Magnus felt nervous as he drove the customized Waldwyck Hummer toward the manor, not so much because of what he had to do, but because of his passengers. The last time the family had come up to the manor, Edward had driven the huge vehicle while Kimberly and the twins rode in the back.

This time, though, he was driving while Edward and the twins were in the back. Kimberly had insisted on taking the Bell 222 ‘Wolf’ helicopter up with Kristina riding in the back, giving her the full VIP treatment on her first trip to the manor.

“How’re you doing back there?” Magnus asked, glancing into the rearview mirror. “Everything cool?”

“We’re doing well,” Edward said, checking on the twins. They were strapped into two car seats, one on each side of their father, so that he could take care of them easily. “So you don’t mind playing chauffeur?”

“Considering that you’re letting me keep the chopper up at the manor after you and Kimberly head back, I’d say I’m getting quite a perk,” Magnus said with a grin. “You know how few people have gotten to play with the Wolf other than the Waldwycks?”

“I can probably count them on my fingers,” Edward said with a laugh. “Considering that I’ve only been in that thing three times.”

“Not the chopper’s fault you’re as wide as you are,” Magnus joked back. “I’ll be careful with it.”

“Probably a good idea not to push any red buttons on the consoles as well,” Edward noted, referring to the weapons that were an open secret. “But how much longer?”

“About thirty minutes.”

They drove the rest of the way up, Magnus, as always, feeling his breath taken away as they came around the last curve of the driveway and Lockwood Manor opened up to them. Three stories hewn from granite taken from the very highlands that surrounded them, it embodied the American Gothic style, with two huge wings connected by a central wing that served as the main public areas. Even after being half blown up, the repairs had fully restored the manor to its full glory, although some of the outer guest buildings were still being repaired on the inside.

“Jesus,” Magnus whispered, watching as the Wolf came swinging around the manor, hovering while the tricycle landing gear dropped down and it descended to a landing on the back lawn just as Magnus parked the Hummer. “Did you know she was planning that whole grand entrance?”

“Of course,” Edward said with a chuckle. “I’m just looking forward to when Valerie and Andrew can enjoy it as much as you just did. Come on, let’s get you and Kristina set up with your quarters, and then you two can join us for dinner.”

Magnus nodded, grabbing his duffel bag while Edward took care of his children, heading inside. “Um, Edward, where?”

“Take Valerie’s old quarters,” Edward said gently. “I understand why, but I’m tired of those rooms sitting empty around here.”

Magnus swallowed nervously. “Edward, Dame Valerie—”

“Wouldn’t want a room sitting empty merely because she died in this house,” Edward said. “And if you’re going to be our man who’s working with Kristina, you deserve quarters equal to that station. Now get your bags up there, and we’ll see you at dinner.”

Magnus took his bag up to the second floor, turning right from memory and going to the double oaken door, his hand running over the scar that had been gouged but never fully repaired. He was still studying the shallow scar when he heard a soft cough, and he turned to see Kristina, her own duffel bag over her shoulder, and he was reminded that this woman was silent.

“Kristina, it’s nice to see you again,” he said, smiling. “I guess we’re going to have that dinner together after all.”

“I thought the same thing,” Kristina said, her eyes still so intense and her face so regally grave. Magnus felt another tremor inside him. He still couldn’t believe how attracted to her he was. “Thank you for having me down.”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s not just a vacation,” Magnus said with a chuckle. “Kimberly did want us to earn our keep up here, so we’ll be working together on a maple harvesting side project that we have up here at the manor.”

“Syrup?” Kristina said, grinning. “Well, I hope we can make our own pancakes then.”

Magnus laughed, shrugging. “Where will you be staying?”

“Next door to you, I think,” she said. “They said the fourth door on this wing?”

“Yes,” Magnus said, feeling flushed. Next door? “Well, I think we need to get changed. I suspect that tonight’s dinner won’t be just burgers and fries.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

* * *

Magnus adjusted his tie, looking at himself in the mirror. He’d packed his dinner suit just in case, and he was just finishing checking the double Windsor that he’d knotted in his Lockwood emerald green tie when there was a polite knock on the door. He checked his hair. “Not too bad, if I say so myself.”

Magnus went over to the door and opened it, stunned for a second as the statuesque form of Kimberly Waldwyck in a full-length, form-hugging cocktail dress in green, her auburn-streaked hair styled and flowing over her shoulders, greeted him. “Lady . . . sorry, Kimberly. You look . . . God, I don’t know what to say.”

“You can say you’re ready for me to escort you to dinner,” Kimberly said with a knowing smile. Magnus was certain she’d been stopping men in their tracks for decades. In fact, he’d seen her do it to others before. He wasn’t attracted to her, but that didn’t mean he was blind.

