“Sounds like acceptance to me.”
“Yes, but I’m not used to things in my dreams sitting on my kitchen table, in pretty-as-you-please physical form, when I wake up.” I knocked on wood. “And I say thank all that’s holy for that. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Okay.”
“What do you mean okay? How does a thing go from being part of a dream to being a real piece of object d’art? Or more. Who knows?”
“If you accepted a magical gift from magic kind on an astral plane, it will manifest in this reality. Simple as that.”
“Well, for crying out loud, Esme. Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”
“Because I didn’t fully grasp the depth of your ignorance.”
With a slight shake of my head, I said, “I hate it when you insult me in a situation where I’m bound by manners to thank you anyway.”
“If you really hated the double-bind situations you constantly create, you wouldn’t do it.”
“Oh. So now you’re a shrink?” She rolled her eyes. “Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. Come anytime I’m not busy and in the mood for company.” She chuckled at that and disappeared into the rear of the shop.
“In other words, never?” I called. “Is that what you meant?”
Receiving no answer, I swiped up the crystal and speed-walked back to my house. The dogs were out with the puppies. I ran over and gave each one of the four the canoodling they deserved, noticing that my babies didn’t like me to give their parents too much attention. They let me know by taking my hands gently between their jaws and pulling me away. I laughed at this latest comedy routine, feeling my good humor settle back into place where it was supposed to be constant. I half ran into my house as the door opened and closed for me.
“I’m home!” I yelled.
Keir arrived in the kitchen at the same time I did. “With a better outlook?” he asked.
“Yeah. Sorry I was grumpy earlier. I’ll tell you about it over pancakes. Go watch people jump off cliffs into mud or whatever’s on this morning.” He snickered because I’d actually caught him doing just that; some weird contest in Russia or Monrovia or some other place where people obviously have too little to amuse themselves. I watched for three fascinated minutes before deciding I didn’t want to know more. “I’ll call when ready.”
I got a smile and a brief nod before he returned to the sports lair. One of Keir’s virtues that was especially near and dear to my heart was that he was easygoing, always quick to bounce back after I made a mess of household harmony.
Left standing in the kitchen alone, I had to wonder what I’d been thinking when I blurted out gingerbread pancakes. I hadn’t made them since Evie was ten years old. I didn’t know why I’d landed on that as a makeup gesture, but now I had to try to remember the recipe.
Forty-five minutes later Keir arrived at the kitchen door.
“You are killing me with the smell of bacon and promise of gingerbread.”
His eyes drifted toward the table as he spoke and back to me.
“We’re ready,” I said with a smile, scooping up two plates of pancakes with sides of bacon. A full pound for Keir.
He sat as I set the plates on the table. “I’ve never been fed by a mate before.”
“Okaaaaay.”
“It’s… special.”
“It certainly is. And let’s keep it that way.”
He chuckled because he knew it was pointless to think I’d cook often. Between the pub and Olivia, it was mostly covered.
Keir set to work covering his pancakes with enough syrup to give most humans a sugar seizure, then took a bite.
However, satisfying it was for him to be fed by me, I felt just that satisfied watching him swoon over my cooking. There was something primal about it and I suddenly wanted him for dessert.
“This is beyond good,” he said. “I’ve never had gingerbread pancakes. How is it possible that I missed such a profound earthly delight?” I shrugged and smiled, loving the praise. “Can we have them every day?”
“Nice try. No. Once a year. If you’re a good boy.”
He put his fork down and gave me the look that said he knows where to find the bedroom. “I know how to be a good boy.”
I laughed. “Yeah. You do.”
CHAPTER TWO Jinxed and Jilted
Early December was a joy. There was a constant smile on my face and a hum in my vocal cords as I’d occasionally remember a piece of a favorite holiday tune. The decorations and lights made all kinds of magical happy feelings.
Libations were available everywhere and offered often. I rarely said no. While I was experiencing enhanced health and longevity benefits, my nerve endings were still completely human. That had its upside when I was in bed with Keir. It had its downside when I was on the English moors in December.
You might ask why I’d be walking the moors in December? My puppies had taken the walk across the lane and moved in with me. Next to Keir, they were life’s greatest pleasure. I laughed at their antics, was soothed by their precious snoring, and felt comforted by their need to give affection as well as receive it. Conversely, the wolfdogs lived for their morning walk and I could not bring myself to deny them what they wanted most.
No kind of weather was a deterrent for them. Sometimes I thought they enjoyed their romp even more when it was miserable for me. They thrived on wet snow and brutal wind. Go figure.
Did I mention how fast they were growing?
Fast.
They were already in the awkward early-adolescent stage and were born comedians. I had to stop and bend over with laughter after watching Frey trot alongside Fen, keeping pace step for step, his ear firmly clamped between her teeth. He wore a look that plainly said, “What’re you gonna do?”
There was no way of knowing how much my wolf dogs understood, but it seemed clear to me that they’re pleased and content when I’m happy.
As Keir had predicted, they thought it was the most normal thing in the world to live with a shifter who could become a giant winged lion at will. Conversely, Keir didn’t gush over my pups much, but he fed them as often as I did and, sometimes, I heard him talking to them when I was in another part of the house.
I couldn’t believe it was already time to sort through briefs for the Solstice Court Meet docket. I found myself standing just inside the door of my study staring at the three piles Lochlan had dropped off. Olivia had started a cheery fire made even cheerier by the greenery and twinkle lights that draped the length of the mantle.
I was conflicted. I liked the work. I also liked the feeling of a heart full of good cheer because of the beauty of the season. And I knew that, once I opened those files, the lightheartedness of the season would be dampened.
The wolfdogs had padded in behind me and flopped down on my rug. For the first time it occurred to me that my pets didn’t shed. Or smell. Or require any grooming upkeep at all. Huh. It occurred to me, as it did often, that I very well could be the luckiest woman alive.
Looking at the files again, I inhaled deeply. Frey whimpered slightly like she was in tune with my dilemma. At times I thought she was as intuitive as a sensitive person, and maybe she was.