“Home,” I whimpered. “Yes, please.”
With her ambassador already chosen, Tisdale joined us. “Would you mind if I walk back with you?”
“Not at all,” I answered, when it became clear Midas was leaving the call up to me.
The three of us, plus her guards, began the short walk to the Faraday.
“I’m proud of you.” She slid her arm through mine, and her scent enveloped me in the next best thing to a hug. Growing things and sprinkle cookies. I would always associate those smells with her. “You’ve accomplished so much.”
“I can’t take the credit,” I said for the fifty billionth time. “I had help.”
“You did indeed,” she mused. “So, the Atlanta Alliance.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a good idea.”
“Thanks.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Ares left town.”
“I regret her choice, but I understand it.”
“Me too.” I exhaled. “What about the ankle monitor?”
“I removed it.” Her smile was soft, regretful. “Hard to start a new life chained to the past.”
“Yeah.” I had to agree with her there. “What does that mean for Liz?”
“Liz will be kept under guard at the infirmary until after she delivers, and then she will be tried for her crimes.”
“Assuming Liz delivers a healthy baby boy, what will happen to her son?”
“The pack will raise him.” She admired the pink-and-purple sunrise. “We’ll have to keep him close.”
A child born with an adult mind could get himself—and the pack—into all kinds of trouble.
Especially Archimedes, with his knowledge, and doubly so if he didn’t learn from his past mistakes.
“How weird will that be?” I couldn’t picture it. “Raising your own ancestor?”
“We will give him the love and care shown to our all our pups, and we will keep him safe.”
One day Natisha would wake, and she would begin to hammer at the walls of her prison. I doubted she would emerge as a butterfly from a chrysalis. More likely, she would remain a pissed-off caterpillar ready to devour the world. Starting with Archimedes and working her way through the Atlanta pack.
But Tisdale had wanted more children, and it was easy to see her growing excitement over the idea of raising another son. Even if he was her great-great-great-great-grandfather.
And here I thought my family tree was twisted.
Somehow Hank had beat us home, and it made me smile to see his dirty, grumpy self at his post.
The building had sustained damage. Its front entrance was no more, the glass shattered and trampled. A few floors lacked windows. Burn marks scarred all flammable surfaces, and deep gouges from lethal claws marred the stone walls.
Acrid smoke tinged the air from an earlier fire, but it was faint. Puddles on the ground told me Station Thirteen had come and gone, and I was thankful to them for saving the first real home I had ever known.
“Morning,” he said to our group, as if nothing had happened, then singled out Midas. “The enforcers are waiting on their post assignments.”
“And the world keeps on spinning.” I pushed into the lobby. “Life goes right back to normal.”
“I won’t be long,” Midas promised me. “You can go on up, if you want.”
“I’ll wait.” I smothered a yawn. “Those couches look mighty comfy.”
They were mostly untouched, aside from a few char marks that didn’t offend me in the least.
After kissing Tisdale and me on our cheeks, Midas strode down the hall to give his people their marching orders.
“Hadley,” a girlish voice called. “Hey, Hadley. Ms. Potentate, ma’am.”
“Lillian?” I glanced around the otherwise empty lobby and spotted her running this way. “What’s up?”
“I helped.” She skidded to a stop inches from me. “While you were away, I helped.”
The bright hope in her eyes was too easy to recognize. As tired as I was, as much as I wanted to sit, I couldn’t turn my back on someone so desperate to make a difference. The fact she looked up to me was, well, ill-advised, but she thrummed with an eagerness to report to me I couldn’t ignore.
“That’s great.” I stifled a yawn. “I appreciate—”
“I babysat,” she burst out, unable to hold it in any longer. “I took care of the little ones to free up their parents to join the enforcers. I turned into a plant and danced, and they laughed and laughed. It was great.” She reached in her pocket, producing scraps of paper she fanned in front of my face. “Four parents gave me their numbers and asked if I would sit with their children while they’re at work.” She yanked them back, clutching them to her chest. “Four.”
A tiny balloon of dread rose from the region of my stomach and threatened to float off with my head.
“Remy told the parents you would vouch for me.”
Yup.
Buh-bye, head.
Enjoy your balloon ride.
“Thank you so much.” Lillian threw herself against me in a hug. “I really appreciate it.”
Grinding my palms into my eyes, I worried I might pop them like grapes before I found relief. “I didn’t—”
“I love kids. All kids. I used to be a kid. It was a long time ago, but I sort of remember? I can teach the pups how to garden and grow stuff. Just because they live in the city doesn’t mean they can’t—”
“How about this?” Tisdale intervened, earning my eternal love. “We’ll let Hadley rest, and when she feels better, the three of us can discuss implementing a childcare system for enforcers who live and work at the Faraday.”
“That would be great,” Lillian gushed. “I have so many ideas.”
“Write them all down in a notebook,” Tisdale advised. “We’ll discuss them later.”
Footsteps pattered away, a decided skip to them, and only then did I peek through my fingers.
“It’s clear.” A laugh hid within the words. “You can stop hiding now.”
“I wasn’t hiding.” I lowered my hands. “I was giving myself an extensive palm reading.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“If you’re serious about hiring Lillian, I’ll have Reece forward his background report on her.”
“Oh good. I was hoping you’d say that.” She smoothed my hair before I could get offended. “You love so deeply, I knew you would look out for your friend. Remy wants to be a force for good in the world, but fae aren’t always the best arbitrators of what is right and wrong.”
With Tisdale in charge, if Lillian proved unreliable or unfit, she would step in, and I would be off the hook for firing Remy’s new friend.
Hmm.
Convenient.
I suspected I had become the victim of Tisdale’s mothering yet again, but I was too grateful to care.
“At this rate,” I realized, staring after Lillian, “we’ll have to free up a spot at the table for the fae.”
The Society would love that. But the fae were here, and the Earthen Conclave had gaps in coverage too.
“From what I can tell, Remy has already pulled up a chair.” Tisdale chuckled. “At the head of the table.”