Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

OGDEN

Two mornings later, Van delivered my phone. Simon was still at work, and normally I would still be asleep at this time of day, but as soon as Van put the phone in my hand, I was wide awake.

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed having it until I held it. I plugged it in using Simon's cords and waited impatiently until it had charged enough to turn on. The first things I checked were my text messages and emails. As suspected, neither my sister nor my parents had noticed I was missing. Granted , I'd only been absent for less than a week, but still. I sent everyone a quick update before moving on to check on my employees.

My staff was shocked and upset by everything that'd happened. When they discovered I was moving, several asked if I was establishing a pub in Willow Lake , offering to follow me. I had to think about that. Willow Lake already had a local spot for supes to hang out, at least from what Simon said. I hadn't been there yet myself. I doubted a place the size of Willow Lake could sustain two similar businesses.

So what would I do here?

I started a list on my phone of possible new careers.

I checked on my investments next. Happily , Wesley hadn't gotten his filthy little hands on any of those. Not that I'd expected he could. Supe investment firms, like the one I used, took long-term investments seriously, since most of their clients lived much longer lives than humans. A lot of spells and wards protected the accounts, and nothing could be accessed or moved quickly or easily. Just to be sure, though, I changed all my passwords.

Then I moved on to more entertaining activities, like shopping.

My little kitty cat needed so much—clothes, dishes, cutlery, towels, bedding, personal hygiene products, groceries—it was difficult to decide where to turn my attention first. Oh , who was I kidding? Of course I started with clothes. At some point, I wanted to get Simon an appointment with my London tailor, but I didn't want to go abroad just now. Instead , I scrolled through the latest fashions in the best clothing boutiques I could find with an online shopping app. It would have been better to go to the shops in person, but we couldn't all have what we wanted. After the fourth website, I finally found clothes I thought my kitty cat would wear, except they were a thousand times nicer than anything he currently owned.

Simon arrived home just as I put another shirt in my digital shopping cart .

" Come , come," I said, waving him over. " I have so much to show you."

Simon kicked off his shoes, then warily approached the couch, which I'd been using as my personal office.

" Van stopped by to drop off my phone." I held it up, as if he could miss it.

" Okay …" Simon sat beside me.

I brushed a kiss across his cheek, then snuggled in close. I'd been an independent dragon for a lot of years, rarely inviting a prospective partner back to my place, but I loved cuddling with my kitty cat. He put his arm around my shoulders and tilted his head so it rested against mine.

" What did you want to show me?"

" I haven't purchased anything yet, but I would really like to get you a few new things."

" What kinds of things? Like for the apartment?"

I shook my head. " Clothes ."

" I have clothes." He sounded confused.

" Everyone can always use more," I said, not bothering to point out how dismal his wardrobe currently was.

" You don't have to do that."

I turned and brushed another kiss against his cheek. " I want to."

" I … I …" He stammered.

" What is it, love?" This time, I sat up so I could face him.

" I can't dress like you and wear bright orange and fire engine red or vivid purple or lemon yellow or?—"

I cut off his panicked words with a kiss. When we separated, I smiled at him. " Of course not."

" Okay , good." He sighed and relaxed .

" I found some beautiful blues that match my dragon scales because I love the idea of dressing you in my colors." I flashed the screen toward him. " And some lovely greens that complement your beautiful eyes." I scrolled down the many, many things in the shopping cart. " And some new jeans to hug your sexy bubble butt."

" I don't have a bubble butt."

" Of course, you do, and it is extremely biteable." I snapped my teeth at him.

His cheeks darkened. " Is that why I have a bruise on my bum today? Every time I sat down, I felt it."

I grinned at him. " I bet you thought of me every time."

" I think about you all the time anyway," he muttered.

" I think about you all the time too." Confessions like that were difficult for my kitty cat, so I rewarded him with another kiss. I didn't pull away until his lips were swollen, and his breaths changed to soft panting bursts. He looked wrecked, just the way I liked him. " Do you absolutely hate anything I selected?"

" Huh ?" He blinked at me. Then he shook his head and dropped his gaze back to my phone. " Oh , you're talking about the clothes?"

I turned the screen to him again.

