A tray of champagne sat on the little table by the window. I passed it and made my way into the center of the circle, smiling at Austin in his number one seat, and glancing at the others—Edgar in the twelfth seat, Mr. Tom in the ninth, and Niamh in the third.

I put my hand out toward the door.

“Please welcome our newest members to the circle.”

Ulric and Jasper walked in slowly, their path leading them around the outside of the seats until they reached the little flag behind Austin’s chair, a space separating him and Edgar, allowing the two gargoyles to enter the circle, one at a time.

Ulric went first, pausing three steps in, as though he were listening. Then he kept walking until he about-faced in front of the sixth seat, wiped another tear, and sat.

“He is your balance,” Ivy House whispered to me. “When the team is fraying, look to him to pull you back together. He has kept his head through much strife in his life, and he will continue to keep his head for this cause.”

I nodded even as he wiped away another tear.

Jasper entered next, pausing where Ulric did. He turned before walking to the seventh seat.

“He’s strong and stoic, he is loyal to a fault, but he needs to be near his kind or he will lose his way. For that reason, I am placing him near Ulric, who will keep as close to him as a brother. Who will pull the gargoyles together much like he will pull the team as a whole together when they fray. You have one or two gargoyles yet to come. Most heirs chose a solid gargoyle team, but this approach you’re taking is wise. Land and sky, many different strengths and weaknesses—I approve of it.”

“What about Austin? You never gave commentary when he joined.”

“You must find your own way with him.”

I put my hands out in an are you serious kind of way. That made literally no sense, given she’d just provided me with a rundown of the other two.

The silence of the room jogged me out of my annoyance.

“Welcome,” I said again, smiling at Ulric and Jasper. “Champagne?”

The celebratory drinks were short-lived before Austin approached me, face stern and chest pointed at the door.

“I better get going,” he said.

The energy between us heated up the air. “Sounds good. It was nice seeing you.”

He looked like he was about to say something, but instead walked past me, out of the door. He didn’t get far before I felt a stranger on the walkway.

“Man, what happened to a quiet life?” I muttered.

“Wicked, you can feel where people are in the house,” Ulric said. “And where Jessie—”

“Wait, Austin.” I caught up to him in the hallway.

“Listen, Jess, I really feel like we need to give each other some space at the moment,” he said in a gush of words. “We’re getting a little too close in the wrong ways. We just need to take a step back and regroup, I think. We work together, and I know you didn’t want to cross that line. And I’m… I live a solo life. For good reason. For an important reason. I don’t want to cross that line.”

The words were a machine-gun-fire affirmation of what I’d suspected he had been thinking. They were completely true, and more, they were responsible. I couldn’t help that they still hurt.

I tried my best to brush it off.

“Awesome, yeah, that sounds good, but wait before going out the door. I’ve got a visitor.” I pushed past him.

A man started when I pulled open the door, his brown delivery service uniform wrinkled and his truck crookedly parked by the curb. He eyed the scarred lawn for a moment before holding out a letter. “I’ll need a signature.”

“Allow me.” Mr. Tom stepped around me, took the letter, and held out his hand for the tablet to sign.

“Uhmm…no.” The man read his tablet. “Jacinta Evans. I need a signature from her.”

“Give the thing over to him,” Niamh said, passing by the door. “Since when do people like you care about your work?”

“Ignore that insufferable old woman.” Mr. Tom smiled kindly at the deliveryman. “Though she does have a point. I sign for the letters and packages at this house. It is my role. I am protected against those sorts of curses.” He took the tablet. “I’m sure you understand.”

“There is no way he understands,” I said, standing off to the side while Mr. Tom took care of it. I knew better than to fight him about it.

The delivery guy glanced at me from under his eyelashes, his eyes so pale blue they almost didn’t register as a color. He shrugged. “Whatever.”

Once the letter was signed for, Mr. Tom worked at the top, trying to open it.

“Would you…” I grabbed it. “I can open it myself, thanks.”

He scowled at me, sniffed, and re-entered the house. “Who would like some snacks? Caviar, anyone? The parents are gone and we have two new additions, so I think that calls for a little something extra.”

