Faine nodded, but didn’t move away to make the call. Instead he moved back to his place behind her, one hand on her shoulder, and did it there.

Patterson took their statement, got all their contact information and sent them on their way after they refused to go to the hospital.

She thanked the manager and the witnesses who’d stayed to speak to the cops and then got back into the car and they headed to her parents’ place.

“Your mother isn’t going to be pleased. She was quite disgruntled that I wouldn’t go into specifics.”

“She’s the wife of a hunter, it comes with the territory. Damn it. They totally messed up my pie and got it all over your upholstery. I’m sorry.”

“You. Be quiet and rest. I can get my car cleaned, but you are not replaceable, so hush.”

He was silent as they made their way the two short miles to the house. He tried very hard not to think about it. About the way she’d taken on those thugs and also the cops, no fewer than six holding weapons on her.

“I’m proud of you. You were a fine warrior tonight,” he said as they pulled up and he turned the engine off.

“Thanks for jumping on that jerk and breaking a few of his ribs for me.”

He knew he shouldn’t smile. It would only encourage her. But she made him laugh. “I would have taken out the other two, but you got to them pretty fast. Though I’m sorry about your head. I should have been faster.”

“I’m totally covered in goo. My head hurts like crazy and I totally threatened to throw down with a cop, so I’m quite grumpy. Far too grumpy to let you take responsibility for that dumb thing. So get out of the car and come open my door so we can go inside. Also? I love you.”

He had been ready to argue, but the last thing she said froze him in place. It wasn’t that he didn’t know she felt deeply for him. She’d agreed to the binding already. But it meant something to him that she’d say it.

He took her hand and kissed it. “Your knuckles are raw and you taste like blood and cinnamon. I love you too. Infuriating and danger-courting woman that you are.”

Before he could say anything else, her father opened the front door and her mother came out on the porch.

She waved.

“Oops, no time to scold me anymore. Rain has seen us.”

“Sit still. I’ll be around.” He kissed her quickly and got out, waving back to her parents before he opened her door and helped her out.

Her mother got a look at the disheveled state of her usually neat-as-a-pin daughter and rushed down the front steps. Faine felt the warmth of the wards that admitted them as they moved toward her mother.

“I’m all right. I just need to get changed and fed and maybe some pain reliever. Not necessarily in that order.”

Her mother tutted over her. “Hello, Faine. Come inside both of you and then someone had better be explaining why I had to hold dinner and my daughter has clearly been in a fight of some sort.”

“She’s been hit in the back of the head with a blackjack.” Faine wanted to be sure to let Rain know up front because that sort of thing worried him. He knew Helena was tough, but she was his.

“David, please bring me an ice pack and my herbs.” Rain took Helena’s hand. “Come on. You know the drill.”

“Dad, get Faine something to eat and drink. He’ll tell you what happened.”

“Faine will be right here with you and your mother, so I’ll tell them both. Should I carry her, Rain?”

Rain looked a great deal like her daughters as she turned, surprised and then very amused. “Oh that would be delightful to see. But no, she’s going to sit right there.” She pointed and Helena sighed, sitting where her mother pointed.

Eyes closed, one hand on her lower belly, she touched the same place on Helena and frowned. Her lips moved as she slid her palm from Helena’s belly to the back of her head.

Helena’s eyes flew open. “No.”

Rain continued to murmur, ignoring Helena. Faine looked to David, who shook his head.

“Mom, I said no.” Helena tried to move her mother’s hand and Rain’s eyes snapped open and her energy built up hot and fast. Faine stepped back and David appeared just as surprised.

“You will hold your tongue.”

Helena pushed back against her mother’s command. “You’re taking this into yourself. I won’t let you!”

“It’s my gift and I’ll do what I want with it. Stop fighting me. It takes more of my energy and I’m going to win either way. I’m your mother, Helena. Obey me immediately.”

Helena frowned.

“Listen to your mother.”

At David’s terse words, Helena sighed and put her hands back into her lap.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” David asked Faine.

He explained it all as Rain worked just a few feet away. David’s frown grew deeper with each word Faine spoke until he slammed his fist into the wall next to the bathroom door.

Rain sighed and looked to them both. “You’d better not have dented my drywall again. Go on out to the dining room. Helena is going to shower and change. Don’t go too far, Faine, I’m going to be looking you over in a few minutes to be sure you’re all right.”

Faine hated leaving Helena alone but knew he had no choice. She was safe here in this house.

“She’s more upset about the way she was treated by that checker than the three who attacked you all.”

Faine nodded his thanks when David handed him a soda water with some lemon. He didn’t know how much Helena would feel okay with him sharing with her father. Which seemed stupid.

“I think so. Using her fists and her magick on strangers? That’s easy for her. Having someone she trusted in some sense betray that? It shook her.”

“She likes to pretend nothing shakes her. I suppose that’s my fault. I raised them hard. Too hard, as my lovely wife likes to say. This isn’t a job or a life for fluffy bunny parenting. Rain did that part. But both my girls have big hearts and a seemingly infinite ability to protect people, and it gets to them more than they want to admit when people can’t see it.”

Helena hated being misjudged. Faine could see that quite plainly after all the time they’d spent together. He hated that for her too, because she was so good and people took it for granted sometimes.

“She’ll be out shortly and I’m sure Rain will want to feed you both. It’s her way of protecting those she loves.”

“You’re a lucky male.”

David paused as he pulled something from the oven. “Yes, I am. And now I suppose I’m going to have to hand over my last precious thing to another male. Yes?”

“She’ll want us to be together when we tell you most of it, but man to man, I want to tell you how much I cherish your daughter. I will take care of her, protect her. The best I can, that is. Your daughter is wily and seems to attract trouble as easily as she breathes. I will spend all my days making her happy and making sure she has everything she needs. Not that she doesn’t have the ability to do it all herself. She’s self-sufficient and eminently capable.”

Her father smiled at him. “She’ll beat your ass if you screw her over. And then I will. And then Lark will. But it’s really Rain you need to worry over the most.”

Faine snorted a laugh. “The Jaansen females are nothing to sneeze at. It’s no wonder that my brother and I found our women in two of them. Intelligent. Powerful. Strong. Beautiful. She’ll be right at home in Lycia among warriors.”

“You could take her there now and keep her away from whatever is to come. Keep her safe.”

Faine laughed. And then he laughed some more. “Nothing happens to your daughter that she doesn’t want to happen. I just watched her beat down two human males who topped six feet and she barely used her magick. However much I might wish to shield her from all this, especially after I saw her stop a bomb, I’d never disrespect her like that. Also, she’d kill me in my sleep if I tried.”

“There is that,” David agreed as he put the bowls of food on the table.