Magnus cleared his throat, then chuckled. “Actually, I know exactly what to say. You look like the epitome of a true Lockwood Alpha, and our clan is lucky to have you leading us. So, I guess that means your mate is escorting our guest?”

“Of course. He’ll be coming to get her as soon as I get you to the dining room,” Kimberly said with a chuckle. Magnus stepped out, offering his arm, and they started toward the dining room. “You know, Magnus, you’ve got skills. Your words are as refined as anyone’s.”

“Thank you, Lady Lockwood,” Magnus said, falling into formal speech. It just felt right for the dinner. “I’ve tried to, even if I’m not an Alpha myself, learn from some of the best Alphas in all of North America.”

“You’ve done more than learn, my friend,” Kimberly said, warming Magnus’s insides. It was a rare compliment to be called friend by an Alpha, let alone your own Alpha. “You’ve elevated yourself in my esteem very quietly, but very highly. I know that Edward gets a lot of credit for his support of me, and I won’t ever take away from what he does, but I know the first filter is you. Keith knows it as well, and he wanted me to pass along his compliments.”

Magnus felt heat rise in his cheeks as he nodded, smiling. “If I ever become a high-level Lycan, it’s simply because of who mentored me. Your family has been good to me. Thank you.”

They reached the dining room, where a beautiful spread of Italian-style pork and pasta dishes were laid out, and Magnus wondered just how he could be expected to eat so much. “Lady Lockwood . . .”

“The plates are the size that my mate would eat,” Kimberly said with a soft laugh. “Trust me, I fully plan on putting half of it in Tupperware for snacks tomorrow.”

“That’s because you’re saving room for dessert,” Edward joked behind them, and Magnus turned, his breath catching in his chest.

Had he thought Kimberly Waldwyck to be beautiful in her cocktail dress? In his opinion, Kristina Darksky made her pale in comparison. She’d put on a silvery-gray dress similar in style to Kimberly’s, her shoulders bare and her rich black hair lying over her shoulder again, blurring the swell of her breast but making her all the more alluring. Her wide hips perfectly matched her shoulders and made her voluptuous hourglass figure all the more dramatic. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a more beautiful woman.

“It’s a pleasure to have you here, Miss Darksky,” Kimberly said, offering her hand. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s an honor, Lady Lockwood,” Kristina said, her eyes flickering to Magnus and staying for a heart-stopping few seconds before Kristina shook Kimberly’s hand. “Your kind offer to come and help out here is much appreciated.”

“Let’s talk about that later,” Kimberly said. Dinner started, and in a nod to Edward, the smaller ‘family’ table was left headless as Edward and Kim sat on one side while Magnus found himself seated next to Kristina. “Come, let’s just get to know each other.”

Magnus found himself enjoying every bite of the food. He was constantly aware of not only the food, but of the magnetic presence of Kristina next to him.

“Kristina, Magnus tells me you cared for the herb gardens. Where did you study botany?” Kimberly asked as she sliced through a thick slab of pork.

Kristina chuckled and looked over at Edward, who blushed. “Didn’t you tell them?”

“I told Magnus a little, but I didn’t know how you wanted to approach the matter,” Edward said. “You and I have no issue with each other. You know that, Kristina. I remember playing with you as kids, and I remember calling you friend. I still do.”

Kristina nodded and looked back at Kimberly. “Your mate is kind. Basically, I learned everything the hard way, self-study using the Internet and passed down knowledge. Ben Stormstout wouldn’t have allocated Aklark money for the education of a pariah.”

“Among us, you are no pariah,” Magnus interjected before realizing he’d overstepped his bounds. He looked at Kimberly, who only smiled and nodded.

“Magnus is correct. If Edward has no personal issues with you, then the Lockwoods see you as a friend and ally. I do wonder why Ben would send you down so easily.”

“Probably to keep me out of his hair,” Kristina said with a chuckle. “Edward can tell you plenty of stories about how I kept being the thorn in his father’s side. It’s what pushed me out of Container Village to a mobile home on the outskirts of town, and it’s why he was glad to get me out of town. Hell, it was why Edward and I got along so well. You always were the pebble in his shoe.”

Edward chuckled. “You’re the only person who ever called me that,” he said. “In any case, Kristina has been a pain in my father’s backside for what, a decade now?”

“Maybe twenty years,” Kristina said with a smirk, glancing at Magnus. “I’m thirty-eight, just to let you know.”

“Forty-four,” Magnus replied. “But you hardly look a day over thirty-one.”

