Page 17 of Meet Your Maker, Part One (The House of Marchese Saga #4)
Chapter Sixteen
Ambrosia and Chocolate Bunnies
— Sunday —
We pile into the van, twelve bodies crammed into a space meant for maybe eight. Luggage gets jammed into every available crevice, elbows and shoulders jostling as everyone settles in. The engine hums low, a steady backdrop to the happy chatter. I exhale a breath I feel like I’ve been holding for weeks and just… sit in the moment.
I turn in my seat, taking them all in. “Girls, you’ve grown another three inches, I swear. What’s Cady been feedin’ you?” They do look bigger… happier.
“Ambrosia,” Lily says, dragging out each syllable like she’s savoring it. Oh, that little stinker. I feel her testing my shields, trying to skim a thought or two. I let her see a bowl of marshmallow salad with tiny oranges. She huffs in disappointment.
“Daddy,” she says, a sly grin spreading across her face, “can we tell?”
He chuckles, his eyes twinkling. “Now, Lily-bug, you know you promised Cady you wouldn’t.”
“But Sunday already knows about ambrosia,” Lily insists, her voice almost sing-song. “She knows it’s not just a yucky salad.”
My eyes widen slightly. Okay, that’s unnerving. “Just how much ambrosia have y’all been consuming?” I ask, keeping my voice casual.
“Enough,” Gemma says, her tone matter-of-fact.
“Enough to make us strong and smart,” Lily adds, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I exchange a look with Daddy, who just shrugs, amusement dancing in his true blue eyes. “She’s been adding it to their smoothies,” he admits. “Says it helps with their psychic development.”
“Right,” I say slowly. “Because that’s totally normal. And has she mentioned anything about, say, immortality? ”
The twins giggle. “Maybe,” Lily whispers conspiratorially, her grin devilish.
I take a deep breath. Okay, this is taking a turn towards the bizarre. “Well,” I say, trying to keep the humor alive, “I guess we’ll just be grateful she isn’t dipping you in any mystical rivers.” I narrow my eyes at them. “She isn’t, right?”
Grayson snorts beside me. “Think she learned her lesson with Achilles?”
“Lord, I hope so. Pretty sure that creek out back isn’t good for much of anything.”
I glance at Mishka, squished between the girls, and send out a tendril of my gift to check on him. He feels busy and content, caught up in their chatter. But beneath the surface, the familiar Mishka sneakiness is there—a quiet undercurrent of examining, plotting, always scheming.
Good. He’s fine.
Then he catches my eye, smirks, and vanishes in a flash of golden light.
Lily shrieks, diving headfirst into the pile of clothes left on the seat. “Mishka!”
Ben is on his feet instantly—and promptly bonks his head on the van’s low ceiling. “Ow!” He rubs his head, his face a mixture of concern and frustration.
Shadow tugs Ben back down with a steady hand. “Use your nose, Amor.”
I sniff too but find nothing unusual—just the warm, familiar scent of my people. Then a horrifying thought occurs.
“Mishka,” I warn, my voice low, “if you’re a skunk, I swear to God…”
Gemma finally unwraps his furry little body, nearly vibrating with excitement. “Nope, he’s a brown rabbit, like a chocolate bunny!” Mishka looks like a plush toy come to life, his soft fur and twitching whiskers drawing delighted gasps from the twins. His long ears perk up at their squeals.
“He’s amazing!” Lily claps her hands, practically bouncing in her seat. “Can you make him do tricks?”
Gemma kneels on the floor, eye to eye with him. “Can you hop?”
Mishka obliges, moving off the seat and hopping a few times within the confines of the very crowded van.
I glance over at Grayson, expecting him to be the least charmed by all this chaos. But he seems good, mostly focused on his phone, occasionally glancing out at the countryside streaming past the windows. The full bond has definitely brought us closer, but I can’t quite see his screen. I can, however, feel his self-satisfaction humming through the bond. Whatever he’s up to, he’s very pleased with himself.
Daddy tries to bring the energy down a notch. “Girls, remember what I said about Mishka not being a pet?”
