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Dalton rushed to the kitchen and filled a glass before delivering it to the man who then gulped it down.
"I did not drink enough today." While the warrior-healer's statement might have been true, only he and I knew the water wasn't the reason for his issues.
"Are you up to protecting Nate and Tessa?" Carmon crouched to look in his brother's eyes.
Jeff's jaw tensed, and he glared. "I can do my job, Cal. I just need a minute." He held up his hand when his Commander opened his mouth again. "Walk away, Cal. I got this."
The Commander held up his hands in surrender and walked away to leave the warrior-healer staring at his empty glass.
"Can I get you a refill?" Dalton asked, and Jeff surrendered the glass to him.
"Well, now that the excitement is over," the small redhead who Nathaniel had informed me had bonded to Drew, the beefiest brother, sat forward on one of the couches, "I think it's time to finish the introductions."
Without wasting another breath, the small girl pointed and named every other person in the room. "And I'm Jasmine, but I prefer Jazz." She smiled at me, and I returned it with the same pasted-on smile as before.
The girl was heading to heartbreak with a dead mate. Plus, I hadn't yet decided what to do about the monster's offspring she carried. If I could see the future to determine which parent they would turn out like, I could make the decision with more ease. If they were even a little like Drew, I would end their lives after birth. Maybe it would be nicer on the pregnant woman to just end her life before the babies were born. Decisions, decisions. I still had time to make them.
"Why doesn't everyone start settling into their temporary housing and then meet back here in a couple hours for dinner?" Carmon suggested as everyone stood around, not knowing what to do. "Sylee and her parents should be home soon to begin cooking, and Adam and Chris should make it in time as well."
Everyone agreed, and I picked up my luggage. I followed Nathaniel across the room to Jeff, who still looked a little pale but had improved much. His eyes still refused to look at me, but he gave a hearty handshake to Nathaniel when the Warlock helped the other man to his feet.
"It's good to see you again, Jeff. You're looking better than the last time I saw you." Nathaniel smiled at the warrior-healer.
Jeff shook his head with a groan. "Anything is better than how I was last time. A Demon venom overdose is not something I would recommend."
"Duly noted," I spoke up, forcing the man to look at me and cringe.
"Jeff, this is Tessa. Tessa, Jeff." I held my hand out to the man, not wanting to touch him, but enjoying the discomfort my presence seemed to bring him.
"Hi," was all he said.
"Hello."
"I'm assuming we're not staying in the house," Nathaniel hedged. "Carmon said each race was being housed in different areas to keep everyone happy."
Jeff nodded and moved to the back door of the house. I followed Nathaniel outside, keeping a watch on his back. He and the warrior-healer started into some conversation to do with healing, and I zoned out as I took in the area around us.
I needed to know my surroundings well. The backyard was large and clear of trees and other objects. Once off the back deck, you could head right or left on paths that had been created to lead you somewhere into the trees.
"This way." Jeff headed off to our right, and we ended up on the path through those trees. Nothing but forest could be seen. It was pretty, but I cursed the man for making me carry my luggage through the forest while stumbling over rocks and roots. The path wasn't the worst, but it wasn't perfect either.
When we reached a two-way fork in the road, Jeff continued walking on the straight path. Pointing to the other path, he said, "That goes to another cabin belonging to Adam. His place is where the Elementals governing the treaty talks will stay. Personally, if you enjoy your life, I'd recommend staying away from there."
"Not big on family reunions, huh?" I asked, drawing his attention once more to me. A shiver ran down his spine, but I couldn't tell if his family or I caused it.
"Let's just say we prefer the six of us to keep our own company with my brother's mates over a large Elemental get together."
"Families can be complicated," Nathaniel said as we continued on.
I wouldn't know. I no longer had a family. Well, I had Nathaniel, but he was really just my mentor who I'd adopted as the closest thing to family. One day I'd have a Consort, a Witch's spouse, if I was lucky. That would have to wait until my revenge was over, though, and until I’d matured enough. For a Harbor Witch, I was still very young. Harbor Witches matured much slower than the rest of the races and far outlived them.
"Here we are," Jeff announced as the forest opened up to expose a small log cabin to us. It looked to be made from the same type of material as the mansion of a cabin we'd recently left. "Home sweet home."
He moved forward and climbed the stairs to unlock the door for us. Stepping aside, he allowed us to pass through before him, but I kept my senses tuned for his every move.
"It's beautiful, Jeff," Nathaniel complimented as he examined the large open room.
"Thanks. Drew planned out everything, and we all built them."
