“I do.” He smiled, stroking his fingertips through my hair and brushing it over my shoulder. “But Austin has come up with an idea that we think will help to keep you safe in Ireland. So you need to be awake early.”
“We?” I repeated, arching a brow at him. “That sounds suspiciously like you’re all getting along. What gives?”
“When it comes to your safety, Regina, we will always get along. Now, are you coming?” His hand was resting on the curve of my waist, and I had to bite back a dirty joke about whether I was coming or not. Damn sexy guardians got me way too riled up for my own good sometimes.
“Uh-huh.” I nodded. “Let’s go see what this plan that we have all agreed on is.”
Vali, ever the gentleman, offered me a hand up, and I followed him through to the little sitting area between bedrooms where the rest of the guys were gathered. We’d rented a “family suite,” which was really just three bedrooms interconnected by an area for couches, a TV, and some tea and coffee facilities.
I hadn’t bothered to get dressed before leaving the bedroom, and as I entered the sitting area, I could feel more than one set of eyes raking over my exposed skin. I’d been sleeping in just a tank top and panties but saw no reason to be modest around my guardians.
“You’re all getting along,” I commented with suspicion. “What’s going on? This isn’t normal for you six.”
“Here, I made you a sandwich,” Austin said quietly, handing me a plate before sitting down on the couch.
“I helped,” Caleb added, “It’s a regular King Twin Sandwich.” He threw me a saucy wink and my cheeks heated with the dirty innuendo. I took a big old bite of that sandwich though, and moaned my appreciation.
“Kitten, take a seat,” River instructed, his voice firm, and I found myself doing as I was told without complaint. Damn him and that tone of voice. I climbed over Cole’s outstretched legs and took the free space of couch between him and Austin before looking back up at River expectantly.
“We’re not comfortable with you travelling to Ireland without backup, in light of this most recent attempt on your freedom,” River explained.
“The whole Undead-Simon thing doesn’t help either,” Caleb added, shuddering.
“Uh-huh,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. “So what’s your point? I’m not canceling, if that’s what you’re getting at. Wes needs this trip.”
Cole made a noise low in his throat. “Wes does. You don’t.”
“Okay,” River interjected as I opened my mouth to argue back at Cole. “That’s not what we are suggesting.” He speared Cole with a glare that suggested they’d already discussed that and dismissed the idea. “But we do think you need more security.”
“None of you can come. The old dude made that super clear on the phone,” I reminded them, as if they needed reminding.
“We can’t, but he didn’t say anything about magical back up.” Caleb grinned at me, and I got the distinct impression this idea was partly his. He looked too proud for it not to have been.
I arched an eyebrow at him. “You mean...”
He nodded. “Familiars.”
Confused, I flicked my gaze to Austin beside me and then belatedly noticed the tattoo equipment set up on the coffee table. I wasn’t usually so blind, but in my defense I was still half-asleep. Austin looked relaxed, which told me he was in agreement on this plan.
“Uh, newsflash, guys. They’re not exactly inconspicuous, and I seriously doubt I can pass them both off as support animals on a commercial airline, you know?” Although the mental image of me trying to get on board a flight with a tiger and a viper was amusing.
“I don’t know about that,” Cole snickered. “I think Sam would look dashing in a harness and leash like a guide dog.”
Caleb grimaced. “Sam says he will bite you in the ballsack while you sleep. Except, you know, with more swearing.”
“Ouch,” Cole cringed, but the small smile on his lips said he was still amused. It was understandable. Sam’s attitude was amusing to all of us except Caleb, who was the one who actually had to hear it all.
“How would this even work? And won’t you guys need them here with you?” I directed this question to Austin, seeing as he clearly had his tattoo gun out for a reason.
“Should be a simple case of giving you anchor points for both Sam and Tyson. I don’t imagine it would work on anyone else, but seeing as we’re bonded...” He trailed off with a shrug. “Worst case scenario—it doesn’t work and you just have another cool tattoo.”
“Another one, huh?” I teased. “That would imply I had a cool tattoo to start with.”
Austin glared at me, then slid off the couch and onto the floor. “Left arm, Princess,” he commanded. His long fingers tapped the coffee table beside him, and I obliged, handing my empty coffee cup to Cole and sliding off the couch to join him on the floor.
I’d noticed a few days earlier that both twins wore their familiar tattoos on their left arms, and when I’d queried Caleb about this, he’d told me it was a magic thing. Closer to the heart or... something. I hadn’t really listened all too well as I’d been in a sleepy, post-sex haze at the time.
Austin started his equipment up, and I yawned, leaning my head back against Cole’s lap. One cup of coffee just wasn’t cutting it for me today. Thankfully, though, my boys knew how to treat me right, and a fresh cup appeared under my nose courtesy of Wesley.
The buzzing sting of the needle started up on my forearm, and I yawned again. It hadn’t been any sort of stretch to trust Austin with this task. His tattoos were gorgeous, magical or not, so I didn’t see any reasons why we shouldn’t give it a try. Even if it was only for their peace of mind.
“Regina, shouldn’t you take that bracelet off for this?” Vali asked as he watched Austin outlining the tiger on my fair skin.
Blinking a couple of times, I looked down at my naked wrist. “What bracelet?”
Vali frowned at me, pointing to my left wrist. “That one. Where did it even come from? I’ve never seen you wear it before.”
Austin had paused in his design and looked up at me with a confused expression, then turned back to Vali. “There’s nothing there, lizard-man. Are you seeing things?”
Oh God, was he seeing things? Like, having a stroke? Or was that when you smell things?
“I’m not,” Vali snapped back. “How can you not see this?” He reached across the coffee table and touched a finger to my wrist.
Sure enough, right there across the pad of his finger rested a thin, gold chain bracelet. It had a small fox charm attached to it, and it seemed oddly familiar, though I couldn’t place why.
I certainly had no recollection of putting it on or where the hell it had come from in the first place. Shit, this wasn’t good.
Ice cold dread pooled in my belly as the guys all crowded around to look at the offending item of jewelry, but I just wanted it off. Nothing that appeared with no explanation could be good. Right?
“Get it off me?” I asked Austin, when my own fingers failed at the clasp a third time.
He placed his ink gun down and took the thin chain in his fingers, fiddling with the little clasp to try and get it undone for me but having no success.
“I think the clasp is stuck,” he told me. “Do you want me to break it?”
“Please,” I agreed, nodding. Panic was starting to flare up in me, and I just wanted it off.
Austin slipped his fingers under the chain and gripped it tight, yanking hard enough to break any normal piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, it was quickly becoming clear that this was no ordinary piece of jewelry. It shrank down so fast Austin barely pulled his fingers free before it closed around my wrist tight enough to draw blood.
“Guys?” I gasped, feeling the sharp bite of metal in my flesh for a moment before it eased off a fraction. Not enough to get it off, but enough to stop cutting my skin. As it settled on a firm grip, the chain, which had once looked delicate and flimsy, solidified into one seamless band of gold metal. Like a delicate handcuff.
Shit.
“Kit, do you have any idea where this came from?” River asked me, snapping my attention to him as he crouched opposite me, across the table.