“With Drago still out there, I don’t trust that he didn’t have someone follow us. We might not have been the one to take Alistair’s head, but we were part of the battle. I’m going to call Brynna and—” Banyan’s phone rang. “Speak of the devil. Brynna? Is everything okay?”
“How do you turn the fountain on?”
“What?”
“The fountain. It stopped working, and I want to turn it back on.”
Banyan shook his head, but relief coursed through his body. Uri felt it as surely as if his own body relaxed. “There’s a panel in the small garage that houses all the breakers to the outside lights. Lawrence labeled them, so you should be able to find it easily.”
“And if it hasn’t been flipped?” Brynna’s footsteps came through the phone as she walked. Uri stepped behind Banyan and slid his arms around his mate, pulling B’s back to Uri’s front. He settled his chin on Banyan’s shoulder.
“Then there’s probably a problem with the cord. It’s buried beneath the walkway.” Banyan waited while his sister made her way to the small building. When he took another look outside, Uri walked over to the opposite wall and did the same. His beast’s trepidation stemmed from Banyan’s. Uri knew Banyan didn’t want to cause undue paranoia, but being King, he would always have to look over his shoulder, and his family was always at risk.
“Found it.” They heard Brynna flip the breaker. “How does one breaker get turned off, but the others don’t?”
“I think it has something to do with the circuit overloading, but I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask Lawrence. I can make a sword with my eyes closed, but when it comes to electricity, I’m useless.”
“Speaking of useless, I want to start paying the bills. Before you argue, it’s my house and my responsibility. You’ll be moving out soon—”
“Bryn, you aren’t useless. The utilities are paid a year in advance. I can show you the accounts when I get back, but there’s nothing for you to worry about until January. What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
Uri should have told Banyan about the conversation he had with Brynna while they were out, but he didn’t want to betray her trust. If he felt it was something dire, he would have confided in his mate.
Banyan ran a hand down his handsome face. “It isn’t like you to be down on yourself. You’re one of the fiercest females I’ve ever known. You have had adventures most beings only dream of. So what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
Brynna blowing out a breath sounded over the line. “I thought turning the house into a hotel would give me a purpose, but what about when that’s finished? I’ll hire someone to run it because I won’t be living in Norway full time. Travis has his architecture. You and Uri have the armory. Marcie has cooking and crafts, and Lawrence has his art. It’s not going to take long to remodel this place, and then what?”
“What about interior design? I’ve seen your ideas, and they’re fabulous. You and Travis could team up. He can do the exteriors, and you do the interiors. If that’s something you’re interested in.”
Uri thought that was an excellent idea. Brynna needed something to keep her busy. She had been focused on making Travis happy for the last couple months, and now that they were mated, she needed another project.
“What if he doesn’t want to work with me?”
“Why wouldn’t he? He’s your mate. I promise he wants to spend as much time with you as possible.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Not to change the subject, but Uri told me about the feeling you had at the café. I don’t want you to dismiss that. We can’t ever let our guard down. Just because no one has challenged the throne in over a thousand years doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Plus, the Greeks are still out there.”
“I’ll stay vigilant; I promise.”
“We’re done at the armory. I was thinking of picking up some steaks so we can give Marcie a break tonight.”
“That sounds good. I’ll see you both soon.” Brynna disconnected, and Banyan closed his eyes.
“Hey.” Uri closed the distance and hugged his mate. “She’s going to be okay. Turning the manor into a hotel will keep her busy for a while, then she and Travis will be building their own home plus planning a wedding.”
“I know. Is it bad that I want to go find my parents and throttle them? I swear, if I’d had any idea of how they treated Brynna, I’d have come back for her.”
“They raised her the way they were raised.”
Banyan pressed his forehead to Uri’s. “I promise you now I won’t do that to our children. They are going to have as normal a life as we can give them.”
This was a discussion they’d had more than once. Uri was looking forward to having a houseful of children with Banyan. He ran his fingers through Banyan’s hair and pressed their lips together. Banyan opened for him, deepening the kiss. What started off as a small show of affection quickly turned passionate, and it was a good hour before they left the armory.
Both males were on high alert, but neither had the feeling of being watched. They stopped off at the store and got steaks and all the fixings before heading back to the manor. Uri was glad to see Brynna in a good mood when they got home. She was sitting on the patio holding Travis’s hand while they admired the fountain which was once again working.
Banyan grilled steaks while Uri fixed twice-baked potatoes, green beans, and sweet carrots. Marcie and Lawrence went into town for a night out, leaving the two couples alone. Travis was coming out of his shell the more he was around them. He showed them the progress he’d made on their house plans, and Brynna talked about the dream home she and Travis would build together. The night was perfect, and Uri looked forward to many more just like it.
After they finished eating, Banyan turned on what Brynna called twinkle lights that were mounted overhead. They looked like tiny Christmas tree lights only smaller. They gave off a bluish tint and twinkled above the four of them as they danced to a playlist on Banyan’s phone. It was one Uri had put together after they first mated. All the songs were slow and sensual. Uri and Banyan danced close, foreheads pressed together, lips ghosting soft breaths. Words weren’t needed. He closed his eyes and laid his head on Banyan’s shoulder, swaying to the music.
“What the hell?” Brynna groused. Uri opened his eyes to see what she was fussing about. Her hands were on her hips, and she was looking up. “The lights went out. And not just those. The house is dark.” Brynna wasn’t wrong. There were no lights coming from inside.
“Stay here,” Banyan said. “I’ll go check the breaker box.” He took off jogging toward the side of the manor.
Something is wrong.
Uri agreed with his beast. He took a step closer to Brynna and Travis. Just in case. He reached out with his senses, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. No one was hanging around that shouldn’t be.
Banyan came back. “It’s not the breakers. Maybe the power is out all over. I’m going to check with the electric company.”
“While he’s doing that, I’m going to call Marcie.” Brynna pulled Travis down on the love seat and held his hand. Her mate’s breathing had become erratic, and Uri could sense that her touch soothed him. “Hey, Marcie. Is the power out in town? Okay. Yeah, it is here. B checked the breaker, but that wasn’t the problem. You and Lawrence might want to stay in town until we get this figured out.” They talked a few moments more, then she hung up.