Chapter 15

Austin moaned and pulled Tulia flush against him. He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but he wasn’t going to complain. “You’re welcome?” he finally said when she released his lips.

“You and your friends went out of your way to be nice to my dad. Mom, too, but especially dad. That wasn’t easy for him, and I want you to know that I appreciate it.”

He shrugged. “We only did what any one of us would have appreciated had we been in his shoes.” It hadn’t been a big deal, but the smile she gave him—one that lit every part of her in sunshine—made it worth so much more.

“I guess we should get going, huh?” she asked.

He pulled her in for another kiss, then sighed. “Yeah. If we’re lucky, Stella will have a hot meal ready for us by the time we get there.”

Her eyebrows lifted and her lips turned down a little at the corners, making him want to laugh. His mate had a jealous streak a mile wide, and he loved it. “Stella is Brycen’s mate. And an excellent cook. Maddie can hold her own, too. She’s Luke’s mate. Of course, you know Charlotte.”

“Right. Okay,” she blushed, then smiled at him. Before he could tell what she was doing, she whipped her shirt up and over her head. Her bra came off next. When she reached for her jeans, he groaned, but all the while, he kept his gaze either above her neck or up into the sky. “Austin?”

His blood pounded hot and fast in his veins. “Yeah?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip, then grinned. “The next time I undress in front of you, I want you to look.” In the next instant, she shifted.

The air whooshed out of his lungs, and what little blood that had yet to flow south went straight to his cock. “Fuck me,” he whispered under his breath, then scrubbed his hand over his face. She was going to kill him. He shook his head. Men couldn’t really die from being so hard they could knock through concrete, could they?

Grabbing the clothes she’d forgotten to put in her pack, he stuffed them into his own. Tulia didn’t bother to hide her interest as he stripped down to nothing and stuffed his bag. If they had more time, he’d let her look her fill and explore him as much as she wanted, but they needed to get moving. With one final shake of his head, he shifted.

Other than a short bout of rain, the trip to Glen Farley was uneventful. Obviously waiting for them, Jace and Charlotte met them in the front yard. As soon as he deposited Marie on the ground and Brycen did the same with Jeff, Charlotte came rushing out, holding a robe open for Tulia. If he wasn’t mistaken, the bulky bundle draped over her shoulder had to be two more robes, one black and one red, presumably for his new—or soon-to-be—in-laws. He’d have to thank Charlotte for her thoughtfulness later. For now, he had to get the couple into the front room, now dubbed the healing room, so they could shift.

Jace tossed him a pair of jeans, and a second pair flew toward Brycen. Then, without batting an eye, he went to Jeff and knelt next to him. “I’m Jaceon McLaughlin, head of this clan. Welcome.” Rather than picking the man up, which was what Jeff really needed, Jace hooked his arm under his shoulder and helped him stand.

Jeff grimaced but didn’t say a word as he forced his feet to move toward the front door.

***

Tulia stood on the lawn, her mouth hanging open. When Austin had called where he lived an estate, she imagined he meant it in the sort of way a person referred to their home as their castle, but the place was a bona fide mansion. She tore her gaze away from the building long enough to see her dad disappear through the door, her mom following close behind.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Charlotte said as she wrapped her arms around her.

Tulia smiled and returned the hug. She hadn’t expected to see her friend alive, much less looking so happy. So well.

The door flew open again, and a woman so beautiful it had Tulia’s breath rushing from her lungs came running. For a second, she tensed, thinking the woman was coming for Austin, who stood a foot or so away from her, but the woman gave him a smile and kept going.

“Hey, baby,” she said before she planted her lips on Brycen’s and he wrapped her in his arms.

Feeling a bit like a voyeur, Tulia looked away.

“Ready to go in?” Austin asked. “We’ll make sure your parents are settled then find some food.”

Taking his outstretched hand, she nodded. Could this be real? She looked at Charlotte again who glanced at their joined hands, a huge smile on her face.

“You’re in luck. Since we had nothing to do but wait until you guys got home, we prepared a feast. Thankfully, we thought to thaw some meat in case anyone was injured and needed the extra protein. Once your dad has shifted, we’ll get him fed so he can heal.”

“Oh, did you guys make cookies?” Austin asked, sounding more like a little boy than the grown man that he was.