The delivery guy glanced at the tablet before making his way back to his truck.

Austin joined me on the front porch, pausing for a moment. “Sorry about that,” he said softly.

“What’s that?” I opened the envelope as the delivery truck started up.

“About what I said in there. Or…actually, the way that I said it. I came off as obtuse. I just have a lot of things going on right now. I don’t have a lot of time.”

“Austin, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” I pulled a second envelope out of the delivery envelope, this one square and a matte black. “You were absolutely right.” I met his eyes, tucking the delivery envelope under my arm so I could get at the other one. “We’ve been getting close in the wrong ways. You have your lone cowboy thing, and I want to keep things professional. We both know this.”

“It’s just…”

I peeled back the flap on the black envelope, looking up as the delivery truck started forward. The driver waved as I pulled out the card inside.

I waved back with the card before glancing down at it. My world went white and hazy for a moment.

“What is it?” Austin asked.

I pulled the delivery envelope from under my arm. It didn’t have an address on it. Not a return address or one for delivery.

“It’s from Elliot Graves.” I handed off the card as I ran forward. “Stop!” I sent a jet of magic, a wall, to drop in front of the truck. A hand lazily drifted out of the truck window, flicking. My spell vanished and, a moment later, so did the truck. Vanished like it had never been there.

“Oh crap.” Breathing heavily, I stopped on the sidewalk, looking down the street. “Was that Elliot Graves himself? He looked twenty! The guy I remember from before seemed like he was in his forties. With a goatee. That guy looked like someone completely different.”

Austin crouched beside me, then straightened up and shook his head. “No smell.” He brought the card to his nose, then the envelope that he’d taken from me. “No smells on anything. The best mages can alter their appearance.”

Austin looked down at the card before handing it over.

I took it.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Your growth is startling,

I thought I had you.

-Elliot Graves

P.S. Protect yourself. It’s a madhouse out there.

All I could do was stare. He’d been on my property. He’d hand-delivered me mail!

“He’s playing games with me,” I said, something in my middle clenching. “This is all a game to him.”

“For now.” Austin’s voice was rough. “Nothing changes. We still need to prepare. Given his schedule so far, it seems like we’ve got a couple months before his next move. That’s enough time.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be well underway with a pack by then, Jess, and you’ll have grown leaps and bounds again. In two months, we’ll be ready.”

I hoped he was right. Even if he wasn’t, Elliot Graves was clearly much too invested to walk away. He would come for me eventually, and when he did, I had no choice but to be ready.

“Best get some champagne,” I said, heading into the house. “It’ll dull the anxiety.”

Austin didn’t follow me inside, and I paused to say goodbye. He stared down the street for a beat, his body tense, as though indecisive. When I opened my mouth to speak, he sagged, as though defeated. He turned toward me.

“I’ll tell Mr. Tom to pour me a glass, too,” he said.

I started in surprise. “Oh. Are you sure— Wait.” I smiled, suddenly warm and fuzzy. “You’re using his made-up name!”

A grin worked at his lips. “A good friend asked me to. It’s hard to say no to her.”

I beamed at him. “He’ll be so happy. After the stress with my parents, he’ll really appreciate it.”

“Jess, listen.” He clasped my arm. “I don’t want to mess anything up with you. You are incredibly important to me. That’s all I meant earlier. I want to be the man you need me to be, not the mess that I am. A little bit of space will get my head back on straight, that’s all.”

My mother’s words echoed in my ear.

Well, that just sounds like fear, that’s what that sounds like.

I hugged him. “I know. And you’re right, a little space will go a long way. It’s good timing, too. I still need to make a show of sitting in the office so I can look over the house finances.”

A wave of tingles washed over me.

I’d asked Niamh about it like Austin had advised. When I sat at that desk, my first order of business would be to officially transfer the house to me. This wasn’t done by a deed, though. The transfer happened with a blood oath. The fate of Ivy House and my council would be magically tied to my life, and be my ultimate responsibility. If I failed in doing right by the house, I would die.

At least, that was what Niamh had said. I hadn’t asked any more about it. That had scared me right down to the ground. I’d need another moment to build up some courage to face that.