Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
On the other hand, the people they’d dealt with in the basajaunak lands hadn’t been as threatening as Sebastian thought they would. Maybe the weird mage still wasn’t properly assessing how fierce shifters could be.
“I’ll speak to our resident mage about this. He hadn’t had any word from his network last time I checked, but I’ll stay on top of it.”
She made a little hum. “You have acquired some useful people, it sounds like. Kingsley raved about some of the creatures you have in your pack.”
“Not mine. My mate’s. She brought in the power players.”
“And you tamed them, yes. Did Kingsley tell you about his talks with other packs?”
“That he was communicating with whoever he could about unifying?” he asked. She didn’t comment. “Yes. He’s got some interest, but he’s not really in a position to do anything. No one wants to jump into the fire with him.”
“Even when he was, he wasn’t enough to bring everyone together.”
“Maybe he wasn’t. But I will be. It’ll be my focus right after we prove our strength by crushing the mages.”
“That’s my boy,” she said softly, and he couldn’t help smiling in pride. She’d always had unwavering belief in his abilities.
“What do you need help with?” she asked.
He took another sip of whiskey, welcoming the fire burning down his throat. “We have what’ll probably be a few cairns of gargoyles coming to this territory. Jess needs to create an army of them, and it’ll be tough going. Part of their culture is flashy displays of wealth. That’s what the most prestigious cairns expect, at least.”
“Damned waste of time.”
During her reign as alpha, she’d never gone for posturing for the sake of show. She’d never played games. She saw no purpose in it. Neither did he, come to that, but he’d do worse for Jess.
“Our focus in this territory so far has mostly been centered around pack organization and training. We haven’t had a lot of time to devote to sprucing the place up, especially the house Jess inherited. You have excellent taste in interior design. I wondered…if Kingsley could spare you…if you’d humor me and help decorate Ivy House. After that, maybe take over some of my projects or identify some establishments on their last legs that I could take over and improve.”
“You need a business manager.”
He tilted his head from side to side. “First I need an interior decorator. After that…”
Her dry laughter rolled through the line. “You don’t want to give up control. I know a woman like that.”
She was talking about herself. He released the tension he belatedly realized he’d been holding.
“A couple of things, though.” He took a big gulp of whiskey this time, finishing the glass. “Her house is massive. A mansion. It hasn’t been updated in… I really couldn’t say.”
“Anything else?”
He grimaced. “Her crew is…eccentric. The gargoyle butler might get in the way. The groundskeeper can’t take criticism well; he often asks to be killed. The neighbor shouldn’t be a problem, but she does throw rocks—”
“Austin, I am not concerned about strange people and their antics. What about your mate? It is her house, solely?”
“It’s…kind of its own entity. It’s magical. Alive, kinda. I’m sure Kingsley mentioned it. But it belongs to her, yes. For now.”
“For now?”
“For as long as she lives. When she dies, the house will choose a new heir.”
The silence on the other end stretched until his grandma finally said, “When you ultimately choose a destination, you really go for extravagance.”
He chuckled softly and leaned his head back against the chair. “It seems so.”
“And what about the tastes of your mate? Your brother’s mate and I don’t see eye to eye about such things. She can’t stand when I come around.”
Austin bet Mimi hung around often then, just to annoy Earnessa. She found humor in things like that.
Which, now that he thought about it, seemed an awful lot like something Niamh would do. Maybe that was why Niamh never bothered him, no matter how surly she got.
“Jess is very easygoing with stuff like this. She’ll be happy not to bother with it. I’ll be the one with the critical eye.”
Mimi scoffed. “Then I’ll be done in no time. The only opinions you have came from me. You say you’re in a hurry?”
“Kingsley is in a hurry. We’re going by his schedule. Having gargoyle allies will help our efforts immensely. So yes, ultimately this needs to be done yesterday. Can he spare you?”
She scoffed again. “Can he spare me? He’ll be happy to get rid of me. I ask far too many questions for his taste, and he’s got your mom for counsel.”
His sigh of relief was audible. He’d get nervous later.
“How is Mom?” he asked, almost too quietly.
He hadn’t spoken to her in all this time, not even after he’d met Kingsley again. She was a patient woman. Too patient, probably, allowing him to find his way. Now, speaking to Mimi, he realized how much he missed her. Missed them all. It had been too long. He should’ve called. He should’ve kept in touch, at least after he’d gotten somewhat settled. He’d been a coward. Was still a coward, actually. He couldn’t bear to hear her disappointment, or worse, traces of the hurt he’d caused in her tone.