“Are those… Snickerdoodles?” Mark’s nostrils flared as he walked into Sean’s flat where we been staying the past few weeks. He came right over to join me in the small kitchenette area, his hand reaching out to score a cookie.

I batted his hand away. “You have your own batch over on the table, these ones are for Effie and the boys.”

Mark paused and looked at me curiously, his eyes lit with excitement. “Did one of the guys get in touch with you while I was out? I haven’t heard anything. Did someone have a dream or vision—is it finally our turn to go visit the Phoenix?”

I slid a fresh pan of cookies into the oven and closed the door before turning back to my mate. “Not that I know of, I just…” My voice trailed off as I tried to figure out a way to explain.

“Let me guess, you just have a feeling?” Mark finished for me with an amused half-smile.

“Exactly. As you’ve probably noticed in the past, sometimes I get glimpses or gut feelings of things. Well... I was doing my morning meditation while you were out for your jog, and when I opened my eyes I simply knew with a sudden clarity that we would be meeting Effie tonight.”

Mark raised a single brow. “And your response to that was to bake cookies? Not that I’m complaining, especially if I get the benefit of leftovers. I just think it’s… I don’t know... sweet of you?”

“I feel like that little crew has done so much for all of us, they deserve a treat. And Ansh told us how touched Maon was by his gift last time, so I thought it would be nice to take him another one.”

I shrugged, looking over at Mark shyly. “Is that weird? Nevermind. It’s weird… I mean, who but me would think to take fucking baked goods to immortal creatures?”

Mark walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his sturdy embrace. “I don’t think it’s weird, I think it’s charming. But tell me one thing, why have I known you for nearly a year and never knew you baked my favorite cookies? That’s just rude.”

Chuckling, I kissed his cheek before pulling back to look in his eyes as I rested my hands around his neck. “I didn’t know these were a favorite of yours, but I’ll be sure to remember. You know, there are lots of things you don’t know about me, just like I notice and learn new things about you all the time. Such as the fact that your Maine accent seems to come and go depending on your emotions, or when you want to lay it on thick.”

“Ayup, I learned to shut it off when I’m in control. You’re the first person to notice that my accent only comes out when I’m doing it on purpose, upset—or aroused.” Mark punctuated his final word by rolling his hips against mine.

“Uh-uh. Nope. Not happening right now, big guy. I don’t want to burn the cookies.” I ran a palm down his chest, flicking my thumb over his nipple before settling my hand on his hip. “Besides, it’s only right that I should be the first one to notice that. I’m your mate, aren’t I? It’s not like you ever had one of those before.”

Mark looked distinctly uncomfortable all of a sudden. He swallowed and stepped back abruptly. “Well, you’re the only fated mate I’ve ever had. So… You said I could have some of these cookies over here on the table?”

I narrowed my eyes at his misdirection, but let it go for now. First cookies, then a visit to the Phoenix. I had plenty of time to learn my mate’s secrets—but learn them I would.

I reached in my pocket for my cell phone right before it rang, biting back a smile at Mark’s raised eyebrow. Even though my friends were used to my intuitive quirks, it was still fun to show off every now and then. My family’s legacy gifts may have died off, but I still had a little dash of something extra about me.

“Hello, Ansh. Are you doing, hon? And more importantly, how is Aurora?” I walked over and sat down next to Mark at the table so I could snag a cookie while I took this call.

“Aurora is amazing, and growing larger every day. You and Mark need to come visit when you come out of hiding. But that brings me to the reason I’m calling actually.”

I looked up at the ceiling and let out a soft, knowing sigh. “You’re calling to tell me that you’ve had a vision—and our pack is visiting the Phoenix’s cottage tonight.”

My friend giggled into the phone. “You’re kind of spooky with how you know these things sometimes. You do know that, right?”

“I’m not sure if I shouldn’t be offended by that, hon. I mean, all of our friends have psychic abilities and you think I’m spooky… How exactly am I supposed to take that?” I chuckled to let him know that I was teasing.

“Because you supposedly don’t have any gifts, when it’s quite obvious that you do. That’s all I meant by spooky. Now tell me, I saw you carrying a plastic container of homemade cookies in my vision when you went through Effie’s gate. Are you making enough for all of us?”

