The drive to Justice’s home was short. Fury parked at the curb, turned off the engine but hesitated. “Maybe I should call him outside.”
“Jessie will want to know what is going on and it’s her father we need to contact.”
“Agreed.” Fury slid out of the seat. “Let’s go.”
Darkness followed him to the front door and pressed the bell. Jessie answered. She grinned. “Hello. I didn’t expect you two. Come on in. Justice is on the phone but he’ll be off in a few minutes.” She waved them inside.
Darkness peered around the cozy living room. Pictures of the happy mated couple adorned every wall. The place smelled of freshly baked cookies and the lingering scent of shared sex. He studied Jessie, noticing her dress was creased in a few places and her hair mussed. He hid a smile. She noticed his look and arched her eyebrows.
“Don’t assess me,” she whispered. “He had a rough day and I wanted to make it better. I know you can smell what we did but you don’t need to be so obvious about it. You single males are too curious. Fury didn’t do that.”
“I’m smarter.” Fury chuckled. “And have a mate who greets me at the door when I have a bad day. We’ll avoid sitting on the couch. My nose tells me where you shared sex.”
“Don’t let your nose tell you anything else. Got it? Follow me into the dining room. I just took out some cookies. I’m baking a shitload of them for tomorrow.”
“What is tomorrow?” Darkness pulled out a chair at the table and sat.
“We’re flying up to Reservation in the evening. We’re going to spend a few days in the Wild Zone. Justice needed a break and I demanded he take a few days off. You’d be surprised how friendly the residents become when you bring them oatmeal cookies. They love them.” She smiled. “Do you want a few? By that, I mean a dozen. I know how you guys eat. I’ve been in the kitchen all day. I’m turning domestic. It’s scary.”
Fury grinned. “I’m taking over while they are on a mini vacation. You’re good for him, Jessie.”
“That phone has been attached to his ear, unless he’s been in the shower, na**d with me, or sleeping.” She pointed a finger at Fury. “You better not call unless it’s major, mister. I mean it. I want him to relax. He needs to have some fun without hearing bad news.”
“I promise.”
“Then it’s your turn. You guys need a few days alone together. I’ll babysit. Ellie said you’re hardly home and you’ve been fighting with another male.” She glanced between them. “I hope you two worked it out.”
“We are getting there,” Fury assured her.
“Good.” She spun and went to the kitchen. “I won’t ask.”
“You’re a good female,” Fury called out.
“No need to kiss my ass. I said I’d babysit. I love kids.” She returned with a plate of cookies, setting them on the table. “Dig in. I’ll get Justice. I’m a pro at luring him off the phone.”
She headed toward Justice’s home office. Fury grinned at Darkness. He frowned back.
“What?”
“You should see the look on your face. You keep staring at everything.”
“I haven’t been inside Justice’s home since Jessie moved in.”
“Nor have you come to mine. This is what a mated home looks like. Did you expect something different?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“Mine looks like this but with a lot of toys. They practically explode out of the boxes they are supposed to be kept in. You have to learn to watch where you step. Otherwise you curse often from pain and your child will repeat every word. Ellie has a sense of humor about it, luckily.”
“You’re going to allow Jessie to babysit?”
Fury nodded. “She does it whenever Ellie and I want alone time. Children can interrupt sex. Salvation does it often. We appreciate the break.”
“You trust her?”
Fury’s eyes narrowed. “Yes I do. I’d ask you to watch my son occasionally too but you won’t have anything to do with us.”
“You’d trust me with your offspring?”
“He’s your nephew.” Fury leaned back in his chair. “I would.”
“I know nothing about children.”
“You should learn. Salvation is pretty tough but you’d have to keep a close eye on him. He’s fast and is prone to finding trouble.” Fury chuckled. “He tried to leap off our roof after I dropped him off today. We visited Valiant and Tammy a month ago and he watched their son leap from one of the ceiling beams onto the couch. Noble is a terror with his claws and climbs everything.”
That alarmed Darkness. “Is Salvation okay?”
“I went up after him and explained the differences between canine and feline. Ellie had called me. I was close. She had gone to use the bathroom and he was out the door that fast. She found him on the roof. I had a talk with him about how he could harm his mother if he ever did that again. She was ready to try to catch him.”
Darkness winced. “He could have done damage.”
“I know.” Fury sobered. “It’s tough for her to try to keep up with a Species child. She had to stop tussling with him after he bruised her badly. He didn’t understand how strong he could be. I’m at work often. He grows bored. Some of my friends have come forward. They take him to the park to run and play games. It would be nice if he had an uncle who could take him out to play when I’m busy though.”
