“When did you get so wise?”

“I think it might be some of Simon’s wisdom I get through the binding.”

Helena snorted. “That is a plus.” She took a deep breath. “I guess I need to just suck it up and jump, huh?”

“Yeah. I will say up front that the first few hours after the ceremony you’re sort of swimming in all sorts of Lycian pack stuff. Simon said it was like me settling into the collective space the Pack exists in. Like the heart of the Pack or something. Sort of like the Font, I guess. Will you tell me when you go? I want to be there with Simon.”

“Yeah? I’d really like you to be there.”

“Good, that’s settled. I’ll talk to you soon. And Hellie? I’m so happy for you. Faine is a lucky dude.”

She was still smiling when she came out of the conference room.

Faine was across the way, leaning against a desk and speaking earnestly with her father.

“Uh oh.” She gave them both a look when she got to them. “Should I be concerned?”

“I was just telling your father that you’d been named head of the Defense and Security arm of the COO and what some of your orders were. He and I agreed they were quite good orders.”

“And I was telling him your mother won’t break out anything with tempeh in it until he’s been around a while longer. We’re having chicken for dinner so don’t be late.”

“In all fairness, she’s a really good cook. I do not agree with her stance on vegan baked goods, but her tempeh stuff is actually quite tasty. I’ll bring something sweet.”

“Okay.” Her dad squeezed her hand and stepped back. “See you two in a bit.”

“I have an other hour’s worth of work and then we can head out. That work for you?”

Faine nodded. “You all right? You’ve been crying.”

Damn that Lycian nose of his. “It’s okay. I just had a nice heart-to-heart with Lark.”

He followed her back to her office. “A heart-to-heart that includes crying?”

“I was going to tell you once we left the office, but since you look so concerned, I’ll tell you my news now. Yes.”

“I like it when you say yes, alamah, but to what are you agreeing? Something really dirty, I hope.”

Perhaps with Faine it might be closer to 90 percent of his time thinking about sex.

“The binding I mean. You asked and I said I needed time and you’ve been very good about being patient. Mostly. And I know we need to go to Lycia and I was talking to Lark about it and we started talking about the binding and . . . and anyway, yes.”

His smile, which had been wicked and dirty, softened into something else and it brought a sigh to her lips. One of those longing type of sighs because he was so big and badass and yet totally sweet when it came to her.

“You honor me, alamah.”

“How can I not? Don’t let it go to your head though.”

He laughed and snuck a quick kiss. “Too late. I want to do this as soon as possible. When can you get away?”

“Right now? I really don’t know. I . . . things are hectic and I just took on this new job. I know you want to do it and I absolutely agree. But I’m not sure when I’ll have that sort of time.”

“When things calm down we can go for a few weeks and stay. I want you to know Lycia.” He took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “But I want to do the binding as soon as possible. We’ll only need a few hours for it.” He paused. “It will make you stronger. The link between us will enhance both our natural power and also we’ll share of each other. I don’t know how it will work for me. Simon tells me he’s faster now. That he can shift with more ease and more often without fatigue. His senses are heightened. I imagine it will be similar for me. For you? Your life will be longer. You’ll be physically stronger and have more endurance.”

He smiled then and it made her tingly. The rogue. But then he quickly got serious again. “And that means you’re better equipped for this damned war. I can’t do what I really want. Which is to grab you and run as far away from here as I can. You have a path. I can wait however long it’s necessary for the binding. But it can help you. And that would make me really happy. Along with all the rest of it. Please?”

It was the please.

Oh, who was she fooling? She wanted it too. And that he wanted it for reasons that were more about her than him touched her deeply.

“Go ahead and see what you can do. It’s not like you can call home though, right?”

“No. But I can call my brother and if he’s here, he can go home and have them put things in motion. Cardinian, not Simon.”

“Ah, he’s the one with a Fae wife and a Fae husband too, right?” She waggled her brows and he laughed.

“Yes. He and I share a mother, so he’s also half demon. Mei, his wife, is Fae royalty. You’ll like her. She’s a warrior like you. As is Card’s other spouse, Jayce. Card likes to live here and split his time in Tir nA nOg where Mei and Jayce have family.”

“You and Simon are lagging behind. No princesses in this lot of sisters.”

He brushed a hand over her hair a brief moment. “I’m the luckiest of all.”

She smiled because he knew he got to her with all his sweet talk. But it was sweet nonetheless.

“I’m going to call him to get things moving. I’ll come for you in an hour for dinner.”

She wandered back into her office and got to work. She had enough to stay long past midnight, but she promised her mother they’d be at dinner and she supposed they had an announcement to make anyway.

Chapter 21

HE’D shown up at her office door and stood there glowering until she finally got herself free and came along with him to the car.

At least she’d eat well at her parents’. He’d feel better once they were clear about how seriously involved they were and they could announce the binding too. That, and he knew Rain would make sure her daughter was taking care of herself.

“Card is headed to Lycia tonight. He’s going to get everything set up for the binding. He’ll contact me when he gets back. He’s excited to meet you and Lark both. He was in Tir nA nOg when Simon and Lark performed their binding. Might I invite your parents as well? I know it will be a quick trip there and back so there’s no pressure for them to stay over or anything.”

“I think they’d really like that. And so would I. You’re very good to me. Thank you. I mean that. I don’t say it often enough and I apologize for that. But you take care of me and I want you to know I see it and it makes me happy.”

He took her hand, kissing her fingertips. She had no idea how happy she made him. And when she said things like that it only made things better. “I was made to love you. It pleases me. But thank you for saying so. We take care of each other, no?” He knew the way she’d agreed to the binding had a lot more to do with how it made him feel than the fact that she’d get stronger afterward. Knew too that the little things he found at his desk, a cinnamon roll, a cup of coffee or a sandwich, were her way of saying how she felt about him.

“We’ll ask them tonight then. So I convinced you to move into an enclave. How much work do you think it would take to get your mother and father to do it?”

She scoffed. “It’s never going to happen. My mother has woven her power and her magick into the ground here for nearly forty years. She won’t go. This is her land. And I understand it. And my dad, well, don’t tell him this, but he thinks he’s strong enough to protect them here. And maybe he is. The neighborhood is one they’ve lived in a long time and they haven’t had as many problems as others have experienced. But that also means they’re known. Lark and I are worried, but there’s only so much you can do when it’s your parents.”

Faine laughed. “Yes. I know. It finally took all of us to gang up on my father and urge him to let Pere take over. Pere is strong. He can take a beating and not even bat an eye. But my father, well, he’s getting older. It’s hard to deal with the constant dominance battles a Pack leader has to deal with when you’re his age.”