Page 11

Although he always made an effort not to bump into things, Idris concentrated more than usual as he entered the Miller house.

It was a nice sized place with tall ceilings, which meant he only needed to duck through doorways, although he didn’t notice a chandelier in the living room he needed to avoid.

Everyone thought it was so amazing being this tall, but the truth was the world wasn’t designed for him, and he was reminded of that fact every time he hit his head on something.

“Mom, Dad, this is Idris, Silas, and Reed,” Cassi said, pointing to each of them as she said their names. “We’re all mated now.”

Idris had no idea what to expect from Cassi’s parents, but giant welcoming smiles seemed like a surprising reaction. Shouldn’t they be upset?

Oh wait, they didn’t know what the men were!

“I’m a gargoyle,” Idris said, then winced. He should’ve probably been more delicate about the announcement, and he hadn’t even greeted them yet. “And, um, hi. It’s nice to meet you.”

Cassi’s mom nodded. “I’m Nanc, a human. It’s nice to meet you too. Is there anything special you need?”

“I have some nice rocks in the backyard,” Cassi’s father offered. “If you want a snack.”

Reed snickered, and Cassi shook her head. “He doesn’t eat rocks, Dad!” She stepped back and pulled Idris to the front. “Idris, this is my dad, you can call him Jed.”

Idris held out his hand, and Jed didn’t hesitate to shake it. “Nice to meet you, even if you turned down my rocks,” Jed said with a wink. That’s when Idris realized Jed had been teasing him the whole time.

“I’m sorry I don’t eat rocks, but Reed might be hungry. Do you have a pet cat to offer him?”

Jed burst out laughing. “Cat! Because he’s a wolf shifter! Good one Idris!”

Nanc rolled her eyes and addressed all of them.

“Officer Chavez came back for most of the day and only left a little while ago. He explained that Silas was the reason Andromeda was rescued. He told us all about vampires and their flocks and helped us understand the relationship dynamic. We’re so happy that Cassiopeia found her soul mates! ”

“That makes two of our daughters with soul mates,” Jed said proudly.

“Two?” Idris asked, looking down at Cassi.

“My older sister Carina mated with a harpy last year, that’s how I knew about vampires and stuff,” Cassi explained.

The pieces fell into place. Having a sister recently mated to a harpy explained why her parents were so happy. There was nothing as protective of a human partner than a preternatural with a soul bond.

He’d never say this out loud, but he’d be forever thankful that Andi was too loyal to leave the cult when her friend was locked in the basement. Without that, Cassi wouldn’t have needed to rescue her. They might never have met their bold human.

A young woman standing at the top of the nearby stairs caught his eye. She was thin to the point of being gaunt. Her eyes were bouncing from him to Silas to Reed. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood and there was a haunted look in her eyes. This had to be Andi.

Standing behind her was a woman with Cassi’s eyes and Andi’s hair color. Idris guessed this was the oldest sister.

Unsure if he should greet her or let her decide if she wanted to be seen or not, he dropped his gaze to Nanc and tried to catch up on the conversation he’d missed.

“That’s a kind offer, Silas, but with the cult leader in jail, we all feel perfectly safe staying in our home,” Nanc said with a smile. “If anything changes, I promise to let you know.”

“Please do,” Silas agreed. “You’re precious to our Cassi so you’re important to us also. My home has plenty of room, and I can assure you that your presence would pose no burden.”

“We actually live in a castle,” Reed said with relish as he edged up behind Cassi and snuggled against her back. “But it’s not haunted or anything.”

“That’s too bad,” Jed said with an exaggerated sigh. “Meeting ghosts sounds like fun.”

“Not always,” Silas said, deadpan. “Sometimes they can be rather troublesome and murder guests in their sleep.”

Jed turned wide-eyed. Silas let one corner of his mouth curve up, and Jed started laughing.

“You had me go—” Jed’s words were cut off when Cassi noticed her sisters standing at the top of the stairs and shouted.

“Andi!”

Big fat tears started streaming down Andi’s face as she made her way down the stairs. She wasn’t entirely steady, but her older sister was there to help. She didn’t talk until she was on the ground floor and throwing her arms around Cassi.

