Piper (Queen's Birds of Prey 4)

“Yes, I understand. But there are circumstances I will explain to you. I was drawn here. I had a dream about this place, the people living here. It was a dream of a time I’d have no idea about. It was well before

my time. When your Queen Dante lived here.” Grant didn’t say anything. “You have an excellent face, Lord Coby. It will keep me from playing cards with you. There were six birds in this dream. Six of the most wonderful creatures that had ever been. Larger than life too. The queen, your queen, made them her protectors. There are two more people that I dreamed about. The king, Duncan, and his wife, Judith. Everyone calls her Jude. Am I piquing your interest, Lord Coby?”

“You could have gotten any of that information anywhere, Mr. Bennington. I’m not saying that you’ve gotten it all right, but anyone around here— Well, perhaps not. We’re a very protective lot here. What is it you want?” Bennington looked to his right, and he knew Piper was coming. “My wife. One of the birds.”

“The phoenix. I know that because of her hair. My goodness, how do you keep from staring at such beauty all the time?” Grant didn’t answer him, even if he had expected him to. “Hello, Lady Piper. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

Grant told her everything Bennington had told him. Piper put out her hand, and the man took it. Grant wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. Not putting out his hand, he waited for Piper to tell him things were all right. Or not all right. She was stronger than he’d be any day of the week, and he knew it.

“Duncan is on his way. He said you were mentioned.” If he understood what Piper said, the man only nodded. “I thought perhaps you were the mate to one of the two birds, but you’re not, he assured me. Duncan said you are here for a reason that is in the books his mother left him.”

“Yes. I dreamed about those as well. Not that I could read them, but I saw them in my dreams.” Duncan landed on the ground beside him. He was still having difficulties in landing as the big bird, but he doubted anyone would notice but other birds. “My lord.”

Bennington bowed before Duncan, and Grant noticed that Jude was coming as well. In the few minutes that Bennington was explaining to Duncan why he was there, the others landed close enough to be able to be part of the conversation. The man would either be dead in a very short time, or he’d be welcomed. It was entirely up to Duncan.

“My mother said you’d be joining us soon. Before fall was all she said. And that you were here to tell us about the antiques we’re going to sell. She said you were a man to trust.” Bennington thanked him. “No need for that. Mom said you’d need us to put you up and to make sure you had everything you needed. She also said you’d be living here on this land, but within the walls of the keep, so you’d be safe. Mom didn’t mention, however, what you would be safe from.”

“I don’t know either. I have no family. I’ve never been married. An only child of parents that were only children. I wonder too what she could have meant.” Bennington looked around. “I guess since she said within the keep, you don’t mean the castle. I don’t think that is a place I’d like. I do tend to get cold a great deal.”

“The keep is open, as well. When she said within the keep, she meant the walls surrounding the castle. We all have them.” Piper pointed to the walls around their castle that encompassed acres of land where the castle stood in the center. “I believe your being here now is why several homes popped up when I came out to meet you. Dante knew a great many things, it appears.”

They walked back to the castle, and there were indeed several homes now occupying the grounds. Grant wondered if the man would have to pick one of them, or the house would pick him. This was, he thought, one of the strangest things he’d encountered since he was a kid.

As soon as they were walking toward the homes, one of them appeared to have a door open. The closer they got to it, the home showed more welcoming things, such as a rocker on the front porch, a wreath on the door with Bennington on it, as well as someone just coming out of the door.

“My cook from my home on campus. Hello, Delia. I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the family we’re now a part of.” Harry laughed as he shook hands with the woman. “I’m so glad you agreed to join me here. It would have been lonely, I think, without you fussing at me all the time.”

“I just popped into the kitchen. Like a jack in the box.” Delia shook hands with all of them, taking his last. “Fae. As am I, your lordship. The mister here, he’s got a bit of fae in him—long story, that one, but he didn’t die that day. There are days when I’m tempted to do the deed myself, but we get along well enough. Mr. Harry is a vampire. Not as old as the rest of you seem to be, but he’s hundreds rather than a thousand years old. such as you are.”

“Thank you, Delia. I never thought to tell them that.” Harry smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Grant. The dream, as I was referring to before, showed you to be a good man and a person I could talk to.”

“This dream, it seems to have given you a great deal of detail about all of us. While none of us, except for Duncan, knew anything about you. I’m not doubting yours or Duncan’s word, but a little prewarning might have been helpful.” They nodded, and Duncan said he’d been preoccupied a great deal since becoming a married man. “As a newly married man myself, I guess I can understand that.”

They made plans to meet for dinner at their home. Since Piper had asked Blaze to come over and help them finish up the rest of the furniture around the house, they were prepared for guests. A lot of guests, as it turned out too.

He’d not realized that Blaze could take several pieces of different woods and make whatever kind of furniture she wanted. The woods would be shown in the pieces. That was why their dining room table was so beautiful. The cherry from the branches she used had made the grain so well thought out that it was hard for him to pass the room without going in to rub his hands over the gleaming surface.

They had beds and chests of drawers too. Bryson had helped him pick out the perfect woods to build an oversized barn in the keep. There Grant was going to store the gardening equipment, as well as other things that were needed to keep the area clean. Also, they had an incredible looking pen for the sheep when it got too cold for them to be out in the weather.

Things were coming together much faster than he thought they would. The castle was perfect for the two of them. Grant loved their living room. It was cool throughout the castle. Very much unlike any other stone building he’d ever been in. And sharing it with Piper was as good as it got. Last night, they’d talked about having children.

“I want as many as you wish to have.” They both laughed. He started again. “I mean, whenever you want to start or stop, that will be the perfect amount of children for me.”

“I don’t know that I’d be a good mom. I don’t have any experience with children. Just the few that have joined our family. And they’re great. I’d hate to have the only pain in the ass children.” Grant had pointed out to her that he’d bet even her nieces and nephews were pains. “Not when I see them.”

“You see, that’s the point. They’re great around you because you’re the cool aunt. I’m the extraordinary uncle. We get to see them at their best.” She asked him if he thought he was that much of a big deal. “Yes. I do. And I’m going to keep on believing that right up until one of my kids breaks my heart. I know they will too. I certainly did my mom’s a few times. Kids are assholes.”

They laughed most of the night after that. Piper was someone that he wouldn’t have thought to be his mate. They were so well suited it boggled his mind sometimes. She and he, they were wonderful at working together as well.

He’d never put much stock in having a family, a mate. Grant had watched the others, members of New Town, as their families grew. Some of them even came back to live there after they finished up college, or whatever had them leaving. When Piper came into his life, Grant knew he’d been mostly shocked rather than standoffish, as Mercy had pointed out to him.

“Grant, can you come in here a minute?” He saved his document again. The way it was going today, he wasn’t going to get much done. Grant went to see where Piper was. She was in the living room, and he asked her what he could do. “Look out there and tell me that you see the same thing I am seeing.”

He didn’t see anything at first but went closer to the window. It took him several seconds to find what she meant. Grant stared at the creature for a good long time before he realized what he was looking at. She asked him what that was.

“Fae. I don’t know who it is, but I guess we can find out.” Piper asked him if he was sure. “Yes. I’ve never seen one in their natural state. Usually, they’re a lot like Mom and I are, human looking. Do you want to come with me to see what they want?”

“Yes. But just so you know, if there is any shit going down, I’m going to blast them to hell and back. I’ve had enough shit going on this week. I don’t want to fuck up the rest of my day.”