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“Of course.”
“Good.” He kissed her temple and then stood, stretching out his large wings. “Be safe.”
He opened a portal and disappeared. She stared at the empty space where the portal had appeared for several quiet moments, and then she picked up the book and opened a portal to the alphas’ home. She happened to know where it was because Noah had given her their address, and she’d looked it up on a GPS app on her phone.
“Good grief!” came the startled shout when Kismet stepped from the portal.
Sheepishly, she said, “Sorry. I tried to transport a little away from the house so I didn’t scare anyone. I’m Kismet, Doc’s sister-in-law.”
“I’m Malachi. Shit, woman. Where did you come from?”
“My house.”
He exhaled sharply. “Acksel told me a fairy was coming this afternoon but he didn’t know when. I came out to get something from my car and then you appeared out of thin air. I think I lost ten years off my life.”
She smiled. “I’m sorry. Again.”
He shrugged. “I’m just glad my mate wasn’t here to see me startle like a rabbit. She’d take a lot of pleasure in teasing me. The alphas are in the house. Go to the back door and knock.”
“Thanks, Malachi.”
She carried her bundle up the wooden steps of a large deck and knocked on the sliding glass door. Brynn appeared, opening the door with a wide smile. “You made it!”
“Thanks for inviting me. These are from my garden. If you hang the bouquet on your headboard, it’ll bring you good luck and sweet dreams.”
She took the bouquet and said, “They’re so pretty. Is that really true?”
“Well, it depends on how much you believe in fairies and luck, I suppose.”
“I’m all about luck. Oh, I could name mini-mi Lucky.”
Kismet couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a good, strong name.”
“I’m still thinking about names. It’s hard. I want a name that sounds cool, but also one that doesn’t sound awful when I’m yelling.”
Acksel grunted as he came into the kitchen. “You’re so sure you’re going to be yelling at my boy?”
Brynn tilted her face so he could kiss her cheek, which he did. “If he’s anything like you, definitely. Do you have any fairy flowers that’ll make a kid be really well-behaved?”
“Sorry, no.”
“Dang. Are you hungry or thirsty? We can sit in the family room and talk about the ceremony. Mia and Lucian are already here.”
Kismet followed the alphas to their family room and she said hello to the other couple, who were seated on a couch. Sitting on kitchen chairs were three older males: one looked to be middle-aged, and the others appeared to be in their late sixties. Acksel introduced the younger of the three as his dad, Dade, and the others as Renfrow and Hollis, two of the pack elders.
Kismet took a seat on the floor and set the book on the coffee table. Acksel and Brynn joined Mia and Lucian on the couch, and everyone leaned over to watch as she carefully opened the book to the page she had bookmarked.
“The oathing ceremony is really old. It’s specific to berserkers and royalty for fae, but my father told me that there were records of berserkers vowing themselves to non-royals as well. It depends on the berserker, and also on the people asking for the vow. A berserker can’t be forced to oath themselves.”
After walking them through the ceremony, she sat back on her heels and said, “Any questions?”
“How does Mia fit into the berserker vow?” Brynn asked.
Kismet smiled. “Look at the vow the way that a wolf would view his alpha. Lucian is vowing to protect Acksel and your family with his life, and also to keep watch over the pack as a whole. But nothing supersedes the berserker’s personal vow to his mate. If it came down to it, Lucian would choose Mia over anyone else.”
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Acksel said. “Mate first, everyone else second.”
“Damn skippy,” Brynn said.
