“Not the female Jörmungandrs?” I asked.
“They’re a lot less likely to mate,” Danzig said. “Mom hasn’t found a mate yet, but I don’t think she’s looking. All the male Jörmungandrs I know have found their mates.”
“Except for Anders,” Marduk said.
Danzig’s mouth turned down. “I’d forgotten about Anders. He’s been asleep for so long.”
“Asleep?” I asked, intrigued.
“We can put ourselves into a sleeping state that’s similar to the way a bear hibernates," Marduk explained. “But we can do it for decades. I think he’s in a cave deep in the Canadian wilderness.”
That sounded alarming. “Are you sure he isn’t dead?”
“Mom checked on him five years ago and said he was still alive but unwilling to wake up,” Danzig said. “I’m sure he’ll emerge when he’s ready.”
Marduk grunted but didn’t add anything. I had a feeling there was something they weren’t saying, but I didn't want to ask. Someone didn’t go to sleep for years on end for a happy reason, so I was sure it was a sad story. I didn’t want to hear any more right now.
“Bec!”
I turned and flung my arms open. “Mila!”
We hugged as if we hadn’t seen each other for years instead of a few weeks.
“Darling, I missed you horribly,” I declared dramatically.
“My heart longed to be in your presence,” she said. “A minute is too long apart, and years aren't enough time together.”
“That’s it, I’m cutting Mila off fromBridgerton,” Carter muttered, walking up to us with Gio right next to him.
“Good luck with that,” Gio said with a little laugh.
Carter was an alpha wolf shifter. I’d been told an alpha wolf had a driving need to protect those around them, usually a pack member or a mate.
But Carter mated Gio, a powerful vampire who didn’t really need any one to guard him. That led Carter into several instances of self-destructive behavior. Then they’d met Mila and everything fell into place. Both of them could focus on protecting and caring for my best friend and kindest soul in the whole damn world.
I’d found the entire story so romantic I’d made Mila tell me several times.
Pulling out of the hug, Mila faced Carter with her hands on her hips. “If I don’t getBridgerton, you don’t get pastries.”
Now it was Carter’s turn to be melodramatic. He clutched his heart as if in great pain. “Mila, you couldn’t possibly be so cruel!”
“The power of Mila’s baking is legendary,” I said with a laugh.
“I’ve never had any,” Marduk said.
Everyone but Danzig gaped at him. “How?” I asked.
Marduk shrugged. “Uh, I just haven’t.”
“Do you not like to eat things that would make angels weep with joy?” I asked, making Mila blush.
“They’re not that good,” she said.
“They are!” I argued. “If they weren’t, your business wouldn’t be so successful. Didn’t you tell me that you’re renting an industrial kitchen now and hiring an assistant?”
“Yes, but that’s because Gio insisted,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Mila, I need you to accept that you're fabulous so we can move on.”
