Jake, who had been staring at Remi with wide eyes, lunged to his feet. Without warning, he rushed toward the young Djinn and enveloped him in a huge embrace. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," Jake repeated, his voice thick with emotion.
Remi, caught off guard, awkwardly patted Jake's back, confusion evident on his face.
Jake pulled back, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Sorry, I forgot you don't know me. I'm Jake. Becca is my Chosen, and I owe it all to you. We both do."
Understanding dawned in Remi's eyes, and he smiled warmly. "Ah, so you're the lucky man. I'm glad it all worked out. Is Becca all settled into her new life now?"
"Yes, and she'll want to see you right away. She's going to be ecstatic that you'll be here from now on."
As the two men continued their animated conversation, Jacinth leaned over to Harper, who was watching the scene with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"Remi is a Djinn," Jacinth explained quietly. "He's been secretly time traveling to visit me from the 16th and 17th centuries. Over the past couple of years, he's gotten to know many of the shifters here in the Hudson Valley. He's the one who rescued Becca from Salem and brought her to us."
Harper's eyes widened in understanding. But before she could ask any of the myriad questions swirling in her mind, Katerina's voice cut through the chatter in the room.
"Alright, everyone," she called out, her tone firm but friendly. "Let's get back to the meeting. We still have a lot to cover."
Jacinth clapped her hands together, drawing everyone's attention.
"I have one more piece of news from the Djinn side of things." The room fell silent, all eyes on Jacinth as she continued. "There's someone else who'll be joining our efforts, although you might not see much of him. His name is Arthur, and he's a very old and powerful Djinn from Qaf, the Djinn homeland."
Harper noticed a few confused looks around the room. Clearly, Arthur wasn't a familiar name to most of the group.
Jacinth went on, her voice warm with fondness. "Arthur has been visiting to help Douglas's son, Benny, who's quite gifted. Given the current situation, he's decided to take up residence in the area permanently." She paused, a small smile playing on her lips. "Now, I should warn you - Arthur is quite reticent and elusive by nature. He's not likely to attend any of our meetings, but he'll be helping in the background."
Katerina leaned forward, intrigued. "How powerful are we talking about, Jacinth?"
"Very," Jacinth replied, her tone serious. "Arthur is one of the oldest Djinn I know. His magical abilities are... let's just say if we face any physical threats, Arthur can handle them without breaking a sweat."
Harper watched as Angus rose from his seat, his tall frame commanding attention without effort. The innkeeper's dark eyes swept across the room before he spoke.
"Under the circumstances," he began, his deep voice carrying easily through the lounge, "Renee and I have made a decision. We're going to start offering an optional dinner service here at the inn."
Harper perked up at this announcement, remembering how wonderful Renee's cooking was. She'd only experienced it at breakfast so far, but the thought of evening meals made her mouth water.
"We've talked it over," Angus continued, his expression serious, "and it just makes sense. The shifters who'll be staying here will be displaced, troubled. Many won't know the area or may not have transportation. Having a proper meal waiting for them at the end of the day..." He spread his hands. "When we had the caracal refugees staying here, Renee and I discussed offering dinner service. But the shifter community stepped forward magnificently, making sure everyone was taken care of."
"This situation is different," Angus continued. "The shifter community already has their hands full, without having to organize meals for displaced families on top of everything else."
Harper observed nods of understanding from those present. Between setting up committees, organizing security, and planning for potential emergencies, everyone was going to be stretched thin.
"So starting next week," Angus said, "we'll be offering dinner service here at the inn. It will be optional for our guests, of course. But there will always be a hot meal available in the dining room between six and eight each evening."
Reyna stirred within Harper, responding to the warmth and care in Angus's words.Good den-keeper,the fox approved.Takes care of pack.
"Renee's already working on expanding the kitchen staff," Angus added. "We'll start with simple, hearty fare - nothing fancy. Just good, home-cooked meals that'll give folks one less thing to worry about while they're getting settled."
Katerina raised her hand. "What about the additional costs for dinner? Will it be included for guests?"
"We're implementing a tiered pricing structure," he replied. "Guests can choose between breakfast only or include dinner as well. And non-guests are welcome to dine with us too. Within reason. We may institute a reservations-only policy for non-guests down the road if it becomes an issue."
Murmurs of appreciation rippled through the room. Harper watched as several people nodded in approval, clearly touched by the innkeepers' thoughtfulness.
"Thank you, Angus," Jake said, his voice filled with gratitude. "Please let Renee know how much we appreciate this."
"If any of the refugees have a problem with paying, contact me," Katerina said to Angus. "Maroulla's arranging for a fund."
With a nod, Angus resumed his seat, and Katerina cleared her throat, looking back at her laptop.