" You don't need to spend money on me. I have clothes."

" I want to spoil you. Sugar daddy, remember?" I grinned.

He groaned. " I wish you'd forget I said that."

" Okay , if you don't have any objections, I'm buying everything." I tapped the checkout button, checking to make sure I'd selected their expedited delivery. Then it was done.

" No , you shouldn't?—"

" Already done," I said.

" Ogden …" He stretched my name out over several more syllables than it had as he flopped back on the couch.

" Simon …" I mimicked the way he'd said my name as I crawled onto his lap and tossed my phone aside. I was about to kiss him again when his phone rang. He groaned.

" That'll be my mother. She's called every twenty minutes for the last two hours to make sure I remember to bring you to breakfast this morning."

I sighed. Another Rivers family breakfast wasn't how I'd envisioned my morning going, but all relationships required compromise.

" I can tell her you are still sleeping," he said.

" It's fine, kitty cat. I'll go with you." Someday , maybe, we could establish some boundaries and new traditions, but for now, it looked like breakfast with the Rivers family was part of my new routine.

Breakfast at his parents' place was a more relaxing experience this time. Simon's father was much the same, but his mother was all smiles, and his brothers hadn't tried to scare me to death in a car. Perhaps things were improving. They'd all been shocked about what we'd found out in Aspen Bay . Clive , Warren , and the twins mouthed off about hunting down my abductors on their own, until their mother went around and pinched each of their ears. She didn't let go until they promised they wouldn't go looking for trouble.

My happiest moment, though, was when we were on our way back out the door again. They were all nice enough people, but I wasn't used to having so many people knowing so much about me and my life. It would take some time to get used to.

As soon as we were back in Simon's apartment, we crawled into bed and kissed until we fell asleep again. We woke to Simon's phone ringing. For a shy guy, he had a lot of people calling him all the time.

" Hello ?"

" Hi , Simon , did you get my text?" In the quiet of the bedroom, I could hear both sides of the conversation.

" Huh ? Who is this?"

" It's Jeremy ! Hey , you sound groggy. Did I wake you up? Sorry about that!" Jeremy sounded as full of energy as he had when I met him at the police station. " So , there's been a change of plans. We're going to postpone movie night. When I set it up, I forgot Saturdays were the busiest night of the week at the pub. We'll do it some other time."

" Uh . Okay ."

A voice in the background on Jeremy's side rumbled something, but I couldn't make out the words.

" Yeah , yeah. I'm getting to it," Jeremy said to whoever he was with.

Another mumble.

" Anyway ," he said loudly, and I figured he was talking to Simon again, "instead of movie night on the weekend, we're going to play board games tonight. Jake's never done that either, can you believe it? Everything starts at seven, so we'll see you then, okay? See you there."

He hung up before Simon could respond. Knowing Simon the way I did, he'd now feel obliged to go because he hadn't been able to say no. Jeremy was a sneaky bastard; I liked him.

Simon looked at me. " I … Uh …"

" I heard, kitty cat. It sounds like fun." I patted him on the chest. " I'd like to get to know your friends."

" They aren't really my friends," he said. " Jeremy started calling and texting me one day. I don't really encourage him, but he keeps doing it." Simon shrugged, like he didn't understand Jeremy's actions.

" Sounds like he thinks you are friends." Yep . I knew I liked that guy. " He has excellent taste in friends. Do you not like him?"

" No . He's okay. He's a little strange, but a lot of people in Willow Lake are weird."

" Perfect . Then let's go. I'd love to get to know him and the others. I thoroughly enjoy strange and weird people."

A few minutes before seven, we were sitting in Simon's car outside the Willow Lake Pub and Inn . I recognized the area. This was close to where Simon had been when he'd blown the whistle. Van's vehicle had been in this same lot that night. I hadn't paid much attention to anything but Simon at the time, but now I took it all in.

The old brick building was rundown, the type of place I'd been looking for when I found The Drunken Drake . It had character, but needed… well, I would say TLC , but a ruthless and critical approach would serve it better, along with lots and lots of money.

" Are you sure you want to do this?" Simon asked, making no move to get out. Whatever happy euphoria had clung to us since we'd made love had diminished during our trip to the pub .

