problem. The mayor said she’ll assign the strongest Fae officers she’s got to the outbreaks. Meanwhile, we need a systematic plan of action. Until then, everybody be on your guard. I think the war has come to us.”
Chapter Three
It felt wrong, not charging in to do something, but Herne pointed out the police could barricade the vrykos into an area for the night and keep watch over them. We had to be at our best for our meetings with the Fae Queens and the president of the Shifter Alliance. Reluctantly, I agreed that we needed to focus our efforts where they would do the most good instead of just going in swinging.
“Just relax, love. I know that’s a tall order, but we have to take advantage of every chance we get. We’re headed into the trenches, so we sleep when we can, smile when something good happens, and deal with death when it’s in front of us. We may not have much downtime for the foreseeable future. I’ll tell you what, I’ll go over to the Worchester District and find out how things are. If needed, we’ll go in to help.”
Herne pulled me to him as we stood in his office. He wrapped his arms around me and leaned down for a long kiss. His eyes were the purest blue I had ever seen, untouched by all the horror and pain he had been through, gentle as a young buck in the field, and yet, as deep as the early morning sky.
Angel and I had ridden in to work together, and as we headed home, we stopped at Ben’s Big Burgers to grab dinner. They made the best shakes in town—especially in March, with their biggy-piggy lime milkshakes. But the restaurant was good any day of the year. We ordered double-stack bacon cheeseburgers, orange cream shakes, and double-crisp curly fries.
As we pulled into the driveway, I felt a warmth run through me. Our home, a safe haven. It was my house, technically—Angel rented from me—but it really was our home. I stopped as the thought crossed my mind that if—when—I married Herne, either he would have to move in, or I would have to give up the house to move into his home. The thought of living without Angel as a roommate gnawed at me. I wasn’t ready to let go of seeing her face every morning. We had developed a rhythm to our lives, and I wasn’t sure I was willing to give that up.
“What are you thinking about? You have that mopey look on your face,” Angel said as we headed toward the door. She was carrying the takeout bags so I paused at the mailbox to get our mail. “You might as well tell me, because I’ll pry it out of you one way or another.”
I snorted. “All right, I was just thinking that if I accept Herne’s proposal, what will that mean for this house? For you and me being roommates? I love living with you. You’re my best friend and I can’t imagine…not being in the same place.”
Practical as always, Angel said, “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. You can’t let a house be a dealbreaker to accepting Herne’s proposal. I sure wouldn’t,” she added, giving me a long, hard look. “I refuse to be your excuse for you not giving him an answer. And I won’t be the reason you say no to him. If you don’t want to marry him, then don’t. But you have to give him a good answer, either way, soon.”
I stared at her, surprised by her tone. She usually wasn’t so abrupt. But as her words sank in, I realized she was right. I was coming up with obstacles to either accepting or refusing him. I needed to figure out why. I loved Herne more than I had ever loved anyone. He was the man of my dreams. But then…he wasn’t really a man. And that was where my confusion lay. Herne was a god, not a man. And I’d have to become a goddess. And that meant so many changes.
As I unlocked the door, letting Angel enter first, I took a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right. Confession time. I’m scared.”
“Scared of what? Living happily ever after?” Angel carried the food into the kitchen.
I followed her, setting the mail on the table before washing my hands. I brought out plates and forks as we settled at the table. Mr. Rumblebutt jumped up on the chair next to