“I don’t know how to handle social visits with you.” A furrow dug into his brow. “Usually you’re dying, at risk of dying, or unconscious on the verge of dying if you come to see me.”
Ouch.
“I’ll be running the gauntlet soon.” I patted his shoulder. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll lose a limb.”
“Or—” Midas glowered at me, “—we could invite him over for a movie night to catch up with you on the rare weeks you don’t require emergency medical intervention.”
“I do have a copy of Their Eyes Are Lasers on order. It’s the fifth in the series, but you don’t have to watch them in order.”
“They don’t make sense in any order.” Midas rested his hands on my shoulders. “I’ve seen them all.”
“That is a vicious lie.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Just for that, we’ll marathon the series when the new one gets here.”
“I would be delighted to accept your offer.” Abbott smiled until his glasses slid down his nose. “Cruz is awake if you’d like to see him.”
A nurse called for him, and he made his apologies to us before joining her at the nurses’ station.
Left to find our own way, we located Cruz’s room and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” A somber quality filled his voice when he spotted me. “You have more questions?”
The lack of curiosity about his spouse’s case set me on edge until I noticed the phone in his hand.
Sharp-eyed as always, Cruz clued in to my focus. “Anca is keeping me updated on your progress.”
Thank you, Anca.
I asked her to keep Grier in the loop, but I was grateful she had included Cruz in her notifications too.
It should have occurred to me, but I couldn’t think of everything. That was why I had a team behind me.
One it would break my heart to lose, if it came down to it.
“We won’t take up much of your time.” I entered, Midas following, and shut the door. “How far in advance did you make your reservation at Marx’s?”
“It’s a standing reservation. I come to Atlanta every six months to meet with an older client. He’s a bit of a traditionalist. Same day, same time, same booth.” His hand fisted in the covers. “Routine is dangerous. I should have challenged it sooner. It made my husband an easy target that night.”
“You couldn’t have known.” I read his self-directed anger. “There was nothing you could have done.”
“I’ve thought a lot about what it would take to protect him in this world where we find ourselves.”
This conversation had taken a quick left turn, and I was getting lost fast. “Oh?”
“I have the means to have us both resuscitated.” He let that settle between my ears. “If Neely…” He shut his eyes, steadied his breath, released his grip. “We’ve agreed it’s what we both want. If Neely requires resuscitation, I’ll give him time to adjust, and then I’ll join him.”
What he proposed wasn’t out of the norm. Most humans who planned on becoming vampires chose a point in their lives to stop the clock so they could enjoy immortality in their prime. But I would be the first to admit, I never in a million years imagined Cruz Torres choosing this path. Then again, the decision may have been snatched out of his hands. Neely would never agree to spend near eternity without Cruz.
Midas rested a hand on my shoulder, a silent show of support to help me get through this.
I hated to ask, to put the idea in his head. “If that’s not an option?”
“Then I’ll return with him to Savannah.” He leaned back. “And I’ll wait until his friendship with Grier catches up to me too.”
Midas and I exchanged a wary glance, murmured our goodbyes, and left him in peace.
On our way to the elevators, I popped my head into Abbott’s office. “Keep an eye on him.”
“He won’t hurt himself.” Abbott sounded certain. “He’s zero risk until he learns his husband’s fate.”
“As a favor to me.” I made it a polite order. “Please keep watch over him. He’s got a plan, multiple plans, for worst-case scenarios. I don’t want him to jump the gun and land us in a Romeo and Juliet situation.” Clearly, Faerie-born gwyllgi didn’t study Shakespeare. “You know, where Cruz thinks Neely is dead and reacts badly. Neely turns out to be okay, but it’s too late to save Cruz. Then Neely finds out what Cruz did and reacts even worse. And they both end up for-real dead.”
From the expression on his face, he was still lost, and I couldn’t blame him.
As far as plot twists go, it was a good one. As far as romances go, it wasn’t one.
