Strangely, no one had seemed overly upset by the situation. In fact, Austin had been desperately turned on. I, however, had been mortified.
The only thing I could say for myself was that I hadn’t gone for my magic this time. I had no idea why I hadn’t, since I hadn’t even remotely been in control, but it had saved the man’s life. Still, I couldn’t be trusted. The situation made me incredibly nervous. I hadn’t been out in public with Austin since.
I wouldn’t be able to section myself off from other people at Elliot Graves’s place, though. And if Kinsella was any indication, some of the guests would be vocal about their dislike of shifters. To put it mildly, we were headed for a dicey situation.
The basajaun entered my woods from the other side, moving fast, heading for the house. No one was with or in front of him.
Good. I didn’t need more drama. In a few moments, I’d be heading inside to officially welcome the three new people to the Ivy House team. Hollace, the newly reincarnated Cyra, and Nathanial had all agreed to join my circle. They’d get the magic, we’d get a link between us, and our team would be stronger than ever.
I ached with guilt for putting them in danger.
Austin’s footsteps touched down on the front walkway. His heart beat comfortingly in my chest. We’d slept in the same bed—whether his or mine—every night this past week, but I always missed him the second we parted. Even now, knowing he was coming around the house to me, I felt a pull toward him.
The basajaun kept coming as Austin started around the side of the house. Austin came into view first, wearing a dress shirt that molded to his perfect torso and a pair of fashionably faded jeans that showed off his powerful thighs. His hair was styled, short on the sides and messy on top, and his expensive watch flashed within the motion-sensor light that clicked on as he passed.
I glanced down at my stained and mud-splotched purple sweats, mostly shapeless on my body. I hadn’t changed since the practice session had ended a couple hours ago. I hadn’t even moved from this seat, choosing instead to sit here in partial misery, going over all the spells in my mind again and again.
“Hey.” Austin took the chair next to me, leaning back as I was doing and putting his feet up. “Just taking in the night?”
He knew I wasn’t. He’d be able to feel the worry dripping through me like acid, churning my stomach. I wasn’t hiding it from him as I was from the rest of the crew. I didn’t hide anything from him anymore. I never deadened the Ivy House link between us. There was no need. He never judged me or held my feelings against me. That wasn’t in his nature.
“The basajaun is nearly here,” I said, watching the tree line. “You look handsome, by the way.”
He reached over and squeezed my thigh. “Any idea what the basajaun wants?”
I shook my head as the basajaun slowed near the tree line, utterly invisible in the dwindling light even though he should’ve been in plain view. His ability to blend into his natural surroundings was incredible.
No, it was magic. Sometimes I forgot that magical creatures each had their own special blend of it.
“He wasn’t at training today. Maybe he wants to see what he missed.” I watched the spot, finally seeing him as he pushed out through the tree limbs. My eyebrows pinched together. “What in the heck?”
The hair all over his body lay flat and tamed, almost like it had been lightly spritzed with gel and then combed. His long, usually bushy beard had been re-braided, no part of it out of place. The hair on his head had been parted on the right and slicked over, and a bow tie adorned his hairy neck.
“That’s my cue.” Austin swung his feet off the chair and stood.
“What cue? What do you mean?”
“He wants to talk to you privately.”
“How do you know? Is it the bow tie?”
“Body language. I’ll be right over there, okay?” He pointed toward the back door. “In case you need anything.”
I frowned but nodded, and he bent down to kiss my forehead. The look he shot the basajaun as he walked toward the door was long and poignant, not so subtly making a statement that if the basajaun acted out of turn, there’d be hell to pay.
My stomach fluttered and a strange fizzy sensation bubbled through my blood, like I was being aerated or something. Odd.
The basajaun stopped in front of me. “Miss Jessie Ironheart.”
Bewildered or not, it felt like I should be standing for this, whatever this was.
“Hi.” I grimaced as I stretched, stiff from sitting still for so long. “What’s up?”