by R. E. Butler
“Not a bit,” she said, proudly. “Even when the boat got a little rocky from the waves. Thank goodness for those miracle pills.”
“I’m so glad they worked.”
They gave her parents a tour of the lighthouse. Athene was most interested in the top floor and the equipment that kept the coastline safe. “This is my kind of job,” he said, peering out the window. “Hanging out on the water all day, watching for boats at night.”
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” Cassian said. “I’m thankful that Zia enjoys being here.”
“She’s definitely happy.”
“How do you feel about what you learned from your mom about your heritage?” Cassian leaned against the counter and watched his father-in-law.
Athene hummed. “I honestly didn’t really believe it was possible for someone to hide that kind of thing for so long. I’m glad that Zia had the power to access and call for help when she needed it, so while I think it’s strange and almost unbelievable, I’m very thankful for it.”
Cassian would be forever thankful to Zia’s great-great-grandmother for having an affair, which he thought was a strange thing to be grateful for. But he was. Zia was the amazing, unique person she was because of all that she’d been through mixed with her family lineage.
They returned to the beach where Cassian set the fish and seafood on the fire to cook. They sat in comfortable umbrella chairs around the fire and talked while he tended to the food, feeling supremely happy to share the bounty with his new family. Every time he glanced at Zia, she was smiling at him proudly, and he felt like a king.
When the food was ready, he served it and then took a plate for himself and sat next to his mate.
“Oh, Cassian,” Zia said, finishing a bite of lobster, “everything is so good! I had no idea you could cook so well.”
“It’s delicious,” Olive said.
“Damn tasty, young man,” Athene said.
Cassian grinned. “It was my honor to cook for you all. It’s a merman tradition for the male to hunt and prepare a meal for his in-laws. Generally it’s done before the mating, to prove he’s a male of worth who can provide, but we did things a little differently.”
“The timing is just right,” Athene said. “It’s easy to see that you can provide for our daughter. We’re happy to have you as part of our family.”
“I’m honored, thank you.”
They chatted while they ate, and everyone had seconds. Cassian had been nervous about his ability to cook the food well. He hadn’t cooked over a fire since he’d come to Sable Cove, but the knowledge had easily come back to him, and he was glad he’d been able to put out a good meal.
Once the meal was over, Cassian cleaned up and put the leftovers away. They stayed around the bonfire chatting and watching the water until it was time for Athene and Olive to head back before dark.
“Did you have a date in mind for the wedding?” Olive asked as they walked down the dock toward their boat.
“Springtime,” Zia said. “But we’ve got to make a change.”
“About what?” her mother asked.
“The location.”
Athene looked at them. “You don’t want to have it at the gazebo?”
Zia shook her head. “We want to get married here, on the dock.”
“We can charter a large boat to bring guests from Trieve here, to act like a ferry,” Cassian said.
Her parents looked at each other for a quiet moment and then at them. “That sounds wonderful,” Olive said.
“I thought you wouldn’t be happy we’d want to change it,” Zia said.
Athene stepped into the boat and helped Olive in. “It’s your wedding. You’re in charge of where it is.”
“It’s easy to see why you like it here so much,” Athene said. “It’s really beautiful.”
“It feels like home,” Zia said.
“Then it’s perfect,” Athene said.
“Sable Cove in the spring,” Olive said. “I can’t wait.”
Flora mewed and Cassian chuckled. “I think she agrees.”
“Oh, she’d look so cute with a collar made of flowers. She can be our ring bearer,” Zia said.
“Adorable,” her mom said.
Cassian helped launch the boat and they said goodbye. He and Zia stood on the dock and waited until her folks were out of sight before she picked up Flora and they returned to the lighthouse.
“Tomorrow we get to start work on the greenhouse,” she said.
“You’re excited?”
“Very. I can’t wait to get to work.”
“Me too, sweetheart.” He swung her up into his arms and carried her up to their room. “I can’t wait for something else right now too.”