“I’ll ask Lisbeth to ghost him.” He reached for the phone on his desk. “She’ll keep him safe.”
“Thank you.”
On the ride up to the penthouse, I texted Grier.
>I’m worried about Cruz’s state of mind.
>>Neely is his whole world. Let me know if you need help with him.
>I will, vote or no vote. His mental health comes first.
Midas and I settled on Ben’s Fried Chicken for dinner, to show Sue what made living in Atlanta delicious. Then again, maybe we should have hit Sal’s food truck and fed her mystery meat so she would run screaming back where she came from.
In our apartment, Midas and I took turns showering and dressing in fresh clothes. I set the table, which we never used, glad I had homemade cookies to offer up as dessert. Even if they were this side of stale.
These days, I could afford the takeout life, but it got old fast. Everything started tasting the same, and nothing looked good after a while. Only home-cooked meals held any appeal, but I had no time to continue my cooking adventures.
Maybe for our honeymoon, I could convince Midas to go away to a weeklong barbeque camp with me. I couldn’t imagine anything better than seven days alone with my hubby, all the meat we could eat, and a whole entire week. Alone. With my hubby.
Gulp.
I was going to have a husband.
How crazy was that? And pretty frakking awesome. But mostly crazy.
Would that make me Hadley Kinase? Or him Midas Whitaker? Or us Kinase-Whitakers? Whitaker-Kinases?
As much as it had hurt to be stripped of the last name Pritchard, I wasn’t that person anymore. I wasn’t exactly a Whitaker either. But a Kinase? Hmm. That had potential.
Six
Midas would never bring it to her attention, but Hadley was humming a mashup of “Bridal Chorus” and “The Imperial March” under her breath that made him worry for the mixed signals their guests would receive at the wedding. But she was smiling, a bounce in her step, and he wouldn’t have broken the spell for all the steak on the hoof in the world.
Sadly, the doorbell did it for him, transforming her from bride-to-be into the future potentate in a blink.
At times, he worried how well she was learning to wear masks, but Linus had been her mentor. She might not realize how much she admired him, nor he how much she respected him, but Midas could see Hadley was working to mold herself into a version of a potentate that would make them both proud.
“Showtime.” She cast a quick glance around the room. “I’ll get it.”
Midas trailed after her, standing a little behind and to the side of her when she opened the door.
Had she not been hyper focused on playing the role of hostess, she might have called him out on what his posture implied, that he viewed their guest as a potential threat. She was either too frazzled to notice, had decided to let him get away with it, or agreed with his assessment.
“Hey.” She peered into the hall behind Sue. “No hubby tonight?”
“Five kids are a lot, even for us.” Her expression stretched tight. “An unfamiliar sitter is out of the question. We prefer to watch over them ourselves.” Her features smoothed into the beginnings of a real smile. “I wouldn’t inflict my darlings on you. They’re picky eaters, picky drinkers, and loud about what doesn’t meet their standards.”
The sourness of a lie flavored her words, but
Midas couldn’t determine which part wasn’t true.
“Please, come in.” Hadley eased back to give her room to enter. “I’m Hadley, as you know, and this is my mate, Midas Kinase, who I was too close to heat stroke to properly introduce you to earlier.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled at him and seemed to mean it. “I’ve never met a gwyllgi.”
“I’ve met a few selkies in my time.” He recalled females being more easily captured than males. “How did you and your spouse meet?”
“Do you mean did I steal his skin?” Her lips twitched. “We met when I was contracted to resuscitate his sister. She had been involved in a near-fatal boating accident, and there was no other way to save her. He didn’t tell me she was a selkie maiden or reveal his true nature until after I brought her back as a vampire.” A faraway look entered her eyes. “I stayed close to his sister, as is customary, for the first six months. During that time, Sean and I fell in love.”