" If you don't want to, we don't have to go, kitty cat," I reassured him. I brushed my hand over his arm. He liked it when I petted him, so I did it again.

" If you're really moving here…" He let his sentence hang between us uncompleted.

" I am." I nodded, not sure where he was going with his thought.

He sighed. " Then you should meet more people than my family."

He looked so apprehensive. I petted him some more.

" I can meet them anytime."

A knock at my window made us both jolt. How in the Magic had someone caught us both by surprise? I spun around to see Van leaning over and peering through the window at us.

" You coming in?" he asked. His question was muffled because I hadn't rolled down the window, but I heard him well enough. I waved him off. He laughed, but at least he left.

" I guess we have to go in now," Simon muttered. " They know we're here."

" We really don't." I didn't enjoy seeing my cat so agitated. " Do you not like the place?"

" I come here two or three times a week," he admitted.

" Oh ?" Wait . " Are you embarrassed to be seen out with me?"

Simon's gaze leaped to mine. " Magic , no! That's not it at all. I just… You're you. You're going to meet all of them and wonder why Mother Magic stuck you with me. You're amazing. I'm just…" He shrugged. " Just Simon . Just a cat. "

" Stop that," I snapped.

He cringed.

That was not what I'd intended. I hated hearing him talk about himself that way. And I hated he was parroting back the words I'd said that first night.

" Simon , I could never be disappointed with you. The Eternal Magic doesn't make mistakes. I guess it'll take some time for you to realize that, but I'm thrilled to have found you. I'd given up on finding my fated mate, and now here you are. Do you even know the last time I took someone to my bed?"

Simon growled.

" I'm not saying that to make you jealous," I said quickly. " I just… I'm saying this all wrong. What I'm trying to explain is that I chose you. Even before our magics put on their little show for us. I chose to be with you."

" It was the whistle."

" Of course it wasn't," I scoffed.

" You don't think so?"

" No ."

" I don't want you to regret us. Regret me."

" Never ."

He still didn't look convinced, but he looked more relaxed than he had. " Let's go inside."

" Only if you're sure."

He nodded.

It was a weeknight, so the pub had several empty tables. A song from the ‘80s that should have stayed in the ‘80s was blasting from the jukebox. The ‘80s weren't my favorite musical era .

Just inside the door to the right was a pool table. A large man, a bear shifter I thought, was leaning over to take a shot. His ass was almost as squeezable and bubble-esque as my Simon's . Almost .

Two sets of eyes peered out at us from what I assumed was the kitchen, based on the smells coming from that direction. As soon as they saw me, they started whispering to one another. I smiled at them. They ducked into the kitchen.

A woman was pouring pints behind the long counter. She smiled at Simon , then cast an assessing eye over me. I knew I looked good. My sweater, fuchsia with black leather detailing at the collar and cuffs, hugged my body perfectly, and my slim-fitting trousers in a gorgeous eggplant color complemented the top. I didn't normally dress in such understated clothes, but my kitty cat wasn't used to the attention my normal wardrobe would draw. Although , I supposed Willow Lake was small enough that people would stare at me no matter what I wore, just because I was the stranger who'd come in with one of their own.

" That's Alice . She's a brownie," Simon said. " Her mom and my mama are best friends. I think Mama always hoped one of us kittens would marry her."

I frowned and hooked my arm around Simon's . Simon was off the market. Everyone needed to know that. I steered him away from the bar and toward the group gathered on the far side of the room. They were standing around a few tables that had been pushed together. Someone had turned up the lights in this section too, although I doubted most of the supes would need the brighter light to play any of the games stacked on the tables.

Jeremy stood in the middle of them all, hugging a Scrabble box to his chest.

" Absolutely not." A small fire mage was shaking his head vehemently beside him. " I am not playing Scrabble with you. I told you the last time we played that I'd never do it again."

Jeremy frowned. " You're my BFF , Ash . Why are you being so mean? You know it's my favorite."

" Nope ," Ash said, crossing his arms over his chest. " You read too much. Your vocabulary is…" He waved his hand through the air, like he couldn't find the right word. " Obscene ."

