she had taken, poised on the edge of her seat. "You will have my support, but should you win your campaign, you will leave me and mine alone. Complete autonomy. This is my offer."
"That's fine. The invasion begins one week from tomorrow. I will send word of where to meet us." Mathieu said, still positioned between Anastasie and Solomon.
She waved her hand. "That is sufficient. See your way out. And don't forget the trash." Her head tilted toward Solomon.
~*~
Mathieu was walking beside Solomon back down the road, a frigid silence between them. Solomon and Anastasie's tense attitudes towards each other had created an awkward vibe as they left, all of the animals giving them cold regard.
"How was I supposed to know that she was the Anastasie?" Solomon said with a frown.
Mathieu frowned in return. "And what does that mean?"
"She's been around for a lot longer than you think.” Solomon said, brow furrowed. “And she wasn't born here. Anastasie was born in Giath, where Mina and I come from. She was one of the most fearsome of her kind, those that change, and she made sport of hunting rare creatures. Mina and I were almost caught by her a handful of times before the dictator granted us asylum." He crossed his arms over his chest, having stopped walking while he talked.
Mathieu rubbed his forehead. "You know what, that doesn't even matter. You couldn't behave for twenty minutes so I could close a deal and get us reinforcements. We'll be lucky if she shows up, now!" His exasperation had him throwing his hands in the air.
"Oh yes, let me just forget about the years that my sister and I spent in terror, barely sleeping for fear that Anastasie would find us. I've felt her fang, Mathieu. It's not something you forget..."
"Solomon, I love you so much, but I wish you had held your tongue until we were out of there." Sighing, he hugged Solomon. He didn’t want to fight, and it couldn’t be changed now. "Let's take today off, okay? We'll go back to that inn, get some dinner, and book a room. You and I can spend the night away from the others...." He smiled sweetly. “No Jo or Lione in our bed.”
Solomon smiled, too. "That sound pretty nice, Mathieu."
Mathieu kissed him before pulling away and taking off down the road at a sprint, hurtling a cart someone had stopped in the middle. Solomon was right behind him and chased him all the way to the inn. That was something Mathieu really did love about Solomon. Since they had become a ‘them’, Solomon didn’t hold onto his annoyance or anger anymore. At least not with him, and that was all that Mathieu wanted. They ended up panting on the wraparound porch of the inn, leaning against the wall.
"I totally won." Mathieu said between large heaves of air.
Solomon took a deep breath, and stood up straight. "In your dreams. But I'll pay for dinner, if you'll let me."
Mathieu nodded and stood, too, following the blond into the dining area. They sat at a table by the window, waiting for the server. When she finally came around, Mathieu ordered a pasta and cheese plate, Solomon choosing a steak cooked rare. They smiled at each other, something sinfully unspoken between them.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Another week had passed since the meeting with his grandmother, and Mathieu was back home. Jo was still mad at him for not returning the next morning, but everyone had understood their need for a short break. As it was, evening was well on its way to falling, slowly darkening the landscape. Mathieu sat on the edge of the cliff, Avian's statue at his back. Before the invasion, he wanted to see his mother once more. He wondered if he could. Closing his eyes, Mathieu took a few deep breaths, reaching out for those he'd lost. This time, he pushed out of his body with ease and slid through the encroaching darkness into the light.
Anita and Avian were waiting there for him, as was Nathan. The three smiled, his mother coming to hug him. She smelled like lilac, coffee, and sunshine.
"Hey, mom. How are you?" He looked her over.
She patted his hair, "I'm wonderful. And I like the hair." He had cut it the day before to his jaw, giving it a feathered look.
"Thanks. Erik cut it. I didn't want it to get in the way once we start fighting." Mathieu turned to greet Nathan. "How are you doing?"
The redhead grinned lazily. "Ah, better