Amara had her arm linked through Victor’s. She towered over the slim man, making him look like he was a teenager. It didn’t help that he was wearing borrowed clothing that was much too big for him.
“Victor’s coming home with me,” Amara said.
“He is?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Amara gave me a confident grin. “If I raised twin Jörmungandr and survived, I can help guide Victor until he’s ready to be on his own.”
“Don’t forget the orphaned pabilsag you raised,” Danzig said.
“How’s Sumar doing?” Marduk asked.
“He’s living in New Zealand,” Amara said. “You should visit, he asked about you two.”
“Pabilsag?” I asked
“Scorpion shifter,” Danzig said. “Pabilsag can shift at birth, so only people immune to their venom or with good reflexes can raise them.”
“Thankfully, I have both,” Amara said.
“I’d never sting you,” Victor said. “Or bite you. I know better.”
Amara patted his arm. “I know. I’m not worried you’ll hurt me. I only want to make sure you understand how the world works before you go off on your own.”
“Oh yes, that would be nice, thank you,” Victor said with a sweet smile. “Can we eat more angry food tomorrow?”
Amara laughed and led him off. Danzig took one of my hands and Marduk took the other and led me to the car we were borrowing from Mikey.
I couldn’t wait to be anywhere that it would only be the three of us.
Chapter 30
Danzig
Marduk drove us back to the condo while I snuggled in the back with Bec. It was only fair I got a little extra Bec time after sacrificing almost all of my aura to that monster.
Even though Victor completely repaired my aura, it would be a long time before I forgot how much it had hurt.
The moment we opened the front door Hugo zipped past us and lifted a leg on the closest shrub.
“Poor baby!” Bec exclaimed with a chuckle.
“I’ll take him for a walk,” Marduk said, grabbing Hugo’s leash off the small table near the door and hurrying after the dog who had wandered off, no doubt following the scent of something interesting.
“Thanks,” I said.
She went to the kitchen area to refill Hugo’s water dish and add some dinner to his food bowl. I sat down to pull off my bootsbut instead of standing back up, the couch pulled me into its soft pillows.
“Help!” I called in a dramatic whisper, then lifted a hand as if I could barely move. “I’ve been captured. Bec, save me!”
Moving around the couch to stand in front of me, Bec grinned as she leaned over to grab my hand and tugged.
“You're too heavy,” she responded with a melodramatic gasp, then fell into me. “Oh no, I’ve been captured by the couch too!”
I was quick to arrange her on my lap. She snuggled against me with a contented sigh.
“I’ve been thinking,” she murmured.
“About what?” I asked.