“And you say I’m the spooky one, you little creeper. But yes, there will be enough cookies for all of us when we meet back here at the tavern tonight to discuss Mark’s and my visit to Effie. What about the rest of the pack, will they be able to get here in time?”

“As it happens, Clark and Kent were already here in Ireland visiting their brothers. Everybody from County Cork are headed up to Dublin as we speak, I called them first since I knew you were baking. And everyone from London will be in town before dinner so we should be able head to Effie’s right after sundown.”

“Like I said, you’re a little creeper,” I laughed into the phone. “But yeah, that sounds great–can’t wait to see you all tonight.”

* * *

Racing across the meadow next to Mark was exhilarating. I looked over at his wolf. Even in this form, Mark was solidly built with thick, ropey muscles. One of these days, we would roll around in the moonlight in this form, only with nobody around.

The soft white fur that lined his muzzle neck and belly begged to be petted and rubbed. The rest of his fur was a beautiful variegated mix of brown and gray shades mixed together. The orange glow in his eyes pulled it all together to make one gorgeous wolf.

“Quit staring at me and focus on the run, snowflake. You’re distracting me with those beautiful yellow eyes of yours.”

I raced a little faster, slapping him in the face with my tail as I passed him. What alphas had in bulk and size, we omegas made up for in speed with our smaller, faster bodies.

“Listen, little gray wolf, you can run, but I know where you sleep. I’d be careful taunting your alpha like that, snowflake.” He punctuated his words with a playful nip at the tip of my tail.

Two sinewy jaguars and a leopard raced past us, with Tau’s powerful lion right behind them. Jun’s compact red panda rode astride the Lion’s shoulders like a proud jockey, chittering at us gleefully as they went by.

“Hurry up, alpha. We’re getting left in the dust.”

“We’re fine. We’ve still got everyone else right here with us, and don’t forget Heath flying overhead. He could have flown to and from Effie’s cottage three times by now. Besides, no matter how fast they all run—we’re the only ones who are going in there tonight.”

I wanted to park or chuff back at him, but my mouth was filled with the strap of the duffel bag I was carrying. Mark had offered to take it for me, but there was no way he was getting custody of the bag that held the cookies. I’d been guarding it since the moment we stepped on the helicopter.

As we entered the woods, we all slowed down and walked a little more carefully. There had never been any reason to distrust these woods surrounding Effie’s magically warded glen, but those of us with even a smack of intuition all tread carefully with every visit.

None of us had ever discussed it, other than a joking comment here or there. But it was obvious that we all felt as though we needed to be on high alert in these woods for whatever reason.

I think that’s probably why the whole pack accompanied whatever duo was on deck for each mission, although that could also be for solidarity. This whole concept of all for one and one for all was new for me after having spent my short adult life being a lone wolf.

And before that, my omega dad who’d raised me as a single parent had never stayed anywhere long enough for us to meet the neighbors. No, dad and I had always been two wolves alone in the world with no permanent address.

I glanced over at Mark, realizing all of a sudden that this too would likely be another change that I would be experiencing soon. When all this was over, it would be time to put down roots with my mate.

Hopefully, I would figure out how exactly that was done before the time came.

“River, you still with me?”

At the sound of Mark’s voice in my head, I looked up to realize that we were passing through the trees that separated us from Effie’s cottage. Once we’d all cleared the tree line, our friends took up protective guardian positions with their backs to the cottage, while Mark and I walked closer to the fence.

Mark shifted first, in a blur of fur and skin, claws and limbs, until a very naked alpha stood before me. He reached out a hand for the duffel that I still held in my mouth. As he took the bag, his other hand scratched behind my wolf’s ears.

“Ayup, it sure would be handy to have Ethan’s talent right about now to mind speak with you. But I don’t have that in human form, as we both know. So how about you shift back into a human, so we can talk while we put on our clothes and prepare to go meet a quartet of magical creatures?”

I grinned up at my mate, which in this form probably looked a little something like a silly overgrown dog with my tongue lolling out the side of my mouth… until I affected my own shift.

Legacy descendent or not, psychically gifted or not, there was nothing more magical than this moment for me. Feeling my bones and muscles stretch and reform from animal bones into a human body? To me, this was the purest form of elemental magic—shifting from a sinewy, furry animal into flesh and bones. Fucking amazing.

By the time I’d completed my shift, Mark was already pulling his pants up and fastening them. He tipped his chin toward the duffel on the ground beside him, where my own clothes sat neatly on top waiting for me.

