"Still nothing, I gather?" I asked. He simply shook his head. "Don't worry, Dean. I've been through a lot with Carlos and your cousin. They will make it back. Besides, a nuclear bomb couldn't destroy them. That explosion was more of a nuisance than a threat."
"Yeah, I mean, I know that logically, but it seems wrong," Dean conceded.
"That's because you are still vulnerable. I promise you, they will be fine."
"Who will be fine?" asked an accented voice behind me.
"Hi, Carlos. Perfect timing as usual." I didn't need to turn around because only Carlos was that precise.
Carlos addressed Dean. "Get your truck. I'll take you to Cooper and Nik. They can't teleport, of course, and started walking this direction."
Dean pulled his keys from his pocket and started toward his giant truck. He looked back and forth between Leah and me, and a knowing smirk spread across his face. "You and Leah should take off for a couple of hours. I'm sure everyone needs to eat and get cleaned up before we plan what to do next."
I grabbed Leah's hand and directed her back to Cooper's bike. "Sounds perfect. Tell Coop I have his bike."
Dean shook his head in amusement. Good thing I have excellent hearing or I might not have heard him mutter, "Another one bites the dust," over the rumble of the motorcycle. Leah pressed up close behind me and wrapped her arms around my chest. If this was biting the dust, sign me up.
Chloë
I didn't want to tell Finn, but I was freaking out. We should have trusted our friends to rescue us, but the isolation and quiet had really screwed with my head. I’d started to feel forgotten and helpless. I wasn’t sorry we’d had sex, because I’d been ready, but it would have been better if I were on the pill or something. Why hadn't I taken care of that with Anita? Right, because I was an idiot—and a stubborn one at that.
I felt myself begin to panic. I was nowhere near ready to be a mother. I'd only just accepted finding my soul mate. One major life change was enough for this week.
"Oomph," I said as a couch pillow knocked me over.
"That's better," Anita said, smiling smugly at me.
I stood up and rubbed my sore backside. "Why do you insist on throwing pillows?" I grumbled.
"Would you rather I threw something harder?" she asked cheerfully.
"Everything you throw feels hard on impact."
"You were starting to panic. I decided to knock some sense into you. Now you're pissy, but that's still better than panicking," she said nonchalantly.
I looked around to make sure Finn was still upstairs in the shower. "How did you know I was panicking?"
"It has a sharp smell, like something burning."
I unconsciously rubbed my belly.
"Oh, shit. You aren't taking anything are you?" Anita demanded.
"Uhm..." I began.
"Now I'm going to panic." Anita started pacing around the room.
I took a deep breath. "So not helping me here, Anita."
She stopped mid-stride. "You're right. Okay. We're going to be okay. I mean, it was just once, right?" I nodded. "Good. You probably aren't even pregnant. No reason to worry about something that probably isn't even going to happen," she babbled.
"What if it does happen?" I choked out.
"Then we will deal with it together. All of us."
I forced tears back into my eyes and nodded again.
A dreamy smile broke across her face. "Besides, if you are, you know, I bet it'd be pretty cute." Anita grabbed her phone, and her fingers started to fly over the touchscreen. "Okay, we can go to the clinic in about two weeks and find out. If you aren't then, you will get on birth control."
My voice cracked when I shouted, "Two weeks!"
"We can handle this," Anita consoled.
She was right. We could. I decided not to think about it until it was time. I had more immediate worries. One of them happened to walk in the room at the exact moment.
"You really do love him, don't you?" Bridgett asked.
"I do."
She nervously pushed her blond hair away from her face. "I'm really sorry I've been so horrible. I've never been around anyone other than elves and humans. My parents firmly believe elves are the superior race, and I never saw a reason to question them.
“Humans are so violent and messy. They destroy our world with their endless consumption and warfare. It seemed obvious to me that elves were superior to them.
“My parents always spoke about Finn and their hopes that they could reach a deal with his parents for our match. My life has always been so sterile and boring that I guess I hung my hopes of a happier future on him. When I finally met him, he was more like humans than elves.
“I wanted to blame that on the rest of the Central Coven. Like his association with you tainted him or something. Now I see what I've been missing. The five of you really live. I see now that life is messy, but only if it's done right. I've missed out because I've been prevented from taking chances.
“I don't love Finn. I never did. I want to make up for my nasty attitude. I don't know how to perform the bonding ceremony, but I will find out. Once I know what I'm doing I will let you know."
I waited a second for her to yell, "Just kidding!" or something to contradict her confession. She stood there in silence, blinking her large, blue eyes at me. Anita elbowed me in the back, and I realized the silence was bordering on awkward.
"Thank you, Bridgett. I would really appreciate it," I uttered.
"See? Everything is falling into place," Anita chirped. "What's next?" she asked, looking at me expectantly.
I blinked several times. "I'm supposed to have the answers?"
Anita shrugged. "You usually do."
"Not this time. Dean seems to have a handle on this. Let's go ask him," I suggested.
Dean
I knocked on Finn's door and peeked my head in. I heard Chloë and Anita downstairs, so I was sure I wasn't going to walk in on anything. "Grey and Leah just got back from dinner. Now that everyone is here, we are going to meet downstairs."