“Cassi!” she said with a sob. “I was so scared. Officer Chavez said you saved me. You went to Silas, and he made the authorities raid the compound. I’m so sorry for what I said last time we talked.

They were listening in, and I had to pretend I hated you and never wanted to see you again. I’m so sorry!”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Cassi assured the young woman, hugging her back. “I knew something was wrong because of the way you talked to me. Even if you were upset with me, you’d never use that kind of language, not my Andi. I’m so happy you’re home and safe!”

They continued to hug as everyone talked around them. Cassi’s older sister Carina introduced herself. Nanc and Jed offered them all kinds of food and drinks while Andi clung to Cassi as if she was the only steady thing in the world.

Listening to how open and warm Cassi’s family was with the new men in her life made Idris finally relax.

It wasn’t until that moment that he realized how tense he’d been.

The last hurdle had been this family's approval.

Now that they had it, there was no more fear that Cassi might regret their soul bond.

The four of them could look forward to a long, happy life together.

A knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Reed bounced to the door and swung it open like he lived there, revealing a man in an officer’s uniform.

“Angel!” Reed exclaimed and pulled the man into a hug.

“Reed!” Angel Chavez said with a chuckle as he hugged Reed back, then looked into the very full living room. His eyes found Andi, and he smiled at her. “Did you decide to have a party while I was gone?”

“This is my middle sister and her mates,” Andi said, dipping her head shyly. “I guess you already know Reed.”

“He was very briefly a member of my pack before finding Silas,” Angel said.

“What are you doing here?” Reed asked.

Angel held up a duffle bag. “Spending the night so Andi feels safe.”

“Ang—I mean Officer Chavez said I don’t have anything to worry about, but he was willing to sleep on the couch just to be sure.”

Reed cast Angel a knowing look. “Just to be sure, huh?”

Angel playfully shoved Reed and moved past him to stand near Andi. He didn’t touch her, but she seemed to lean toward him as if drawn by an invisible force.

Idris knew exactly what that invisible force was. It seemed this human family was a magnet for soul mates because the remaining daughter had found hers.

“I didn’t see that happy ending coming,” Reed murmured to Idris.

“What happy ending?” Cassi asked. “Why am I getting gleeful from you, Reed?”

“We’ll explain later,” Idris said, pulling her into a hug as Angel and Andi became engrossed in a conversation. “But it’s probably time we left.”

Cassi finally noticed how Andi was looking at Angel. “Oh! Yeah, we should go.”

With Angel there, Andi didn’t cry when they left, but she did make Cassi promise they’d have a long conversation soon. Silas reminded everyone of their standing invitation to the castle, and Jed handed Idris a rock “for the road.”

He needed to think of something funny to do with the rock when Jed eventually visited them. Maybe put it in a drink like it was an ice cube?

“I like your dad,” he commented as they drove home.

“Yeah, he’s the quintessential dad including bad jokes and horrible puns,” Cassi said. “He’s the best.”

“Your mom’s great too,” he commented.

“They’re kind of your parents now too,” Cassi said, snuggling close. He felt the truth of her words through the link and understood that the flock hadn’t just gained Cassi but an entire extended family and probably a wolf pack too if Angel and Andi mated.

The thought made him feel all kinds of protective. “Silas, we need to buy more land!”

Silas looked back at him from the front passenger seat and held up his phone to show him the real estate app open. “I’m already looking.”

“It’ll be nice to have a wolf pack to run with again,” Reed said from the driver's seat, following their logic and conversation without effort. Poor Cassi looked completely confused.

“What?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Silas said as Idris undid her seatbelt so he could pull her into his lap. He needed to hold her and besides, if there was an accident, she’d be much safer surrounded by his stone body than attached to her seat.

“We can explain later,” Idris murmured. “For right now, I need a kiss.”

Cassi melted against him. “Sure,” she agreed and lifted her face to his.

The kiss was everything and lasted almost all the way back to the castle. Once home, the three of them showed Cassi once again how much they adored her by worshiping her body until all of them collapsed into bed exhausted.