Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

"Got company," Riordan called out as he pushed open the door to the triple-decker home he and his siblings had owned for decades. "Come say hello."

Saoirse poked her head out of the kitchen down the hallway, her hair loose and falling down in waves. She narrowed her eyes at him before her gaze tracked over his shoulder. They widened comically at Wade as the younger man stepped inside, looking around curiously. "Donal said you'd gone off with a lad from the New York City god pack. This him?"

"Hi," Wade said cheerfully, waving at her. "I'm Wade."

Saoirse stepped out of the kitchen and hurried toward them. She met them in the living room, and the polite smile was wiped off her face once she got within sniffing distance of Riordan. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You smell like you've been traipsing about in Lady Caith's garden."

"I wasn't traipsing," Riordan protested as he nudged the door shut behind him.

She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You're not denying you went to her."

"That was my fault. I wanted to check out Niall's territory," Wade said.

Riordan contained a wince, knowing that wouldn't ease his sister's worry. It didn't, judging by the scowl that twisted her lips. She drew in a breath, letting it out on a yell. "Donal! Riordan went to Lady Caith's."

"He did what?" came Donal's muffled shout from upstairs. The heavy sounds of footsteps coalesced seconds later to their older brother entering the living room with his own scowl. "Boyo, I can't believe you—oh. You brought Wade."

"Yeah, Riordan promised me lunch. And don't be mad at him. I was the one who dragged him into Beacon Hill. I wanted to check out Niall's territory, but we got sidetracked with Lady Caith," Wade said.

Saoirse crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot rapidly on the floor, glaring at Riordan. "That makes it worse ."

"We had good reason, and Lady Caith didn't harm me," Riordan said.

"I wouldn't let your brother get hurt," Wade said in a serious voice. "I promise you that."

Some of Saoirse's anger slipped away. She sighed before darting forward to wrap her arms around Riordan beneath his jacket for a hug. He held her tight for a few seconds, kissing the top of her head before she finally pulled away.

"Here." He shrugged out of his jacket and swung it around her shoulders. "Take care of this for me while I make us some lunch."

Saoirse slipped her arms through the sleeves, pulling the edges of the jacket close over her front. It hung long on her, but she didn't care, tucking her nose into the collar to breathe in his scent. He and Donal had been taking turns letting her carry their sealskin around the home to help comfort her. Theirs would never replace hers, but it staved off the skin hunger she felt.

"Thanks," she muttered. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Riordan glanced at Wade. "I think so."

He wasn't just talking about the mess with Niall, but his siblings didn't need to know that. Neither did Wade because Boston wasn't the other man's home. Riordan ignored the sharp stab of want that cut through him, pretending the urge he'd felt earlier to let Wade keep his sealskin was just an illusion.

It would be a lie, but fae were good at those.

Donal gave him an odd look, which he ignored, heading down the hall to the kitchen. Wade followed after him and started poking around the open plan space the second he arrived, opening up cupboards and drawers and peering at all the shelves.

"What are you going to make for breakfast?" Wade asked.

"It's more like brunch at this hour," Riordan said.

"Does that mean we get mimosas?"

Riordan looked over at where Wade had found the pantry and had disappeared into it. "You like mimosas?"

"Hey, guys can like the fruity drinks."

"I'm not saying you can't or that you shouldn't. I can make you a mimosa or something else. We have plenty of alcohol."

Riordan and his siblings couldn't get drunk unless the underlying alcohol was brewed for their people, which meant buying from a fae provider. While they had several bottles of that kind of alcohol in their personal store, he wasn't sure if they'd give Wade any sort of buzz.

"Sure. I can't get drunk, but I like the taste of them. I always have to make sure my niece doesn't try to drink out of mine when I have one." Wade stepped out of the pantry with a bag of tortilla chips, a box of granola bars, and an unopened jar of salsa. "What are you making?"

"I was thinking pancakes or waffles."

"Will you even have room for pancakes if you eat that entire bag of chips?" Donal asked as he came into the kitchen, eyeing where Wade had spread out everything on the other side of the kitchen island.

"He ate two dozen cannoli this morning," Riordan said, then immediately regretted it when Wade spoke up.

"Those were good," Wade said as he ripped open the bag of chips. "I'll need to go back to Mike's Pastry before I leave."