“You okay, snowflake? You seemed deep in thought there.”

I pulled my pants up as I leaned forward to give Mark a quick kiss. “I’m good, just thinking about, you know, stuff and things. Nothing too deep, but then I’m not all that deep a person.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed slightly. “River, I think everybody here knows that you are pretty fucking deep. You don’t have to tell me your thoughts. But know that when you’re ready, I’ll listen. Until then, feel free to tell me if it’s none of my fucking business.”

I pulled my shirt over my head and pulled my hair free, twisting it into a low bun at the back of my head while I gave Mark a half smile.

“It’s not that it’s none of your fucking business, it’s just that my thoughts were all over the place, you know? Some deep, some inconsequential…” I trailed off with a shrug.

Mark stepped into his shoes then reached forward to take my hands in his. “Okay, so you were woolgathering. I get that. But I didn’t want you to put yourself down and say that your thoughts weren’t deep, or blow them off as if they didn’t matter. Everything you think matters to me—because you matter.”

All of a sudden, I didn’t regret the months on end that I’d waited for Mark to notice me or for the fates to decide to let us scent each other.

No, there was something to be said for having had the time to get to know this man. I leaned forward and rubbed the tip of my nose against his with a light laugh as I spoke.

“Okay, enough of this shit. Shall we go meet the Phoenix now?”

Mark’s sudden smile reminded me of a kid in a candy store—he was that excited. Who knew that Mr. Buttoned-Up would secretly fangirl over our impending visit? I released one of his hands to retrieve the tub of cookies from the duffel bag, then looked back at my mate with a nod.

“Let’s do this,” I agreed.

As soon as we walked through the gate, I could feel the thick, ancient magic settling around us. Mark’s hand tightened around mine as we walked up the path. Two incredibly gorgeous men stood on either side of the path in front of the porch.

The one on the left inclined his head with a gracious smile. “Maon told us to expect our final pair of visitors this evening. Hugo and I are slightly saddened to think that your trials are coming to an end.”

He tipped his chin toward the man standing opposite him with the moonlight shining on his coal black hair. I couldn’t help but notice that his pale skin was lustrous in this light. They both wore depressingly normal pairs of black jeans and plain T-shirts.

These two men matched the description of the gargoyle protectors in looks only. My brain was trying to reconcile the men before us with the crazy sexcapades I’d heard described, but I was having a hard time piecing it together. As if reading my mind, the other gargoyle spoke.

“Forgive us, Enzo and I have been in a bit of a funk these days. Our entire time in this place has been spent waiting for your trials to take place. We aren’t quite sure what will happen next for us, or if the goddess will even allow us to remain here as she has for so many millennia already.”

I hugged the cookies to my chest and tilted my head up to look at Hugo. “Millennia, you say? That’s a long time to spend here. Do you have any idea as to what you’d like to do next if you do stay? Or, what you would hope the goddess would allow you to do?”

Hugo heaved a sigh. “Not that long ago, our Effie was young again and Enzo and I once again got to pretend to be fathers for a brief time. Personally? I wouldn’t mind being pregnant like you are, but I doubt the goddess would ever make me an omega and allow me to feel life bloom within me—I am merely a creature made from stone, after all.”

I completely ignored the whole pregnancy bomb the man had just dropped, and instead looked between Enzo and Hugo before continuing the conversation. “Is it that you really want to be a dad? Or is that the only thing you can imagine doing from your limited existence here in this place”

Enzo answered. “I don’t know what else Hugo and I could do but be here, or if we would even have a continued existence away from this place. If it weren’t for the human’s computing machine that Maon managed to procure on one of his shopping expeditions, Hugo and I would have no clue as to what was going on in the world around us.”

“But what if you could leave here, have you seen anything on the computer that you would like to do—or any places you two would like to go? There’s a lot to be scene in this world of ours, you know.”

Hugo looked wistful. “Well, that would be different. If we could leave here? Hmm… I think we would want to travel a bit, and maybe check out some of those leather clubs we’ve read about.”

Mark snorted. “From what I’ve heard, I bet you guys would fit right in there… hell, you could probably put on shows.”