“Jessie will want to know what is going on and it’s her father we need to contact.”
“Agreed.” Fury slid out of the seat. “Let’s go.”
Darkness followed him to the front door and pressed the bell. Jessie answered. She grinned. “Hello. I didn’t expect you two. Come on in. Justice is on the phone but he’ll be off in a few minutes.” She waved them inside.
Darkness peered around the cozy living room. Pictures of the happy mated couple adorned every wall. The place smelled of freshly baked cookies and the lingering scent of shared sex. He studied Jessie, noticing her dress was creased in a few places and her hair mussed. He hid a smile. She noticed his look and arched her eyebrows.
“Don’t assess me,” she whispered. “He had a rough day and I wanted to make it better. I know you can smell what we did but you don’t need to be so obvious about it. You single males are too curious. Fury didn’t do that.”
“I’m smarter.” Fury chuckled. “And have a mate who greets me at the door when I have a bad day. We’ll avoid sitting on the couch. My nose tells me where you shared sex.”
“Don’t let your nose tell you anything else. Got it? Follow me into the dining room. I just took out some cookies. I’m baking a shitload of them for tomorrow.”
“What is tomorrow?” Darkness pulled out a chair at the table and sat.
“We’re flying up to Reservation in the evening. We’re going to spend a few days in the Wild Zone. Justice needed a break and I demanded he take a few days off. You’d be surprised how friendly the residents become when you bring them oatmeal cookies. They love them.” She smiled. “Do you want a few? By that, I mean a dozen. I know how you guys eat. I’ve been in the kitchen all day. I’m turning domestic. It’s scary.”
Fury grinned. “I’m taking over while they are on a mini vacation. You’re good for him, Jessie.”
“That phone has been attached to his ear, unless he’s been in the shower, na**d with me, or sleeping.” She pointed a finger at Fury. “You better not call unless it’s major, mister. I mean it. I want him to relax. He needs to have some fun without hearing bad news.”
“I promise.”
“Then it’s your turn. You guys need a few days alone together. I’ll babysit. Ellie said you’re hardly home and you’ve been fighting with another male.” She glanced between them. “I hope you two worked it out.”
“We are getting there,” Fury assured her.
“Good.” She spun and went to the kitchen. “I won’t ask.”
“You’re a good female,” Fury called out.
“No need to kiss my ass. I said I’d babysit. I love kids.” She returned with a plate of cookies, setting them on the table. “Dig in. I’ll get Justice. I’m a pro at luring him off the phone.”
She headed toward Justice’s home office. Fury grinned at Darkness. He frowned back.
“What?”
“You should see the look on your face. You keep staring at everything.”
“I haven’t been inside Justice’s home since Jessie moved in.”
“Nor have you come to mine. This is what a mated home looks like. Did you expect something different?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“Mine looks like this but with a lot of toys. They practically explode out of the boxes they are supposed to be kept in. You have to learn to watch where you step. Otherwise you curse often from pain and your child will repeat every word. Ellie has a sense of humor about it, luckily.”
“You’re going to allow Jessie to babysit?”
Fury nodded. “She does it whenever Ellie and I want alone time. Children can interrupt sex. Salvation does it often. We appreciate the break.”
“You trust her?”
Fury’s eyes narrowed. “Yes I do. I’d ask you to watch my son occasionally too but you won’t have anything to do with us.”
“You’d trust me with your offspring?”
“He’s your nephew.” Fury leaned back in his chair. “I would.”
“I know nothing about children.”
“You should learn. Salvation is pretty tough but you’d have to keep a close eye on him. He’s fast and is prone to finding trouble.” Fury chuckled. “He tried to leap off our roof after I dropped him off today. We visited Valiant and Tammy a month ago and he watched their son leap from one of the ceiling beams onto the couch. Noble is a terror with his claws and climbs everything.”
That alarmed Darkness. “Is Salvation okay?”
“I went up after him and explained the differences between canine and feline. Ellie had called me. I was close. She had gone to use the bathroom and he was out the door that fast. She found him on the roof. I had a talk with him about how he could harm his mother if he ever did that again. She was ready to try to catch him.”
Darkness winced. “He could have done damage.”
“I know.” Fury sobered. “It’s tough for her to try to keep up with a Species child. She had to stop tussling with him after he bruised her badly. He didn’t understand how strong he could be. I’m at work often. He grows bored. Some of my friends have come forward. They take him to the park to run and play games. It would be nice if he had an uncle who could take him out to play when I’m busy though.”