Riordan hastily turned around and made a beeline for the pantry, intent on digging up the box of pancake mix he knew was in there. He could feel Donal's judgmental gaze between his shoulder blades as he searched through the shelves.

"You didn't take him to Modern Pastry?" Donal asked in a deceptively mild voice.

"Wade wanted Mike's Pastry," Riordan said.

"Did you even bother to tell him how Mike's Pastry is inferior to Modern Pastry? Did you eat any?"

"No, because Wade wasn't sharing."

"I can't believe you'd betray Modern Pastry in this way."

Riordan exited the pantry and glared at Donal, who was giving him the most disappointed look in his hefty arsenal of expressions. "I just said I didn't eat any."

"You still set foot in enemy territory."

"What's wrong with Mike's Pastry?" Wade asked.

Riordan glanced over at him, unsurprised to see half the bag of chips gone, along with half the salsa. Donal did a double take when he saw how much Wade had already eaten. "Nothing if you like overpriced tourist food."

"Guess we fit right in, then, since we were playing tourist."

"Is that what you were doing when you went to see Lady Caith?" Saoirse asked as she joined them in the kitchen, still wrapped up in Riordan's jacket.

"Some of her fae were following us. I figured we could have a little talk," Wade said.

"And she talked to you? Just like that?"

Riordan dug a frying pan out of one of the cupboards under the island and then pulled a carton of strawberries from the refrigerator. "Wade let them know what pack he was with, and that seemed to be the deciding factor. It was a short conversation."

"She's a target like all of you," Wade said.

Donal leaned against the kitchen island, thankfully out of Riordan's way. "You really think that's true?"

"Niall is going after the leaders of the preternatural and supernatural communities in Boston. You and your clan hold the shoreline and the sea, and she's got everything else. He'd be stupid to try to control you and not her. If he wants Boston, he'd have to go through Lady Caith as well."

"That's suicide," Saoirse said flatly.

"Why?"

"Because the last person who tried to go against her had their body strewn in tiny pieces across the entire path of the Freedom Trail walking tour. The police were bagging evidence for weeks."

Riordan watched Wade bite into a tortilla chip. "Huh. Well, Niall's probably a god of some sort, and Lady Caith smells like a low-grade one as well, so it's probably even odds on which one of them would win in a fight."

"We need to warn the other leaders in Boston," Riordan said.

"All of them?" Donal asked worriedly, clearly thinking about the biggest threat in that group, the same way Riordan had in Lady Caith's garden.

"I dislike the idea of going to the Boston Night Court, but I don't think it's something we can ignore or put off. We lose a chance at future bargaining if we don't at least warn them of a common threat," Riordan said as he started to mix the pancake batter. Saoirse had made herself useful by chopping up the strawberries.

"We don't bargain with vampires to begin with," Donal said flatly.

"We did when Abhartach first came here," Riordan reminded him. Back then, his clan had partnered with several long-since-defunct covens to hold their territory against the nascent Boston Night Court. Those boundaries hadn't changed much, mostly because vampires had no need for the sea.

The problem was they didn't have much contact with any of the covens in Boston these days. The clans kept to themselves, the massive population in Boston making it easier to hide than ever before. If they were to go knocking on the Boston Night Court's door, Riordan would want backup.

"I'll call Ella," Wade said, practically reading Riordan's mind. "She can come with us tonight."

"Tonight?" Donal exclaimed. "That's a little rushed, don't you think?"

Wade crumpled up the now-empty bag of tortilla chips, frowning at Donal. "No? I hate vampires as much as the next person, but you're all operating under a timeline. You don't have time to wait."

Donal winced, and Riordan sighed. "He's right. We can't afford to wait."

"But it's Abhartach," Saoirse said, not bothering to hide her shudder.

"You'll have werecreatures to back you up, and you'll have me," Wade said, almost gently. He looked across the island, catching Riordan's eye, the seriousness in his gaze that of someone far older than he looked. "Do you know where the Night Court's public base is? We'll steer clear of their heart for now."

"For now?" Riordan echoed in disbelief. "Don't tell me you've been in the heart of a Night Court as well?"

"As well as what?" Saoirse asked before Wade could answer.

"He and one of his pack alphas were guests of Medb once."

Saoirse's voice reached near-glass-shattering levels. "And you're still alive ?"

Wade made a face as he pulled out his phone from his back pocket. "It wasn't my fault we got stuck with her."

