by R. A. Boyd
She needed to talk to her dad. He’d taught her skills that would help keep her and Lily safe. They may not be on the same level as Jace and his family, but it would be enough to help in a time of need if it ever came to that. And she needed to be ready.
Emma and her dad had a lot of catching up to do.
Chapter 5
“Cass. Is that you?” Emma wished she could shove the words back inside of her mouth after they’d fallen from her lips. She stood outside of a closed door in Jace’s house, mouth agape as she stared at Cass. She looked completely different.
Emma used to work at the medical coding company with Cass before she left New Rose. She’d been absolutely lovely then, but now, Cass shined as bright as the stars in the night sky. Her hair was longer now, sitting just below her shoulders in long coils. Bright brown eyes smiled as she reached for Emma and pulled her in for a tight hug. Holy crap, Cass was super strong.
“I didn’t know you were Jace’s Emma,” Cass said, breathing deeply as she hugged her.
Why would she know? They hadn’t seen each other in five years, and even when they did work together, they weren’t really friends. Cass had always kept to herself. She was friendly enough but had always seemed shy. Her husband Andrew was a sweet man and would always bring her flowers or have lunch with her when he was off work. He’d died a few years ago, and Emma’s mom said that Cass would soon follow if she didn’t pull herself out of the rut from losing him. She’d heard from different people that Cass had become a shell of who she was, walking around town as if she wanted to disappear into the crowd.
But now she was with two men.
Emma remembered Jax and Damon. They were two, huge, sexy, tatted-up men who looked like professional boxers. And Cass had been the one to tame them.
“You’re the third in the alpha thing?” Stupid mouth. Emma couldn’t help but see the changes in Cass. Her head was held high, and she was more confident. She used to hide her curvy body, but now she wore those curves like a sexy outfit for the world to see.
Nothing revealing, but even in skin-tight jeans, a pink tee-shirt that fell just below her waist, and calf-high boots she looked gorgeous. She used to cover up in baggy jeans and low shirts that came mid-thigh. Not now. Now she was who it seemed she was always meant to be.
Cass flitted her hand in front of her and smiled at Lily. “Alpha Triad.”
“I’m sorry.” Had Emma offended her? It wasn’t her intention, but she was just surprised to see her. “You look really great. I’m happy you’re happy.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I know what I was like before. Things are better now.” Her whiskey brown eyes moved back to Lily. She stooped down and held out her hand. “I’m Cassiopeia, but you can call me Cass. My brother Jace here called and asked us to get a room ready for you. You can change it if you don’t like it, okay?”
For some beautiful reason, Lily seemed smitten by Cass. She shook Cass’s hand and nodded as everything about her new room was explained to her. Lily followed her every move, and when Cass started to stand Lily touched her arm to get her attention.
“Did your eyes just change colors a little bit?” Lily asked.
Emma hadn’t noticed, but when she looked up at Cass, she paused and studied her. Her eyes looked the same.
“They did,” Cass said, nodding. Her bright smile dimmed just a little but perked up when a slight frown appeared on Lily’s face. “Jace told me about the bullies. And I don’t like what they did. It hurts my feelings sometimes. I’m glad you and your mother are here. I just wish it wasn’t because of bullies. But I can make you a promise, Little One. I will keep you safe. You and your mother are part of our people now, and I take care of our people. We all do. Okay?”
Lily’s face scrunched up, but after a moment where Emma thought she was scared, a breath-taking smile took over. “Okay. We’ll keep you safe too.”
“Thank you,” Cass said. She stood and leaned into Emma, whispering quietly. “I mean that. Did Jace tell you about me? My role here?”
He sure did. From what Jace had told her, Cass was a fierce protector and was a dominant force that didn’t take any crap. Beneath her sweet smile was a beast who was not afraid to kick butt first and ask questions later.
When he was describing the Cass of the Ghost shifters clan, Emma would never have imagined it was Cassiopeia Wolford-Stephens who had smiled kindly at her every day at work. The woman he spoke of was powerful, and apparently, someone threatening Lily upset her. Enough to make her eyes change colors.
