Page 113 of Halfblood Deceived

Zeydan gave her what he hoped was a mild, tight-lipped smile. “We’d like a moment in private to discuss it.”

She picked up her stack of papers from the counter. “Of course, I’ll give you all some privacy.”

“Thank you, Sandy,” Kerian said, being as smooth as Zeydan had always seen him be with most humans.

The woman nodded and left, her high heels clicking on the hardwood.

“So?” Kerian prompted.

“I don’t like it,” Luce piped up.

“Color me surprised,” Andreas drawled at his daughter.

Luce leveled a formidable scowl at her father. Just a little window to the fierce grown female she would no doubt become in a bit over a decade. Goddess help them all. But especially Andreas.

“It doesn’t feel like a home,” Luce insisted.

“The little gremlin has a point,” Evan agreed.

Zeydan rolled his eyes at the wolf. Luce could say the sky was green, and he’d agree with her.

Still, they did have a point. Something didn’t feel quite right, even to Zeydan.

He knew it could be the lack of furniture that made him feel this way. But part of him wanted to say ‘no, thank you’ to the handsome woman and run the Hell out of there.

“It needs some adjustments,” he conceded. “There are too many windows for my comfort.”

“And mine,” Gabby said, looking out the picture windows that showed the garden and the forest nearby. “We’d have to replace the glass for UV and bullet-proof crystal.”

“And we’d have to build a gate that Mari can magic,” Andreas supplied.

“Are you sure this area is private enough for me to cast my mist if necessary?” Zeydan asked Kerian.

Kerian hummed, approaching Zeydan. “It’s easy to turn the surrounding area into private property. You’ll have half a mile in each direction just for you and your family.”

Zeydan nodded. “Good. I’m still not sure how I feel about having human staff.”

“Me neither.” Lex sighed, drumming his fingers on Gabby’s belly. Something both she and the baby enjoyed. “It’s not about the reliability,” he hastened to say. “But it makes me feel icky.”

Evan nodded, distractedly placing a lock of hair behind Luce’s ear. “I’m afraid our memories of the human servants back in our old home are a bit too fresh.”

The human servants in Evan and Lex’s parents’ court worshiped werewolves as children of the gods, which they technically were, but it was a tad extreme.

“I assure you the staff would only be interested in how much you pay them.” Kerian shrugged when he noticed most of their reluctant expressions. “There are also half-humans of various species who need a well-paid Monday-to-Friday job. We can interview a few.”

“I still don’t like this place,” Luce said. “It has a bad vibe.”

“A bad vibe?” Andreas huffed. “Are you going to start burning sage now?”

Luce gave her father a blank stare.

Mari sighed. “Much as it pains me to admit it, because that basement is truly appropriate for my needs, Luce is right.” Her deep green eyes zeroed in on Andreas. “And yes, burning some white sage would help. Just because subtle magic is beyond your reach doesn’t mean you get to mock it, you uncultured swine.”

“Kiss my arse, Marigold,” Andreas very maturely quipped.

Zeydan grabbed Mari’s wrist before she could fire a flash of dyeing magic at Andreas. “Unless you are planning on buying this house all on your own, no green splotches on the walls, please.”

Mari huffed, narrowing her eyes at Andreas. “You’ll have to sleep with one eye open from now on, arsehole.”

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