“Do tell,” she whispered, kissing his ear.
“You and me, chasing the night from the sky.”
Flora meowed when Cassian set his mate on the bed. “Give us a bit, kits,” he said as he carried the kitten from the room and set her on her fluffy bed.
When the door was shut, he faced his sweetheart who was sitting on their bed with a sultry look in her eyes.
“You have the best ideas, Cassian,” she murmured. “Let’s make that a reality.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
*One Month Later*
Zia leaned over the table and inspected the shelf in the greenhouse which held miniature roses in clay pots. The new greenhouse had been in use for three weeks now, and she loved every inch of the large glass building that her sweetheart had built for her. It was even nicer than the one that she’d had in Trieve and included a station for her drying equipment, an overhead sprinkler system rigged to a timer, and vents in the glass roof which allowed in fresh air. She had a whole row of roses of every variety and color to use the rose hips in potions for health and wellness and the petals in soap and candles, and lots of her favorite daisies.
Something fell to the floor and she sighed before she even turned around, knowing full well that Flora was up to mischief. The kitten liked to wander around the shelves of plants and seemed to enjoy making a game of knocking things off and sending Zia running to see what she was doing.
“Flora,” she said, “what are you up to?”
She turned and looked for the kitten, finally spying her little black tail sticking up among the herbs in the tea section.
“Found the catnip, did you?” she asked as she hurried to Flora and found that she’d knocked off a trowel that Zia had left on the shelf.
Flora stuck her little head up from the large catnip planter. Her eyes were bright and large, her whiskers twitching.
“Are you high?” she asked with a chuckle as she picked her up from the center of the plant and gave her a cuddle. Flora mewed and kneaded Zia’s arm with her little paws and let out a loud, satisfied purr.
“Knock, knock,” came a feminine voice from outside the greenhouse.
She recognized the voice as belonging to Hadlee. “Come on in,” Zia called.
Putting Flora on the ground, she picked up the large pot of catnip and carried it over to a special glass cabinet that she’d made from picture frames she found at the dollar store. It was like a mini greenhouse. She’d built it special for the catnip, to keep it from Flora so the kitten wouldn’t take the plant for herself.
Hadlee picked up Flora and said, “I see she’s been in the catnip.”
“You know it.” Zia closed the lid of the mini greenhouse and turned to face her friend. “The way she attacks it whenever I bring it out so I can cut and dry the leaves, there won’t be any left to make into cat toys.”
“Osiris likes to nibble on carrot tops, so if I let him romp around in my garden and take my eyes off him, the carrots will be down to nubs.”
“Where is your familiar?”
“In the car taking a nap. I came to pick up the herbs and drop off a new book for you.”
Zia joined her friend and gave her a hug, then took the book from her free hand. The book had a red velvet cover and was titled �
��Kitchen Witchery.”
“What’s kitchen witchery?” Zia asked, opening the book.
“Spells for around the kitchen. There’s low-level spells in this book, like promoting harmony and health. You should be able to perform them with Flora’s help. How’s it going, by the way?”
“Good. I’ve been working on the fire spell a lot. I can light a candle without Flora now, but it takes a lot of concentration.”
“You’re coming along so well.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you and the others being so helpful. I hung out with Mother Gibson yesterday, and she showed me how to make black salt.”
“Neat.”
Zia grabbed the paper sack of herbs she’d dried for Hadlee and handed it to her. She put Flora on the floor and said, “I’m off to Yasmine’s.”
“Oh? Taking Osiris for a check-up?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s short-staffed because she had one of her volunteers quit and she needs someone to help out with cleaning. I don’t have anything going on, so I said I’d help out this afternoon.”
“I’m sure she appreciates the help.”
“Yasmine is so helpful to us at the rescue that we’re happy to help her whenever she needs it.”
“Have fun,” Zia said.
Cassian walked in just as Hadlee was leaving and held the door open for her. “See ya,” Hadlee said.