The protection of someone like Jace was enough for Emma to sleep at night, but for him to speak so reverently about the Cass he knew made her feel like she’d just made an ally. And most importantly, so had her daughter.
Emma nodded. “He told me you were a beast who took your role seriously.”
“It’s true,” Jace said as he ascended the steps. “Cass is the reason I get to have you.” He’d stayed down in his living room to speak with Jax and Damon and a woman named Willow who said the flowers weren’t cursed. They’d already assured her they would be safe here and were welcomed.
As Emma watched him come to stand at the top of the steps, Jace’s gaze was nothing short of hungry as his eyes traveled up and down her body. Her cheeks blazed with heat under his attention. His masculine body was perfect, muscles flexing beneath his tanned skin, rolling against his clothes that fit him flawlessly.
“Ew. Please stop,” Cass said as she opened the door to what would be Lily’s temporary room. “I’m a shifter now, and other people’s hormones are the bane of my existence.”
Before Emma had a chance to apologize, Lily let out a high-pitched scream that rattled her ears and scared the crap out of her. “Ponies. Momma! It’s ponies everywhere!”
Cass threw her hands over her ears when Lily and Audra screamed in unison. As Lily started jumping up and down gleefully in the bedroom that was meant for her, so did Audra.
Audra grabbed Lily’s hands and they started jumping in a small circle. Audra threw her head back and crowed, “Goddammit Emma, it’s ponies!” Audra’s happy and childlike disposition reminded Emma of the time a group of Disney Princess impersonators came to a birthday party. The kids lost their minds, and now it was Audra’s turn.
“Language, Audra,” Emma whisper-yelled. She knew the woman could hear her low voice over the screeching.
The room was covered in My Little Pony regalia. Decals, curtains, a comforter with matching sheets. At the foot of the queen-sized bed was a toy chest that was surrounded by unopened toys still in their wrapper. Lily danced, going ballistic as if she’d eaten an entire roll of cotton candy.
She ran around with Audra and screamed, pointing at pictures on the wall and the toy boxes.
“How?” Emma asked, blinking in disbelief. No more than three hours had passed since they’d picked Lily up from school, made the drive to New Rose, and stopped at stores along the way to buy what they needed.
Breathless from running around with Lily, Audra sat down in the child-size pink and brown recliner in the corner. “Jace sent a text to Cass asking if we could get a room ready for your nugget.” Audra’s eyes flashed gold as she turned to Lily. “Can I call you Nugget? I like nuggets. They are underrated but awesome. I’m Audra by the way.”
She held out her hand and smiled when Lily looked at her mother for approval. Once Emma nodded, Lily walked over and shook Audra’s hand.
“Nice firm grip,” Audra said.
“I’m Lily, and I like you already. Your eyes are wild but you look like you’ll be nice to me. And you can call me Nugget next week.”
Audra bobbed her head from side-to-side as if absorbing Lily’s words. “You’ve got a deal, Lily.” Her eyes lifted to Emma. “Smart girl. And she’s right. I’ll always be super nice to her, and I’ll eat anyone who isn’t.”
Okay. She needed to have a talk with Audra about the things she said around Lily. Luckily, her little girl had missed that last part.
Hol
y bananas. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Making up with Jace, and that mind-blowing orgasm in his truck, had been the best things to happen in a long time. Emma had already made peace with the monotonous life she and Lily lived, and it was just fine with her. It was safe. It was routine. It was all she had known since Lily was born. And now it was different.
Lily, work, and volunteering at Lily’s school had dominated her time. A crazy night was opening a bottle of wine while eating an entire basket of hush puppies and crab cake balls from her favorite restaurant. And if her father kept Lily for the weekend, Emma would really get rowdy and go see a movie before she settled down with her wine, crab balls and puppies. And then she would wake the next morning and go to brunch by herself or with Paddie.
Paddie.
