Page 24 of Fangs for the Help
The others murmured their agreement. They stood like that until Cassi’s phone beeped, reminding Reed this was only meant to be a quick trip to Cassi’s place to pick up more items before heading to her parents' house.
With a sniff and a smile, he pulled out of the embrace, put his hands on his hips and looked around the apartment. “We got places to be, people. Let’s figure out what we’re packin’.”
Chapter 10
Although he always made an effort not to bump into things, Idris concentrated more than usual as he entered the Miller house. It was a nice sized place with tall ceilings, which meant he only needed to duck through doorways, although he didn’t notice a chandelier in the living room he needed to avoid.
Everyone thought it was so amazing being this tall, but the truth was the world wasn’t designed for him, and he was reminded of that fact every time he hit his head on something.
“Mom, Dad, this is Idris, Silas, and Reed,” Cassi said, pointing to each of them as she said their names. “We’re all mated now.”
Idris had no idea what to expect from Cassi’s parents, but giant welcoming smiles seemed like a surprising reaction. Shouldn’t they be upset?
Oh wait, they didn’t know what the men were!
“I’m a gargoyle,” Idris said, then winced. He should’ve probably been more delicate about the announcement, and he hadn’t even greeted them yet. “And, um, hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
Cassi’s mom nodded. “I’m Nanc, a human. It’s nice to meet you too. Is there anything special you need?”
“I have some nice rocks in the backyard,” Cassi’s father offered. “If you want a snack.”
Reed snickered, and Cassi shook her head. “He doesn’t eat rocks, Dad!” She stepped back and pulled Idris to the front. “Idris, this is my dad, you can call him Jed.”
Idris held out his hand, and Jed didn’t hesitate to shake it. “Nice to meet you, even if you turned down my rocks,” Jed said with a wink. That’s when Idris realized Jed had been teasing him the whole time.
“I’m sorry I don’t eat rocks, but Reed might be hungry. Do you have a pet cat to offer him?”
Jed burst out laughing. “Cat! Because he’s a wolf shifter! Good one Idris!”
Nanc rolled her eyes and addressed all of them. “Officer Chavez came back for most of the day and only left a little while ago. He explained that Silas was the reason Andromeda was rescued. He told us all about vampires and their flocks and helped us understand the relationship dynamic. We’re so happy that Cassiopeia found her soul mates!”
“That makes two of our daughters with soul mates,” Jed said proudly.
“Two?” Idris asked, looking down at Cassi.
“My older sister Carina mated with a harpy last year, that’s how I knew about vampires and stuff,” Cassi explained.
The pieces fell into place. Having a sister recently mated to a harpy explained why her parents were so happy. There was nothing as protective of a human partner than a preternatural with a soul bond.
He’d never say this out loud, but he’d be forever thankful that Andi was too loyal to leave the cult when her friend was lockedin the basement. Without that, Cassi wouldn’t have needed to rescue her. They might never have met their bold human.
A young woman standing at the top of the nearby stairs caught his eye. She was thin to the point of being gaunt. Her eyes were bouncing from him to Silas to Reed. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood and there was a haunted look in her eyes. This had to be Andi.
Standing behind her was a woman with Cassi’s eyes and Andi’s hair color. Idris guessed this was the oldest sister.
Unsure if he should greet her or let her decide if she wanted to be seen or not, he dropped his gaze to Nanc and tried to catch up on the conversation he’d missed.
“That’s a kind offer, Silas, but with the cult leader in jail, we all feel perfectly safe staying in our home,” Nanc said with a smile. “If anything changes, I promise to let you know.”
“Please do,” Silas agreed. “You’re precious to our Cassi so you’re important to us also. My home has plenty of room, and I can assure you that your presence would pose no burden.”
“We actually live in a castle,” Reed said with relish as he edged up behind Cassi and snuggled against her back. “But it’s not haunted or anything.”
“That’s too bad,” Jed said with an exaggerated sigh. “Meeting ghosts sounds like fun.”
“Not always,” Silas said, deadpan. “Sometimes they can be rather troublesome and murder guests in their sleep.”
Jed turned wide-eyed. Silas let one corner of his mouth curve up, and Jed started laughing.