Kristina laughed, the tension broken, and for the rest of dinner, the foursome chatted while enjoying the wonderful food the manor had to offer. Once Magnus relaxed, he realized he enjoyed talking with Kristina a lot. She was remarkably intelligent but also real, with a unique mix of sophistication but also straightforward honesty that said her knowledge wasn’t earned in a classroom. He was surprised at just how attractive he found her because of all of this, and as dinner ended, he was conflicted. No woman had quite impressed him as deeply so quickly, and he wondered what it was about Kristina that made her so unique.

After the plates were cleared, he was surprised when Kimberly spoke up. “Magnus, would you help me with something? I sent the rest of the staff home for the evening, and I would like to get something taken care of before bed.”

“Of course, Lady Lockwood,” Magnus said, giving Kristina a bow as he left. Following Kimberly, he was surprised when she, instead of heading toward the kitchen, turned left, leading him to the service entrance. It was chilly outdoors, and Magnus took a deep breath as a gust of sub-freezing wind off the river caught him in the face. “Kimberly?”

“I haven’t seen you react that way before, Magnus,” Kimberly said. “Not since . . .”

“Kim, please,” Magnus said, sighing. “Have you told your mate?”

Kimberly shook her head. “You know how links work. Edward doesn’t get what I don’t send him when it comes to memories. And I’ll let you fill him in. I don’t want to violate your privacy.”

“Thanks,” Magnus said, sighing. “Has it really been fourteen years?”

Kimberly nodded. “Fifteen since you first approached my father.”

Magnus sighed, shaking his head. “Doesn’t seem like she’s been gone that long.”

“She has,” Kimberly said, sighing. “Until Melanie, I’d never had a sister . . . but Andrea was the closest I had.”

Magnus nodded. “She spoke so well of you, Kim. We’d had long conversations, before we were allowed to be mated, when we’d talk about how much she liked you and how lucky we were . . . so lucky you intervened on our behalf. When Barwulf said that I had to become his secretary, I knew it was just a way to teach me the job before you and Keith took over. I was so proud. Andrea was happy too, and she swore it was just a matter of time until our children would become near-Lords themselves, second only to yours.”

“Do you still miss her?” Kimberly asked quietly, and Magnus shrugged. “It’s hard to miss someone like that after fourteen years.”

“It was hard at first. You got to watch me try to pick myself back up again,” Magnus said. “After the crash, I thought I was shattered. We were linked at the time, you know that?”

Kimberly paled, her hand coming to her mouth. To lose a mate would be hard enough . . . but to be linked at the moment of death? She knew Akiko Thornblood had been linked to her mate when he’d been shot, but Akiko was a multi-generational Alpha . . . “No wonder you were so distraught for so long. It must have . . .”

“It felt like dying myself,” Magnus said, shaking his head. “We’d linked so much, and it was so strong so fast. We shouldn’t have been able to link that closely over that distance . . . and we were young and stupid. I felt the car hit the ice, the way it slid, and I could see the bus coming the other direction, Andrea trying at the last instant to change so that she might survive. I could feel every bit of it, and I was too stupid to try to pull back.”

Kimberly took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Well, it proves something else my father said about you. He told me once, ‘Kim, that Magnus, we need him on our side, because even if he’s only supposed to be half-Lycan, he’s strong and smart. I’d rather have him as a friend than an enemy.’ Now, I don’t know about what it’d be like to have you as an enemy, but as for your being strong . . . I know a few Alphas who’d have been broken by that.”

“Thank you,” Magnus said, looking up at the thin sliver of moon. “Why are you asking me about Andrea, Kimberly?”

“Because in the whole time since her death, I’ve seen you with a woman three, maybe four times?” Kimberly asked. “And it was always just physical with you, even if you didn’t let on. I know you well enough.”

“Yes, I suppose. For a long time, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to have someone in my bed again for the rest of my life,” Magnus said. “Your point?”

“You’ve never reacted to a woman the way I saw you react to Kristina,” Kimberly said. “I mean, a purely physical reaction. I know they couldn’t smell it, but you’re giving off pheromones like it’s nobody’s business.”

Magnus shrugged. “Yeah, she kinda turns me on. But I’ve spent, including the two hours of dinner tonight, a total of two hours and twenty minutes talking with this woman, who I will point out is Aklark. They might have put you and Edward together, but that was for politics at first, and the rest was good fortune.”

“Two hours, twenty minutes . . . and you’ve got the next few weeks together to work together, to try to figure out what’s going on with the Aklark and Kenai, and to handle it. Magnus, more important than the physical attraction, though, I haven’t seen your eyes light up when talking to a woman since Andrea.”

“I know,” Magnus said softly. “Not really sure what I’m going to do.”

Kimberly raised an eyebrow ironically. “Probably the same thing I did with Edward when we first spent time together. Get used to her, Magnus.”