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"Raven," Quinton growled in acknowledgement. "Sorry for just showing up like this."
And that was all he said. Big surprise there. I would have smirked at him if I didn't think he'd start swinging on me. I guessed I should count myself lucky for him throwing in thesorrypart. Though, if I was being honest, I didn't mind him showing up out of the blue, so long as he had pretty witches on his arms. I couldn't really complain about that.
Ariel's arm stretched across Quinton's midsection and she pointed down to the little boy. "This is Baxter."
Baxter didn't so much as twitch, but remained staring at me with the eyes of an old soul.
Ariel dropped her arm and looked back over her shoulder. She waved at the woman who stood back a few feet, removed from her companions. "And this is Isobel."
I smiled down at the little boy. "Okay," I said. "It's not that I'm unhappy to see you or anything, it's the opposite actually. But what are you four doing here at our house? It's not as if we're just a short drive away for a visit. You had to do some serious traveling to get here."
"And you brought a witch with you that none of us have ever laid eyes on before," Mason very unhelpfully pointed out.
The woman, Isobel, took an unsteady step back. I had never wanted to hit another person more than I wanted to hit Mason in that moment. Was he fucking blind to the fact that she wasn't simply uncomfortable with meeting new people, but actually terrified?
"Two of them," Ariel said, correcting Mason. "To be exact."
I figured the little boy had to be a witch. Though he was very young for his magic to have already begun showing.
"Where'd you steal the kid from?" Liam questioned Ariel.
Quinton visibly tensed as his frigid eyes moved from Mason to Liam.
Fuck.
The question had been asked in jest. Liam and Ariel had started to develop an odd friendship that revolved around both of them giving the other a load of shit. But even Ariel tensed slightly at Liam's question.
Shit, maybe they had stolen the kid from somewhere. After all, she was an official member of the Council now and those sick fucks had been known to kidnap a person from time to time. What's to say Ariel would be any different?
"They're both a really long story," Ariel said as she sighed heavily.
That was when I looked past her prettiness and noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the tightness to her face. She looked like she'd lost a couple of pounds she couldn't afford to lose. Mostly, she just looked tired and incredibly drained.
I was sure being a member of the Council, for someone like her who was inherently good, wouldn't exactly be easy. I didn't know exactly what it took to join their ranks, but I had heard it changed a person, for the worst.
I cleared my throat and gestured to my home behind me. "Would you like to come inside? I can make us some coffee or tea and you can tell me all about these long stories?"
Ariel smiled softly at me, relieved. "That would be great, Raven. Thank you."
"Whiskey," Quinton muttered.
Shit, I wasn't going to like where this went and he just gave me confirmation.
"I have to get my bag out of the truck real quick. You guys go ahead without me, I'll be right behind you." Ariel shrugged out of Quinton's hold and walked toward the back of the SUV.
Mason walked up to Baxter and crouched down in front of the kid. "Hey, buddy. Are you hungry? Do you like apple pie? Our housekeeper comes twice a week to clean and she always brings homemade treats with her for us every time. She worries about us being men and not being able to cook for ourselves." He winked at the kid. "We won't tell her that every single one of us is more than capable of fending for ourselves in the kitchen. Well, she came early this morning and you're in luck, because she left three apple pies here for us. We even have whipped cream to top it off. Do you want some? I’ll share my pie with you."
He was fooling himself if he thought he got to keep a whole pie for himself.
The little boy's eyes widened in wonder and he whispered reverently, "Pie?"
Mason nodded enthusiastically. "With whipped cream on top. And the pie has been in the oven, keeping warm. It's so much better warm."
Baxter looked up at Quinton and asked, "Can I?"
Quinton nodded and released the kid’s hand. "Go ahead, buddy. Don't make a mess and don't forget your manners."
The kid rolled his eyes dramatically and released a long suffering sigh. "Duh, Uncle Quinton. I'm not a baby and I'm not stupid. I know how to behave around other people."