“That worked?” Hadley, who appeared to have skipped over the romance, was as curious as he had ever seen Linus. “You were able to resuscitate a selkie in her human form? Could she wear her skin after?” Her eyes rounded. “Are vampire seals real?”
Last week, she had conned him into watching a show on undead sea creatures pitched as a documentary. He had recognized it for cheese the moment he set eyes on it, but she was enthralled. The focus had been on vampire sharks who hunted humans, not for their flesh, but for their brains.
Now that he thought about it, she had been on a brain-themed movie binge lately.
He briefly wondered if he ought to sleep with one eye open until she moved on to the next thing.
“Yes, it worked, but no. The skins only respond to living flesh. She lost the ability to change.” She wet her lips. “Diana greeted the sun just shy of her first year as a vampire. She couldn’t bear losing the sea.”
It answered Hadley’s questions and killed that line of inquiry in one swift blow.
“I practically invited myself over.” Sue wrung her hands. “I’m thankful you’re both gracious hosts.”
“Have a seat.” Hadley indicated a spot at the table. “We don’t stand on formality here.”
Once their guest was settled, Hadley took her chair, then Midas sat too.
“Dig in.” Hadley reached for the biscuits while he helped himself to the chicken. “There’s plenty.”
Sue hesitated until she spotted the mashed potatoes swimming in gravy, then she synced with the easy rhythm of the table.
Aware they were expecting Remy, Midas kept an eye and ear out for her, but the fae was sly, and she didn’t often give herself away.
Hadley, still toeing the line of hostess, was content to eat and then talk, but Midas was curious.
“What did you wish to discuss?” He stabbed a piece of fried okra. “I assume it’s work related?”
“Yes.” She covered her mouth with a napkin. “I wanted to explain myself.”
That much, she believed, which made him even curiouser. “Go on.”
“I was the Potentate of Phoenix for about a year, so I worked three years total in the city.” She tore the napkin into tiny pieces she set on her plate. “I loved it. I love Phoenix. But then I got pregnant, and it’s so rare for selkies to breed outside their race, I knew a blessing when I was given one.” A smile twitched in her cheek. “The surprise came when we learned how many blessings I was given.”
“Five.” Hadley shot her an admiring glance. “That’s impressive.”
“Yes, well, it’s not like I did anything special. Mother Nature deserves all the credit.”
“Still impressive,” Midas agreed. “We were told that led to your early retirement.”
“The babies were so small, and they were born too early. They required round-the-clock care, and I couldn’t stomach leaving them with a nanny while I was out risking my life every night.”
The last part was flavored with bitterness, and Midas sensed that wasn’t her opinion but an old argument she was repeating.
“Anyway.” She sipped her sweet tea. “I retired, and I’ve been happy doing the mom thing, but the kids are old enough now they don’t need me as much. Tweens would rather die than confide in their parents, you know? Mostly I’m a food delivery service and chauffer these days.” She lowered her head. “I heard about the opportunity in Atlanta, and I couldn’t help thinking it might be the first step on my way back to…myself.”
“I can sympathize.” Hadley stopped eating. “I respect you wanting a second chance, I do, but this is my city. My family and friends are here. My life is here. I’m not going to give up Atlanta without a fight.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to bow out.” Sue curled her hand around her fork. “I want this to be a true test.”
Nothing Midas said at this point would help. He considered ripping out Sue’s throat or feeding her to one of the many creatures who prowled the midnight streets, but Hadley wouldn’t thank him for it. She wanted to fight her own battles, and she couldn’t best a pile of bones.
Plus, Sue was mated, and she had children Midas would never turn into orphans.
But, his feral half insisted, it was a solution. Maybe not the right one, but it would get the job done.
“Do you like milk with your cookies?”
The tenor of the question startled him, and it must have surprised Sue too.
Lines appeared to either side of her mouth. “Yes?”
“I’m not the world’s best baker, but I do have chocolate chip cookies for dessert.”
Hadley rose, indicating he should stay, and went to the kitchen.