" I can keep it PG ." Jeremy pouted.

" Being PG isn't the issue. I'm not talking about the words themselves, Jer . I'm talking about the fact that you know and can spell damn near every word in the dictionary."

" We could make it fun. Like … Oh . I know. If you don't care about the words, we could do bonus points for anyone who can form the word fellatio or coitus or?—"

The other man let out a groan. " This is what I'm talking about. You could have said blowjob or sex like a normal person, but you didn't."

" Blowjob and sex are easy. Someone could put down low, or blow, or job and someone else could build from it. And sex is only three letters long. Fellatio or coitus would take more work and planning. Although , I guess someone could put down the word fell… "

Ash turned to the others who'd gathered around the table. " Can someone else help me here?"

A centaur with long blond hair laughed. I remembered him from the meeting at the police station. I thought his name was Isaac . " I agree with Ash . The boss man here," he slapped Gage on the shoulder, "he's been around a long time. He knows too many obscure words and he'd probably try to throw in old English spelling or something."

Jeremy smiled eagerly at the demon. " Do you like Scrabble , Mr . Dimples ? We should play some time."

" Does that mean you agree we aren't playing that tonight?"

" Fine . Yes ." Jeremy rolled his eyes.

" Good ," a calico cat said from where he was sitting beside the stack of games. " Because I can't play Scrabble ."

That was no ordinary cat or cat shifter. Interesting . I hadn't expected to see him here. Willow Lake was just one surprise after another.

" You want to play too, Paws ?" Ash asked. He looked at the games. " Uh … I guess we could play Hungry , Hungry Hippos ."

I imagined the ancient being slapping his paw against a plastic hippo's butt, and it was spectacular. I scanned the pile of boxes. Did they have that game? Because I wouldn't mind recording that and sending it to my family. They'd laugh their asses off.

" That's for children!" the cat protested.

" Well , you don't have opposable thumbs. I don't know what else you could play. You can't hold cards. You can't pull pieces out from a Jenga stack. You can't hold a pencil to draw a picture for Pictionary . We can see about getting some devices to help with that in the future— I'm sure someone must have invented something that will work—but I don't know what we can do about tonight."

" These games suck," Paws said. His tail whipped back and forth in a vicious tempo. " And you're all assholes for bringing them here." Then he started cleaning his face with his paw.

Jeremy's shoulders slumped at Paws ' proclamation. He looked around at the others, as if silently asking what they should do. That's when he spotted Simon and me.

" You came!" Jeremy shouted. " Awesome . We're deciding what game to play."

Simon cringed when everyone turned to look at us.

" Hello ," I said, stepping forward, drawing everyone's eyes to me instead. " I'm Ogden ."

" The dragon shifter," Jeremy added with a wide smile, like any of the supes in the room wouldn't have already known that. " You already know my sexy wolf man Adrian and his team of Super Supes ." He waved toward Gage , Teague , Isaac , and Davina in one encompassing motion. " And Van , of course. You know him too. I haven't heard from Weston , Nelson , or Hayden yet, but I'm hoping they'll join us too."

" I think Weston said something about watching over the teenagers who were partying at the shore tonight. He hates it when they have bonfires by his lake," Ash said. He used air quotes around the word his .

" Oh , right," Jeremy said.

Jake averted his eyes. " And Nelson's … uh… busy ."

" Are you making Nelson work tonight, Mr . Dimples ?" Jeremy demanded .

" No , it's nothing like that…" Jake shifted from side to side. " He saw a painting I did, and I wish he hadn't. It is all he thinks about now."

" About him and the unicorn?" Van asked.

Jake looked up, startled. " How did you…?"

" I didn't, not really. You just confirmed my suspicions."

" I thought Nelson was interested in Carter ," Isaac whispered to Teague .

Teague shrugged. " I guess not anymore."

Isaac stroked his chin and eyed the big bear shifter by the pool table. " I might go play pool for a bit."

" No , don't leave…" Jeremy said, but Isaac was already halfway across the room. Jeremy turned back to me. " Anyway , I don't think you've met Ash yet. He's my BFF forever and Dillon's mate." I'd already picked up on that based on the matching fire-like marks on their necks. " And this is Jake , our local oracle, aka Gage's mate, aka the owner of the pub. It's because of Jake that we're here tonight."

