My trepidation both increased and dropped a fraction. I liked this lady. She had style.
Cody and Kitani had already gone ahead. They weren’t speaking, but by the stiff set to their shoulders, I had the uncanny feeling they were communicating, regardless. At least, their body language spoke volumes, and it wasn’t a happy conversation.
We followed them through the gate and into the garden. I stopped dead, staring.
No way all this fit into that fenced area. The garden continued as far as my eye could see, a wealth of rampant foliage and tall trees—of flowers and whirring insects.
Something tiny hummed past us, and a rabbit peeked out from beneath a bush. Trix positively vibrated with enthusiasm, but she didn’t pull to pursue. Rather, she seemed preoccupied with the many insects buzzing around us. She began to spin in circles, trying to watch them all at once.
They were clustering around her and me, and for a panicked moment, I thought we’d disturbed a wasp nest. I batted at them and backed away, almost bumping right into Matt.
“Bleedin’ great,” exclaimed Matt. “They like you! Bit aggro, though.” This, as they started darting at him and bouncing off his face. “Ow! What’d I do? They’re mad as a cut snake!”
I swatted a few out of my own face. “Are they stinging?”
“Stinging? Fairies don’t sting, Angel. Although they pack a helluva punch for a bunch of lazy bludgers.”
Fairies?My jaw dropped open just as a swirling form landed on my arm.
No. It couldn’t be. The delicate, two-inch tall humanoid form was draped in what looked like the fluff from a cottonwood tree. Brilliant, iridescent wings fluttered behind it. Despite its fluffy covering, there was no doubt the Fairy was distinctly male.
I yelped and shook him off my arm. Undeterred, he joined his swarming fellows.
“Okay, that is enough.” Cara’s voice was calm, but one brow had arched high as she waded into the swarm and waved her hands. “They are my guests, and you will treat them with respect.”
The swarm swirled rapidly around both Matt and me before they whizzed away into the garden. The rabbit was still there, twitching its nose at us, and three others had joined it, along with what looked like a badger and a large ground squirrel.
“That goes for you, too,” Cara informed them.
I watched in disbelief as the assortment of critters turned and vanished into the bushes.
“What just happened?” I asked.
Cara assessed me for a moment. “I am actually not sure. Fairies are pretty reclusive, usually. They really liked you, though.”
“Bloody buncha mozzies.” Matt rubbed at the tiny red marks on his face.
“Hey, you guys coming or are you going to stand there and admire the flowers?” Cody stood beneath a large arbor, with Kitani beside him. “I’ve got two toddlers that are yanking Ryan’s fur out in tufts.”
Cara snorted a laugh and replied, “I’m sure your mate can handle the twins. They are sweethearts.”
Now Kitani laughed. “They are sweethearts for you. Ryan tries to be strict, but they’ve got his number.”
As we joined them, my mind raced. Mate? I thought Kitani and Cody were married. Who was this Ryan?
Cara seemed to get my confusion. “Sabres mate in triads,” she explained. “Ryan is the third leg to Kitani and Cody’s mate bond.”
Three? Wowsers. I glanced at Matt. “Do Dires mate in triads, too?”
A complex mix of unreadable emotions flitted across his features. Too late, I realized I might have blundered into uncomfortable territory. But he swallowed, and one corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Uh, not exactly. Sabres don’t live in packs.”
My eyes widened. “You mate in packs?” Images of multiple naked shifter bodies flashed through my brain.
He froze on the path, and his face flushed to match the marks left by the Fairy’s fists. “No. I mean, not always.”
I stopped and turned right around to stare at him. “Not always?”
“Sometimes, yes.” His eyes flared a pure, startling green.
