“Yeah, sure. I’ll be out in a sec,” I managed, trying to get a grip. Trying to figure out what was going on with me. This wasn’t a normal crush. This was… Magic had to be involved in some way. Or maybe I had a late-onset behavior disorder. Who could blame me with all that had happened in such a short time?

He nodded, said goodbye to Jimmy, and stalked out of the kitchen, a busy man with places to be and heads to bust.

A gush of breath exited Jimmy. “Wow,” he said. His eyes rounded as he picked up his fork. “That guy is intense. In-tense! Is that your boyfriend?”

“No, no, he’s just a friend. One of the first friends I made after moving here.”

Jimmy rolled his shoulders. “He’s big. Fit. He’s your age, though, huh? He looks your age, but wow. He’s keeping it together. I hope I look that good when I’m forty. Or is that just what shifters look like?”

“Not all of them, trust me. They can get out of shape just like the next guy.”

“When that guy looks at you, your bowels get a little soggy, am I right?” A smile worked at his lips. “He’s the type of guy you want on your side. Is he single?”

“Why, do you want a date?” I laughed, standing.

“If he’s single, you should go after him. I’m confident enough in my masculinity to say that he’s a good-looking dude. You could do far worse.”

“I thought sons were supposed to be protective of their moms? You want me to just jump back on the wagon?”

“If it means you’re happy…yeah.”

I blinked at him for a moment, surprised to hear that. “You’re not pissed at your father and me for splitting up? I know you said that, but…”

He shrugged. “You spent half the time fighting, and the other half ignoring each other. He was never home. He’s still never home. You deserve to find someone who devotes time to you and makes you happy. You seem really…” He flared his arms while wiggling his shoulders. I shook my head, no clue what that meant. “Like…light and easy. You seem more chill. I can tell you’re happier.” He shrugged again. “It’s probably for the best, you know? So if you are going to climb back on the…wagon, if you want to use that ancient metaphor, he’s probably a good guy to do it with.”

I mussed his hair, which I knew he hated. “You barely met him. How would you know?”

“I don’t know. You meet that guy, and you expect to be told what to do, and you just know you’re going to do it. I wouldn’t even be pissed to do it—I’d just get it done and get out of his way, know what I mean?”

“She doesn’t, young master. She has no clue what you mean,” Mr. Tom said solemnly. “She barely knows how to get out of her own way.”

I rolled my eyes, making my way out of the kitchen and into the front yard. Two dozen men and women waited on the street, dressed in sweats and loose shirts, standing in clusters and murmuring softly, clearly waiting. Austin turned to me when I stepped outside, his gaze sweeping my body before burning into my eyes.

I braced myself, not sure what he was going to say, how I’d react to whatever it was.

“Listen, I’ve been thinking. I might have an…unorthodox solution to our problem.” He turned his back on his waiting people, facing me.

I wasn’t sure which problem he was talking about. “Oh?”

He shook his head a little, flexed, and gritted his teeth.

Despite myself, a smile crept onto my face.

“Run your fingers through your hair?” I guessed. “Was that what you stopped yourself from doing?”

He looked down at me, mirth sparkling in those beautiful eyes. A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “I was going to brace my hands on my hips. This is a bit…” He shook his head, the humor fleeting. “The mage who sent that invitation might not be significant, but I think we ought to host him sooner rather than later. If we can grab him as an ally, great. If not, we need to make a statement, to rattle him to the point that his allies and competitors don’t want to mess with us. We have to be prepared in case of the latter.”

I let out a shaky breath. He didn’t plan to bring up last night. At least not right now.

Why was I so relieved about that? Why was I so nervous?

“That all sounds great, but don’t we lack the power to make a statement?” I asked.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I wondered… What would you say to pushing that meeting out a month so I can bring in some temporary help to fill my ranks? I’ll have the people on the ground even if you don’t have everyone you need in the air yet. When we’ve made our point, we can disband them.”

“Do they have that? Shifter temps?”

He swallowed, his eyes creasing at the corners. I finally opened the link, feeling the discomfort pouring from him. “I was thinking about calling in a favor to my brother.”

