Page 31 of My Salvation

“Cooking?” Priest guessed.

Carson nodded. “And helping Dav move furniture. Tables and chairs got moved to the walls, so it will be standing room only.”

Cas snuck a hand in the basket Priest was carrying and snagged a few berries. “That makes sense. There are one-hundred Vanguard alone.” She popped them in her mouth and chewed. She could honestly eat fruit every day and not get sick of it.

“Aiden sent Thane down to strengthen the soundproofing spell on the bar. Men will probably be getting orders tonight, may even be heading out tomorrow,” Carson explained, holding the front door open for them.

“Then we’ll have to make sure they have a good send-off,” Priest said, taking her hand and leading her toward the back of the house where she assumed the kitchen was. Based on the fact that the smells of delicious food were getting stronger as they walked, she was pretty sure she was right.

When he came to an abrupt stop, she nearly bumped into him.

“Ramsey, load up those trays first. They’re our cold items. They can wait in the foyer. Leon, how are the meatballs?” she heard a male voice ask.

A lighter timbre answered. “Ready to go, Aeson.”

She peeked around her mate and was impressed at the military precision of the operation being carried out in the kitchen. Each person was hustling, but no one bumped into each other or knocked over any food. “This is amazing,” she observed.

As one, the men halted in their steps and turned to look at her. “Is she?” a tall fae asked from the stove.

Priest stepped to one side so he could wrap an arm around her and pull her forward. “Aeson, this is my mate Cassandra Vi’Illiya. Cas, these men are my brothers and the family fate blessed me with,” he announced.

More than one man became wide-eyed and bashful at Priest’s declaration.

Aeson bowed. “Lady Vi’Illiya, you honor us with your presence in our humble warrior abode. We would normally be organizing your welcome party, but the Vanguard have descended upon us.”

She waved off his concern. “Just save me a portion of anything made with fae fruit, and I’ll feel more than welcome. It’s been over two centuries since I’ve had any.” She nudged her mate. “Can we refrigerate what your father gave me?”

Aeson stepped forward and took the basket from Priest. “As fae fruit is getting rarer with the colder weather, I will ensure this does not go bad.”

Carson walked past the fae and set the basket he was carrying on the counter. “Priest says this wine is for the Vanguard, except one bottle with a bow, that’s Cassandra’s.”

“Anything we can do to help?” Priest asked.

Aeson shook his head. “Cooking is mostly done. We’re going to head out in about an hour. You could help carry a few trays.”

“Sounds good. I’ll have time to show Cas where we’ll be living.”

Aeson’s head tilted. “Priest, Cassandra is the Head of House Illiya. I’m not sure…”

She held up a hand. “We’ve decided to split our time between here and House Illiya. Back in Monroe, I lived next to a Vanguard squad who became my closest friends and brothers, so being here will feel like home.”

Carson looked over at here where he was organizing the wine. “Which squad?”

She turned to him, smiling. “Reston is their squad leader.”

He nodded, looked at a few labels, then set three aside. “Since they watched over you, they get the better bottles.”

“You heard him. Reston squad gets family benefits,” Aeson announced.

“Family benefits?” she asked, curious.

Aeson shrugged. “We will, of course, do what we can for all the squads, but family always comes first.”

Priest looked around. “Speaking of family?”

The warrior who welcomed her walked over carrying two trays. He turned to one side to set them on the counter closest to them. “Ari and Brie are finishing up at the morgue. Gage, Kincaid, Zoe, and the kids are heading back now. They called earlier, and we had them swing by the Brick Oven to pick up desserts since we didn’t have time to bake any.”

“Aeson isn’t it?” she asked.

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