Charlotte grinned. “No, not today. Sorry.”

When Austin’s smile fell, Tulia almost laughed.

“Aww, don’t be sad,” Charlotte continued. “Stella wanted to try out a new recipe. She made a black forest cake using actual brandy. You should have been here. Everyone’s stomachs were growling at the smell alone.”

And just like that, his smile was back. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

The front foyer was as grand as she’d expect in a house that size. Everything gleamed and shone. It should have felt cold and sterile, but the giggles coming from behind them as Brycen and Stella followed them in and the banter of male voices coming from somewhere close by made it homey. Not to mention the smells of delicious food filling the entire space.

“You guys go ahead. I’m going to get the roasts for your parents,” Charlotte said before giving her another quick hug.

“Beat you to it,” another soft voice sounded to her right. “Is she here?”

A woman with brown hair and pretty eyes came in through an opening at the end of the room, pushing a cart with what looked like two big trays with raw meat in them.

“She’s here,” Charlotte squealed excitedly. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

The woman flicked her wrist out, and a walking stick sprang forward. “Well, keep talking so I know where you are,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, please. You know where every single one of us is. I can never steal a cookie when you’re on watch,” Austin teased.

“That’s because you’re always sneaking them and I have to keep guard. We can’t bake them fast enough to keep up with the lot of you.” The woman came straight over, stopping only a couple of feet in front of them.

“Maddie, this is Tulia, my mate.”

“Tulia—”

Maddie clapped her hands together and squealed almost as loud as Charlotte had only moments before. “So, it’s true? You’ve found your mate?”

Austin laughed. “It’s true. Tulia, this is Maddie, Luke’s mate,” he finally said.

Suddenly, the events of the past weeks closed in on her. The fear, the uncertainty, finding her mate, and now, all this, overwhelmed her. A tightness in her chest locked her lungs, preventing her from taking a deep breath.

“I’m pleased to meet you,” she wheezed out.

“Oh dear. Have you not let this woman rest at all?” Maddie admonished, her voice still soft as ever. “We can wait to become better acquainted. Take her to see her mom and dad. Charlotte and I will get some food ready, and you can take it up to your suite to eat and rest afterward.”

“Thanks, Maddie. You, too, Charlotte. I know you want to catch up, but Maddie’s right. Tulia is exhausted. We both are,” Austin said, preventing her from having to say another word.

“Anytime,” both women said at once.

The noise from the other room became more boisterous, but before anyone else could intercept them, Austin ushered her toward a huge set of double doors and led her inside.

The room, big enough for several dragons to shift and not damage the structure, boasted a large cushioned platform where her father lay already shifted. Her mother, however, remained in her human form next to him, worry making her features tight. “Everything okay, Mom?”

“I wanted to ask you the same thing.” She cast a quick glance at Austin.

For the first time in a long time, Tulia nodded and meant it. “Yeah, it’s good. Really good. Don’t worry about me. Just shift and heal. They’re bringing food in here for you and Dad. Make sure he eats it before he goes to sleep.”

Her father looked at her, and if he could have done it in his dragon form, he would have rolled his eyes at her. As if he would say no to a meal.

“You’re welcome to move around freely. You won’t be bothered in here, but if you need anything at all, give that rope over there a tug.”

Now that they had arrived, and the fear of being attacked was gone, the weariness of weeks of running and hiding slammed into her. Everyone had been kind so far, but she couldn’t handle anything more.

The double doors opened again, and Jace came in, pushing the cart holding the meat, not stopping until it nudged against the platform. There was more than enough room for her mom to join him there, too. “If you prefer something different, I’m sure Stella would be happy to fix you a plate,” he said to her mom.

“You’ve been more than generous. Thank you.”

“Anything for clan,” he said with a smile before turning to them. “Tulia, I’m Jace. Charlotte told me I wasn’t to bother you guys tonight. If you’ll excuse me, my mate has made me a proposition I can’t refuse.”

Tulia didn’t have to guess what he meant. The smirk on the man’s face said it all.

“See you tomorrow, man,” Austin said as Jace walked past him and back out the door.

Bone tired, Tulia did the only thing she could. She went over to her mom and hugged her. “Eat. Then sleep. I’ll check on you in the morning.”