“She’s so young.” Sue watched her go. “I had no idea what I wanted to be at her age.”
Unable to chain the rumble in his voice, he asked, “Are you implying she doesn’t know what she’s getting into?”
“Not at all.” She jerked her attention back to him. “I’m impressed with her drive.” She laughed. “I might have spent more time at my post, if I had figured out what I wanted to be faster than I did.”
Regret, pungent and sharp, hit his nose. She missed the job, but he couldn’t say if it was the job itself or an identity outside of her role as mother and wife she craved. He had known enough strong women who made tough choices for their children to respect Sue for giving up one dream to embrace another.
With the lifespan of a necromancer, she lost nothing by staying at home with her children.
After they left home to pursue their own dreams, she had centuries to return to the workforce.
“I wish my husband could have met you both.” She sipped her drink. “He’s fascinated with your culture.”
If that were true and not said out of politeness, her husband would prove a singularity. Most shifters didn’t care for other species. Oh, they studied one another. But that was simple predator behavior. You had to know your enemy to best them. Academic interest? That was much rarer.
“He’s with the kids, you said?”
The bright sharpness of tears filled his nose as she said, “Yes.”
Midas wasn’t great with people who weren’t pack, but her emotions hit all over the map. “Are you all right?”
“I should go.” She wiped her face with the heels of her palms. “Sean will be waiting for me.”
A lie.
“Would you like some cookies for the kids?” Hadley paused in pouring milk. “I have plenty.”
“No.” A single drop rolled down her cheek. “Thank you.”
Without another word, she jerked to her feet and bolted out the door, slamming it behind her.
Necromancer hearing wasn’t much better than human, but he still waited until she got in the elevator to tell Hadley what his nose had relayed to him.
“She’s lying.” He exhaled. “Selkies are shifters, but they’re also not. It’s clear she’s had some practice in…not suppressing her emotions exactly, but in muddying them until it’s hard to tell which part of what she’s said is false.”
; “What’s your best guess?”
“Given how milk and cookies sent her running for the door, I would say her kids aren’t at the hotel.” The feral half of him believed worse. “I doubt her husband is there either. I think she came alone, but she’s letting everyone believe her family traveled with her.”
“He’s right.”
The voice at his shoulder prompted an annoyed growl from his inner beast, but Hadley squeaked.
“Remy.” She slapped a hand over her heart. “I forgot you were here.”
“Then I did my job right.” She buffed her nails on her shirt. “I would ask for a bonus, but since I’m my own boss—” she gave herself a high five, “—bonus granted.”
“If you’re done patting yourself on the back…?” Hadley raised her brows. “How so?”
“She lied. A lot. But she lied carefully, so as not to get caught on the finer details. The other thing? She was tense. Really tense.”
“She was in enemy territory,” Midas reminded her. “She was bound to be nervous.”
“Her shoulders twitched every time you mentioned her husband or her kids.”
“She might have been uncomfortable sharing personal details with a potential enemy.”
“Do you guys even need me here?” Hadley bit into a cookie. “You’re good cop/bad copping like pros.”
Remy’s instincts often fell in line with his, probably due to their fae heritage and predatory natures, but Remy was also cocky. Forcing her to work through the details was honing her skills as well as his.
“I always need you,” Midas said while Remy made gagging noises.
“You earned a cookie.” Hadley placed the reward between her teeth, rose on her tiptoes, and let him take it from her with his mouth. “Good boy.”
“What about me?” Remy pouted. “I like cookies.”
“I’m not going to Lady and the Tramp with you, but yes. You also deserve a cookie.” Hadley tossed her one. “You sent one of yourselves after Sue, I assume?”
“Yup.” Remy swallowed it whole. “I wanted to see where she goes from here.”
“Good thinking.” Hadley tossed her another cookie. “I approve.”
The Epilogues: Part I: Badge of Honor (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 6) Page 7