His father shook my hand. “No, I’m sure you aren’t.” He smiled, polite expression strained but genuine at the same time, two conflicting emotions warring for dominance inside him. I didn’t normally pick up on shifter moods and sucked at empathy when it wasn’t Gabriel, but Mr. Fujimoto’s blazed like a beacon. “Gabriel has had nothing but good to speak of you. Are your studies going well?”
“Yes, sir, thank you for asking.”
“Good, good. I trust you two will enjoy a safe summer together. Also, please take this, a small gift for the upcoming sibling.” He offered a long, thin box wrapped in a colorful green cloth. I accepted the gift and held it to my chest, aware of his wife’s disapproving gaze from a few yards away.
“Thank you, Mr. Fujimoto, that’s very kind of you.”
His sister pouted. “You really won’t be coming home until July?”
“Yup. Sky and I are gonna take a road trip after she’s spoiled her baby brother rotten. We’re going to hit up a few tourist spots in the south and then spend a few days in New Orleans. She’s never had gator and legitimate creole food.”
After whooping with glee, Alex grinned up at him. “Bring me souvenirs from the NOLA Vampire Museum!”
“And pictures of the baby,” Teresa begged.
“I’ll post some on Facebook—I mean, if you have an account and want to friend me.”
Teresa whipped out her phone and snapped a photo of me. I hoped I didn’t look stupid. “Here. Put your number into my contacts too.”
“You’re coming to dinner with us, right?” Samuel asked.
“Huh?”
His father smiled again. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fujimoto’s stare intensified to laser-hot, should-be-melting-my-face-off levels. “We are taking Gabriel to a celebratory dinner at Koharu. You’re invited to join us, Skylar.”
Gabriel lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles, the sweet gesture making my stomach do a little flip. It never grew old. “Of course she’s coming. Sky loves sushi.”
I considered excusing myself and making up some silly lie to avoid crashing the family dinner and pissing his mom off, but then I realized the problem here wasn’t mine. It was hers.
And since I had no intention of letting Gabriel go, she had better fucking get used to me.
“I’d love to go with you.”
* * *
Boxes of Rodrigo’s stuff filled the living room when I arrived to help the guys Sunday afternoon. Like Gabriel, he’d accrued a whole lot of junk over the four years at PNRU, but he planned to move on instead of hanging around for graduate school.
When I arrived, they’d just finished sorting the bear shifter’s personal gear and firearms from Gabriel’s crap and dividing their ammo cache, though Rodrigo relented and left most of it.
Where he was going, he wouldn’t need to buy his own ammunition. He’d received a coveted, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intern under the Great Fenrir himself in Newfoundland. And he had one hell of a two-thousand-mile drive ahead of him to eastern Canada.
“You ready for some faerie magic, guys?” I asked.
“If you can pack all this shit up with faerie magic, you deserve another dinner at Koharu.” Rodrigo clapped his big mitt against his cousin’s shoulder. “On his dime, of course. But you’re not gonna.”
A swish of my crystal wand thrust his belongings into three neat, outrageously heavy packages that mystified the guys.
“You were saying? Dad taught me that one. Mom and I call him the Tetris champ, because he could probably fit a herd of elephants into one suitcase if he wanted.”
Rodrigo grunted under the weight of the box and hefted it up. “I don’t think you’re too far off from doing it yourself. Damn, girl. You have seriously packed on some magic muscle since we met you. Kinda disappointed I won’t be sticking around now, if it means I won’t get to see you continue to beef up.”
Before he made it a step to the door, I flicked my wand again. The Translocation glamour swept everything away on a magical breeze to the truck he’d rented.
He stumbled initially from the sudden loss of the weight he’d balanced then darted his puzzled, wide-eyed gaze to me before grinning. “You sure you can’t come with me? I’m gonna need all the help I can get unpacking this crap.”
I chuckled. “Nope, you’re on your own for that.”
“Gotta get your own faerie girl, primo.” Gabriel glanced past us toward the entertainment stand. “Hey, man, you forgot your PlayStation.”
“Nah, you keep it. Pretty sure I’m not gonna have time to play while working with the Fenrir. Besides, leaving that one gives me an excuse to upgrade to a unit with more storage space once I’m in the groove.” Rodrigo winked then turned to face me. “You watch out for this big idiot, now that I won’t be around, ’kay, Sky?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him outta trouble.”