Finn sat on the edge of his bed. His elbows were resting on his knees, and his face was in his hands. "I'll be right there," he said without looking up.
I went in the room and shut the door behind me. "What's wrong? You're out of that bunker, everyone made it back safe, and you and Chloë seem to be doing better. Look, you two have been in different rooms for a half an hour and no one is sick or fainting."
His head snapped up, and a weak smile appeared on his face. "That's something at least, but God, I'm stupid." I frowned. "No, really. I, uh, didn't have any protection with me, and Chloë isn't on anything," Finn explained.
"Ah, now I get it. But would it really be that bad? Sure, we are still young, but it isn't like we all wouldn't be involved. We would probably have to fight the girls to get any time with the kid."
Finn shoved his hands in his hair and tugged slightly. "I'm not worried I can't handle it. Yeah, I'd like some time with her alone before a kid comes along, but it's how she might react that worries me. I keep waiting for her to run away from me."
I patted his shoulder. "Look on the bright side. If you did knock her up, she isn't likely to leave you."
"That shouldn't make me feel better, but it does," he admitted.
I crossed the room and opened the door. "Come on. Let's go downstairs."
In the living room, everyone turned to face me. I turned around to see if there was someone behind me, but no, they were really waiting for me. "Am I missing something?"
Grey shook his head. "No. We decided we want you to lead."
I tipped my head in acknowledgement. "All right. Cooper, what is the status of the bunker?" I asked, taking charge.
"Considering there is a giant crater where the farm used to be, I'd say it is non-operational."
I nodded. "Carlos, were there any survivors?"
"I think two men managed to make it to the barn before I blew the place. If they were running, they might have survived the blast."<
br />
"Nik, did you learn anything we should know while you were held hostage?"
He nodded vigorously, and looked a lot like a bobblehead doll. "The professor, Dr. Tuttle, was not the man in charge. There was someone he kept calling, giving them updates. I heard him talking about Chloë and Finn. I'm not sure who it was, but whoever it is knows way too much about them."
"No names?" I clarified.
"I think I remember the professor calling him Mr. Astaroth."
Carlos stood up suddenly and began to pace. Cooper too seemed to be listening more closely.
"Does that name ring any bells for either of you?" I asked.
"I remember that name from somewhere, but I can't place it yet," Carlos answered.
Cooper looked at me. "I can't either, but it'll come to me. The problem is I don't even know where to look."
"Okay, we need to look into that. Do we know if all of the blood samples taken were destroyed in the fire?"
Everyone turned toward Nik. "Unfortunately, I can't say for sure. I know that some of the results were sent digitally to Dr. Tuttle's lab at Central, but I don't know if any physical samples were sent as well."
Finn put his arm around Chloë and pulled her close. Nik did the same thing with Ashleigh.
Finn looked at me seriously. "We are going to have to break into the lab and destroy any evidence he might have brought back."
I nodded. "It is going to have to be Grey and Carlos. It needs to be done at night by a team that can work without human notice. They have the strongest skills and the most experience."
"I don't have a problem with that," Grey agreed. He looked at Finn and Chloë, and I knew they were going to hate his next suggestion. "The two of you can't go back to class. Until we know Dr. Tuttle's fate and who this Astaroth is, you would be too exposed. Withdraw, request online classes, take incompletes—anything you need to do to stay off campus until this is over."
I jumped in before they could argue. "I'm going to join geology with Anita. I bet, with Carlos's help, the professor would believe I'd always been in the class."
"That isn't a bad idea actually. We will put someone in all of your classes and bring back the work. I'll cast a glamour on all of your classes to make it appear you attended. As long as you do your work and it gets turned in, you'll still receive your credits for the quarter," schemed Carlos.
I moved to the middle of the room, ready to end this meeting. "Until this threat is past, no one goes anywhere alone. Finn and Chloë, you can't go anywhere."
Anita cocked her eyebrow. "I'm sure they can find some way to entertain themselves."
Chloë handed a couch pillow to Grey and whispered in his ear. A split second later, he chucked it at Anita.
"Ow! You're right. That does hurt."
"And that is our cue to adjourn this little meeting. Come on, woman. Let's go to bed before you add more fuel to the fire. You witch and wizard types seem to like to blow things up," I said, reaching for her hand.
Anita leaned around me and announced, "Oh, you'll find what you need under the bathroom sink in my old room." She winked at them, and I doubt a single person in the room didn't understand her meaning.
"Why do you have...? Never mind. Don't tell me," Chloë backtracked.
"Just because he didn't give in didn't mean I didn't try," she answered, smirking at me.
Chapter Twelve
Almost Isn't Good Enough
Chloë
Bridgett's blond head poked into the kitchen while I was getting coffee. "Do you have any grimoires or spell books related to elfish magic?"
"No, but I can see if Marguerite—I mean, my mom—does. Why?"
"Well, all of the information I have says the ritual has to be performed during the three days around the full moon. Since that was last week..." she trailed off.
"That means we have to wait about three more weeks," I finished.
"I could be wrong, but if we perform the ritual wrong, I don't know what might happen. I also need to gather a few items."