Emma needed to call her job and tell them she wouldn’t be there Monday morning. Or the day after that. She’d already let the school know that Lily may not be back until the next school year. Since it was a pre-school that she paid to have Lily attend, they were kind enough to offer her a refund for the rest of the month. Perks of having your father be military buddies with the woman who ran the specialized pre-schools all around Maryland.
“What’s wrong?” Jace’s deep timbre broke through the fog of confusion clouding Emma’s mind. “Are you freaking out?” he asked, stepping away from Cass to come closer. He took his thumbs and caressed them up and down the sides of her arms, calming her faster than a stiff shot of whiskey.
Emma hadn’t even realized she was sitting on Lily’s bed with her head in her hands. She turned her gaze to Lily, happy to see her on the floor next to Audra who was opening up every package Lily shoved at her.
Taking a deep breath, she took the hand Jace offered her and stood up. They walked to the doorway so Lily couldn’t hear. Watching Lily play so comfortably with Audra, she said, “I am freaking out. Just a little. I mean, I thought of everything on the way here but seeing this room just for my daughter…” Her voice trailed off as she motioned toward the beautifully decorated room. “It seems so permanent. Our lives are back in Baltimore, yet here we are in New Rose. It’s like starting over. Again.” She crossed her arms over her chest and rested her head on the wall next to her. “It’s overwhelming. I feel like I should be scared. But I’m not. Not like I should be. Despite the years away from you and New Rose and everything here, it feels so right. And normal. And familiar.”
Hooking his finger in the belt loops of her skirt, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. The instant warmth from his touch did something to her insides that no words could describe. He rubbed his lips along her hairline, and she could feel his soft lips curl into a smile. “It is right. And you are safer than you realize. There is no reason on this earth for you to be afraid. Yeah, shit’s going sideways, but not here. This community protects its own. Besides, Willow and Zeke are working on a spell to make Lily invisible to evil.”
Perfect. Not only were the bad guys bad, but they were also evil. This keeps getting better by the second.
“Evil—” Willow said from behind them, “— is a bit of a hostile word.”
Damn, that woman was quiet. Emma startled hard, jumping and stepping on Jace’s foot when she’d heard Willow’s smoky voice.
Willow laughed deep in her throat. “She will be undetectable to anyone who means her harm in any way. But I can’t cast it yet. Weird question, but I’m going to need an answer. Does she have any loose teeth?” Her almond-shaped amber eyes were just as beautiful as the first time Emma looked into them when they’d gotten out of Jace’s car. Emma was sure she’d get used to it, but today they were unnerving and surprising.
But, she was right. That was a weird question. “Yes. The one on the right, Smitty, is loose. Why? And if you can cast a spell on her why can’t you do it for everyone else?”
Maybe all of their problems would be over if Willow could put a protection spell on all of them.
“It’s an ancient spell,” Willow said, clasping her hands in front of her. “People used to put it on babies within a few weeks of them being born, but the spell requires items that are among the firsts. Hairs left in the baby’s bassinet from their first night of sleep, nails clipped right after they were born. And for Lily, I’m going to use one of her teeth. It’s among her first set of lost teeth, right? She’s only four.”
Emma nodded, a huge smile splitting open her face as a new sense of comfort took her over. Even if the flames of Hell were chasing after her, at least her baby would be safe.
“Yes. It’s among the first.” Breaking away from Jace, she walked over to Willow and hugged the woman tight. “I know I just met you, but I love you already. Thank you so much.” Tears heated the backs of her eyes, and she looked over her shoulder to make sure Lily wouldn’t see her crying. “Making sure she is safe has been my biggest worry. Thank you.”
Satisfaction blanketed Willow’s delicate features as she smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. Just let me know as soon as that tooth comes out. It’ll take from sunrise to sunset to brew the potion, and you have to be the one to give it to her. You’re her blood relative. I’ll conjure it, but you have to administer it. It’s a powder. You can put it in a cup of juice and have her gulp it down.”
Smitty, Lily’s loose tooth, was going to suffer the same fate as his fallen tooth-brother Harold had.