The twins exchange a look, momentarily subdued. Then Gemma, ever the diplomat, leans forward, her eyes wide and hopeful. “Can he sleep at our house tonight, please? His room is ready and everything.”
I sigh softly, meeting their expectant faces. “We can’t ask Mishka right now. Maybe tomorrow night. I’m guessing being bossed around by you two might be a bit much for a first sleepover.”
“But we know he wants to. We can hear him,” Gemma pleads, her voice earnest.
“Yeah! Right now, he’s thinking he wants some of our chocolate, and he can have it all. I barely touched mine,” Lily adds, her eyes shining with sincerity.
Wade’s voice cuts in, firm but gentle. “Girls, we’ve talked about this. You need to respect other people’s privacy.”
Before we can debate further, Mishka pops up from under the front seat, placing two soft bunny paws on my leg. His little nose twitches up a storm, eyes wide and pleading. Let me tell you—puppy-dog eyes have nothing on baby-bunny eyes.
I pick Mishka up, set him on my lap, and gently run my fingers between his ears. “Are you sure you want to go back home with them? They’re awful pushy.”
Mishka manages to nod his rabbit head, his long ears flopping around.
I turn in my seat, finding Ben watching his son with a look that borders on wistfulness. “Is it okay with you, Dad? He seems to want to go.”
Ben shrugs. “If that’s what he wants to do… yeah, it’s fine.”
I narrow my eyes and dig ruthlessly into our bond. He feels kind of flat, his usual Ben-ness dulled. Something’s off. “You okay, babe?”
“I’m good. He’s got a room and stuff there. We’ll, uh, need a few days to get him set up. This is probably better.” He tries for a smile, but there’s a hollowness in his voice I can’t ignore.
He’s hiding something. I reach out, squeeze his hand, and send a wave of reassurance through our bond.
Shadow’s quiet too. All three of my shifters radiate a vibe of impatience or expectation that feels… off. Not Grayson, though. He’s practically glowing with self-satisfaction, like a man who’s about to accept an award. Whatever’s going on there, he’s very pleased with himself.
Before I can unravel that particular mystery, the van slows down for the first traffic light entering Greenbriar.
Daddy yawns, covering his mouth with one hand. “Pardon me, I was up early. I’ll swing by the house, unload the kids and Sue, then take the rest of you out to the farm. Sound good?”
Val, who hasn’t said a word since we got in the van, suddenly speaks up. “Sue has offered me a space to stay the day, and I think I’d like to be near Mishka.”
Goodness, she takes her babysitting duties seriously. We only asked once, like five days ago. “If you’re comfortable with that, I mean, sure…”
“You and your mates need a night to settle in. I’ll only be in the way.”
“Don’t be silly, Val,” I say, giving her a warm smile. “It’ll be your house, too.” Then a thought occurs to me. “But it might be good for you to stay with the girls. You know, in case Mishka needs anything during the night.”
Sue pats Val’s arm. “We’ll stay together. It’ll be fun, like a party.”
“Perfect,” Daddy says, turning onto our street. “Looks like we’ve got a plan.”
It takes forever to find Mishka’s and Val’s bags and get him inside to see his room. I mentally tuck away the image of Grayson checking the twin bed for the right amount of bounce. It’s perfect—a little sanctuary with bits of Gemma and Lily scattered around: stickers, drawings, and that unmistakable sense of shared space.
Mishka shifts back to human form before we leave, which makes it a little easier to walk away. His nonchalance about our departure unsettles me, though. And while Ben does his best to mask his disappointment, I feel its weight pressing through our bond.
He’s just a kid, I remind myself, heart aching for Ben. He needs friends his own age, to learn to share and play.
Back in the van, I settle into my seat, grappling with a strange mix of emotions: relief that Mishka is happy, sadness for Ben, and a gnawing impatience to get home—to be done with traveling, done with adventures.
“Alright,” Daddy announces, pulling back onto the road. “Onward to the farm.”
Grayson clears his throat, a note of anticipation in his voice. “Wade, if you could just take a left here. We have one more stop.”