Chapter Two

"Jacky."

"Niko."

I sat next to him on my porch when he arrived, making it to my house in less than twenty minutes. It told me something important, but I knew to hold off on asking about it until he was ready.

"You wanted to talk?"

"I believe I asked if you wanted to hang out. Heath is at a pack meeting, as you probably know, and I decided I would hang out with you while we both had none of our werewolves." I shrugged nonchalantly. I didn't answer his question because I was telling the truth. I had initially just wanted to spend time with him. The idea of talking to him came moments later.

"No one in our family hangs out, Jacky," he countered, chuckling.

"Lies. I've seen it happen. It's rare, but we do."

"We do when we all fly into an area and make it a vacation. Jabari and Zuri don't meet up all the time just to watch TV and chat about old times."

"Well, I'm going to change that," I said, nodding as I made that decision without giving him any chance to offer more input on the matter. I could see the annoyance in his eyes, but his scent told me he was feeling grateful, not just annoyed. I had never been the little sister like this, and with it came a flood of power that felt new and exciting. I understood Carey for a moment, telling Landon what to do and watching him bend the knee to her demands because they came from her love for him. There was an understanding between Carey and Landon.

I wanted that with Niko. Suddenly and fiercely, I wanted to be Niko's little sister, smiling as I watched him perform the mental backflips to try to change my mind even though he also felt grateful.

"Don't argue," I said suddenly, lifting a hand as he opened his mouth. "Don't. This is a good thing. We both need it."

"Do we?"

"Yes. When was the last time anyone else in our family has spoken to you?"

I watched his jaw clench, his eyes shifting to a feline nature, and his hands curled over the armrests.

"It's been some time since I've gotten more than an occasional text," he finally admitted.

"Exactly. Without each other, we don't have much right now. Subira is getting help from Jabari and Zuri building in her territory and is rightfully too busy for more than a short phone call to check in. Hasan is in timeout and not going to speak to us, even if he wants to. Davor is busy getting a handle on Europe on his own. Mischa is MIA, and Hisao is…"

"Hisao," he finished for me, nodding as he relaxed. "You're right. They're all busy, and we are at least here together. We might as well make the most of it."

"And I promise you, Zuri and Jabari hang out. Maybe more recently than ever, but the point stands." I knew this because Carey kept feeding me fun little stories she heard through Makalo. I had my first accidental spies, and I loved those teens for it. Hearing about how they were doing in Subira's territory brought me joy and hope that things would work out one day, even if the family felt it was falling apart right now.

"I get it. You know what's going on in our family, and you don't want us to sit on our hands over here. I get it. Stop rubbing it in." He finally lost the annoyed expression he had somehow maintained and chuckled. "So, what do you want to do, sister?"

"Why don't you have a territory yet?" I asked, shifting the conversation fast enough to hopefully throw him off.

"I haven't been looking," he answered immediately, then I saw it dawn on him that I'd talked him into giving me information.

"Because you've been camping near my territory? Or staying in a hotel?" I asked sweetly as his face turned red.

"I want to live near Dirk," he grumbled, looking away from me. His scent said a lot. He was mad he had fallen for what I had just done, embarrassed by the truth of his living situation, and confused. I waited until it became the most apparent thing in his expression, then waited longer for him to answer the important question. "How did you put that together?" he asked, finally turning back to me.

"I know this area pretty well. You got here in only twenty minutes, and you were in my territory only a couple minutes after we got off the phone. You weren't speeding more than any of the werewolves would, so reasonably fast but only twenty over, I bet. If you were looking for a territory, I would have thought you would be at least an hour away and would ask for me to meet you somewhere. Instead, you agreed to come by. Am I wrong yet?"

"No," he said, sighing.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to be involved," he said, rubbing his hands together. "With Dirk's life. I just… don't know how to do that right now. If I move into my own territory, I'll be, like you said, at least an hour away if we speed. So, I've been renting a small house just outside of your territory."

"I see." I wasn't expecting that. I should have been, knowing how much Niko loved his son, the adopted part not mattering at all to him. "I feel stupid. Why didn't I consider that for you? I thought just being closer at all would be fine. An hour or two isn't so bad. It's the same drive we take to the city."

"Yeah, and I thought of that, too. You asked me about Dallas, and I thought about the mansion, but two hours didn't feel right."

"So, what do you want?" I finally asked him. "Could you make a tiny territory at a house? It would be safer for you to have something. Mischa is a good rogue because she keeps moving, building a network of safe places to go while she roams. Her village is where her territory should be, but it's just another stop on the road for her. If you stay in one spot too long, you're vulnerable without a proper territory, Niko. Even I know that."

"You're right," he agreed, rubbing his face. "This is my first time doing this, so I'm just trying to find the best solution for me."

"Well… fuck. Stay in my territory, at least, you idiot." I couldn't believe he would live in some rental just out of the safety of my territory instead of admitting he wanted to stay close by. If he had gotten hurt in the last month and a half, I would have been beside myself. I knew half the family would chew him out if they heard this.

My exasperation and astonishment at his living arrangements was undeniable. There was no way I could hide it. I saw him grow sheepish in a new way, like a chastised sibling who knew he'd messed up.

"Was it your pride?" I asked him when he said nothing for too long.

That made him wince.

