His lips tweaked before settling. “Probably.”
I sighed, taking in the lovely late March day, the sun warm on my face and a cool, floral-scented breeze tickling my skin. “I’m out of my mind excited for my son to get here, but I’m trying to calm down. Just because of how it went with my parents, you know?”
“Are you going to tell him you’re magical?”
“Yes. As soon as I get up my nerve. I won’t be able to hide it, so I might as well… just hope he accepts it. I’m not allowing myself to worry that he’ll…” I shook my head, not even voicing the thought. “He’s always been a good kid and a mama’s boy. Let’s hope that’s enough to keep him from…” I shook my head again, fear worming through me before I could shove it away.
“It’ll go well.” Austin rubbed my back as we walked. “Your parents were a tough situation, and that ended up just fine, even if they did assume you were the head of a cult.”
I chuckled, comforted by the warmth seeping through his touch.
“When’s he supposed to get here?” Austin asked, his hand slipping down to the small of my back.
“Tomorrow. That’s why I canceled training. I’ll probably be sitting in the front room, pretending I’m not anxiously looking out the window every second.”
“Well…” Austin stopped near the No Outlet sign at the corner of my street. “If you need anything, call me.”
“Are we…” I pointed at him as he made to turn back. “Are we back to being friends, then?”
He didn’t smile at my teasing. “You’re one of the most important people in my life, Jess. We’ll always be friends. I’ll make sure nothing gets in the way of that.”
“You need to lighten up.”
“I’m the alpha. I don’t lighten up.” He winked at me, which I appreciated all the more because I knew it couldn’t be on the approved list of social interactions.
“Can I ask a favor?” he said.
“Sure.”
“I’ll need to run some training exercises with the new pack members, see what I’m working with, and I wondered if I could use the Ivy House woods. I can feel people on the grounds better now, and it would be helpful to—”
“Of course. Just make sure to enter the grounds before the others so she knows not to harm them. And don’t allow any stragglers. Ivy House is very moody lately, and she often acts before I can defuse the situation.”
“How do you defuse the situation?”
“By taking control of the arsenal. It’s like grabbing a plastic sword out of a child’s hand so the kid doesn’t thwap someone.”
“I didn’t know that was possible.”
“It is once the heir has enough power and control.”
Something glinted in his eyes, and I found myself tapping into our connection. His pride beamed through it, making my face heat. “Any idea how much power you have yet to…inherit?”
“I don’t know how much is eventually coming, no. Edgar thinks I’m over halfway there because we’ve made it through the first book.”
Austin’s eyes crinkled, and that feeling of pride almost overwhelmed me. “I’ll have to work hard to create a castle that is worthy of your keep.”
I shrugged, my embarrassment flaring higher, although I wasn’t sure why. “I need more instruction, though. The books only have so much. The instructions are literal, and there’s not much room for reinterpretation or tweaking. I need a powerful teacher who can help me with nuances.”
“It’ll happen.” He nodded to me. “You sent out that summons. The right mage will come.” He took a step back, and his muscles popped once again. He gritted his teeth. “Hands in pockets,” he murmured, taking another step back. “I have to get going. Text me when your son is around. I’d like to meet him. See if he’s as crazy as his mother.”
He gave me a brief smile before turning, clearly willing to beat up a few more people to give me a proper goodbye.
“He’s conflicted about—”
Sensing another presence, I cut myself off and spun around, ballooning my magic around me even as I sent out a wave of power with a “Hah,” chopping my hand through the empty air for emphasis. Once that would’ve been a ridiculous karate chop; now it was an unnecessary flourish.
Austin turned just in time to see Jasper go sailing, up over the stop sign and into the trees, catching halfway up before tumbling down, hitting a dozen or so branches before he splatted onto the dirt.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” I rushed to Jasper as Austin kept going, probably figuring it was just another day when dealing with me. He was right.
Jasper lay with his hands spread out to the sides, wheezing. “Sorry!” I said, sending a prod of magic to make sure nothing was broken or punctured. Finding he was just bruised, I quickly repaired the damage. “Are you okay?”