Page 73 of Cam's Treasure

"She is a good candidate, as long as she's able to deliver the information to you properly," DD said, and Micah smiled at the shadows, making me wonder if Saaya was still hiding in there.

"She will."

"Okay. First Saaya will gather all the information she can, then we'll make a plan, and then you can leave," Gus said. He'd been content to sit and listen until now, but he'd clearly stayed quiet as long as he could.

"Sounds good to me," I said, glancing over at Kai. "Would you like to add anything, Kai?"

He shook his head, then nodded. "I just...thank you, all of you. For your help."

"Of course," DD said with a wide smile. "You're a part of the family now, Kai. You can always ask us for help."

Kai

A part of the family.

The words were stuck in my mind hours later, and I just couldn't stop thinking about them.

While my parents were good people at heart, they'd never been as open with their love as Cam and Micah's dads were. You only needed to watch them together for a few minutes to know how strong their bonds were, and I felt a little envious, if I was honest.

My parents had done their best to make me ready for the world—though I clearly hadn't learned well, or I wouldn't have lost my coat—but they hadn't ever made me feel loved. I felt guilty for feeling that way, but I couldn't help it.

After a few hours of discussion where I told them everything I remembered about Osric, the mages he employed, and his home on the edge of the island, we'd returned to the house after Cam's dads had extracted a promise of patience from him.

I got the feeling Cam had been a troublemaker growing up, and that he still was one, even if I hadn't seen that side of him yet.

After a few minutes of coming home, I'd excused myself, and I was now standing in the middle of my room, unsure what to do next.

I'd unpacked my box of clothes and put everything away, and there wasn't much else to do in here.

Now that things were in motion with Saaya off on her mission, I felt a lot more relaxed. I would get my coat back, and Cam's impatience had only helped assure me that my mates wouldn't give up until I had it back.

With that assurance, my mind felt calmer than it had since I woke up to find that bastard stealing my coat. I felt good, and I wanted to keep feeling this way.

I wanted to go downstairs and talk to my mates, get to know them. They'd been so good to me since they found me, and after spending some time with them, I'd realized that they would've helped me even if I wasn't their mate.

Glancing around the room one last time, I made my way downstairs.

Jodi rushed up to me as soon as I walked into the living room, her long tail wagging at warp speed as she danced in front of me.

Smiling, I ruffled her fur, then gave her a few pets and some chin scratches as she panted at me, her tongue lolling out as she grinned widely.

"You're such a sweet girl, aren't you?"

"Uh-oh, she's ensnared Kai. He'll never get away now," Cam called dramatically from where he lay on the couch, and I rolled my eyes as I walked over to him, Jodi keeping pace with me as she tried her best to knock me over.

"What are you doing?" I asked, glancing from him to the open laptop on the coffee table.

"I was looking at couches, but then I got tired, so I'm waiting for Ember and Micah to finish cooking so I can get them to choose. Take a look. Do you like any?"

Sitting on the end of the couch where his feet were, I pulled the laptop into my lap, scrolling through the options.

"What's wrong with this one?" I asked, settling deeper into it. "It doesn't look old, and the cushion seems to be fine too."

"It's too small."

I turned to look at him, then the couch that was big enough for him to lie in without either his head or legs going over the armrests, and also deep enough for two people to cuddle, and raised a brow. "It's too small?"

Cam nodded emphatically, then sat upright, pulling his legs back and resting his chin on his knees. "Yep. We need something where all four of us can sit comfortably. Or cuddle."

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