Before our conversation could continue, the front door opened to reveal a small elvin looking man with a large curly head of hair. He wasn’t much larger than a child, and honestly might have passed for one with his angular little face and large, topaz eyes—until you noticed his full chest length beard, and the hairy arms and legs that stuck out akimbo from his undersized clothing.

I didn’t realize how broadly I was smiling until the tiny creature smiled back. I was entranced by him. Maon was everything that had been described to us and more.

He stood there wearing a pair of fuchsia shorts that were probably two sizes too small, and a spaghetti-strapped yellow tank top with a glittery unicorn emblazoned across the front.

Biting my lip, I willed myself not to laugh at the bright yellow rubber rain boots that he had on his feet. Yes, I suddenly understood the Dobbie references I’d heard from our friends when discussing this adorable creature that stood before me.

Thrusting out the plastic container, I finally found my voice. “You must be the famous Maon! I’m River, and this is my mate, Mark. Our friends have told me about your wonderful tea services, so I took the liberty of making you some cookies to have with it.”

Maon squealed happily as he sprang gleefully out onto the porch to accept the container from me.

“Another present for Maon? Oh, you sweet boy! And how are our friends and their babies? My goodness, but how we’ve enjoyed every visit from you boys. But please, excuse my manners. Won’t you come in? Effie and I have been waiting for your arrival, I just finished pouring the tea a few minutes ago.”

Mark and I exchanged grins as we stepped up onto the porch to follow the brownie as he headed back into the house. Mark leaned close enough to whisper in my ear before we entered.

“Did that gargoyle say that you’re pregnant, or did I imagine that?”

I flashed a smile at Mark over my shoulder as I stepped over the threshold. “I’m pretty sure he did, yeah. And if that’s the case, I’m planning to ask our feline and ursine friends why they didn’t tell us already. I mean, they know we wolves don’t smell pregnancy as soon as they do, and my pregnancy will be much shorter. Don’t they think we’d want to know?”

Maon overheard our conversation and turned back before entering the small living room. “Oh, yes! You are definitely carrying a child.” He paused and tilted his head to the side thoughtfully as he stared at my flat belly. “Yes, Maon sees him in there. A fine little wolf alpha, he will be.”

Anything else that might have been said was lost when a breathtaking young woman came around the corner and rested her hand on Maon’s shoulder. She was about the same age as the younger members of our legacy pack, and stood tall beside the brownie. The top of his head was level with her full bust.

Luscious auburn hair cascaded over her shoulders, but it wasn’t her perfect hourglass figure, her long legs, or that hair that caught my attention. No, it was her vivacious, emerald green eyes with the hint of flame dancing in the pupil that completely took my breath away.

“Hello, friends. Welcome to my home. I am Effie and you’ve already met Maon, I see. Won’t you come in and have a seat? We have tea waiting for you.” Her musical voice sent a shiver up my spine as I eagerly stepped forward to follow her into the living room.

This wasn’t a sexual attraction, or hero worship. It was more like she was the flame, and I was a moth drawn to her light. I glanced back to see that Mark appeared every bit as spellbound as I felt. I reached back to take his hand again, needing to feel our connection to make it through this visit.

We allowed ourselves to be led into a surprisingly normal-looking living room where we took our seats on a dilapidated loveseat. Effie sat across from us in a wooden rocker, while Maon knelt in front of the coffee table to serve the tea.

I smiled when he gave each of us one of the cookies I’d brought. Maon bit into a cookie with a grunt of satisfaction. Once he’d finished, he meticulously wiped the crumbs from his lips and beard with a napkin before speaking.

“Oh, my goodness. How did River know that Maon adores sweet things with a pleasant bite of cinnamon? Thank you for your thoughtful gift, these are quite delicious.”

I inclined my head with a pleased smile. “Thank you for having us in your home. And thank you in advance for letting us bug Effie with our quest.”

Maon didn’t seem surprised when I got right to the heart of things, while Effie merely sat sipping her tea. She appeared lost in thought and completely oblivious to our presence at this point. After a quick glance at her, Maon turned back to me with a soft smile.

“It is no bother, in fact, it is the reason we were brought together by the goddess all those years ago. We are sad to know that our time here is probably coming to an end, but who knows? Maybe Artio will reward us by allowing us to stay together? One can only hope,” he shrugged.

Mark cleared his throat. “It seems to me that Artio will probably do something to reward you for your time here, don’t you think? You’ve done an important thing by just having been willing to be around to deliver clues for us.”