" It's nice to meet you all," I said with a nod.

" We haven't met yet," the calico cat said. " I'm Pawington the Third ."

I studied the creature. " Are you sure we haven't met?"

Paws blinked. Everyone around us gaped. I leaned close to whisper in one of the cat's calico ears. When I was done, Paws shot a panicked look around the group.

" Don't worry. I won't tell anyone your secret." I winked at the powerful being.

The cat's tail jolted back and forth, then he raised one of his paws and started cleaning his face. I laughed and ruffled the fur on the top of his head.

Jeremy's eyes bulged. He looked around at everyone at the table. " Isn't anyone going to ask?"

Jake shook his head at Jeremy . The movement made his collar shift a little, showing a bit of a mark that looked like the one on the demon. Those must be their mate marks.

No one asked me about the cat. I was surprised at their restraint, but it didn't matter because the cat's secret was safe with me.

" Don't blame this event on me," Jake said, taking the attention off Paws and looking at Jeremy . " This was all your idea."

" You said you'd never played a board game. You can't say that and think we won't do anything about it."

A massive wolf and a raven with matching mating marks in their hair were cuddling one another at the far end of the table. That meant the Eternal Magic had blessed four of the couples in this room alone. That was… well… unheard of. And based on the way they were together, they all seemed newly mated. Willow Lake was truly magical. The Eternal Magic seemed to draw mates here, and I was now even more convinced that Simon was my fated mate too. The raven wore a fabulous outfit that twinkled with his every movement. I caught the raven eying my clothes with a similarly covetous appreciation. How lovely to find a kindred spirit.

" That's Mercer and Oak ," Simon said, nodding to the couple. Then he looked around the room. " Over there at the pool table, that's Carter rubbing chalk on his pool cue. He's playing against Levi , who is a minotaur. Parker … that's the redheaded guy sitting at the table watching them… he's human. Doesn't know about supes, I don't think, so we probably shouldn't talk too loudly."

I nodded. Carter was the one with the nice ass I'd seen when we'd first come in, but Levi and Parker were the ones who caught my attention. I wasn't even a succubus, and I found the sexual tension pouring off them scrumptious. I had a whole set dedicated to helping people take those last few steps to admitting their love for one another. I might not have had many relationships myself, but I was a sucker for watching other people fall in love. Hmm … What would it take to get these two over that hurdle? If I was on stage watching this unfold, I'd go with my version of Alicia Keys ' " Fallin '" and follow it up with James Blunt's " You're Beautiful " and then adapt what came next based on what they did.

" So , what'll it be?" Jeremy asked. " What are we playing?"

" What about Wits and Wagers ?" Ash asked. " I think Paws could play that one."

Paws sniffed the box, then lifted his head quickly as if embarrassed at having done that. " Speaking of wagers, where is Hayden ?" the cat asked, as if determined to turn everyone's attention away from him.

" Hasn't he been in?" Van asked.

" Not today." Jake shook his head. " He hasn't been in much at all lately."

" He told me…" Van's forehead furrowed. " Never mind."

" Finding out about what Robbie was doing seems to have hit him hard," Mercer said. Oak wrapped his arms around Mercer and held him tight as soon as he said Hayden's brother's name. I wondered what Robbie had done to them, because there was obviously some trauma there. " Robbie was always a little asshole, and I for one am happy his pack of delinquents in the hills is gone. I never liked the guy, but even I never would have expected him to have people caged on his property. It must have been a real shock for Hayden ."

" What wager is he talking about?" I asked Simon .

" There is a bet going on right now about how long it'll take him to accept he's the alpha. If you want to put your name down for a date, check with Paws . He's sort of in charge of it."

Willow Lake was a strange place.

I laughed more than I'd thought I would as we played. Simon even started to relax about half an hour in, and that made everything so much better. I was invited to their weekly community potluck on Sunday , which was being held in the parking lot until renovations to the inn were further along. Everyone —including Simon —warned me to steer clear of his mama's mystery casserole. I was half-tempted to try it at the next gathering because it seemed like a rite of passage.