"Somewhat. When it comes to the other werewolves…" He ducked his head, putting it into his hands. "Here I am, the Traitor, infamous among werewolves, hiding in my youngest sister's territory with a pack of werewolves who went against their leaders to follow an Alpha who Callahan is angry with."

"And?"

"It made me feel like I was a refugee, just like all of them," he murmured. "That hit my pride."

"Ah." I didn't have any way to reply to that. His choice to live in an unprotected house without his own territory was stupid, but I could see where he was coming from. Reputation was important in the supernatural world. Important to the point that lives were on the line if someone lost their own. "It's more than your pride," I said kindly, finally having something to try to make him feel better. "If you suddenly look weak, you're a bigger target than you already were. Callahan hid your brother for centuries, a time bomb waiting to go off and take you out. A lot of werewolves would love to count you as one of their kills."

"Thank you for not making me feel like an idiot," he said, chuckling dryly. "You're not wrong, but it was still stupid of me. I didn't think of making the property my territory. It wouldn't be as good a warning system as a full territory, but something is better than nothing."

"Exactly."

We sat quietly for a moment, and I pondered how this had gone on for so long. Leave it to immortals to let things drag out when they don't need to.

"Come on." I stood up and waved for him to follow me as I walked off my porch. "Let me see this little rental you got."

"Fine." He followed obediently.

"You drive. We'll go out to dinner afterward, then you can drop me off here," I said simply, opening the passenger side door.

"Of course." He was smiling a little as he got in as well. "You sure have the bossy thing down when you want to."

"Oh?" I played innocent.

"Yeah, and I bet it's fooled a lot of people recently," he said softly as he backed the car away from my house.

"Excuse me?" I was more serious now.

"You're avoiding something," he said softly.

This time, I was the one caught on the back foot of the conversation. He had walked me into this verbal trap.

"I'm just… trying to figure out how to get myself back to normal," I said, swallowing as Fenris's face flashed in my mind. "My old normal, a new normal, it doesn't matter. Just normal."

"How many people have you convinced not to worry about you?"

"Not enough, it seems," I muttered, knowing it sounded petulant. His chuckle told me he caught it, too.

"You're not alone in that, Jacky. Remember that. I'm doing the same thing. Trying to figure out my normal, as you put it. I'm in a new place trying to rebuild a relationship with my werewolf son, who has a mate now. I'm in a country I never really visited or gave a chance before. Oh, and I'm spending time with a family member who doesn't struggle with crippling depression. So, if you don't mind me asking… What's got you out of sorts?"

"Aside from the obvious?" I asked shortly.

"Oh, I know the obvious, but it feels like you need to say more."

"Not really. He's dead. I'll get over it, eventually."

He said nothing to that. We sat in that silence, neither of us reaching to turn on the radio or daring to speak again.

He parked, but I heard a click and saw he locked the doors as we stared at the ranch-style home he was renting. While I could unlock the door and leave, the quiet message was clear.

"You don't get over it. It lives with you. You know that."

"You know what I meant. Eventually, the grief is small enough that it doesn't…" I waved at myself, knowing my eyes were filled with tears. "It becomes a scar and doesn't ache so much all the time. Time to time, sure, but not every minute of every day. Right now, it still aches. I just need time. Focusing on other things helps. The world keeps turning, right?"

I could see the questions in his eyes and could feel my own confusion, the small voice that asked why it hurt so bad that Fenris was dead. For years now, I had seen death several times over. I had fought to the death before. Fenris's death was haunting me, though. I wished I could say it was just his letter, but it wasn't. I couldn't put my finger on why this loss wouldn't let me move on.

"It does," he agreed, nodding. "So, you wanted to see where I was living…" He gestured out the front window. "I put most of my valuables in storage in your territory, as you know, so I only have the basics here."

"Didn't Subira and Zuri keep some stuff for you as well?" I asked, trying to join him in leaving the topic of the dead behind. "All the magical stuff, right?"

"Most of the magic-related things. Not all of them. I kept some items, and those I keep in a safe in the storage unit."

"Sounds… secure." I tried so hard not to reach out and punch him for being so foolish.

"It's not, which makes you calling me out today all the more necessary," he said, clearly now kicking himself over his decisions like I wanted to kick him literally. "I was supposed to figure this out a month ago. I know I have things that can't be lost, and I'm dragging my feet."

"Niko, buy some land, build a house on it, and make a territory. Or buy some property and build a house in my territory, pride or no. We'll handle it."

"I'll think about it. Do you mind if I move my stuff to your house, though? The really important stuff?"

"Will any of it blow up my house?" I asked, crossing my arms. It was a legitimate concern, and I wouldn't have it overlooked. Too much had happened to my poor home as it was. I wasn't bringing in some magic bomb or anything.

"No. I can promise that."

"Then sure. Bring the safe over, and we'll secure it." I went for the door, and suddenly, the car was backing away from the house. "Hey, you have to show me the house."

"There it is," he said, smiling as he continued pulling out of the driveway. "You didn't ask to see the interior."

"It was implied!" I said, gasping at his audacity for pulling this stunt.

"Where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked as he used one hand to swing the car around and begin driving away from his rental.

"Are we actually going to sit down and eat in the restaurant, or are you going to order takeout and drop me off at home with it, then leave?" I asked.

"You'll have to wait and see, I guess, because you forgot to specify."