We Are Family

we are family

C ontrary to the concerned frown I gave her, I’m really quite pleased Lucas brought Morgana in. Iggy and I spent the past few days in talks with people from my previous home, and I think we’ll be able to slide in without too much turmoil. Finding out Lucas made good on the promise to allow Morgana to travel without restrictions lifts an enormous weight off my chest. If he hadn’t been able to make good, Iggy had lots of not-so-savory ideas on how to fiddle with her tracker that I was certain would lead to problems.

Problems being a euphemism for scary trials for breaking Society edicts, of course.

I look at the woman in front of me, waiting with an expectant expression and grin. “Today’s special drink is a Cold Rose Coffee. It’s arabica coffee with skim milk, rose syrup, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, lightly garnished with rose petals and pink rock salt. I think you’ll enjoy the light, summery yet indulgent taste.”

Morgana blinks at me as if I’ve lost my mind, and it’s hard not to laugh. “Shit. Okay, give us both one, coffee maestro. I didn’t expect such a departure from normal, but… hit me with your weird-ass food special next, I guess.”

The hockey player grins at me. “Please let it be something that stretches her boundaries. I’m loving this.”

“I made Vegan BBQ Pulled Jackfruit sandwiches fresh this morning. I made the BBQ sauce to complement the fresh jackfruit, simmered it, then top it with a veggie slaw with vegan mayo on slider buns. It’s complimentary for the summery coffee, and definitely mimics a pork or chicken BBQ sandwich.” My lips quirk when Morgana gives me a dirty look once she figures out this is totally meat and cheese-less.

“Lucas, you are so dead,” she grumbles. “Fine, give me the fluffy ass, no protein sandwich. But I’d better have an enormous amount of non-sexy time meat for dinner to make up for this. I’ll never be able to survive on Slade’s hippie dippy shit, you know.”

Both Lucas and I snicker as I head to the back to prepare the sandwiches. I’m aware both she and the athlete can’t eat as lightly as my sea-faring body, but seeing her look of horror was definitely worth it. If we’re together as often as I think we will be, we can all work together to make meals that give everyone the nutrients they need. I ponder for a moment, then pull out my phone, making a note to email Professor Shadwell for resources to use. She’d definitely know where I should look to plan for such disparate supes.

“Slade, those things look tiny on the menu! We need like ten of them,” Lucas calls from the front. “Don’t make that face, Lady M. I’m suffering, too.”

Classic.

I make their load of sliders quickly, forgoing any fancy plating as I head back into the coffee shop. To my surprise, the Prince is now sitting at a bistro table he and the dragon pulled up next to Morgana and Lucas. He smiles, waving as I put the plate on the counter and move to get their coffees fixed.

“Afternoon, Slade. I see you have our family well in hand,” Liam says with a smirk.

“Vegan, Li. Can you imagine? I’m a carnivore ; what did I get myself into?” she mutters as she pouts adorably. “The things I do for this stupidly handsome boy, I swear.”

Lucas literally preens as they both look at him and I grin. I’ve never been in a family quite so openly affectionate—mine is more about who’s in favor at the moment—and it makes my heart flutter a little to think I’m part of this one. Even Morgana’s grumpiness is tinged with fondness, and I can feel the warmth in her emotions from here.

“He is quite lovely, you’re right.” The Prince elbows his companion when he snorts, then turns to me. “I will wait until you’re done with their order, Slade. Don’t fret.”

How did he know that? Fuck, this guy is powerful.

I hadn’t even thought that in my head yet, but the Prince knew I was a little stressed over ignoring him to finish Morgana’s drink. “Thanks. I like to make sure everyone’s taken care of and I get a little anxious when I feel I’m not achieving it.”

Morgana looks over at me as I work, watching closely as I sprinkle the last fancy bits on the coffee. “You know, you really take this seriously. Are you planning to open a coffeehouse when you finish, or is it just something you enjoy?”

Blinking for a moment, I ponder her question. I’ve never considered that. Of course I want to do something with music when I finish my studies, but I love working with customers and pairing the food and drinks and the music for the atmosphere here. Maybe I would like to have my own place, especially if I could have musicians in playing live, including myself. “I… No one’s ever asked me that. I’m not sure.”

That gets a crafty grin from the Prince, who arches a brow at the bear. They do a ‘bro’ eyebrow thing before Liam nods and looks at me. “I think it’s a good idea and we’ll absolutely back you if you want to explore it, eventually. Lucas and I certainly can get you off the ground, and I’m certain Morgana can help you develop a business plan.”

“Hell, yeah, I can. Iggy can make sure it’s warded and safe, and Grumpy McFirePants could set up security. It would be a successful family project once we’re not ducking conspiracies and murder raps.”

Holy shit. They’re serious.

“I…” Licking my lips, I focus on the plates and glasses, stacking the tray to bring over to the table. Once I bring it to them, I gather enough courage to look at them. “Thank you. I don’t know if it’s what I want—though the idea seems really appealing—but knowing you’d all support me if I wanted to do it is…”

Morgana reaches out to take the tray, setting it on the table before she grabs my hand. “I believe in you, even if it’s been a short time, and if we’re all going to be a family, that’s what families do.”

