Page 34 of Chasing Stripes (Enchanted Falls #3)

THIRTY-FOUR

A rtemis raised an eyebrow. “And I qualify?”

“Apparently, you have ‘kind eyes and capable hands.’“ He made air quotes with one hand, keeping the other firmly on the wheel. “Her words, not mine.”

“High praise from a tiger matriarch.”

Bartek’s features arranged themselves into something almost sheepish. “She may also have driven by the bakery three times since I mentioned you.”

“Reconnaissance?” Artemis laughed.

“She prefers ‘preliminary research.’“

They drove beyond Main Street, past the tidy cottages that housed Enchanted Falls’s diverse supernatural community, until the landscape opened up into gently rolling hills. The road curved through a section of forest, tall pines creating a natural corridor.

“My family settled here when the town was first established,” Bartek explained. “Tigers appreciate the combination of privacy and territory.”

The trees opened up to reveal a sprawling craftsman-style house nestled against the edge of the forest. Warm lights glowed from multiple windows, and smoke curled from a massive stone chimney.

“It’s beautiful,” Artemis murmured, taking in the details—the wraparound porch with its comfortable-looking rocking chairs, the carefully tended garden beds, the sense of history etched into every weathered beam.

“Home sweet pride house,” Bartek said, pulling into a gravel driveway where several other vehicles already waited. “Fair warning—my mother has invited everyone.”

“Everyone?” A flutter of panic took wing in Artemis’s stomach.

“My parents, sister, brother-in-law, the twins...” He hesitated. “And my great-uncle Darius.”

Something in his tone made her glance over. “Problem?”

“Darius is... traditional. Old school. He’s from a generation of tigers that didn’t socialize much beyond their own kind.”

Understanding dawned. “And I’m very much not a tiger.”

“You’re you,” Bartek said with surprising fierceness. “And that’s what matters.” He reached across to squeeze her hand. “But if he says anything inappropriate?—”

“I can handle cranky old shifters,” Artemis assured him, summoning a confidence she wasn’t entirely sure she felt. “My third-grade teacher was a grizzly bear with hemorrhoids.”

The surprised laugh that burst from him transformed his features, erasing the worry lines and making him look younger. It settled something in Artemis, a reminder that beneath the alpha exterior was someone who appreciated her particular brand of humor.

As they approached the door, Bartek paused. “They can be... overwhelming,” he warned, his usual stoicism softening. “If it gets to be too much?—”

The door flew open before he could finish, revealing two small girls in matching floral dresses, bouncing with excitement.

“She’s here! Uncle’s girlfriend is here!” they shrieked in unison.

Heat flooded Artemis’s cheeks. “Um...”

“Lily. Jade,” Bartek growled, though no real heat backed the sound. “What did we discuss about appropriate greetings?”

The twin on the left—slightly taller with a missing front tooth—smiled impishly. “That we should say hello first.”

“And what did you just do?”

“Hello,” the other twin said, not looking remotely sorry. She tugged at Artemis’s dress. “Are you really a fae? Can you make cookies appear out of nowhere? Uncle Bartek says you sparkle sometimes.”

“I do not sparkle,” Artemis fought back a laugh. “That’s a myth. Though I can make cookies appear almost out of nowhere with the right ingredients.”

“Girls, for heaven’s sake, let them through the door.” Bartek’s mother appeared behind the twins, her resemblance to Bartek unmistakable in the curve of her smile and the set of her eyes. She ushered the children back. “Welcome to our home.”

Gloria moved with the same fluid grace as her son, though her hair had silvered at the temples. She embraced Artemis without hesitation.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Gloria said, drawing back to study her with undisguised interest. “Though I feel I already know you through my extensive surveillance reports.”

“Mother,” Bartek rolled his eyes.

“What? Your sister has been providing daily updates on the bakery.” Gloria linked her arm through Artemis’s, guiding her into a spacious living room where a fire crackled in a massive stone hearth. “Did you know she ordered six different pastries yesterday just to have an excuse to gather intel?”

“I’m standing right here,” protested Mimi from near the fireplace. “And it was eight pastries. The éclairs were for research purposes.”

“All in the name of family due diligence,” Gloria agreed solemnly.

Hudson nodded from his position near the hearth where he was stoking the flames. His resemblance to Bartek was striking—same powerful build, same steady presence, though his hair had grayed considerably.

“Come in, come in,” Gloria urged, drawing Artemis farther into the home. “Haavi’s running late—something about a supplier mix-up at the bar—but he’ll join us soon. And Uncle Darius is in the study, probably hiding from the twins.”

As if summoned, the girls attached themselves to Artemis, one on each side.

“Can you show us magic?” asked the one Artemis tentatively identified as Lily, by her missing tooth.

“Do fae really live forever?” Jade piped up, eyes wide.

“Girls,” Mimi called from across the room. “What did we discuss about personal questions?”

Both twins sighed dramatically. “Ask one at a time and wait for an answer,” they recited in unison.

“Exactly.”