full day of flying, they only just had enough energy to eat. Oren had moved into the bed with me and falling asleep in his arms was the best part of my day.
A loud knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts and I slammed my hand against my pounding heart, alarmed at how easily I'd been taken by surprise. I should really pay more attention to my surroundings. What if the Council came for me? Was that them now?
“Shira?” A familiar voice called cheerfully. “It's Leo.”
“And Roxana! Ezra's mother!” An excited female voice added.
Oh gods. This was the moment of reckoning I'd been dreading. I hadn't seen Leo since I'd drugged him and snuck out through the emergency escape exit. Had Ezra organized this visit? Was this some kind of test?
I bit down hard on my lip, trying to decide what to do. Not for the first time, I wished I had the ability to communicate with my mates. It would be quite convenient to ask them if they knew about this visit or not.
“Shira? I brought lemon cake,” Roxana added, sounding disappointed now. Shit, shit, shit. I wanted to make amends with Ezra's family, not make things worse. I stood up and smoothed down the front of my dress, wiping the sweat off my hands. I could handle this. If it went bad, I'd just shift and destroy the den on my way out.
“Hi, sorry about the delay,” I muttered as I pulled open the door, already feeling as awkward as I ever had in my life. The female at the door was unmistakably Ezra’s mother. They had the same angular features and confident way of carrying themselves. Roxana’s blonde hair, braided over one shoulder, was far lighter than her son’s though, and her blue eyes were more like her nephew’s than Ezra’s navy ones.
This was definitely confirmation that I was a small gold. Roxana’s statuesque form towered over me, though not in an intimidating way. I doubted Roxana had an intimidating bone in her body. Everything about her screamed sunshine and rainbows.
“Can we come in?” Roxana asked hopefully. “I made a lemon cake!”
“Uh, yes. Of course.” I stepped back, holding the door open for them to pass. Leo gave me a sympathetic look, but there was no trace of anger on his face. It made me feel worse.
I led them into the dining room and busied myself making tea in the kitchen, grateful that I had something to do with my hands.
“How do you like the den, Shira?” Roxana called through the archway. “It's a very masculine space,” she added, not quietly.
“It's nice,” I replied, nervously bringing the tray of tea into the dining room and setting it down on the table before taking my seat opposite her and Leo. “I've started painting the hallway. I like to paint,” I finished lamely.
“Oh my, yes! Some color in here is a much needed addition,” Roxana agreed seriously as she poured tea for the three of us. Did she know I drugged her mate? She was acting very relaxed about it if so. I looked uncertainly at Leo, who gave me a reassuring smile.
“No hard feelings, Shira,” Leo said softly. I glanced at Roxana, who waved her hand absently in the air.
“It was only a little dawn clover,” she added dismissively. So she knew. “He sleeps longer when he's overindulged on the whiskey, no harm done.” Leo roared with laughter, and I giggled nervously. Giggled. What was happening to me?
“Still, I owe you an apology.” I took a deep breath before looking up to meet Leo's kind eyes. “I did what I thought I had to do when I didn't have a lot of options, but I very much regret dragging you into my mess or any pain or discomfort I may have caused you.”
That was good, right? That sounded like a sensible, grown-up thing to say. I wished Levi was here. He had a knack for defusing tension.
“Truly, there’s no need to apologize,” Leo said, grinning. “If one of my children had slipped dawn clover into my tea to sneak out, I'd have been soundly impressed with their problem-solving skills.”
“Even if it was one of your daughters?” I asked, the question slipping out before I had a chance to censor myself.
“Well, our girls are only wee things at the moment,” Roxana replied thoughtfully before Leo could answer. “I'd be more worried for their safety than I would be if one of our sons escaped without a