“Oh. Sorry. We should stay.”
“Don’t worry,” he says.
“Are you sure?”
He nods. “I am. Let’s go.”
Bailey leans over to speak to Cat and then we all rise.
“I’ll run us over,” Cat says, and we head out together to approach her SUV.
“How far is it?” I ask.
“Down the street from my clinic. Close.”
Bailey calls out, “Shotgun!” and gets to the front door.
“Where?” Ty pulls me tight to him.
“That’s Bailey claiming the front seat,” I tell him.
“Oh,” he says quietly, loosening his grip.
“Are you okay with this? I mean, you said you wanted to stay tonight, so… ”
He nods but he doesn’t look so sure.
“I’m sorry if my reaction made you feel on the spot. Or if you want to watch the presentation thing, we can do that. Just come after. Or we can just go back to the cabin.”
He shakes his head. “No. It’s fine. If I didn’t want to, I’d say no. I wanted to spend the night to continue… ” He trails off, looking like he’s searching for the right words.
“Taking things in?” I offer.
He nods, opening the door for me so I climb in. He makes a grunt sound and then gets in.
“You okay?” I ask.
He leans over. “Your sweet ass was just about in my face for a second and it’s been too long since I was inside of you.”
“Tyson!” I gasp. “Your mother!”
“Understands alphas,” Cat finishes.
Oh God.
“Especially a freshly mated one, right?” Bailey prompts.
“Not just that. Tyson’s father was always like that. Your Grandma Carolyn told me that so was her husband. Get ready for a lifetime of insatiable husband,” Cat says as she starts up her SUV.
I try to swallow and don’t. I almost want to ask if they have weddings here or if there’s just the whole knotting thing, but I don’t want to ask these questions in front of Tyson. I’ll ask Bailey later, maybe.
“Tyson’s paternal grandmother and grandfather were at it like bunnies until the day he died,” Cat says.
“How old was he?” I ask.
“Eighty-four.”
“Holy crap,” I say.
“Yep. Tyson, by the way, how would you feel about a breakfast tomorrow with me and your grandparents?”
“That sounds fine,” Tyson says.
“Good. They’ll be happy about that after having to share your attention tonight.”
I get my seatbelt on and we’re only in the car for about five minutes before we’re stopping at a riverfront castle-like home.
“Oh wow,” I say.
Gates are opening and this is where we’re stopping.
“Behind the house is the Arcana Falls themselves, come.” Bailey says.
She and Cat lead us across what looks, despite the dimness, like a beautifully manicured, lush front lawn.
We walk around back, and I see the set of waterfalls to the right of the banks. We’re not talking Niagara Falls or anything so grandiose, but the river forks behind the house and to the right there is a set of small waterfalls probably about fifty feet up. The water trickles and trails down multiple levels of rocks. It’s so pretty. There’s also a stone set of stairs winding up to a giant rock ledge on the side. It’s very pretty. It’s also lit from behind.
“I present the Arcana Falls. Behind there is a beautiful hidden cave,” Bailey says. “There’s a lot of magic here. The spot is considered sacred to our pack. Witches have even come here over time to cast important spells, though not in several years, am I right, Cat?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow. It’s so beautiful,” I say.
“Tyson was most likely conceived back there,” Cat whispers. “It’s got a magical level of romantic ambience.”
I giggle. I bet it does.
“And I think it’s particularly a good spot for making shifter babies with extreme alpha tendencies,” she adds.
It’s dark out, but I can see the whites of his teeth as he smiles big at his mother.
“Hint, hint,” she says, elbowing me gently with a huge smile on her face.
I laugh nervously.
“Come back and see it again during the day,” Cat suggests. “See how special it is during the daylight.”
“Maybe me and Ivy will go first. You can all visit some other time,” Tyson says, cheekily, with laughter in his voice.
“Tyson!” I gasp.
Cat laughs heartily. Bailey is smiling.
We head toward the large house, featuring turrets at either side. We head to a set of French doors under a pergola-covered patio that Cat opens.
She turns a lamp on. Wow. We’re in a beautiful space. It’s big, open, and furnished with antiques. It smells like citrus furniture polish. My guess is that someone was here today cleaning, hoping we’d visit.
The main floor has a vast kitchen with a perfect blend of old country and modern touches. It’s been upgraded in recent years, for certain, but has been done in a way that blends the old and new. There’s a greenhouse attached at the side of the kitchen.
“A beautiful place to grow vegetables,” Cat says. “Best tomatoes and peppers I’ve ever tasted have come from this kitchen. Herbs, too.”