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That wasn’t enough. She felt Elijah’s disappointment, so she added, “I feel something for all three of you, but like you, I’m careful about my promises. Everything is topsy turvy in my head, so I need to be careful about letting my emotions run free with my tongue.”

Elijah settled at that, and she rubbed the arm he had over her midsection. “Elijah, do you draw or paint?”

“I have in the past, when I was allowed. It’s been a while.”

She couldn’t explain how she’d known, but she did. Without overthinking it, she asked, “Can we buy him some art supplies, Dev? Maybe give him a place to create that’s all his own?”

“I can certainly talk to Brooke about it. There are issues around him owning physical things, but there are some loopholes I can use if she okays it. What made you ask him?”

So much for not overthinking the thing she knew to be true without knowing how. She couldchangeinto a fucking owl, for fuck’s sake. Why was she having so much trouble accepting there were other kinds of magic?

“I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it yet, but I have a question for Ezra, who I feel probably doesn’t paint and draw, but likely enjoys logic puzzles.”

“Oh, I enjoy reading murder mysteries — the really good ones where you have to be clever and a bit of a chess player to figure out the killer. I also enjoy playing chess a great deal, and could even beat a few of the old ones in the Concilio, but most of them could mop the floor with me. They think fifty moves ahead to my dozen, I’m afraid.”

Genie took a breath and told them her theory. “The human mind divides itself up into spatial or abstract thought, and logical thought. The right brain and left brain. In some ways, the two of you seem to be operating in much the same way. You’re very alike, and yet, Ezra is more logical and Elijah more in touch with his emotions. Ezra is better with rules, Elijah is better at keeping life interesting. If the two of you can figure out how to act as more of a team, it’s possible you’ll stay out of trouble a little better.”

Ezra said, “Damn,” at the same time Elijah said, “Fuck me.”

“You’re right,” Dev said. “I hadn’t seen it, but now that you point it out, it’s hard to see it any other way.” He kissed the top of her head. “Trust our trusty owlet nurse to figure it out.”

Chapter Twenty-One

By the time darkness fell, Genie was in clothes provided by the coterie — designer jeans that fit perfectly, a red and white Christmas sweater that hugged her curves, and the most luscious red leather boots imaginable — and was being ushered into the back of a limousine with Brooke.

One of the guards had brought Ferocious up from the twins’ room to Dev’s before she left, and there was a mark on the toe of one boot from the kitten’s teeth, but that was okay. It broke them in and made them more hers, in a way.

Dev had coached her that she had to be the big sister when they were in public, and talked to her about how to look like she was directing a child without actually bossing Brooke around. He’d explained that Brooke needed and appreciated the kind of touch adults gave kids all the time: holding her hand, fixing a stray barrette or hair bow, retying or rebuckling a shoe. She liked being treated like a child during everyday interactions, but it was still important to show her the respect due a Master when it was called for. Brooke wouldn’t want to issue orders when having fun being a child in public, so if she asked to do something, Genie shouldn’t view it as a request. If Brooke asked whether Genie wanted to do something,thenit was a simple question and not a hidden order.

“Don’t be nervous,” Brooke told her once they were closed into the limo. “Dev made it more complicated than it has to be. We’re just two girls out having fun. Our only agenda is to see how you do with distance between you and your men.”

“My men?”

“Do you dispute that they are yours?”

Genie sighed. “I want to, but I guess it’d be kind of silly. I’m not sure how to address this with the bikers, but I should probably call Duke and start with him.”

Brooke nodded, “Your first oath was to the Chattanooga chapter, and the one you gave the Birmingham bikers was an adjunct of that, meant to be temporary until your return home in late January. Work your three days this week, and when you return to us on Thursday, I will help you with your phone call to Duke, and then we can follow up with a phone call to Mad Dog.”

Genie considered why Brooke would want to be part of the conversation, and told her, “I appreciate that you see the Birmingham RTMC as your allies, or something along those lines, and you want things to be clear with them since they originally sent me to feed you, but this feels more personal than political. I have an agreement with two chapters of the RTMC that I need to bring to a close. There is a route to do so, and they were quite clear on that when we all made promises to each other.”

“And would you be willing to come to an agreement with me?”

Genie carefully kept her thoughts quiet. “What would that agreement look like?”

“Protection as one of mine in exchange for coming to me with information I need to keep my people safe, which was part of your oath to the bikers. Also, your agreement that you’ll partner with Dev in helping raise the twins to be productive members of society, if they are capable of becoming so, and well-settled members of the coterie if they are not. Sex will not play into any agreement between us, nor will I require you feed me, though I hope you’ll want to occasionally.” She sighed. “Once, Dev would’ve been responsible for the housing expenses of a mate who didn’t work for the Concilio. However, some femalesin this age take offense at that. You’ll need to speak to Dev about how the two of you wish to handle such things if you move in with him, and then that can be made part of our agreement as well.”

Remy had actually told her a little of how the slaves were required to pay for their housing and upkeep. They could feed a vampire a set amount of times a week, or they could take on odd jobs with the coterie to either decrease that number or eliminate it all-together. The slaves who found a way to work outside the coterie were allowed to pay their way with dollars. The flock had similar rules about what it took to receive food and board free of charge, though they didn’t need to feed a vampire as often since they didn’t need oversight. Genie assumed she could pay whatever was required with dollars, and hoped it wouldn’t be an astronomical figure. If so, she’d just keep an apartment and wouldn’t move in.

But that was a conversation for another time. For now, she told Brooke, “I can’t make any agreements with you until I’ve spoken with Duke in Chattanooga, and that would include making an agreement to consider an agreement later. Unofficially, I look forward to talking to you about it at a later date, however.”

“You deal with legalities at work,” Brooke said with a smile. “So while you aren’t used to navigating the supernatural world at this level, I think you’re going to be able to hold your own with us.”

The limo took it’s time driving out of the garage and through the property. Genie felt a tug when they exited the gates, but it wasn’t painful. It registered as a loss, but she moved her energy around in her own body through seven deep breaths, and she was fine when she opened her eyes.

“Excellent,” Brooke told her. “You’re a fast learner.”

Genie hadn’t expected to have fun on her evening out, but she did. They played carnival type games and a few video games at a place in the mall — Genie especially liked the motorcycles that leaned from side to side while a large screen showed the road and the terrain. They also shopped for shoes and had a blast finding and trying on both great shoes and hideous ones. When they were finished, a leopard bodyguard stepped forward to pay for their purchases, and he bought the two pairs of shoes Genie had found to buy as well as the five pairs Brooke wanted.