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Luca had vehemently declined to meet a stranger just to see a million spaces that would need renovation. Instead, Grayson had gone along to offer his design opinion.

Most importantly, though, Rowan had been persuaded to go back to the studio—and it sure helped with those boundaries Nix had tried so hard to put in place.

Even if twenty-three texts are sitting in Nix’s notifications from him alone—including three requests for photos, one apology gif, and something suspiciously labeled “for science.”

Doodle and Domino are lying in a patch of sun and only deign to crack an eye when they come in.

They, too, are grown more lanky and wild than they’d been in the beginning. There are countless cat toys and dog toys in various stages of destruction all over the floor, and Nix sees Tsuki pick one or two up and put them in the toy basket before she plops down in the sun with her tinier-but-equally-spoiled pack members.

Ah, the life of a well-loved pet is to be envied.

Except maybe for the lack of ice cream.

Maybe they should have some before they go?

He checks his phone for the time and carefully puts it back in his bag. Not enough time if they went to get back before the others know they’regone.

He’d more than learned his lesson after the last few times, that’s for sure.

Luca is at the front door already, in his lavender winter coat, with his boots already tied by the time Nix gets there.

He’s awfully cute, but he’s going to freeze his ass off.

“Uh, Baby? You forgot your pants.”

“Well, fuck me.”

He pulls off his boots and accepts the skinny black sweats, grumbling the whole time about winter and pants but his heart doesn’t seem to be in the familiar tirade.

Nix bends over to tie his mate’s laces for him so that they can avoid a meltdown, and when he stands too quickly, tiny black spots dance in his vision. He throws out a hand, which lands right on the top of Tsuki’s head.

He’s thankful Luca already has the door open and his fingerprint on the security system, so he doesn’t notice.

“Good girl. We’ll be back,” he says.

But Tsuki is having none of it.

She has her leash in her jaws again, as she has never taken to wearing it. She’s happy to cooperate when she’s holding it, but as soon as they tried to put the harness on, she became a slippery eel and then an immovable object with teeth.

Even Jay’s bared alpha fangs were met with disdain.

They don’t talk about who won that skirmish, although Leo has the whole thing on video.

(May it never see the light of day, for his sake.)

She may have been content a few moments before, but she’s insistent now and Nix is no fool.

She’s had good instincts up to this point, so he lets her precede him out the door.

“Kooky-Tsuki, along for the ride? Yes! Why didn’t I think of that? Come on. I think I see Artem.”

Luca leads them through the dusting of snow covering the courtyard and down to the gate where, sure enough, there on the other side is a silverHyundai Venue.

Nix waves through the gate while Luca uses his fingerprint to unlock it and then lock it again.

Sometimes he feels like it’s the National Treasury, and when he’s said so, Jay has said heISa National Treasure.

Ha-fucking-ha.