The Last Warrior (Shifters Unbound #13) - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,108
never bought any wind chimes, and Carly said she didn’t know where they came from. I met Jasmine, and she said she didn’t bring them either. I think the house helped you.”
Ben’s brows twitched. “The haunted house that’s five hundred miles away?”
“Five hundred miles on a ley line. You’ve traveled the lines, you said. Distance on them is nothing.”
“True …”
“So why couldn’t the house reach its magic to blend with Millie’s talisman and the mate bond?” Rhianne traced Ben’s lower lip. “I think the house loves you too.”
“Aw.” Ben feigned amusement, but moonlight glittered on the moisture in his eyes. “It’s such a sentimental pile of bricks.”
“Everyone here loves you. They’ve come from Shiftertowns all over the country to make sure you’re all right.”
“Dylan called them for backup,” Ben said as though he believed that.
“He did before the fight. Once the fight was over, they stayed, or they kept coming. He didn’t call the Las Vegas Shifters. Or the New Orleans ones. Or the North Carolina ones. They arrived to make sure you were okay.”
A gruff wolf called Graham, and his sweet mate, Misty, had been waiting outside the house when Ben first emerged. Misty had flung herself into Ben’s arms, and Graham had blustered, then pulled Ben into a tight hug. The Lupine had been wiping his eyes when they finally parted.
Then a tall Lupine woman called Kenzie had likewise embraced him fervently, her mate thumping Ben on the back so hard he almost knocked him over.
After that, a young Shifter woman with bright red hair had bounded to Ben, giving him a similarly enthusiastic embrace. When she’d straightened up, she’d bumped Rhianne’s shoulder with hers.
“Tell your mom Tamsin said hi.”
“I will,” Rhianne answered, bemused.
Tamsin had laughed and told Rhianne an exciting tale of how Lady Aisling had helped her defeat bad Shifters and Shifter Bureau and discover her own happily ever after.
“It makes us sort of sisters,” Tamsin declared. She’d turned and embraced Rhianne, holding her tightly until her mate, a large Lupine with gray eyes, had pried her away.
Dimitri and Jaycee had come by next with more hugs and congratulations. They’d gone home to retrieve their cub, Lucas, a red-haired, sweet little boy with big brown eyes. Dimitri had held him with incredible gentleness.
Lucas had clasped Rhianne’s finger, hard, and given her a wise Shifter look. Rhianne had been instantly smitten, to proud Jaycee and Dimitri’s delight.
“You see?” Rhianne told Ben now. “They all love you,”
“Stop it. You’re choking me up.” Ben sent her a thoughtful glance. “They’re pretty happy with you too.”
“Yes, because I saved you.”
“Not only that.” Ben pulled her close again. “You saved all of them from a perilous threat.”
Rhianne grimaced. “That I caused. Ivor wouldn’t have come here if I hadn’t.”
“Shifter Bureau sent you here, and anyway, danger always lurks around Shifters. Instead of letting them be slaughtered, you walked in and solved the problem.”
“With your help,” Rhianne reminded him.
“Yeah, we’re heroes.” He brushed back a loose strand of her hair. “I love you, Rhianne.”
The words were a whisper, but an impassioned one.
“I love you too.” Rhianne touched her forehead to his, her heart in her words.
They stood near the ring of trees, which were quiet now, where Ivor had met his end. Inside the ring, the white-braided Fae was speaking with Dylan, a glass of ale in his hand.
“You’ll have to burn this ground.” Fionn’s words wafted to Rhianne. “Any dust from this Tuil Erdannan getting into the soil won’t be a good thing. And you don’t want any of his followers seeking it as a shrine.”
“We’ll burn it, then,” Dylan said in his low rumble. “Will that mess with the gate?”
“It should not,” Fionn answered. “Ivor de Erkkonen was a very evil being, trust me. I tried to stop him when he came to the gate, but he put me into the stasis on my side, as he did to your Shifters. When Tiger broke you free, I was freed as well.”
“With a timely intervention.” Dylan’s voice held respect. “I thank you for your help. Again.”
“You take care of my daughter and grandson every day.” Fionn lifted his glass. “I think we’re even.”
Their voices drifted into indistinct rumbles, and Rhianne’s focus moved to two young women, arms linked, who headed their way.
One was Jasmine, the other Lily, the psychic from New Orleans. Rhianne almost didn’t recognize Lily, who wore a trim white skirt and a flower-print blouse, a far cry from the flowing, colorful garments she’d sported in the woo-woo shop.