“Kingsley rigged all the music players in the cars,” I said instead, watching the town pass from the window.
“Yeah, I heard. He’s got an odd sense of humor.”
“It was nice of him to get the cars. We hadn’t thought about how everyone would get around.”
“It was. I was…surprised by what he said last night.”
We’d chatted in bed last night for a long time, but he hadn’t brought this up. I hadn’t pushed.
“He mentioned you said something to him,” Austin said.
I thought back. “Yeah, it must’ve been when we were squaring off in the office. We were in a silent bubble, and I said something about his old wounds not condoning his behavior. I may have also implied he wasn’t setting the greatest example for his kids. You know, for not kicking that idiot Bruce out and for letting his team treat you poorly. Though I supposed I shouldn’t call him an idiot now that Broken Sue…dealt with it.”
He nodded, quiet for a while, looking for a parking place.
“It hadn’t occurred to me that he was holding a grudge,” Austin finally said, parking a few blocks away. “Not sure why.” He got out of the car and came around to my side as I did the same.
“Probably because he didn’t act like he did. Not outwardly. It was during that situation that it dawned on me.”
“I should have apologized sooner. He’s always been so patient with me. So forgiving.”
“Well.” I toggled my hand. “Mostly, right? But it seems like he’s trying to smooth the waters now.
He brought the kids over. That’s a good sign. Aurora didn’t seem pissed.”
“She’s good at hiding her feelings. She’ll be an excellent alpha someday, but she needs room to grow.”
I stopped mid-step with sudden horror. “Shoot, should we have brought something?”
He laughed and tugged me along. “No. We’re alphas. We bring ourselves.”
THIRTY-TWO
AUSTIN
AN HOUR INTO THE BARBECUE, Austin stood on the outskirts with Brochan and Kingsley, who were both very familiar with an alpha’s role at these things. Flames reached up through the grills all around the park, with meat sizzling and veggies steaming in their tinfoil. Each of the guys held a plastic cup filled with bourbon, a little formal for a barbecue, but Kingsley’s people had handed them around.
Maybe a peace offering. Maybe they were just being polite.
Organized pits had been prepared for bonfires, although the sun was hours away from setting. The garhettes were clearly planning for this to last a while, and judging by the contests going on with the shifters, gargoyles, and basajaunak, all challenging Niamh to a drinking match, it just might.
“Alphas.” The basandere walked up, her hair braided in various areas down her body and her demeanor loose and easy. “I heard that time is officially ticking down.”
Kingsley looked to Austin.
“Our mages got word that the enemy is mobilizing. We don’t know how long that’ll take, though.”
She nodded, looking out to the west. “Dave—or is it Missus Smith with outsiders?”
“It’s only Missus Smith to outside mages, I believe,” Austin clarified, fighting his grin at his brother’s suddenly bewildered posture. He still didn’t much understand the Ivy House crew.
They’d given Dave two nicknames, one being Dave, and the other provided by Edgar—Missus Smith. It would be used to further knock the mages they met off-kilter, calling a huge, fearsome creature like a basajaun a name like that. Although Dave would’ve probably done the job as well.
She inclined her head. “My understanding is that the battle could start at any time, so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, Alpha Austin, for changing your plans at the last minute to accommodate more of us. We were sick with worry about sending our children into the throes of danger without passable training.”
“We’re happy to have you, and that’s not a platitude,” Austin responded.
“And Alpha Kingsley, thank you for hosting us. We have found a nice hum within some of your parks and within the trees along the river. The fish are plentiful and your diligence in ensuring we always have fuel for fires and food to eat has been most gracious. You are as good of a host as any basajaunak could expect and more.”
“My pleasure,” Kingsley replied. “It’s a joy to welcome your people amongst us. There has been no trouble—it’s easy to forget that you are a visiting creature and not a longtime resident.”