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“Thanks for finally telling me about my dad.”

“I honestly forgot for a while there,” Runa said with a laugh. “His supposed werewolf-y-ness was more of a rumor than anything else at the time, but then all this happened…” Runa waved a hand, her wooden bangles clacking together, gesturing toward Fee and her state of nearly dying. “And suddenly it seemed relevant.” Runa smiled at her again over her cup of tea and Fee couldn’t do much but smile back. Runa had been her mother for a very long time and that was a very Runa thing to say.

“Anyway,” her mother stood, wiping the crumbs from her dress. “I’ll get on my way, now that you’re up and well again.” Fee stood too, coming around the table to hug her mother goodbye. Runa wrapped her arms around her and placed a kiss on the top of Fee’s head.

“Now, I don’t care if that man is your Mate or your friend or just a good lay; if he gives you trouble you kick him right out on his ass. We will figure out some other way to keep you going without him, if need be.”

Fee huffed a laugh against her mother’s shoulder. “Okay, will do.”

Runa pulled away and patted Fee’s cheek. “That’s my Fifi,” she said, planting one more kiss on Fee’s head. “I’m off. Have fun with your wolf.” She winked and turned toward the door, her skirts twirling out around her.

“You have fun, too, Mom.”

Runa grinned. “I always do.” And then she was gone.

Fee let out a sigh. She loved her mother, but the woman was best in small doses. She went back to the table and took another slice of bread, happy to be well enough to eat it.

“There you are.” Theo stepped into the kitchen looking rumpled and well-rested. Fee smiled at him from her seat at the table.

“Here I am.”

“You got up by yourself.”

“I did.”

Theo grinned. “Feeling stronger?”

Heat shot to Phoebe’s core at the implication of Theo’s words. She wanted him. Her skin felt too tight, too hot. She was better and Theo was here, and he’d said everything she’d been waiting to hear for years. And yet, they were still tiptoeing around each other.

“Much.”

He slid into the chair across from her and helped himself to a slice of banana bread. “Where is everyone?” he asked.

“Home. Runa just left a little while ago.”

“Oh, really?” Theo kept his voice casual, but his expression darkened, his gaze heating.

“Yep. It’s just us now. All alone…”

Theo choked on his bread, spraying a few crumbs across the table. Wait, was he nervous?

“Sorry about that,” he said between coughs. He took a sip of tea and then scowled. “Ugh, Gert’s tea.”

Fee laughed. “It’s vile but it helps.”

“After this I never want to drink it again.”

“Hopefully we never have to.”

Theo caught her eye, his expression suddenly serious. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat like he might say more, but instead he took a sip, only wrinkling his nose as it went down.

“What’s going on, Theo?”

“What do you mean?” He raised his brows in confusion. “We’re having a nice breakfast with horrible tea. What’s going on with you?”

Fee frowned. “You know what I mean.”

He shook his head. Stubborn bastard.