A while later, I went to the bar to order a round of drinks. I'd always found that free drinks went over well when you were making new friends. As soon as I reached the counter, the two people who I had spotted peering out of the kitchen earlier rushed toward me. I hadn't looked too closely at them before, but I saw now that they were two young men. Since they were in the pub, presumably they were old enough to drink, but they couldn't have been much older than that. They were both supes.

The taller one was dragging the shorter one toward me. They obviously had something on their minds. This should be interesting.

" Hi ," the taller one said as he pushed his long, dark hair back to reveal his smooth, golden-brown skin. This close, he looked even younger than I'd first thought. He was a kelpie. He was a long way from the ocean. How had he ended up here? " I'm Brodie . This is Dakota ."

Dakota had earth magic of some kind; he had the energy of a druid or a green man. His tight black curls bounced around his face as he nodded at me. Perhaps it was the roundness of his brown cheeks, but Dakota appeared even younger than his friend.

" How can I help you?"

" What was it like?" Brodie blurted out the question like it'd been all he could think about the whole night.

I raised my eyebrows. " What was what like?"

Dakota leaned forward, although he kept a healthy distance between us, like he was scared to get too close. " They said you'd been in a cage. That you escaped from the trafficking ring," he whispered.

I nodded. " Yes . That's true."

" What was it like?" Brodie asked again.

" Why do you want to know?" I glanced down the bar to where Alice the bartender was filling pints. She was listening to the conversation but didn't seem alarmed or surprised by it .

" We were supposed to be sent there," Dakota said in another whisper. As he spoke, his face took on a green-ish tinge, and dark green vines wove through his dark hair.

Oh . These were the ones found on Robbie's property. I'd heard a bit about them from Van when we'd driven to Aspen Bay . I hadn't realized they were working for Jake now, although I remembered something about them living with Gage's team as part of a sanctuary they were starting.

Their faces were so young. So innocent. So scared. These two may have been safe here, but what they'd been through obviously still haunted them. They reminded me of Morgan , even though I was sure the unicorn was older than they were.

" You were lucky to have missed all that," I said. " But we're going to find everyone."

" But what was it like?" Brodie asked for the third time. " I can't stop thinking about it, imagining what it would be like. I just… I need to know."

He feared the unknown. I could understand that. Whatever had happened to him must have been terrible, but he knew those cages had been a gateway to something worse. In the mirror behind the bar, I could see Van and Gage approaching us. Simon was right behind them. The bar had gotten quiet. The laughter from the game tables had died down. The chatter by the pool table was gone. Everyone was listening.

Simon came right up and wrapped his arms around me. I was surprised. I hadn't expected my kitty cat to be much for public displays of affection, but his touch was exactly what I needed. I doubted these two were asking to be malicious, but this was certainly not a comfortable topic for me.

" Are you sure you want to know?" Van asked Brodie and Dakota .

" I need to know," Brodie said, lifting his chin in a defiant gesture that made him look even more like a teenager. Dakota simply nodded.

" I wish Hayden was here," Ash said. He'd spoken quietly from back at the table, but with no other sounds in the bar, his words carried. " He's good to have for discussions like this."

" That's because he's the alpha," Paws said loudly. There was no question in the cat's statement. He also didn't try to keep his voice down. He wasn't the kind of creature to worry much about what others might hear. If he said something, he'd stand by it.

As they spoke, Nelson joined us too. I hadn't seen him arrive, but he was here now, and he appeared keen to hear what I had to say. I wondered if his curiosity had something to do with his strange reaction to learning about the unicorn who'd been in that place with me.

Van looked at me. " Are you comfortable talking about it? You don't have to."

" What do you want to know?" I asked.

Brodie's shoulders relaxed. Dakota released a deep breath. Simon tightened his arms around me and nuzzled the back of my neck. He started purring. The soft sound was soothing, and the little vibrations reverberated along my back.

" Okay , so this is what happened to me… "

Then I described what it'd been like. I wasn't sure if they would sleep better knowing all this or if I was giving them new nightmares, but we were all survivors of the same thing. They deserved to be informed. They also deserved to know that I would do everything in my power to free the rest of those supes.