Thirty-eight

Now that it had come to it, Eli realized the difficulty he had put his mate in. She would have to give up her family, none of those brought into the packs and changed had been given a choice in the matter. He sent a thought to Madam Cate wanting to ask for direction and she joined them as they were preparing to get into an SUV.

“Why don’t we condense the cars a little.” The female Alpha smiled warmly and beckoned for them to come with her.

A camper had been brought and she ushered them inside.

“Are we riding with…” Grace started to ask and then she bolted to the back. “Jacob! Oh my god! Are you okay?!”

The man started to laugh. “I’m fine! Are you okay, Grace? We came up here to get you and Vivi. This is my…” He paused and then laughed again, “This is my mate, Ruby.”

“I know everything is confusing and surreal right now, Grace.” Madam Cate put a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “They tell me there isn’t usually so much excitement when Luna and the stars align to bring new people into a pack but there was plenty of it when I joined, too.”

He watched Grace take a deep breath and then look carefully at Jacob. “Cam said… he said that-”

“Witches don’t know a lot about the packs. They think they do, but they only have bits and pieces.” Cate shook her head, still smiling. “And you have to remember that they were trying to make you afraid. Will you trust us enough to let us tell you about ourselves?”

Jacob pulled Grace into a hug. “I’m still me, Grace. S**t is weird, don’t get me wrong, but these are good people.”

Eli tensed as she shuddered and then put her arms around the man. Madam Cate squeezed his shoulder and he understood what was happening. To his surprise he felt a twinge of gratitude toward the man.

“Witches and werewolves and… I feel like I’ve had some sort of psychotic break.” Grace rubbed at her eyes as she pulled away. 

“Those stone things are creepier than the werewolves and they’re not that bad.” Jacob grinned. “Bas said they were confused but they’re better now. And I don’t mind having them on our side, honestly.”

“Oh god, they were terrifying.” Grace laughed and leaned against the short hall’s wall. “But compared to Fitz and Cam they were only mildly terrifying. Those two… Genevieve, she told me that by the time I realized that there isn’t anyone worse than them… We were so close to dying, Jacob. Cam was going to kill us. If those things and-and Remi hadn’t broken through the wall and made him run…” 

Eli stepped forward and she embraced him tearfully. “You’re safe now, Grace.” He held her tightly and gave Jacob a grateful look.

She took a few breaths. “What happened to him? Bas said something about a bear?”

He couldn’t keep his chuckle in and Madam Cate took a seat at the camper’s table. 

“I wanted to hear about that too. Jacob, come sit with us.”

“Leave the door open so I can hear!” Ruby’s tired voice sounded amused.

They settled onto the bench seats and Grace cuddled against him. Jacob grinned at them from his place next to Madam Cate.

“Bas said the wolf wanted to defend his sister, and he’d never felt it come to the surface so strongly.” Eli shook his head with a smile, “He didn’t change completely, but he ripped that witch with his claws and he moved like a wolf.”

Cate looked viciously pleased. “Good. I wanted that kill, but Sebastian told me to leave the witches to the witches.”

“Genevieve said… she said her brother didn’t need spells by the time he got to those you should have already been running.”

“Bas is a better man and a better witch than his father, and he’s a good wolf.” Cate relaxed and glanced at the door. “He has some rough edges but there are a few wolves in our pack that could use some edge softening.”

Eli grinned, “I’m going to be a lot better about some things, I think. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a few of us help him. He keeps out of sight too much and no one realizes that he makes Genevieve look lazy.”

Ruby and Cate both laughed.

“Not everyone is as unobservant, Eli. Bas and Aurel are a lot alike, I’d have Sebastian steal him away from Vivi but it would take a dozen people to do all he does and at least one witch.”

“He can’t sleep unless she’s sleeping, and he can’t eat unless she’s eating.” Eli shook his head.

“When that witch broke her nose, his bled.” Jacob made a face and nodded. “I’m amazed they married other people. That kind of twin usually has, you know, rumors.”

“They used to trade jokes about Roderick and Madeline.” Cate shook her head with a look of amused disgust.

“Wait…” Grace sat up and looked like she wanted to laugh, “Like the Poe story? Fall of the-”

“-House of Usher.” Cate nodded as she spoke at the same time and both women laughed.

Grace’s smile faded into thoughtfulness a moment later. “Does she really have seizures or is it something…” She gestured vaguely with her hand.

“She was diagnosed with seizures but we think they have something to do with her gifts. Vivi has been healthier since she joined the pack but witches don’t fully change and she’s still fragile in a lot of ways. She works herself sick on her glass by not taking breaks.”

“She uses the old hand tools. There was nothing electric in her work space.” Grace nodded.

“Her work is more impressive knowing how much effort she had to put into it.” Jacob sighed and leaned back, sliding down a little in the seat. “I wonder how Rhys and Ashton are doing.”

Cate patted his leg, “They’re fine. They were a little confused about why you and Grace vanished until they heard about the kidnapping.” She glanced at Eli. “Brandon is furious that Bas didn’t tell him. The whole thing is being handled delicately. They were told we hired a private contractor to deal with it.

“You’re from a wealthy family and Vivi…” the female Alpha smiled wryly, “She used to associate with some rough people. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to convince Brandon that that past caught up with her and you were caught in the crossfire. Once he was convinced everyone else was too.

“No one sees what we are unless they’re meant to see it, Grace. Those who have a wolf waiting to wake up inside them. We work hard to keep a low profile to make sure it stays that way. I wasn’t born into a pack, I married in, so to speak. It’s not that common but sometimes Luna and the stars align and things happen that were meant to. People meet that were meant to.”

Grace took a deep breath and put her arms around him again clinging to his side and Eli stroked her hair and her shoulder.

“I can feel that. It’s… It’s the weirdest thing to just know. I knew when I saw Eli in my dreams. It was just overwhelming to meet him in person.”

“She told me, Genevieve told me, that you were peeking at me and drawing my face. She even warned me. ‘It’s so much she’ll refuse to believe it. She’ll leave, but she won’t go far.’” He smiled down at Grace. “And she helped me that night when you didn’t want to see me.”

She lifted her head looking at him incredulously, “No… What did you do?”

“She said, ‘the wolf knows what to do, the man must wait’.”

For a moment he thought she would be angry and then she broke into laughter, burying her face in his side.

When she managed to compose herself, she looked up at him and grinned, “At least I know you’re not a scary wolf.”

Jacob was grinning. “I went on a road trip with Snuggle Puppy?”

Cate and Ruby broke into laughter and Eli gave him a flat look.

“See, you’re not scary now.” The man was still grinning and the other two wolves laughed harder.

Grace joined the laughter and sighed before pulling him into a kiss. “You know, you’re really not.”

“I can live with that.” Eli gave her a wolfish grin and then glanced at the still empty driver’s seat. “So when are we leaving? I’m ready to go home.”

Looking back down at Grace’s smile he didn’t need a Sibyl to look into the future, somehow he could feel it. Things had fallen into place and no matter what else might happen, they’d work out fine.