He studied my face. “I think you might still be a little agitated, but I promise I’ll fix that when we have a chance to be alone later.” He brushed his lips against my forehead and held me close. “I really do love you.”
I kicked myself for making him feel insecure. “We’re okay,” I reassured him. “We’re absolutely, positively okay.”
“Does that mean you don’t want the walk on the beach tonight?”
“Oh, we’re totally walking on the beach.” I rolled to my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “We have to unpack first. This property is different from anything else we’ve ever used. There is no natural landmark to use as a fourth barrier, which means we have to get creative.”
He pulled back and stared at the land that was quickly filling with Mystic Caravan vehicles. “You’re right. I didn’t even consider that.” Slowly, he released me and glanced around. “How are we going to deal with this?”
He was so serious it took everything I had to keep from laughing. “I don’t think it’ll be as difficult as you’re imagining. We do have one contingency in place for events like this.”
“And what’s that?”
“Um ... it loses a little bit in the telling. I’m going to have to show you.”
“See, now I’m terrified.”
“It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
“THAT IS ... INTERESTING.”
Cole Ryan, the current bane of Luke’s existence, studied the magical net we’d woven as a fourth wall and shook his head. “Are you certain nobody can see it from the other side?”
“I’m certain,” I reassured him. “We’ve tested it a few times. It works.”
“It’s ... so weird.” He moved closer to the barrier and extended his fingers, his eyebrows hopping when the magic reacted to his presence. “What exactly does this do?”
“It works the same way as the dreamcatcher, only it doesn’t call to evil,” I explained, referring to the magical net we employ to protect the circus whenever we moved. Cole had been with us through a number of stops and was getting used to the routine. “Nobody can get through this net, though, not even if they have good intentions.”
Cole cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t want to be the Debbie Downer of the group, but isn’t that cause for trouble when dealing with law enforcement?”
Of course he would go there. His background was in law enforcement. He might’ve been a magical being keeping more than one secret, but he was a do-gooder at his core. “They’ll come from the front.” I pointed toward the lot at the north side of the property. “There’s no reason for them to park back there ... mainly because there are no roads that reach that section of property. They’ll stand out if they try.”
“If they try, we’ve done something to pique their interest,” he mused, pursing his lips. “It’s pretty ingenious. But paranormals will be able to see it.”
“Which is fine,” I explained. “If they realize we can do this, they’ll understand how dangerous we really are. It essentially serves as multiple layers of protection.”
He was quiet, staring, and then a grunt from the left caught his attention, causing him to swivel and focus on Luke, who was helping Kade move the bistro table from the back of the truck. “How is he?”
I slid my eyes to Cole and studied his strong profile. He had one of those chins that went on for miles, reminding me of an actor from the black-and-white days of Hollywood. “You could ask him that yourself,” I noted.
“I could, but then he would take it as an apology, and I’m not offering one.”
I found his response strange, and yet I understood it on a base level. “You’re having a power struggle,” I surmised.
His eyes lit with amusement as he glanced back at me. “That makes me sound immature.”
“Not necessarily,” I countered. “Luke is definitely immature. I’ve been wondering how you guys are going to work this. I love him more than life itself, but he’s a lot of work.”
“He is,” Cole readily agreed. “He’s also fun and has a good heart.”
“Like I said, you don’t have to sell me on him. He was pretty angry during the drive.”
“Because I gave Naida the front seat. Do you not see how ridiculous that is?”
I hesitated and then held out my hands. “It wasn’t just that. It was more ... . He was agitated you insisted on driving and then wanted to shove him in the backseat. That’s the petty part of him. He gets shoved in the backseat with Kade and me all the time and he hates it. Makes him think he’s a third wheel.”
“He’s not a third wheel.” Cole was calm as he regarded me. “He’s also not the center of every universe. Even when he’s serving as the center of mine, he has to give a little.”
What he said made sense and still ... . “I know you’re trying to teach him a lesson,” I hedged. “He’s got it coming. I totally see that. It’s just ... he’s yearned for this for so long ... for you.
“He’s bluster and bravado seventy-five percent of the time,” I continued. “But at heart, he’s soft. He’s the best person I know. I love him a great deal and I won’t see him hurt.”
Cole’s eyes lit with amusement. “Poet, I admire the way you two stand up for each other. I also enjoy the way you mess with each other, like siblings. But he can’t always have his way. If I don’t put my foot down now, he’ll turn into a monster ... and not one of those cute ones in a Pixar movie.”
I knew he was right. I felt it. Still, I couldn’t shake my worry. “Just don’t give him too hard a time.”
“I have no intention of making things difficult for him,” he reassured me. “All he has to do is give a little. Allowing Nixie the front seat so we can compare magic during a three-hour drive is not too much to ask.”
I felt like a dolt for pushing things. Still, I couldn’t turn back now. “There’s more.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Luke remained caught up in work with Kade and then lowered my voice. “He’s very upset because he thinks you don’t want him to meet your mother.”
Cole’s expression never changed. “I don’t want him to meet her. In fact, if he never meets, that would probably be best.”
My mouth dropped open. “But ... .”
He folded his arms over his chest and waited.
“You’re not embarrassed by him, are you?” I asked finally. “I mean ... I would hate to have to kill you after we’ve bonded so thoroughly.”
He chuckled at the threat, which I meant down to my bones. “Of course I’m not embarrassed. I care about him a great deal. My mother, however, is difficult. She’s not taking this change well. In fact, she’s absolutely furious. This is not the time to introduce Luke.”
“So, you’re trying to protect him.”
“Absolutely.” Cole bobbed his head. “My mother is a vicious viper who would like nothing more than to feed him to her pet panther.”
I frowned. “Wait ... is that a euphemism or something?”