"I'm pretty strong now, and so is Finn. As long as we don't spend too much time apart, we should be able to wait. I'd like to make it special, kind of like an engagement party? What do you think, Finn?" My voice rose at the end so I could let him know that I could sense him in the hall.
He sauntered into the room looking like the black-haired, blue-eyed devil he was. He smiled his megawatt grin. Shameless. He tossed his arm around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head.
"Engagement party? Who's getting married?" His eyes glittered with amusement. I poked his hard stomach. "Kidding," he said, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Does this mean I can give you your ring now?"
"No!" Bridgett shouted as Finn reached into his pocket.
I cast her a scathing look. "I thought we were past this?"
She ignored me while she feverishly flipped through her notes. "Huh?" she asked, looking away from her spiral notebook. She shook her head to clear it. "Oh, sorry. It's not what you think. In my research, I found that Finn is supposed to give you a ring. See, the bonding ceremony is really more of a marriage ritual for elves. Since you both want this to be more of an engagement celebration, he should give you the ring during the ceremony."
"Ah. Do I need to give him a ring too?" Bridgett's face flamed bright red. I groaned, "I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"Uh...well...you are supposed to give him a key. Not a plain house key, although I guess you could, but usually it is a decorative skeleton key. Most people string it on a chain," Bridgett fumbled out.
"Why a key? Do you know, Finn?"
Finn shrugged. "I know practically nothing about elfish culture."
Bridgett looked down and nervously played with her fingers. "Supernatural societies are mostly patriarchal—with the exception of your family, Chloë. Girls were locked away when they weren't accompanied by their fathers or older brothers. The key was to show control passing from male relatives to a husband."
"Yup. I don't like it," I commented.
Finn shifted me to stand in front of him but held me away from his body. I glanced over my shoulder to ask him what he was doing, but the heated expression on his face answered my question.
"You actually like the idea."
He pulled me back against him, confirming his aroused state. I felt his warm breath tickle my neck as he drew his nose up my skin.
"Call me stupid, but the idea of having unlimited access to your bed is very appealing."
"You already have unlimited access to my bed," I said breathlessly.
"And I want everyone to know it," he whispered in my ear.
I failed to see how anyone could miss it. In the three days since we had been rescued, we were rarely out of bed, except to eat, shower, and use the restroom. Finn's fingers started teasing the skin above my jeans.
"You have a one-track mind," I chided, embarrassed at his display in front of Bridgett.
"Mmmm..." he muttered in agreement.
Bridgett waved a "no big deal" gesture with her hand. "Bonded males are awful. He might learn to control himself in public, but privately, he will probably always be like this from now on. My dad chases my mom around the house, and they have been mated for about three hundred years."
"See? I'm totally normal," he said and hoisted me onto his shoulder.
"Did you need any help, Bridgett?" I asked while Finn started moving away.
She laughed. "I think Finn has other plans. I'll see what the others are doing, since Dean said we can't go anywhere alone."
Finn moved steadily toward our room, which was originally his room.
"You know, I think I'm actually starting to like her," I said, still hanging upside down over his shoulder.
"I'm very glad she agreed to perform the ritual for us. I've got a cousin I should invite out here after things return to abnormal."
"Abnormal?" I asked.
"Well, things are never really normal around here." He tossed the door open, entered, and kicked it
shut.
He slid me down his body to put me down. I looked up, since he was eight inches taller than my five foot six. His black, wavy hair flopped into his face, creating a stark contrast between his fair skin and bright blue eyes. The look reflected in them was blue fire.
He kissed me possessively and fisted his hand in my hair. "Tell me why you don't want to give me a key," he demanded. He tugged my hair back so I looked him straight in the face. Gone was the boy who was unsure of his feelings I’d met freshman year. Before me stood a man who knew what he wanted and was determined to get it. This Finn didn't waver between emotions.
As independent and strong as I was, this Finn was my equal.
"If it means that much to you, I'll do it."
He guided me down to the bed, moving forward like a stalking predator. "I knew you'd see it my way," he whispered before he pounced.
Anita
"Hey, Bridgett," I greeted. "What brings you by so early?"
"I need to go into town and pick up a few items for the bonding ceremony—crystals, seeds, and some fresh sage. They have to be prepared ahead of time, according to my research, and I want to make sure I don't mess it up. Dean said we can't go anywhere alone, and I was hoping you would go with me. Chloë and Finn are...uhm...busy."
I looked toward the stairs and made sure not to stretch my enhanced vampire hearing. "Again? I'm giving them another day and I'm turning the hose on them." She was staring at me expectantly, and then I remembered that she’d asked me to go into town with her. "Oh, into town today? Dean and I are meeting my mother at a potluck for her church in West Valley."
She looked puzzled. "West Valley? I'm new here. Where is that?"
"Oh, it's part of Yakima. The good part, if there is such a thing," I answered, mocking my hometown.
"Maybe I can get Leah or Jo to go with me."
Outside, I noticed her skipping toward the garage/apartment that Jo, Leah, and Cooper shared. I jumped when I felt Dean's hands slide around my waist.
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