“Take care,” Cassian said.
Zia smiled at her mate as he made his way to her. He took her in his arms and hugged her gently, kissing her neck. “Missed you.”
“Aw. I missed you too. To be fair, though, it’s only been a couple hours.”
“Feels like eternity.”
Something clattered to the floor and Zia said, “Flora! You naughty kitten!”
Cassian laughed. “How many times has she knocked things off the shelves?”
Zia found Flora on the succulent shelf, a bag of decorative rocks spilled on the floor. “I swear,” Zia said with a chuckle as she put the kitten on the floor once more, “she tries to see how many times she can knock things off before I totally lose it.”
“What’s your best number?” Cassian asked. He joined them and gave Flora a scratch between the ears.
“Seven.”
“Watch out little one,” he chuckled. “She’ll make you sit outside while she works.”
If she did that, of course, Flora would simply cry until Zia relented and let her back in. Or she’d find a way to sneak in. The feisty feline had a way of getting into locked places.
“I think she should’ve been named Houdini,” Zia said, ruffling her head. “Sweet little kits.”
“Ready for lunch, my love?” he asked, putting his hand on Zia’s belly. She was five weeks along, so while she wasn’t showing yet, Cassian loved touching her stomach.
“Who are you asking?” she teased.
“Both of you.”
“Definitely,” she said.
“Craving?”
“I don’t really have cravings yet,” she reminded him.
“I know, but you must be in the mood for something.”
She smiled. “Tacos.”
“Ah, I know just the place.”
She put away the tools with Cassian’s help, turned on the dehydrator to dry herbs for a batch of tea she was making for Mother Gibson to sell at her shop, and locked the door as they left. She picked up Flora and turned to look at the top of the greenhouse, where an antique weathervane turned gently in the fall breeze. “I love the greenhouse, I really do.”
“I’m so glad. It’s certainly been a boon to the town.”
In the last month, she’d had several townsfolk stop by with sickly plants asking for help and advice. The local 4-H Club had asked her to speak to their gardening group about taking care of plants, and she’d been approached by Tia to provide fresh fruits and veggies for the diner. She had a list of what they wanted for their meals, and Cassian had ordered a second greenhouse to set up just for that. While her first love was growing herbs for tea, she enjoyed growing fruits and vegetables, and knowing that she’d be helping out her wolf friends in the process was a lot of fun. They’d even agreed to put a special meal on the menu just for her—zucchini lasagna.
“It’s hard to believe how much has changed in the last month,” she said.
Cassian took her hand as they walked to his truck. He held open the door for her and Flora, and when they were seated, he leaned in and gave Zia a kiss. “I’ll forever be grateful for the tide that brought you to me.”
“And for me knocking myself out.”
“Well, I wish that hadn’t happened, but however you came to me, I’m glad for it.”
“You’re not so grumpy now.”
He winked. “It’s hard to be grumpy when you’ve got an amazing mate.”
She agreed one hundred percent.
He shut the door and got behind the wheel, and they headed toward a favorite Mexican restaurant that served the best tacos she’d ever had. The owner was a friend of Delaney’s and had no problem with Flora joining them at their table, so long as she stayed in her little soft-sided carrier.
“Ready for some steak?” she asked Flora, rubbing her chin. “Benny always fixes you a special plate.”
Flora mewed and butted her head along Zia’s jaw.
She had the craziest, most amazing life now. Mated to a merman, part witch with a feisty familiar, friends, access to a beach anytime she wanted...the list of the ways her life was wonderful was never-ending. She’d honestly never been happier, with her mate and her home on the water, and their baby on the way. Whatever the future held, she knew that she and Cassian would be able to get through it together. He was her anchor, and she knew he’d never let her down.
Sable Cove was a unique place to live, and she was glad to be part of the town.
Coming Next from R. E. Butler
Crave (Vampire Beloved Book Five)
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