be the case outside.”
I doubted it would be the case inside, but I guess we’d find out soon enough. I finished the rest of my drink and rinsed the glass out. “I’d better head downstairs and help Penny close up.”
“I’ll finish checking Gran’s indexes for anything else on Empusae, then head over to the storage to grab the books. That way, the SUV is free tonight if you want to use it.”
“I’ve had two large whiskies in short order—I think I’d better walk.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You’re not going to Aiden’s tonight?”
“He’s got another meeting with the council, so depends on what time that finishes. If it’s too late, he’ll just stay up at the compound.”
Amusement touched her lips. “We’re talking about a werewolf with an extremely high sex drive. It won’t be too late.”
“It might be for me.”
“Yeah, right. Believing that.”
I grinned and went downstairs. By the time I headed over to Ashworth and Eli’s, flags of red and gold were staining the evening skies and the night air was crisp, holding a vague promise of rain. Their place was a beautiful old miner’s cottage that still held all of its original features, even though it had been fully renovated and contained all the mod cons, including solar panels and central heating. I knocked on the gorgeous old paneled front door and heard the echo of footsteps approaching.
“Perfect timing,” Ashworth said as he opened the door. “Eli’s just put a fresh pot of coffee on.”
He stepped to one side and waved me in. I walked down the central corridor—the walls of which were soft gray with white accents on all the lovely old fretwork—and entered the kitchen living area that dominated the entire rear of the house.
Eli swooped in, gave me a hug, and then relieved me of the cake box I was carrying. “And what sweet delights have you brought us to drown our sorrows in?”
“Banana bread cheesecake, Toblerone cheesecake, chocolate caramel slice, and a couple of slices of black forest cake.”
“Damn, this witch must be very bad news indeed.” Ashworth pulled out a chair to seat me, then walked over to gather plates and forks.
“She is. Or will be.”
Eli raised his eyebrows. “Meaning this visit is due more to your prophetic abilities than anything she’s said or done?”
I grimaced. “It’s a mix of both.”
“Well, wait until we all get comfortable, and then you can tell us everything.”
Which, once we all had a strong cup of coffee laced with a dram or two of whiskey, was exactly what I did. About my family, my forced marriage, how Belle had been my savior, and what we’d done since then to conceal who we really were.
Everything.
Neither of them immediately said anything by the time I finished. Then Ashworth—big, gruff, grumbly Ashworth—walked around the table, pulled me to my feet, and wrapped me in the biggest, sweetest bear hug I’d ever had. Tears filled my eyes and tumbled over my lashes. Belle was right. We weren’t alone. With Aiden, Monty, and now Ashworth and Eli, we’d not only a safe harbor and people who would stand with us, but I’d found the family I’d been searching almost my entire life for.
“Dear God, lass, to think the two of you had to go through all that when you were still so young,” Ashworth murmured. “After such a betrayal, it’s no wonder you were so reluctant to trust anyone.”
I nodded, then took a deep, somewhat shuddering breath and pulled back. Eli silently offered me a tissue, and then wrapped me in a hug before I could use it.
“We’re here for you,” he murmured. “No matter what it takes. No matter what we have to do. You know that, don’t you?”
His words heralded in another round of tears. “Sorry,” I hiccupped eventually. “I think all the booze I drank earlier has weakened my emotional control.”
“Lass, you’ve been so wound up—so guarded—these last twelve years, it’s a wonder you’re not a crying mess on the floor. I would be.”
It was an image that had amusement bubbling. “I seriously doubt it.”
Eli grinned, produced another tissue, and lightly patted my cheeks to soak up the remaining tears. “Believe it. He’s a softy at heart—cries in movies all the time.”
I smiled. “So do I. Maybe we’re related somewhere in the distant past.”
“Given the intermingling of Ashworth and Marlowe blood over the decades, it’s quite possible. Sit, lass, and I’ll grab us all another coffee.”
“And I’ll serve up the rest of those cakes,” Eli said. “Because this is definitely