"German chocolate." Andre lifted the carrier slightly. "Three layers. Made it myself."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you're going to fit right in. Come. Let’s put that in the kitchen.”
Andre followed gratefully, the cake carrier clutched like a shield. Maria's kitchen wrapped around him—onions sizzling in a pan, something rich and dark bubbling on the back burner. The scent of cumin and chile peppers made his nose tingle.
"Set that on the counter," Maria directed, handing him a knife and cutting board. "You can help with the vegetables."
Andre positioned himself at the island, grateful for something to do with his hands. Through the doorway, he could hear Joy laughing. The sound made his chest tight.
"Joy hates when people hover," Maria said conversationally, adding spices to her sauce. The wooden spoon moved in practiced circles. "Gets that from me."
Andre's hands stilled on the onion he'd been peeling. "Buck didn't understand that at first." Maria stirred the sauce, not looking at him. "After what happened to me, he wanted to keep me in the house where it was safe."
The onion's layers separated under Andre's knife. His eyes stung—good excuse for the moisture gathering there.
"He learned," Maria continued. "The good ones always learn."
“I’m learning, too,” he said in a low voice.
“Good.” Maria winked at him. “Could you take this to Buck for me, please,” she said, handing Andre a ceramic platter. Throughthe window, he could see Buck at the grill, smoke rising into the evening air.
He took the platter and stepped onto the porch. Buck stood at a massive gas grill. He looked up when Andre approached, his shoulders tensing slightly.
"Maria said to bring you this,” Andre said, holding up the platter.
“Perfect timing,” Buck said.
Andre held the platter while Buck transferred the steaks. Neither spoke for long moments. The only sounds were sizzling meat and distant laughter from inside.
"My daughter," Buck finally said. “You’ve been trying to keep her safe from this sabotage business around Fate Mountain.”
“Yes, sir.” Andre's throat went dry. "I want to keep her safe and make her happy."
"That’s good. But you need to understand, those might be different things with Joy."
Buck studied him for another moment, then lifted his shirt. Old scars crossed his ribs, deep claw marks that hadn't healed clean. The tissue was raised and white against his darker skin.
"Maria gave me these," Buck said quietly. "She was feral for three weeks after the forced change. I found her, helped her remember human form. Thought I was saving her."
Andre's chest tightened. He knew this story from Joy, but hearing it from Buck, seeing the physical evidence?—
"I almost lost her again by trying to cage her after." Buck let his shirt fall. "Took me too long to understand that protectionisn't prison. You know what she's been through. You understand what that means?"
"I'm learning—" The words came out rough, scraped raw with honesty.
Buck nodded once. "Good answer. Let's eat."
They carried the steaks inside to find the dining room table set and everyone finding their seats. Joy patted the chair beside her, and Andre sank into it gratefully. The meal became a choreographed chaos of passing dishes, overlapping conversations, and gentle interrogation. Valeria hadn't stopped vibrating with excitement, peppering them with questions between bites of perfectly seasoned steak.
"I KNEW something was up with you!" She pointed her fork at Andre. "You got all tense whenever we mentioned Joy's patrol sector."
"The way you memorized every access road to her property," Gabriel added, his detective mind putting pieces together. "Asked about response times to that exact area."
"It was a legitimate security concern," Andre protested, face burning.
"So," Gabriel leaned back in his chair. "How does it feel knowing your mate's uncle is your boss?"
Andre's bear bristled at the reminder. "Complicated."
