Sin & Surrender (Demigod of San Francisco #6)(4)

“We’re not in danger,” I said, swallowing down the lump in my throat. “I was just thinking about the future.”

“Everything is going to be fine.” His deep voice trickled through my anxiety, soothing me. “Not as many people die at the Summit as everyone seems to think. It’s really just the weak who get picked off. We don’t have any of those. There is nothing to worry about.”

Another wave of fear washed through me. As a teen who lacked magic, Daisy would surely be targeted as one of the weak ones. It would be clear to everyone that she was an outcast, and more, that she didn’t belong.

“Maybe we should leave Daisy behind,” I murmured, turning away from her.

“I’m going,” Daisy said.

“She doesn’t belong there. She doesn’t have the tools to properly defend herself,” I continued.

“I’m going,” she repeated. “I have the paperwork and enough money to get myself there if you try to leave me behind. I’m part of this family too. I—”

“If we leave her behind, she won’t be acknowledged as one of my house,” Kieran said. We pulled up in front of our house, completely renovated since Valens had lived there. “She needs to be officially recognized as a special case and allowed in the magical areas, and for that, she has to show up in person. I know it’s hard to accept, but our hands are tied on this one.”

We’d had this conversation a few times already. I’d spoken about it with Zorn and Amber too, and with Daisy many, many times. I knew they were all right, but damned if I didn’t want to find a way around it.

“It’ll be okay,” Kieran said softly as I climbed out of the limo, and I knew he was reacting to my emotions again. “We’ve planned for this. We’re preparing her. Zorn says she is exceptional for her age, magical or not, and passable competition for an adult magical fighting person. She can handle her own already, but she won’t have to, okay? One of my people will be with her at all times.”

I nodded as Bria pushed open the front door and stood back. The two enormous cats, which had thankfully stopped growing, met me at the door. They were as big as Great Danes, their heads to my waist, and just as sturdy. Also somehow magical. Harding, the (dead) Spirit Walker who was training me, pleaded ignorance as to how they’d gotten some spirit-type powers, but I knew he must’ve done something. These snow-white devils were in no way the offspring of two normal, non-magical cats.

Chaos, the male cat, with his luminous green eyes, rubbed against my leg in greeting. I staggered to the side. He hadn’t yet figured out his own strength. Havoc, the female, purred softly, sitting in the middle of the entryway so I’d have no choice but to greet her or go around. She slowly blinked her bronze eyes, burning brightly with intelligence.

No, they were not ordinary cats. Not by a long shot. They’d helped us battle Demigod Lydia, who, last I heard, still had nasty scars from Chaos’s claws.

“Okay,” I said into the phone as I dropped my hand to rub Havoc’s head. Only then did she move out of the way.

Kieran stepped into the hallway as I approached the living room overlooking the ocean. I dropped the phone from my ear, my chest tightening. He always did this to me. It didn’t matter if I hadn’t seen him for a day or an hour, when we reconnected, my heart surged.

He stood framed by the hallway, his shoulders broad and body corded with muscle, cinching down into trim hips. A plain white T-shirt hugged his defined chest and faded blue jeans adorned his powerful legs. Shiny black dress shoes looked out of place, and I knew he must’ve just finished a fitting. His stormy blue eyes regarded me, supportive and understanding, from his incredibly handsome face.

I focused on his full, shapely lips, and when I neared him, I slipped my phone into my pocket and hooked my arms around his neck.

“Hi,” I said, my voice breathy, pushing my body against his.

“Hey.” He brushed my lips with his. “I will protect you and the kids, Alexis. I’ve been planning for it. I won’t let anything happen to you. My job is just that—a job. You are my family. I will always choose you first.”

I tasted his sweet lips and soaked in his heat. “I just spend a lot of time worrying these days, that’s all.”

“I know,” he whispered. “We all have our doubts. Sometimes the scariest thing is the unknown.” He kissed me again, languid and sensual, before stepping back and taking my hand. He walked me to the living room. “How’d the fitting go? Did you like what she came up with?”

I grimaced. “Daisy fired her.”

A grin pulled at Kieran’s lips. “Oh?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Aubri already called you, didn’t she?”

His grin turned into a gleaming smile. “She called my assistant, yes. I haven’t returned her call yet, but I got the gist of the problem.”

I tried to step toward the couch and ran into Chaos, who always seemed to be in the way. He was much slower than his sister, who tended to pick a position that would give her a good view of the entire room. If Chaos was the brawn of the operation, Havoc was clearly the brains.

“Move.” I shoved him with my knee, and he jumped into the air, not unlike a normal cat. With a mewrr sound, he darted toward the far doorway and into the next room. His tail thwapped a vase on the way. Porcelain clicked on the glass tabletop as it rocked, threatening to fall over. “He’s a menace,” I said, sinking onto the couch. “Two kids, and now two cats? This house is turning into a zoo!”