“I bared a lot more than my soul.”
Head in my hands, I hid from his teasing when I finally got around to the point. “I love you.”
“You decided this before or after?—?”
“Oh, my God.” I curled in on myself. “Who are you, and what have you done with Kierce?”
The man had a dry sense of humor that had slowly been emerging along with his possessive streak, but I wasn’t prepared for this…this…blatant flirtation. Freed of his shackles, even for a short while, had ripped another of his seams open, exposing more of the real Kierce.
“Mmm.”
Being the real Kierce must have used up all his energy. I could only watch, warmth filling my chest, while he drifted off into a restorative rest. Happy to snuggle into him, I curled my fingers into his shirt and held on as soothing darkness claimed me.
Afinger poking me between the eyes was my first clue we had made it home to Thunderbolt.
“As cute as it is watching you and Kierce cuddle like anacondas,” Josie drawled, jabbing me again, “we’re at Bonaventure.”
“Pretty sure anacondas don’t cuddle.” Matty turned off the wagon. “They constrict their prey and cut off its circulation?—”
Unconcerned, Josie bobbed a shoulder. “Sounds like cuddling to me.”
“Does Carter know you’re into asphyxiation?”
“We don’t kink shame in this family,” Josie tsked then grinned. “And wouldn’t you like to know?”
Before she paraded out the hentai boxed set she gave him as a joke, which he watched, I wiggled free of Kierce’s arms. As often as she threatened Ankou with hentai as punishment, I got the feeling those DVDs were preowned, and I really didn’t need to know anything more about it.
Ever.
Careful not to jostle Kierce, I crawled over the front bench seat and out Josie’s door into the night.
A dark blur drew my eye to where a crow lit on a powerline with a prim ruffle of its glossy feathers.
The omen.
Of course, Dis Pater would send her to track my movements in case I decided to run.
“Jefa, home at last.” Paco greeted us at the gate, his gaze sliding past me. “Where are my brothers?”
“Right here.” I turned as Matty appeared with the box in his hands. “With Matty back to…”
Huh.
Paco hadn’t asked after my brother, who had been the purpose of the whole trip, which meant he already knew what had happened and that Matty had been returned to his usual self.
Amusement glinted in his eyes as he caught the drift of my thoughts. “The Buckley Boys kept me informed while my brothers were away.”
“Why am I not surprised?” The trio traded in hot gossip, and we gave them lots of fodder in NOLA. They could have bartered for it or called in favors easily. “The Buckley Boys don’t miss much, but your brothers can fill you in on the rest.”
Lifting the lid off the box, I murmured a few words to summon Pedro and Pascal from the ether.
As soon as they had reformed, Paco was there, slapping their backs and grinning from ear to ear.
Then I brought forth Anunit, smiling as she stretched her wing and swished her feathered tail.
“Thanks for taking care of them.” Paco slung an arm over each of their shoulders, tugging them in close. “Send word when you’re ready to reopen the shop, and we’ll be there.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
