Teddy was an adult with learning difficulties, and he lived full-time with Sundance and Wyatt instead of an assisted living facility. He and Wrath had apparently grown super close while I was away.
“Are we gonna play pinball?” he asked.
“I was gonna spend some time with my girl, buddy,” Wrath said. “Do you remember Sierra?”
Teddy glanced at me with trepidation. He hadn’t seen me in a long time, and I knew he had some memory issues, so I tried to smile gently so I didn’t agitate him.
“Hi, Shotgun, it’s good to see you again.”
He gave me a quick, nervous wave. “Hi.”
“I promise we’ll play pinball soon, okay?” Wrath said.
“When?”
“How about tomorrow night?”
Teddy glanced at me, then focused on Wrath again. “Okay, Wrath. Tomorrow.”
He turned and walked away, and Wrath relaxed, facing me again. “That coulda gone badly. Let’s go before he changes his mind.”
“Sierra,” Raquel called, and I turned to see her jogging toward me.
“Jesus, fuckin’ Christ,” Wrath hissed under his breath.
“Hey, honey.” I descended the stairs to meet her. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Ori and I are heading home. Do you want to come with us?”
“She’s staying with me,” Wrath said.
“Not if she doesn’t want to,” Raquel countered.
“I’m good,” I said. “All my stuff’s here, but I’ll call you if I change my mind.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“She’s sure,” Wrath growled.
“Take it down a notch, big man,” I warned. “Orion’ll have your head if he hears you talking to her that way, and you know it.”
“I’m not afraid of—”
I scoffed. “Booth, quit. I’ll go home with Raquel if you don’t calm the fuck down.”
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
I turned back to Raquel. “I’ll stay… for now.”
“Okay.” She glared up at Wrath but talked directly to me. “Text me if that changes.”
“Apologize to Raquel,” I ordered Wrath.
“What the fuck?” Wrath hissed.
I cocked my head. “You heard me.”
Wrath dropped his head back and swore at the ceiling.
“She has to go, Booth,” I pressed.
He lowered his head again, glancing at me before focusing back on Raquel. “I apologize.”
“For?” I challenged.
“Seriously?”
“As a heart attack,” I retorted.
“I apologize for being rude.”
“Thank you,” Raquel said, obviously trying not to burst out laughing. She pulled me in for a hug. “You’ve got balls of steel, bestie.”
“He will be trained,” I whispered back.
She chuckled, then walked away, and I followed Wrath up the stairs and into his room. He was muttering the entire way about women and their bullshit, but I couldn’t stop a grin, considering I’d just gotten a rare apology out of him, and it hadn’t taken much in the way of cajoling.
Walking into his room, I stalled. “Where are my bags?”
He smiled slowly, stepping to what appeared to be a bookshelf next to his closet that hadn’t been there when I’d left what seemed like forever ago.
He pulled back a book and a hidden door opened. “In your room.”
“My room?”
He opened the door and waved his hand, and I stepped into a room that appeared to have been renovated exactly how I would have dreamed it to be. Ergo, it was obviously not done overnight.
I let out a tiny gasp. “What the hell?”
“Everything in this space is made from recyclable, sustainable, hemp shit,” Wrath said. “Raquel brought everything from your old townhouse including your bed. Obviously, we still need to paint and tile the bathroom, but we’ve been waiting for you to get home so you can pick out what you want. Raquel says there’s a local place that has crystals we can use for backsplashes and—”
Before he could finish his sentence, I wrapped my arms around his waist, sliding my arms under his cut and up his back. “When did you do this?”
“Raquel did this.”
“Wrath, this room used to be storage and there was no bathroom attached to it.”
“So?”
“So.” I gave his waist a squeeze. “You fucking did this, and don’t try to deny it.”
His hands slid into my hair. “I’ll neither confirm nor deny.”
“I don’t understand, though. I’m not living here.”
“Yeah, you are.”
I frowned, meeting his eyes. “Um, why?”
“Because it’s the safest place for you,” he said. “Until this shit with the Beast is truly buried, and until whatever the fuck the FBI has over your head is done, I want you covered. This is the only way to make sure you are.”
“I thought you bought a house.”
“I did buy a house.”
“Okay, so why haven’t you moved out?”
“Because it needs a shit ton of renovation, and until we can move into it together, I’m not leaving.”
I pulled away, shaking my head. “See? This is the problem.”
“Tell me the problem, Moonbeam.”
I hated it when he used the ‘talk to the feral cat’ voice. I let out a frustrated squeak. “We are not a thing. If you want to move into your new house, you should move into your new house.”
He studied me, running his hand through his beard. “Baby girl, we most definitely are a fucking thing. I get that somethin’s happened and you’re freaked. I’m willin’ to wait for you to disclose on your timetable about exactly what that is, but you and me, we’re gonna move forward because we are abso-fucking-lutely a goddamn thing. Do whatever you need to do to wrap your mind around that. Buy an extra crystal, feng shui your mind, center your chakra, I don’t give a fuck, but you are mine. So, tell me what you want to do with this room, and I’ll make it happen. Tonight, however, you’re in my bed.”
“I’d rather sleep alone.”
“No you wouldn’t.”
“Stop telling me how I feel,” I squawked.
Jesus, he was pushing all my buttons tonight.
“Baby, you’re exhausted, you’re sad, and you’re hungry. I’m two of those things as well. How about we put aside our ongoing argument for twenty-four hours so I can get you fed and rested, yeah?”
I scowled at him, grabbing my bag, and dumping it on the bed. I unzipped it, pulling out my healing gems.
He let out a long sigh. “What are you doing now?”
“This here is pyrite,” I said, waving the mineral toward him. “It wards off negative energy.”
“You know that’s also called ‘Fool’s Gold,’” he retorted.
“Are you calling me a fool?” I snapped.
“I would never,” he droned sarcastically.
I wrinkled my nose, pulling out my kunzite. I closed my eyes as I gripped it and held it to my chest.