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Josh got up and hugged me, the height difference putting my face into his chest. I hugged him back but pushed away enough to look up at him and laugh. “When did my little brother get to be my big brother?”
“While you stopped visiting us,” Grandma said.
“Don’t you care that Anita could have died yesterday?” Josh asked.
“Of course, I am glad that she did not die, but if she would find a profession that was more ladylike she wouldn’t have endangered herself.”
“You thought being a lawyer wasn’t ladylike enough,” Andria said.
“It is better than being a police officer,” Grandma said.
I patted Josh on the back and said, “Finish your biscuits. I need coffee.”
“These are great, by the way,” he said, sitting down with a big smile.
“I’ll tell Nathaniel you said so.”
“Are you telling me Nathaniel can cook, too?” Andria said, and smiled. She was doing her best to soften our grandmother’s harshness. I smiled back, because I appreciated the effort.
“Do you have to live in the dark like this now that you’re with the vampire?” Grandma asked.
“No, we just use the storm shutters to keep out the sunlight just in case,” I said. I hit the first button on the wall near the door. The shutters that covered the big windows to the right side of the roomopened with a smooth electric whine. The brilliant morning sunlight spilled across the table, dappled through the leaves of the trees outside. I hit the next button and the shutters over the sliding glass doors to the balcony opened.
“Is that the woods?” Josh asked.
“It is, it’s a great view from the deck if you want to go out on it.”
“Well, it certainly is blindingly bright,” Grandma said. It was so her to bitch because it was too dark and now complain because it was too bright.
“Finish your breakfast before you go out and look at the woods,” Dad said; Josh must have started to stand up.
Grandma was holding her hand up to shield her eyes. I hit the second button without being asked so that the brightest of the sunlight would be shielded. The room was now in brilliant light and deep shadow.
“Thank you,” she said, sipping her coffee.
Pierette met me halfway with a cup of coffee. She was dressed for work, all black tactical though she wasn’t wearing her vest, so she’d scaled down her weapons, too, though she still had two guns, at least two knives that I could see, and I knew there’d be a couple more hidden. I half wished I’d worn tactical pants just for the great pockets.
I took the coffee from her and leaned in to give her a kiss. She didn’t fight it, or tell me she was on duty, she just kissed me back. I liked that about Pierette. If my family hadn’t been our audience I’d have let her know just how much I liked her. Instead, I took the first sip of coffee and felt that anxiety slip away again.
“Fixed exactly the way I like it,” I said.
“Nathaniel taught me,” she said.
“Well, thanks for being a quick learner,” I said, and kissed her again.
“Anita, please,” Dad said.
“You do not have to rub your sinful ways in our faces,” Grandma said.
“Grandma, Dad, obviously this is another member of Anita’s poly group, just like Magda, who she introduced us to before dinner the other night,” Andria said.
“Who is Magda?” Grandma asked; obviously no one had told her about the other woman I’d introduced them to.
“I’m Magda,” the tall werelion said as she came into the kitchen. She was dressed in full tactical, complete with vest and more weapons, including her AR-15. I still needed to get some of my weapons back from Olaf and Edward. I’d been too busy going to the hospital to remember. Honestly, it wasn’t like me to forget something like that. I’d call Edward after I finished with my family, though I’d have to borrow a phone to do it. Maybe they had my phone?
Magda stared down at me; her gray-blue eyes started to slide more to the gray side. It meant she wasn’t happy. “Just came in for some coffee,” she said, looking past me, taking her cue from my hesitation.
I switched my mug to one hand and touched her arm. “Hey, Magda, how about some sugar before the coffee.”
