Page 45 of Moonlit Alexandrite

“If I can’t have you, I’ll take the boy. Your choice. Him or her? Who do you care about more?”

She straightened and knocked into Corvena, spilling the stupid drink she had ordered.

“Clumsy. I don’t know how someone as ridiculously simple as you could work here. Forget about it, I’m leaving anyway.”

With a final wink, which made my blood boil, she was out the door.

“Fuck!”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lex

“Wake up, Baby Girl. We have a surprise for you.” Still half asleep, I reached a hand out blindly toward the voice above me and pulled his face close.

“Can I take you for a morning ride first?” I asked, opening my eyes and noticing the five-year-old boy standing beside Tase.

“Shit! I mean, fuck, I mean fudge! Good morning, Newt.”

Newt grinned and bounded onto the bed.

“Morning! Have you ridden Uncle Tase’s kelpie before? That’s so cool! I wish I could ride him.”

Tase choked out a sound suspiciously close to a laugh and rubbed a hand over his mouth.

“Umm, didn’t you guys just say something about a surprise?” I asked, trying to salvage this conversation.

“Oh, yeah. We’re having an adventure day!” Newt’s excitement was infectious as he bounced around the mattress, gesturing wildly as he described the plan.

“... and Nettie’s going to take us into the deepest, darkest cave she can find!”

“Wow, sounds like a big day ahead,” I agreed, wondering if it was weird for me to be having this conversation in bed while only wearing a t-shirt and panties.

“Hey, Bud, how about we let Lex dress and then we can get the others ready,” Tase said, hiking Newt onto his shoulders and heading out of the room.

“This is going to be awesome!” Newt crowed, punching the doorframe on their way through.

I chuckled as I dragged myself out of bed and gathered my shower things. An adventure day could be fun. There had been so much stress lately that it would be nice to hang out as a family and just enjoy each other’s company.

A shower and a change of clothes later, we were all ready.

First stop was Jewels Cafe, as most of our party wanted to caffeinate before setting out. That was fine, as long as they didn’t expect me to partake. Ugh, I could still taste the coffee Dion had made me drink at the start of all this.

Never. Again.

We had arranged to meet our tour guide, Garnet, at the bridge over Starlight River, right next to the cemetery, and the morning walk felt good with my new family around me. Dion and I walked hand-in-hand, while Ren and Colbie sniped at each other good-naturedly. I would be more convinced Ren disliked her if he hadn’t taken to keeping Colbie’s favorite candy on hand, even when he wasn’t bribing her to babysit.

Tase piggybacked Newt, and I wondered idly if the boy had let his uncle put him down at all this morning. As we spotted our meeting point, the cat shifter bartender from Flare strolled up to our group, dressed for a day on the water.

“Why are you here, Dash?” Dion asked, his grip on my hand tightening subtly. Dash grinned as though oblivious to the less than warm welcome. “Couldn’t miss out on this kind of adventure now, could I? Besides, I need to get to know my new co-worker.”

He shot an outrageous wink in Colbie’s direction.

She rolled her eyes in response.

“I haven’t decided to take the job yet. Besides, you may have more pressing concerns.” Colbie threw him a wickedly sweet grin, and it was only by chance I noticed the calculating look Tase sent Dash’s way at the same moment.

“There’s not enough room,” Dion said flatly.

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