Not the one I grew up in and they have no idea how significant this is for me.

The lunch rush breezes by as my new family sits in the corner and makes plans for the trip. They probably think I’m not paying attention as I help people, but I’ve noticed a lot about them all as they work. The Prince is very strategic, and he approaches things like he’s storming the gates while his scaly guard likes to point out the holes or gaps left afterward. Lucas injects humor when people bicker, but he also sees different issues—probably from his experience on the ice. Morgana takes everyone’s input, reorganizes it, and then figures out how to execute their ideas without leaving anyone out.

It’s kind of perfect, and I’m enjoying watching them all.

When the clock hits three, the door blows open to reveal Ignatius wearing a very smug expression. “Greetings, all. I’m surprised to find the entire brain trust here. Don’t we all have… things?”

Kaspar rolls his eyes, scoffing at my roommate. “Of course we did. Liam and I finished up our required projects and his classes, then came here to find the others having lunch.”

“That’s true. Lucas came to take me to lunch, but I had Channing reschedule some of my meetings so I could work from here while we discussed the trip planning.” She winks at me playfully. “It’s not like my ex spent even half his time in that damn office, so I think remote work in the coffeehouse is acceptable.”

“Who the hell is going to question it?” Iggy winks at her playfully, then strolls over to the counter where I’ve got his usual coffee waiting. “Thanks, man.”

“Speaking of having jobs, why are you here?” I reply as I squint at him. “Don’t you have one more class today?”

He puffs up, looking smug as he joins the others at the table. “I’ve gotten all the coverage Slade and I need to go on this little adventure. My part is taken care of, and since you all seem to have missed the group text Jackson sent, I also come bearing news about departure.”

Everyone pulls their phones out like lightning and he snorts as they all check them at once. I give him a wry look. “Way to bury the lede, Iggy.”

“I thought you all knew Thorne said he had the plane ready at the airport for us to leave in the morning.” He shrugs and sips his drink with a sigh of pleasure. “How could I know they were all ignoring tech to work up plans on Morgana’s laptop?”

Morgana looks up, her eyes closing as she groans. “Tomorrow? That means everyone has to go home and pack, plus we have to do it all tonight. No wonder you canceled your last class.”

My brow furrows. “I won’t have coverage until five. Iggy, please return to our place and assemble everything while I complete my tasks here.”

The Prince nods, looking over at Kaspar. “We will need to visit our house to get prepared. Can you arrange for a larger SUV to transport us to the airport in the morning?”

“I can. I’ll contact home to make certain they received the information about this as well. I haven’t heard from my father yet, which is odd.” He shakes his head and rises to his feet. “I know it’s not late yet, Liam, but we should go to the house and begin preparations. Many things need to be within reach on this journey.”

“He’s right, honestly. I’ll probably have to swing by my place to get things I haven’t brought to your place, Lady M. I definitely don’t have a suitcase, nor anything suitable for a formal occasion.”

The gargoyle swivels her head to pin him with her stare. “Formal wear?”

I grin and shrug. “If you don’t have suitable stuff unpacked, we can hit the designer row in Bay City, Morgana. I may not draw a crowd here, but I’ll certainly be able to get us into the fancy places at home. That town is wired like an embassy with the members of the Families.”

“Great. Just fucking great,” she mutters. “I have a bad feeling about how irritated I’m going to be the entire time we’re there.”

Kaspar smirks at her. “Welcome to the club.”

Her gaze is sharp enough to cut down a lesser supe without a word. “You… had better remember the discussion we had before you took off in a pout and we had to come save your scaly ass. We’re jumping into a shark tank and I swear to Aphrodite’s thong, if you humiliate me in front of all those people… you’ll regret it.”

“Now, now,” Iggy says as he holds his hands up. “We all agreed to behave. As long as there’s people outside of our family around, there is no division . Capiche?”

Morgana nods, but she eyes the dragon warily until he gives in. When he finally does, she blows out a long breath. “Ensure everyone brings necessary items for self-protection. Even if everything goes well with Slade’s family, I don’t know what other problems we’ll run into.”

I think about that for a moment and nod. “She’s right. Bay City is full of criminals, mobsters, glamazons, sports stars, and everything else you’d expect from a big city on the coast. There will be other threats, especially if we get pulled into any events my family is attending. We need to stay on our toes and trust no one but each other.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Lucas says with a frown. “Is it really that dangerous?”

“It’s an immense city, secretly run by supe factions, including the Society, gangs, and rich people. Of course it’s that bad.” I chuckle as I run my hand through my hair. “The humans don’t have the slightest clue who’s really in charge, but the push and pull of the good versus the morally gray is pretty hardcore. You’ll see.”

“On that cheerful note, it’s time for everyone but surfer boy here to head out.” Kaspar eyes each of us as he waits for the Prince. “We’ll meet at Morgana’s for dinner at seven p.m. Bring everything you need and get yourself ready.”

They all stand, and Morgana comes over to lean over the counter and gives me a hug. “It will be okay, Slade. No one is going to let your family tie you down or harm you.”

I don’t know that she realizes just how hard it will be to keep that promise…

Find out what happens in Bay City in the bonus scene here.

Preorder Book Two in Secrets of State U here.