Rodrigo grabbed me in a tight bear hug. Right when it seemed like he’d squeeze me to death, he set me back on my feet and let go.
“I’m gonna miss you. You’re not half bad—you know, for a faerie.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not so lazy for a bear.” Of all the interactions I’d ever had with Rodrigo, I’d miss his leadership at the Wild Hunt Club and our video gaming sessions the most. Before he could move away, I hugged him again. “You be careful up there. And stay in touch.”
“Will do, short stuff.”
Rodrigo stopped to rub Amaterasu on her golden-red head then left without much fanfare, but I imagined the two cousins had said their goodbyes before I got there. For a moment, after the door shut behind him, Gabriel’s shoulders slumped.
“What about you?” I asked. “You gonna move apartments? Look for another roommate?”
“I didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
The sadness in his eyes faded and his smile returned. “Now that I’m an official, licensed sentinel, I get to keep the apartment for free while assigned to the campus. All mine for the next two years until you’re ready to go.”
“Lucky you.”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice having my own place. Now then, you ready for our summer adventure?”
I slipped my arms around Gabriel’s neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him, savoring the moment that no roomie could interrupt. “When do we leave?”
A sly grin raised the corner of his mouth. “How soon can you pack?”
* * *
Watch out for the next part of Skylar’s story this fall told in Gabriel’s POV!
Birds of a Feather
When Gabriel arranges a vacation in New Orleans with his half-faerie girlfriend, he expects creole cuisine and opportunities to watch her prance in a skimpy bikini. The local sentinel bureau that polices paranormal activity has another idea in mind—agency numbers are dwindling, vampire turnings are high, and they need his help on the case.
It’s not the kind of action he hoped to get over the summer, but the local sentinel chief is family, and raven shifters stick together.
Other Books by Vivienne
Fairy Tale Retellings
Beauty and the Beast
Red and the Wolf
Goldilocks and the Bear
Belle and the Pirate
Zarina and the Djinn
Rapunzel and the Griffin Prince
Sci-Fi Romance
Super Sexy Aliens, Cyborgs, Psychics.
Reverse Harem Romance
Three Greek gods, one reincarnated modern goddess
Divine Ambrosia
Paranormal University
College has never been this exciting. Or hot.
The Hidden Court
Dragons
Loved by the Dragon
Smitten: Dawn of the Dragons #2
Crush on a Dragon: Dawn of the Dragons #3
God of Mischief: Dawn of the Dragons #4
Military Shifters
Hot and Wild military alphas
The Right to Bear Arms (Book #1)
Let Us Prey (Book #2)
> The Purr-fect Soldier (Book #3)
Old Dog New Tricks (Book #4)
Texas Pride (Book #5)
Impractical Magic
Impractical Magic
Better Than Hex (Impractical Magic #2)
Blood Heiress
Blood Kissed
Werewolves of San Antonio
Training the Alpha
Mythological Creatures
Making Waves
Epic Fantasy by Dominique Kristine
Shadows for a Princess
A princess who would rather die than wed. A warrior priest who would rather kill than see her harmed. A kingdom of shadows and treachery that threatens them both...
* * *
At the age of twenty-eight, Princess Ysolde Westbrook is a spinster duchess, the adopted daughter of Hindera's eccentric monarch. Commoners love their benevolent leader, but the kingdom's gentry take offense to the outsider among them. Amid noble plots and demands for her to marry a local aristocrat, an assassination attempt places her life in peril--if she will not have one of them for a husband, they would sooner see her dead.
Finding allies in strangers with powerful gifts and even darker secrets, Ysolde must learn what it means to lead and find her own inner strengths. Whether or not she survives the tangled web of treason will determine the fate of her duchy, the royal family, and the kingdom she loves.
About the Author
Vivienne Savage is the pen name of two best friends who write everything together. One works as a nurse in a rural healthcare home in Texas and the other is a U.S. Navy veteran. Both are mothers to two darling boys and two amazing girls.
All of their work varies in steam level, so pop by the VS website for details on which series is right for you!
For more information
www.viviennesavage.com
[email protected]
The Scary Godmother: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 2 Page 34