Riordan shot Saoirse a warning look, which was enough to get her to shut her mouth and finish chopping the strawberries. "Call Ella and put it on speakerphone."

"Yup," Wade said, already tapping away at his phone.

Riordan carried the mixing bowl over to the stove and the now-warm frying pan. Saoirse passed over the plate of chopped strawberries before getting out of the way. Riordan liked helpers in the kitchen, not other cooks, and set about oiling the pan before putting a ladleful of pancake batter into it.

"Wade?" Ella's voice came from near his elbow. Riordan nearly jumped, surprised to see Wade standing right beside him, having not heard the other man move.

"Hey, Ella. I'm calling about that alliance you agreed to. I didn't want to put anything in writing," Wade said.

The fingers of his other hand were inching closer to the plate of strawberries. Riordan grabbed his wrist without thinking. "Those are for the pancakes."

Wade actually pouted at him, and Riordan had to steel himself from giving in.

"Riordan?" Ella asked. "You're still with Wade?"

"Hi, Ella. We have a small update for you and a request."

"It better not be a bargain."

"We promised not to bargain with you under the terms of the alliance. I aim to keep that promise."

"We need to talk with the master vampire of the Boston Night Court, and we need you and those in your god pack you trust to come along as muscle," Wade said.

"You need me to what ?" Ella exclaimed.

Riordan sighed heavily and scooped up some strawberries to sprinkle them into the pancake batter cooking on the pan, still not letting go of Wade. "We think Niall is targeting all the major leaders of the preternatural and supernatural communities in Boston. We need to see if Abhartach has been targeted yet."

There was silence on Ella's side of the line for a few seconds. "Would it be a terrible thing if that bastard was and had been taken out of the picture already?"

"Agreed," Saoirse muttered.

Riordan ignored his sister. "We won't know one way or another unless we meet with the Boston Night Court."

"Abhartach only allows communication through in-person meetings. We'd have to meet with one of his human servants today and hope we get a meeting tonight after they speak with him."

"Does he even have a phone?" Wade asked.

"If he does, I don't know anyone who has his phone number."

"Someone needs to tell him that just because he's old doesn't mean he can't get with the modern times. We'll meet you at wherever his daylight proxy human servant is and talk with them."

"The Night Court has an office downtown. Anyone in Boston wanting to set up a meeting has to go through that location. Showing up at his usual haunts without an invitation is a good way to end up dead. We can meet there in two hours."

"How do the vampires even travel across Boston? Don't you all have more churches than most cities?"

"You're thinking of the South."

She rattled off an address on Franklin Street in Downtown Boston, and Riordan nodded even though she couldn't see him. He knew that area well. "We'll see you in two hours."

Ella ended the call first, and Wade shoved his phone back in his pocket. Riordan realized he was still holding on to Wade's wrist and reluctantly let him go. Wade didn't move away though, just leaned over to peer at the pan. "Is this one mine?"

"If you let me flip it, then yes." Wade straightened up and moved away, which Riordan regretted immediately. He focused on the pancakes instead, wondering if the whole box would be enough to make Wade happy. A few moments later, Saoirse draped his jacket over his shoulders, the tingle of his sealskin returned to him making him close his eyes for a second before he slid his arms through the sleeves.

"Thanks," she said, resting her forehead between his shoulder blades. "I feel better."

"I'll make your pancakes next."

"I'm not hungry." She moved away, leaving the kitchen. Riordan watched her go, frowning at her back.

"I'll go check on her," Donal said, leaving the kitchen.

Riordan sighed, using the spatula to flip Wade's pancake.

"Is she okay?" Wade asked from his right behind him, nearly making Riordan lose the pancake. "Sorry, I'll make noise next time."

"It's fine."

"Your sister isn't."

Riordan looked at where Wade had posted himself up against the counter beside Riordan. He wasn't surprised in the least to see at least a quarter of the strawberries were gone, most likely snacked on by Wade when he wasn't looking. "She has skin hunger, and she misses the ocean. It's hard."

Every kin knew what skin hunger was, knew of the need to wrap themselves up in their sealskin and dive beneath the waves, wholly themselves. Parents taught their children when they were old enough the pain of skin hunger by withholding their skin for a few days so they would understand it. They did so as a warning, to caution against losing their skin to people who would only ever keep it to hurt them.

