Page 140 of Home to the Hollow

“Who died and made you the sugarplum whisperer, Edgar Boone? Last I heard, you were aghost.”

Motherfucker. She’s got him wrapped around her pinky and then some. I’ve never heard him sound this pissed.

I’m not the most powerful guy in town, but I’m definitely near the top of the food chain in all the ways that count. The normally submissive vet and the usually passive avian stare me down with more chutzpah than I’ve seen out of them in the entire I’ve known either of them. Tilly’s definitely shared her big dick energy with them, and her friend is smirking like a crazed leprechaun.

“Fine, fine. You two settle her inanddeal with her animals. I’ll get Henry to rustle us up some food and drinks. Benjy will have Amelia throw a net over where we’re sitting so we can have a private conversation. Good enough?”

The guys nod, but the redhead tilts her head at me before saying, “Diatírisi, prostasía, yperáspisi… o kýklos den teleiónei?1.”

Son of a hog wrangler shine swiller. Of course she has one.

This girl’s presence makes sense now, and everything clicks into place. Jolene has a Guardian becauseallthe lost ones have a Guardian. They’re always watching, though I’ve never seen one operate like this. That may be because my girl hasn’t emerged and they don’t know if she will. Now I know why her energy has felt off to me since the moment I saw her. I look over at Benjy and he nods—he noticed it, too.

“Gia na epiviósoume, prépei na prostatéfsoume tous néous?2,sugar.”

Hamilton rolls his eyes at us. “If we’re all done showing our cards before we find a table, may I suggest we retire to a less public space? Seems like there’s going to be a lot of dick swinging, and y’all remember how Nelia hates public spectacles. Nothing gets by that woman.” He picks up mydrugarlike she weighs nothing and carries her towards the back corner.

I whistle for my hounds and head for the bar, noting how concerned the dogs look as they watch the doctor transport Tilly. That’s unusual, and I hope this squad of misfits can help me put together enough information to help Jolene before something bad happens. After I place an order with Henry—including food for the animals, though that was strictly guessing—I walk back to where the Irish lass and the doctors are chatting quietly. Gesturing at Benjy, I wait for his nod, knowing that he’s having Amelia cast a bubble over our space to prevent our discussion from being overheard.

Having a variety of supes in this town is handy for many reasons, and this is one of them.

When I sit down, the girl looks at me with narrowed eyes. “Aye, I know who you are now, Edgar Boone—both from a Society standpoint and from your role in Peanut’s past. Why are you here?”

Great. We don’t have time for a walk down memory lane, but we’ll get nowhere if I don’t spill.

Sighing as I rake a hand through my hair, I decide that brevity is the better part of wit. “You’re correct—my past with Tilly is tumultuous for several reasons. I don’t believe it’s in our best interests to rehash that because it’s a truth that I owe her and no one else. However, now that she’s returned to our hometown, the most urgent topics are current issues.” I pause, waiting for all of them to nod and continue. “I realize that you, an unknown friend, are her Guardian, so you’re naturally concerned with her well-being. You realize that this entire town is an enclave, and most of the people here are hybrids or their adoptive families.”

“Duh,” she says. “They dinna pick me because I’m a prat, doggy. I can see through the web just like the rest of ye.”

“Care to share your name, then?” I ask, wondering if she’s withholding it because like Wolfgang, it is an important detail to her species.

Letting out a rude snort, she points at me. “Youneed to get out of this town more. I know what yer thinkin’...ye think I’m a flitting faerie like the puppy here. Not even close, but I’ll give ye my name because we’re bound to become more acquainted. Saoirse Viola O’Flanagan, Guardian to Miss Jolene Athena Whitley, at your service.”

The docs let out sighs of relief and I realize they’ve been silent as the two aggressive people duked it out. “Okay, Saoirse. Now that we’ve all been introduced, do you have any ideawhyour girl hasn’t emerged yet?”

She shakes her head. “No. When I was assigned to her before she left for Europe, Andromeda and mycheiristís?3discussed her history from here and at college. I was given all of her medical information, family details, and the full package to make certain I could ingratiate myself as easily as possible. It was a bit shocking that she didn’t have a Guardian after she left the Hollow, and worming your way into an adult’s life is more difficult than a teenager, you know.”

“So you and Sugarplum basically lived together all those years you were traveling around the world?” the vet asks, his expression unsure.

“Aye, but not how yer thinkin’, pup. Peanut an’ I considered that route for about a half a tick, but we knew we weren’t meant to be together that way.” She bobs her brows at us with a mischievous expression. “That’s not to say we didn’t get bloody wild in each other’s presence, of course. Years runnin’ around Europe an’ Asia together was a wealth of experience. Yer girl’s not the least ashamed of her preferences.”

This time, I bark a laugh because I’mwellaware of that detail after our night together. Matching amused expressions cross the docs’ faces, and I realize they don’t need the pointer, either.

Shit. I’ll have to reveal what I know before someone gets hurt.

“She’s my mate.” My statement is blunt, but it gets the point across without starting a debate.

“Join the club,” Wolfgang retorts and when my eyes widen, Hamilton nods his agreement.

Saoirse tilts her head, looking over at Tilly, and then back at us. “You all feel the mate call?”

We nod, and I’m surprised to hear a throat clearing. My head whips around and I look at Benjy, who I swear might be blushing. The big guy shrugs as he looks at us. “I do, too, but unlike you, I have no idea how I’m going to handle it. When I married Sherilynn, I thought a true mate was not in my stars.”

This is going to ugly as hell and I don’t envy my friend one bit.

“Well, fuck me with a potato peeler. Peanut’s got four of ye on the hook. I wonder if there are more floatin’ around this backwards village?” Saoirse frowns as she considers. “I suppose we’ll find out. I’ll have to contact mycheiristísfor instructions—if she has true mates here, the likelihood of emergence is enormous. I have to be here for that.”

“Ahem.” Presley looks at us expectantly, waiting for the chatter to die down. “As the expert on that topic, I’m concerned about the blackouts. After Jolene did it in front of Lucy and I, we both contacted ourcheiristíswith no success. The dragon should have been able to point me in the right direction, but he’s never heard of a lost one losing time in this way.”

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