“Well…for some of my people, perhaps.” Her gaze swiveled to Phil sitting on the ground behind Niamh, each drinking out of their mugs of the basajaunak’s special brew, more intense than most moonshine. “And am I correct in hearing that we are to exert all our efforts in this battle and hold nothing back?”
She was asking if they could kill at will, likely because Jessie was always asking them to hold back and not finish the job.
“Hold absolutely nothing back,” Austin replied. “If you can make my mate blanch, all the better.”
Her eyes sparkled. “It has been a long time since I have battled like this, and the young ones never have. A part of me is scared. Another part of me is excited. It is a strange feeling.”
“Hopefully all goes well,” Austin said.
“Yes.” She nodded to them before turning away, drifting toward a barbecue setup.
Austin glanced to the right, sensing his mate. She stood with Ulric and Jasper and another gargoyle, her head thrown back in laughter. The sun sparkled on her beautiful face and a warm happiness radiated through the bonds. She reached out to put a hand on Ulric’s arm before shaking her head and dropping it again.
“You’ve really changed,” Kingsley said, and Austin realized his brother was watching him closely. “Back in the day, that simple touch would’ve driven you to madness. You would’ve killed him without batting an eye.”
He was referring to how Austin had been with Destiny, his ex. “Back in the day, my head was twisted and the way she touched other men was a lot more suggestive.”
“True.”
“I’m still that guy, Kingsley,” he said in a low tone, his eyes fixed on Jess. She glanced his way a moment later, catching his gaze and giving him a smile just for him, full of love and longing and joy.
“Ask Brochan.”
She winked at him before turning back to the guys, a gush of warmth coming through the bonds.
“We’re all that guy with someone we love,” Brochan said, and Austin supposed that was true enough. “I can’t speak to what you were like in the past, but there has never been a finer alpha—
begging your pardon for saying so, Alpha Kingsley. His brutality and viciousness have served him well in the challenges we’ve faced so far.”
“Since we’re among equals, even though one of us is currently a beta…” Kingsley paused for a moment. “I’m not facing this coming attack with the bravery I’d expect from myself. Honestly, boys, I’m shitting my pants.”
Brochan adjusted his footing—a slight accession to both the humor and vulnerability Kingsley had shown—and Austin nodded.
“Waiting for the unknown is the hardest part,” he said. “We’ve seen hell already, and we’ve had time to organize. It’s better than a couple of situations I’ve faced with Jess in the past.”
Kingsley tensed, and a little liquid sloshed out of his glass.
“What?” Austin asked.
Kingsley’s eyes had squinted, his focus acute, on the trees at the other side of the grass. Like he’d seen something. “What did she mean by gnomes?”
Jess peeled away from the guys, her gaze finding Austin again. She sauntered toward one of the barbecue pits, her hips swaying. Someone greeted her, and she inclined her head in answer, then spoke to someone else in what was probably a pleasant way. She always sought to make everyone feel at home.
Mr. Tom appeared at her side in a flash, trying to take over her plate. He hadn’t gotten to attend to
her much during their visit, Austin getting that privilege, and the old butler was trying to make up for it at every given opportunity.
“Gnomes aren’t like those dolls at Ivy House, right?” Kingsley pressed.
Jess reached the barbecue with Mr. Tom dogging her steps and stood at the back of the line.
Everyone in front of her tried to let her go first, an honor that was customary for an alpha, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
“There are no dolls here, no,” Austin said, not lying. Truthfully, the gnomes were worse than the dolls, although at least they stayed outside. But Kingsley was already on the verge of shitting his pants
—the last thing he needed was news of a possible gnome infestation.
When Jess got to the front, she took a plate and pointed. The shifter at the barbecue placed a steak on her plate, and her glance up said she wanted to share it.
“I gotta go,” Austin said immediately.
“Hey,” Kingsley said, dragging Austin’s focus back for a moment. “If you can tear yourself away from the festivities for a minute, I have a new car to show you. Brochan, you’re welcome too, if you want. You don’t seem overly great at small talk with strangers.”