Wade's mouth firmed into a hard line. "I'll go take a walk into Niall's territory tomorrow. See what I can find."

"Don't. It's not safe, and I don't want to have to call up your pack and tell them you got hurt or worse on my watch."

Wade smiled crookedly and shrugged. "He won't be the first god I've handled, and he probably won't be the last."

"I thought the fight was over and we won?"

"Eh, Hermes still comes around from time to time to piss off Patrick. Honestly, I think he's bored now that we don't have to worry about the end of the world."

"Who? Patrick?"

"No, Hermes. I think you're burning my pancake."

Riordan swore because Wade was right. He'd been too distracted by staring into Wade's eyes, and so yeah, one side of the pancake was browned more than it should have been. Wade didn't mind, seeing as he picked it off the pan and took a bite, not even bothering with a plate or butter or syrup.

"Don't let Saoirse see you eat like that. She'll throw a fit," Riordan warned.

"It's good."

"It's burnt."

"Still good." Wade eyed his pancake before tearing off a piece and offering it to Riordan. "Here. I'll prove it to you."

"I thought you didn't share your food?"

Wade rolled his eyes and waggled the piece of pancake at him. "Are you going to try it or not? I even gave you a bit with strawberry in it."

Before Riordan could second-guess himself, he leaned over and bit the piece of pancake out of Wade's fingers, clearly startling him, judging by the surprised sound he let out. Riordan chewed the pancake before shrugging, keeping his gaze on Wade. "It's passable. I'll make you a better one."

Wade stared at Riordan with wide brown eyes, pancake forgotten. The slight flush on his cheeks caught the light strangely before it disappeared in seconds.

"Sure," Wade said in a faintly strangled voice. "I'll eat anything. Mostly."

"Am I interrupting?" Donal asked, a strange weight to his voice.

Riordan desperately wanted to say yes because flustered was a good look on Wade. "Wade is eating the test pancake, and then he'll get the next one. I'll make yours after. How's Saoirse?"

"Okay for now. She's cleaning out the trunk."

"I don't think she should come with us into the Boston Night Court's territory."

"I'm coming with you!" Saoirse yelled from upstairs, voice clear as a bell in Riordan's ears due to enhanced hearing.

"Boyo, I could've told you that was a dumb thing to say," Donal sighed.

"Worth a try. It's not like the vampires will be up and walking in daylight." Riordan reached for the strawberries and found the plate empty. He immediately pointed the spatula at Wade. "Quit being a thief."

"Can't be a thief if I pay you back," Wade said quickly.

"Would the strawberries even make it back to me if you tried?"

Wade pursed his lips, looking up at the ceiling as if he were calculating the odds of that happening. "Maybe. Possibly."

Riordan shook his head, amused, despite himself. "Go sit. You can annoy Donal if you like."

"I should probably call my pack and give them an update. Don't eat my pancake."

Wade left the kitchen, Riordan tracking his footsteps to the front door and beyond. He heard Donal, too, as his older brother came around the kitchen island to stand in the same spot Wade had, staring at him.

"Riordan," Donal said carefully.

"It's nothing," Riordan bit out.

"You're fixated."

Riordan scowled, teeth feeling too sharp in his mouth for a brief moment, jacket pulling tight, melding with the lines of his body before he forced it loose again. "I'm not."

"Boyo. Look at me." Riordan sighed, flipping the latest pancake first before obeying his older brother, looking Donal in the eye. Donal's gaze was steady and searching, familiar from all the years where he'd made sure Riordan could stand on his own two feet and swim with the best of them. For all that Donal was the oldest, he was kinder than Riordan, and they both knew it. "You couldn't stop looking at the kid back at the god pack's home."

"He's twenty-three."

Donal snorted softly. "You've lived lifetimes he hasn't."

"He's not human. He's something else, I just don't know what."

"That doesn't mean he will stay. You heard him. His pack is in New York City." Donal reached out and ran his hand up and down Riordan's arm, the way he'd rub at Riordan's back in seal form. "You've known him not even a day, but you're fixated, and that means he's yours. You know that."

"I won't give him my skin," Riordan got out roughly. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. Not when it was the only thing that might get Saoirse's back.

"Sometimes we don't have a choice when it comes to our mates."

Fixation was different than skin hunger—instinct drove it just the same, but one's heart could be irrational at the best of times. Sometimes kin found a person they wanted, craved, desired to give their skin to, and it ached when their love was rejected or they weren't in a position to attempt to be kept.