Maon’s oversized catlike eyes widened, making them appear almost comically large now. He shook his head quickly as he began to speak.

“Oh, no! It is you boys who have the important thing to do. You see, if the trials weren’t properly completed, the portal would have become completely broken and then the Fae would roam the earth once more. Not that all Fae are bad,” he blushed before continuing.

“But you see, the unseelie would come here to torture, murder, and pillage while the seelie would want to beguile, enchant, and entrap. We don’t mean to be bad, but too much magical power on this mortal coil makes for naughty Fae. But since you’ve made it this far, I can only trust that you will successfully repair the portal and we won’t need to worry about such misdeeds.”

Mark took one last sip of tea, then set the cup and saucer carefully down on the coffee table in front of him. “Forgive me for asking, but what about you guys? How is it that you’ve been allowed to have magic in our realm without going crazy or power mad with it?”

Maon waved a hand. “Because Artio only allowed us so much power. We exist outside of the treaty, and are here only at Artio’s pleasure. Besides, who would want to betray that beautiful goddess? Not I, not my friends outside—and certainly not the goddess’ favorite pet.”

He rose and held a hand toward Effie. “I’m going to zip into the other room and get a gift for your baby. While I’m gone, you should go ahead and quote the previous clues to Effie, that will unlock the final stanza in her head for you.”

While he turned and left the room, Mark and I exchanged a glance. At Mark’s nod, I began to recite the poem our friends had shared with us.

Once I’d begun to speak, Effie had immediately sat upright with her head tilting to one side in a distinctly birdlike manner. Her clasped hands were brought up to her chest like a young soloist about to perform; it was oddly endearing to witness. As soon as I stopped speaking, she replied in her musical voice.

Once she’d finished speaking, Effie leaned back against her rocker and closed her eyes as if completely exhausted. Maon had slipped back into the room at some point, I noticed when he moved forward to drape a blanket over Effie’s lap. He tenderly brushed her hair back from her face before turning back to us with a gentle smile.

He held out a handwoven bag to Mark while directing his speech to me. “For your son, I’ve given you a blanket that was knitted by Effie during her last incarnation. The blanket must only belong to him, and cannot be given away, thrown away, nor sold. It can only be passed down to his own child one day. Effie’s DNA is woven into this blanket from where the yarn passed through her hands.”

I nodded seriously having been told this by my friends. “Thank you for your gift. My friends told me that I can wash and dry it normally, because the DNA of the Phoenix cannot be removed by modern soaps, yes?”

Maon giggled and waved a hand toward the bag. “There isn’t much that could remove the touch of the Phoenix once it’s been woven into an object. However, you should be aware the child who sleeps under it will know only pleasant dreams—a particularly handy thing to have should your son ever find himself afraid or anxious. Just tell him to cover with the blanket and his fears will disappear.”

Mark raised a brow. “You say to just tell him, does this mean the blanket will work beyond his infancy?”

“Of course, it will work for him at any age—but only for him, or his own child.” Maon replied, also giving the reminder that the blanket should only belong to our son and his own children someday, as hard as that was to fathom in this moment.

I mean really... I’d just found out that I’m pregnant and the dude is already referring to my future grandchildren? Talk about surreal.

Mark and I rose to leave after first giving our thanks to Maon before making our way to the door. When we stepped out onto the porch, Hugo and Enzo were sitting there arm in arm kissing.

I hadn’t noticed the stone bench that sat off to right of the door when we’d arrived. Enzo had one hand buried in Hugo’s thick, black hair, and the other cupping his jaw. It was as if he were holding his head in place while he devoured his lover’s mouth.

Hugo’s hands had a white-knuckled grip on Enzo’s shoulders, holding the other man so tightly that I wondered if Enzo would have a scattering of half-moon scars from his fingernails later.

I looked away, embarrassed to have been intruding. Rather than this being a sensual display like they’d given our friends in the past... this felt like a tender, private moment that we’d accidentally intruded upon.

As we quickly made our way to the gate, Mark reached out for my hand and gave it a squeeze. I flashed him a smile and squeezed back.

This visit had been a strangely nice interlude for us—now it was time to go back to Dublin and share this last clue with our friends. It was time for the final mission to commence, so that the portal between our world and the realm of the Fae could be sealed forever.