Ten

The words tasted sour on Austin’s tongue, but he couldn’t see any other way to make this work. Even to get this mage as an ally, they’d need a show of power. They’d need to show they were someone worth knowing.

But if things went wrong and Austin didn’t squish that threat immediately, it would be open season. Shifters from all over would think him weak, coming to test him, to invade his territory—more so than the normal startup growing pains. Much more so.

That wasn’t the biggest concern, though. If Jess showed off her power—and she would as soon as she did a spell—that mage would know what a powerhouse she was. He’d soon also realize how inexperienced she was. How magically naïve. How great she’d be to train up and force into a position on his staff.

It ultimately didn’t matter which way the meeting went. Austin needed experience and power on his side. He needed a steady, reliable, strong defense. He needed to guard Jess in case the worst happened, and with mages, there was usually a high probability of that.

“Would he be okay letting you pull rank?” Jess asked, her deep hazel eyes full of concern.

He wanted to run his thumb across her chin, then her lips. Given she wasn’t his mate, and his pack was standing behind him, he did neither.

“I can’t say for sure, but I’d bet a million dollars that he would. He isn’t like me. He doesn’t push for dominance without meaning to. He’s logical and balanced. And helpful. He never turns his back on someone in need.”

“Then yes, if you think it’ll work.”

He very nearly reached forward to grab her hand.

“Fingers through your hair?” she asked with a devilish grin.

He barely stopped himself from smiling. “You’re not great at guessing my reactions. What’s the schedule for your training? With the weird mage?”

“Oh.” The word rode a release of breath. “I want to spend some time with my shell-shocked son, who met you for only a couple minutes and thinks the sun shines out of your butt. I hoped to show him the town, or maybe take him to see the basajaun.”

A shock of fear coursed through him. He played it cool, though he couldn’t hide the growl. “Why don’t you wait until I can go with you for the basajaun? The basajaun can be unpredictable with strangers, and you don’t know enough magic to both combat him and protect your son at the same time. Just in case, I’d like to be there.”

She shrugged with one shoulder. “It’s pretty far anyway, not to mention we’d have to fly, and I’m not so sure he’s ready to be carried by a gargoyle yet. He is quickly coming around to magic, but that might be pushing it. So maybe we’ll do the town today and hit that tomorrow or the next day?”

He fell into that open gaze. She was so easy to work with. She wasn’t stubborn when someone suggested a change in plan, but would push for all she was worth if she knew her plan was better. He respected that. He respected her.

Which was why he’d unwittingly grown close to her over the past half-year. She’d slipped under his defenses and wound herself through his very person, touching heart and soul. He’d tried to put distance between them to cool things off, but the damage had been done, something that had become incredibly apparent last night when he’d lost himself to blind rage. Hearing that clown speak about her like that…

Rage kindled down deep, barely controlled, threatening to rise.

Mine.

“You okay?” she asked.

She’d pulled him out of it last night. She hadn’t goaded him on like his ex, Destiny, would’ve done. She hadn’t watched it happen in horror, either, too scared to intervene. She hadn’t even forced his hand, which she could’ve. She’d kept her composure, cleared the room, and brought him out of the darkness. She’d known exactly how to handle it, and she’d even helped him deal with the fallout.

The situation last night had left little doubt of what he had to do next. But he didn’t trust himself. Not when he’d made such poor decisions in the past. He needed a second opinion. He needed to know if it was safe to continue down this road, or if he was putting Jess and everyone in this territory at risk.

There were few things in the world he dreaded more than asking his brother to help him with that. But Kingsley was the person best poised to help.

“I’m good,” Austin said. “Let me know what time you want to train with the mage. I’m curious to see what he can do.”

“I’ll text you.”

“And I’ll let you know about my brother. Depending on his answer and his schedule, you’ll have a better idea for that RSVP.”

She bobbed her head, her eyes tightening again. Nervousness flared through the link. She was probably wondering if he’d mention last night.

His answering hunger made her gasp.

He about-faced and walked away. Safer to keep those things at a distance until Kingsley arrived. He had always been the logical one, preferring to think things through rather than rushing in headfirst.