For Riordan, his clan and his kin had to come first, not his heart.

Not his potential mate.

"Are you burning my pancake?" Wade asked as he wandered back into the kitchen, phone in hand but not pressed to his ear.

Riordan hastily flipped the pancake in the pan. "No. How did your call go?"

Donal moved away, and Wade immediately took his spot. "Patrick is still in DC, and Jono said I wasn't supposed to get into any trouble while out here."

"Did you tell him you're going to meet up with some vampires?"

Wade made a face at him. "Do I look stupid? I'll tell Jono after the fact."

He said it blithely, like he wouldn't be punished for going into danger without notifying his pack. Riordan wondered if he should make overtures to the New York City god pack behind Wade's back just to ensure his clan survived whatever happened. "Go sit down. Your pancake is almost ready."

Wade went readily enough, sitting himself at the nearby dining room table and tapping away at his phone. Donal joined him after getting the syrup from the pantry, the butter already on the table in its covered dish. Riordan made as many pancakes as the batter allowed, saving the last two for himself. When he finally sat down at the table, he was unsurprised to see Wade's plate was empty.

"I don't know where he puts it," Riordan said when Donal just stared at him across the table.

"Bit of a mystery," Donal muttered before finishing what was on his plate.

Saoirse came downstairs when Riordan was eating the last bite of pancake, absently braiding her hair in one long plait. "Trunk is ready."

"We'll be right up," Riordan said.

"Trunk?" Wade asked. "Is it full of weapons?"

Saoirse stared at him. "Why would we have a trunk full of weapons?"

"What else would you have one for?"

"Certainly not that. We keep our guns in the lock boxes."

"We'll be right back," Riordan said as he and Donal left the kitchen. They trudged up the stairs to Donal's room, where their mother's small travel trunk sat at the foot of the bed on a rug that hid enough sigils for spells and wards carved into the wooden floor to take out most threats.

Carved from the wood of a tree found in their homeland past the veil, it was held together by nails made of a metal not found on Earth, one that wouldn't harm them like iron. It used to be easier living in the mortal world before all the cities replaced the forests. Riordan still wouldn't trade the life they'd created for themselves here on these shores for one where they'd be treated as lesser.

Riordan shrugged out of his jacket, shaking it out into the sealskin it truly was. Donal did the same, and they tucked their skin away inside that trunk with its own spells carved on the inside—ones for protection and keeping safe the most precious things they owned so no one else would own them. Donal locked the trunk, no key needed since the trigger command was spelled to activate by the three of them.

They left the bedroom, Riordan missing his skin already, but he'd rather it be left behind and safe than torn from his body by a vampire. Saoirse and Wade were waiting for them by the front door when they made it downstairs.

"Where are your jackets?" Wade asked.

"Safe," Riordan said, not minding sharing the truth with him. He knew, deep in his bones, that Wade wouldn't use that information for any nefarious reason. Fixation, sure, but Riordan wanted to believe Wade was kind.

Wade nodded slowly. "You could wear them if you wanted. I won't let anything happen to you or your siblings."

"Better to be cautious," Donal said.

"All right. Then let's head out." Riordan locked up behind them, and rather than ride with Donal and Saoirse, he followed Wade to his Audi. Wade glanced over his shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow. "Going to play tour guide again?"

"If you want," Riordan said.

Wade flashed him a smile that lit up his face and nearly made Riordan bite his tongue, fighting the urge to smile stupidly back. "Great. Maybe we can get something to eat along the way."

"Not Mike's Pastry's again."

"You went where ?" Saoirse shouted from Donal's car. "Traitor!"

Riordan hastily got into the front passenger seat while Wade cackled. "This is your fault."

"It's cannoli. I don't care who makes it, so long as I get to eat it," Wade said cheerfully as he started the engine. "Any other places you can recommend?"

Riordan had lived in Boston for a long, long time, had seen many restaurants come and go. "Plenty, but there won't be enough time to go to all of them before you head back to New York."

"I wouldn't mind taking a trip back here to eat with you."

Riordan stared straight ahead, telling his traitorous heart that Wade was offering to return to Boston for the food scene and not him. "Sure. It's a date."

He only hoped he wouldn't have to stand Wade up if they couldn't win back Saoirse's sealskin.