Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) - K.F. Breene Page 0,85

of you. They’ll try to cut you out of the picture and take her for themselves.”

“If I win her.”

“Even if you decided not to try. Any suitor will see it as a threat.”

“Good,” Austin growled before he could stop himself. He hated talking about suitors for Jess. Hated thinking about anyone else seeing her sleepy smile, or getting to kiss those incredible lips.

It was time he found his courage and put himself out there. Past time.

“I’d planned to invite her for dinner in a couple days so you could properly meet her,” he said.

“She shows every single thought she has on her face, and if that weren’t enough, she tells them to you when she gets drunk.”

He turned onto Ivy House’s street. “Still, I’d like you to properly meet her.”

“Is this you asking for my blessing?”

Austin didn’t speak for a moment. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Kingsley inclined his head. Approval granted.

A surge of emotion ripped through Austin. Relief, joy, nervousness. Fear.

“I don’t know if she is ready to… What she is ready for,” he said quietly as he parked. “I’m not sure what I’m ready for.”

“You don’t need to plan your life, brother. Just plan dinner. See where it goes from there. Let your animals decide. They already have decided, I think. Her animal seems volatile, though. Might be fun; might be a nightmare. I’d watch it. Female gargoyles are said to be temperamental.”

“Yeah.” Austin looked up at the house. He waited for a moment, but ultimately, he couldn’t help himself. “It’s a helluva thing, seeing a female gargoyle, isn’t it? I’d thought they’d be as ugly as the males, but it’s hard to tear my eyes away.”

“It literally stopped my heart when she took off into the sky. I wasn’t expecting the light show. That isn’t sexual or anything, so don’t come after me, but…”

Austin couldn’t contain a surge of pride. “I know. I was in a cage with her when she first learned how to change. I nearly fell backward, which would’ve been messy because of the long drop ending in six-foot-high spikes…”

Kingsley just gave him a look.

“Long story,” Austin said, unperturbed. “There’s a lot I haven’t told you.”

“Well, that’s going to have to change, because I plan on shamelessly using both of you to up my status.”

“You might want to wait awhile. I still have a mess of a territory to sort through, or didn’t you forget I had to call you, crying for help?”

Kingsley gave him a hard stare. “You can be modest with everyone else, brother, but don’t try that crap with me. You took down a phoenix.”

Austin blew out a breath, trying not to preen. “I had help.”

“Bull. It was just you against the phoenix, and you won. I’ve never heard of a shifter bringing one down. She was no joke, either. The females are more powerful than the males. This is going to elevate our whole family line.”

He leaned over and mock-punched Austin before climbing out of the Jeep. “And then that crazy woman of yours went after the thunderbird! When she didn’t have to! This territory has taken down a phoenix and a thunderbird, and a basajaun fights beside you. Welcome to the big leagues of status, brother.” He laughed. “I’m not sure I could be more jealous.”

But it was pure pride in his voice. It felt beyond good to hear it—it felt vindicating.

Austin got out of the car and took a long look at his brother, seeing the years he’d missed in Kingsley’s graying hair and the deep lines creasing his face. They’d lost so much time. Austin hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his family. How much it meant to him that his brother had come the moment he’d called. “Thanks, bro. For turning up.”

“It’s good to see you. We’ve all missed you. We purposely gave you space, but we’ve missed the contact, Mom most of all.”

Austin nodded. He needed to call her. To apologize. To explain.

Kingsley put his hands in his pockets, a sign of respect and trust. “Mom is going to want to visit once it’s all set up. Meeting a basajaun would’ve been enough of a draw, but if that phoenix and thunderbird are still here… I think I’m going to lose ‘favorite’ status.”

“It’s about time,” Austin said with a smile. “Let me have a turn.”

They reached the door, but Kingsley turned his back to it, looking out over the grounds and street. “Tell her how you feel,” he said after a moment. “She needs to know.