“Anyone have any pears?”
Chapter 6
“She’s not coming to dinner?” Audra asked through a mouthful of sweet potatoes. “I bought Lily kiddie plates and stuff. And I wanted her to sit next to me.” She pointed at a chair that held a pink and brown booster seat.
Jace shook his head and grabbed the two wrapped up plates of food Teague had made for him and Emma. “No. Lily has a gluten allergy. Emma made her dinner already.” Apparently, Lily ate the same thing for dinner every night, and Emma picked up the ingredients to cook it for her before they got here. “Poor little thing was worn-out from all the excitement. Emma could barely keep her awake long enough to get her to eat something. She’s giving her a bath now and then putting her to bed. She said they’ll be here for breakfast, though.”
Thinking of Lily eating rice noodles while one of her eyes was closed was the cutest thing he’d seen in his life. Emma kept trying to get her to stop, but Lily kept insisting she was hungry and needed her noodles and bean sprouts. He’d never seen a child actually like bean sprouts.
Lily was amazing, and all he wanted to do was take care of her. He wanted to learn her ways and make sure she was happy. And safe. One day she would know that she could count on him for anything.
“Oh,” Jace said as he pulled out a small plastic bag. He handed it to Willow. “This came out while Lily was eating a pear. That tooth’s name is Smitty, by the way. The only reason Emma was able to get it away from Lily was to tell her that the Tooth Fairy needed it shipped to her instead of coming to get it from under her pillow. She’s so busy collecting all the teeth.” A soft warmth enveloped his chest as he smiled. “Cass, Audra. Thanks for setting up that room.”
Riley stood up and ran to the sitting area. When she came back, she was holding a big gift bag. “Cass asked me to pick up a baby monitor. Don’t know if she needs it. Better to have it and not need it.”
Riley’s daughter Liv looked up from her plate, green eyes sparkling in the light of the setting sun that peeked through the blinds. “For financial compensation, I am offering my babysitting services. Just so you know.”
“We have a cub among us, boys and girls,” Audra announced. “We will spoil and protect her. Agreed?”
Everyone chimed in with their agreement. The heaviness in Jace’s heart threatened to hold him to the spot where he stood. He felt giddy with joy. Most people equated a heavy heart to negative emotions, but not him. The best thing in the world was having your heart filled with so much happiness you could barely handle its fullness. And for Jace, his heart was bursting with something he’d never felt before. Emma and Lily did somethin
g to him, but he couldn’t put words to it. It was better than anything he’d ever experienced in his existence.
Grabbing the plates, he held his other hand to his chest and looked around the dining room table as his family ate dinner. “I can’t thank you enough. Emma was scared, but being around all of you today really helped. I couldn’t have done it by myself. Especially you, Willow. She couldn’t stop talking about how relieved she was to know Lily was okay. Thank you. All of you.”
“Thank you for bringing us a baby to love and care for,” Audra said, voice soft and level. “Liv,” she said, looking over at Riley’s daughter. “You’re still our cub, but I’ve heard you say the word ‘shit’ too many times to be considered a baby.”
Liv’s embarrassed gaze shot to Riley. “It’s my fault, really,” Riley said. “And Audra’s fault, too. We need to work on our kid-friendly language.”
Audra shrugged and looked back to Jace. “When this is all over, Zeke and I are going to give parenthood a go after we exercise Ronin of his ghosts. We’ve been talking about it for weeks.” She looked over to Zeke and grabbed what appeared to be his crotch, and Jace thanked his lucky fucking stars he couldn’t see.
Turning around to walk out, he waved over his shoulder, telling everyone to have a good night. Mostly, he just wanted to leave so he wouldn’t break down in front of them. There weren’t too many things in this world that brought him to tears, but the fierce love from his family seemed to be enough right now. The love of his life was back, and she’d brought along the most fantastic ball of happiness and sarcasm he’d ever met. Lily.
Lily didn’t know how cherished she was. The Ghost shifters would protect her with their lives.
