Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up 4)

“I run one of the largest, most profitable territories in the country. Like I said, most alphas of your stature never would’ve left. But this is better.” Kingsley gestured around him. “It’ll be bigger. With Jacinta Ironheart and all her power at the center, you’ll create something no one can penetrate. Or duplicate. You have the power without the drama.” He smiled a little. “You’ve always been lucky.”

Austin had heard people start to call her that. Apparently it had caught on if Kingsley was using it. Austin’s territory had given her a name, like they had him. Like they would an alpha.

“Lucky, sure.” Austin huffed before regaining his seriousness. “A territory no one can penetrate is the goal.”

“But first you need to tell her you’re interested. She is incredibly clueless about body language. Kace thought she was being coy. Turned out, she was completely uninterested in him.” Kingsley paused, grinning. “Too soon?”

Austin shook his head, wondering why the rage didn’t come. “I’m surprised she didn’t have to talk me down from that. She did the last time. I wasn’t in control.”

“When it comes to our mates, none of us are. If someone had said that to Earnessa, I would have killed him, and she wouldn’t have stopped me.”

“She’s not my mate.”

“That’s only because you’re too chickenshit to start the ball rolling.”

Austin turned toward town. “I was waiting to see…” He pressed his lips together. He hated the need he felt for his brother’s approval. “I wasn’t sure whether I was a danger to her. To this territory. When I lost control last week, it didn’t take long to figure out why. But…our father…”

“Our father was a miserable excuse for a shifter. Mother was young and dumb once, too. You know what that’s like. She chased the bad boy—the wild one who would never be tamed. Well, she got him. She may have kicked him out, but she loved him, Austin. Of course, she also hated him. It’s a tricky business, love and hate. Two sides of the same coin.

“But she saw her family in danger, her pack in danger, and she did what any great alpha would: she took action. You did the same thing. You reached a limit, and backed off to protect our family. I was never prouder than when you came to me the day after pulling back from killing me, and asked to learn. You’re nothing like Dad, Austin. I’ve known that ever since that day. So has Mom.”

Austin shook his head, looking out the windshield, his eyes glassy. He didn’t know what to say. It was the best string of words he’d probably ever heard in his life, and it meant everything coming from his brother.

“We thought you’d realize some sort of potential long before now, though,” Kingsley added softly.

Austin laughed, raw inside. He was quiet for a beat. “I wouldn’t be able to stand myself if I ever lifted a hand to Jess, not for any reason. Despite what you say, I’m still terrified I’ll lose my temper and turn into our father.”

“You’ve risen above him in all things, Austin. All things. You’ve tamed yourself, whereas he never tried. Besides, that woman would blast a hole in your head if you lifted a finger to her.”

“She’s too good for me. Too kind.”

“You’ve got that right. You’ve leveled up with her. I’ve read up on female gargoyles. It’s one of the rarest magics in the world. You’ll have a target on your back, too, you know. People will be jealous of you. They’ll try to cut you out of the picture and take her for themselves.”

“If I win her.”

“Even if you decided not to try. Any suitor will see it as a threat.”

“Good,” Austin growled before he could stop himself. He hated talking about suitors for Jess. Hated thinking about anyone else seeing her sleepy smile, or getting to kiss those incredible lips.

It was time he found his courage and put himself out there. Past time.

“I’d planned to invite her for dinner in a couple days so you could properly meet her,” he said.

“She shows every single thought she has on her face, and if that weren’t enough, she tells them to you when she gets drunk.”

He turned onto Ivy House’s street. “Still, I’d like you to properly meet her.”

“Is this you asking for my blessing?”

Austin didn’t speak for a moment. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Kingsley inclined his head. Approval granted.

A surge of emotion ripped through Austin. Relief, joy, nervousness. Fear.

“I don’t know if she is ready to… What she is ready for,” he said quietly as he parked. “I’m not sure what I’m ready for.”

“You don’t need to plan your life, brother. Just plan dinner. See where it goes from there. Let your animals decide. They already have decided, I think. Her animal seems volatile, though. Might be fun; might be a nightmare. I’d watch it. Female gargoyles are said to be temperamental.”