Between Shadow & Ruin (Fangs & Fae Saga Book 2)

sixty-six.

When we got home, Aria was already there with the kids. Steph and Jason pulled up behind us and parked. I could hear Jason whistle as he stepped out of his car.

"What?" I laughed.

"Shit! I wish we could have a house like this! I'm so tired of those stupid New York apartments!" he said.

"I'm sure Jade wouldn't mind running around a yard like this, huh?" Nicky said, messing through Jade's hair.

"Well, you're free to run around my yard if you want," I said, kneeling down to her. "How old are you?" I asked. She hid behind Nicky's legs, wrapping her arms around them. Nicky rolled her eyes.

"She's eight," Nicky said. "And being very shy..."

"My twins are nine, I hope they get along. Ava can be a little... bossy," I said. The front door opened, and Ava came running out. "This is Ava," I said, as she came over. "The other one is Noah." Ava, Noah, and Jade shared an exchange about liking each other's hair and ran off in the yard together. Nicky, Jason, and I all shared a look of relief. Steph, Nat and Gavin got out of the car with a couple of bags.

"Here, this is for you!" Nat said, shoving a bottle of rum in my hands. "I don't like showing up to people's houses empty handed... I hope it's a good brand." I looked at the bottle.

"It is... and a kind of expensive one too. You didn't have to buy this." Val, Zane, and Chris headed inside while everyone else got their stuff together to follow me in.

Val was coming down the stairs dressed in jean shorts and a t-shirt and Chris and Zane were closely behind her. We walked through the house into the backyard. Odie was sitting at the table in the corner of the yard with his arm around Ella. Her skin was sun-kissed and the tip of her nose was pink. Braylen looked up from his game.

"Hey, Mrs. Delacour!" he said.

"Hey, Bee." I cleared my throat. "Odie?" He gave me a look, mad that I'd interrupted him. "Odie, can you come here for a few minutes?"

"Diantre, how many kids do you guys have!?" Jason asked. I laughed.

"We have three kids. Ella and Bee are a couple of wolves that we fostered for a few weeks until Aria and Ray took them in. They're from the wolf pack," I said. Nat looked confused at how the house next door could be a school. "I turned my mom's old house into a foster home-slash-boarding school for supernatural kids. Our kids go there, the wolf kids from the pack and a couple of witches as well. Since he doesn't feel like coming over, the hormonal male teenager is our oldest, Odie."

"Mom, I can hear you," he said.

"Yeah, and I asked you to come over here, but you didn't... so, tough."

"Yeah, you're a mom alright..." Nicky laughed. He rolled his eyes.

"Odie, this is Steph and her partner Nat, their friend and Lieutenant Gavin, Jason and his partner Nicky, and their daughter, Jade is running around with Ava." Chris and Val came over after making sure the girls were settled inside with somedolls.

"Nat, this is my other husband, Chris, and my wife, Val." Nat held her breath as she forced a smile that looked a bit more like constipation than happiness.

"Everything okay?" Val asked.

"Yeah. I – Liz, you didn't tell her what happened with me and Zane?"' Nat asked.

"What happened with you and Zane?" Val asked, a bit defensively. I took a deep breath, trying not to laugh at seeing Val get jealous.

"Remember?" I said. "Zane's scent was too much for her when they met."