Faster, baby. I can’t take it. You feel so good.
“Good morning, Anne. Long night?”
Rosalia was ready with her basket and bright smile, a sight that always cheered Anne up.
“Great party,” Anne diverted smoothly, then mirrored the woman’s pace as they began to pick fruits from the surrounding trees. “Did you enjoy it?”
Rosalia giggled. “I enjoyed it very much. Maybe too much since I passed out in bed and woke up with a giant headache. How about you?”
“It was…memorable.”
Come for me. Come for me now.
Heat rose in her chest until her heart beat quicker. Her core throbbed, already aching when she should be more than sated. She kept her mouth shut, sure that her voice would come out as a squeak.
“It was,” Rosalia sighed, still oblivious. “It’s too bad a few of the men had to leave quite early when they should be resting, too.”
“Men?”
“And women,” the woman added. “Something about the neighboring territories and Michael getting in trouble. We haven’t had any threats in years, but I guess it’s been a long time coming. I just hope it’s not as brutal as it used to be.”
“Who went after him?”
“Oh, the clan leader always sends the usual people for retrieval. His brother had to go, though, despite being more efficient with territory defense measures.”
His brother.Nico.“Are they going somewhere dangerous?”
“I don’t know. I mostly just overheard the news because the heads like to keep the details secret. It’s to stop us from worrying. But Angelo will tell us if it’s needed, unlike our old clan leader.”
There was nothing to ask after that, understanding Rosalia wouldn’t be able to tell anything, and interrogating someone else would raise suspicion. It sent a tiny hitch in her stomach being in the dark.
“They will probably be back in a day or two,” Anne reassured more to herself than to the woman. “You said it yourself. There were no threats in years.”
“Yep. Would you like to make fruit pie with me?”
“Sure.”
They made fruit pie. They made other pies and assisted in planting even more tropical trees, expanding beyond the clearing until they needed another clearing. The days went by and there was no sign of Nico. When it felt like she was out of her depth, she switched to visiting the other clan members who also had duties to fulfill.
“How do you study and guard the forest at the same time?”
Charlie looked up from his spot on a branch at her approach but didn’t close his book. There were more books stacked under him and a load of open notebooks with aggressive scribbles. He squinted through his pair of eyeglasses, recognized her, and took them off.
“I don’t. I study because there’s nothing to guard. The barriers can detect sinister energy, and I have sharp senses that will warn me beforehand. Nothing’s ticking now.”
“I assumed all shifters can see well,” she remarked, pointing at the eyeglasses.
“That’s the worst stereotype ever.” Charlie finally closed his book and hopped down, bouncing on the heels of his feet. “And I only need them when I’m reading. Do you want to check them out?”
The book titles were already giving her a headache. “No, thanks. What was the last threat you guys encountered here?”
“Daria’s Fae King,” Charlie replied promptly. “A few years ago. He ended up marrying my cousin, and that’s how I met Daria. Before that, other Fae tried to get in when another Fae Prince sought refuge here.”
“Let me guess. The Fae Prince was mated to a Bennett?”
“Not yet at that time. But yes, eventually. She was the old clan leader’s bastard daughter and half-Fae. They helped build the barrier and make our protection circle easier.”
“Was there ever any threat who didn’t end up with one of your kin?” she teased.