clothes I’d never dress myself in. It’s all too easy to lose yourself when you’re living like that. I won’t let that happen again.” I shake my head, thinking of the frazzled, confused state I was in when I left.
“I know you won’t. I wouldn’t let you. Neither would Sacha. You have anchors now. We’re here to help, but you have to open up to us. I get that it’s a lot and you feel like you need to do it alone, but believe me, you don’t have to.” She holds the brightly colored dress to her chest. “We’re family. That means if you have a problem, I have a problem. I don’t give a shit about your unconventional relationship. Witches hating vampires. Vampires hating witches. Wolves and their Romani hate. It’s all bullshit. The world is growing smaller every day. With media everywhere, smartphones, video, and people taking notice of the paranormal, none of us can afford to go this alone and expect to come out unscathed. Our window of anonymity is closing. We need to prepare ourselves for what happens once the cat is out the bag.”
“Do you really think so?”
She cocks her head. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about this.”
I sigh. “No, I have. Eventually, there’s going to be no way to hide our way of life. If we’re not prepared to stand together when that day comes, they’re going to wipe us out. Humans aren’t known for tolerance for anything they perceive as different, and you can’t get more abnormal than us. Of course, if we struck a deal with the Fae, they could use glamour, but I shudder to think what the cost would be.”
She clucks her tongue. “Too damn high. Half of them are so bored out of their mind. They’d welcome the entertainment that would come from it like a television show.” She fingers a black dress covered in fringe. “Gorgeous.”
“Sad, but true. They are such strange, unpredictable beings.” I continue to riffle through the closet. It’s my first time really looking at what’s in here.
“I guess if we’d been around that long and were from an alternate dimension, people might say the same about us,” Fel muses.
I look at her and smile. Her light shines so bright it could blind a person.“You’ve got a big heart.”
“And iron ready, if it ever pops off. You never know which way the wind is going to blow with Faeries.” The vicious grin that spreads across her lips makes me laugh.
“There’s the ruthless woman I love. You get the first shower.”
“Thanks.” She walks into the en suite. “Holy shit. I feel like I’m in a five-star hotel.”
I laugh. “Yeah, Cristobal is a little extra in his tastes.”
She runs her hand over the marble counter top. “Does he have a brother?”
I laugh. “No, but he does have a daughter.”
“Damnit.”
I giggle. “Technically, everyone in his court is one of his children, so in that case, he has many sons.”
“I’m just saying, maybe I have been looking for love in all the wrong place.” Her laughter seeps from between the cracks in the door as she closes it.
It feels good having my family here. It closes a circuit, completing my circle. I’m comfortable for the first time since I found myself placed in the gray area in between the two parts of my life. I relish the peace. The Runes are already setting a new future into motion. I get the urge to read my tea leaves. Trusting my gut, I remove my shoes and socks and pad out of the room and to the kitchen.
“Where’s the sexy cousin?” Rene asks from where he stands, his hip leaning against the white marble top island in the kitchen.
“I love you, but if you hurt her I’ll have to murder you, and that would annoy Cristobal, so how about you do everyone a favor and keep it in your pants around her hmmm?” I pat his face, and he grins.
“Well, now you’re just making her a challenge.” He jerks. “Ouch. Did you just shock me?”
I step directly in front of him and narrow my eyes. “I’ll make that look like nothing.”
His eyes widen, and he laughs. “Holy shit, you are scary, aren’t you?”
“If you make me be.”