“Along with his mate, Kieran,” Jackson said.
“The Shaman is there too? Holy fuck, my father is gonna be so gobsmacked that the head Shaman is visiting too.”
“Yeah…well, maybe you should just tell him my brother and his mate will visit,” Jackson said, chuckling. “Kieran is not exactly the run-of-the-mill shaman.”
“My father would never forgive me if I did that,” Heath replied. “Don’t worry, Kieran could turn up wearing nothing and my father would act like it’s perfectly normal.”
“Hmm…a true Alpha, huh?”
“One of the best, but my mate is still tops,” Heath said, smiling at the lust in Tristan’s eyes. But when Tristan bared his chest, he unsuccessfully fought back a whimper and murmured, “Got to go…talk later.”
Chuckling, Jackson ended the call and turned his attention back to Logan’s email. Satisfied with Heath’s answer, he would tell his brother to go ahead and set up the meeting.
Chapter 11
Oracle stood outside the door, thinking for a moment about her assignment from the Fates before she knocked. She needed every bit of information she could get if there was any hope of success and that had led her to her friend, who knew more about that town than even the High Council did. But after what happened at their last meeting, she didn’t know if he’d be inclined to help her. When the door finally opened, Oracle smiled at the man who stood there and said, “Hello Frank, may I come in?”
Staring at Oracle, Frank remained silent, remembering the sting of her threat when all he was trying to do was protect her from a dangerous prisoner. And now that prisoner was living with them in the Blackwood Pack house, along with his grandpups. Jackson was a fool for believing Cain could change; he knew better. After all, it had never happened with any other prisoner before, human or paranormal.
“Frank? Who’s at the door?” Lizzie asked, sticking her head out of the sitting room, then smiling when she saw her friend. “Oracle! Come in, come in. Wait till you see the cute dresses I bought for Jessica. I was just removing the tags on them. I can’t believe how much fun I had shopping for them. There were so many to choose from, and I had such a hard time deciding. I never knew there were so many cute outfits for girls…of course, I never looked before because I had a boy, but oh my, it took me forever to go through them all.”
Frank stepped aside, but didn’t greet Oracle when she passed him on the way to the sitting room. Luckily, his wife didn’t notice his silence, but since Lizzie had insisted they stay at the packhouse while searching for a new home, he knew it wouldn’t be long before she did.
Following Lizzie into the sitting room, Oracle inwardly sighed at Frank’s cold shoulder. It was obvious he still hadn’t forgotten, but she couldn’t really blame him. Desperation had driven her to threaten to tell the Fates he’d refused to help her, but in hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do. Making a mental promise to herself to repair their friendship somehow, Oracle stopped beside Lizzie, staring at the dresses on the small table. “Oh my gods!” she smiled, picking up the top one and running her fingers around the ruffles at the neck and sleeves. “This is darling…I can picture Jessica in it along with white patent shoes.”
“I know…when I sent a picture of the dress to Kieran, asking for his opinion, he told me to buy it along with several colors of Mary Jane slippers for her.”
Nodding in agreement, Oracle murmured, “Kieran has impeccable taste.” After going through the dresses, she had to admit her friend was right about the cuteness of girls’ clothing. Like Lizzie, her attention had been only on boys’ clothes that would last at least until her sons outgrew them.
“I was only going to buy two because she’s growing so fast, but Kieran reminded me they could be passed down to Lili and Killi, so I bought six,” Lizzie said, fingering the soft fabric on the dress she held. “I also hired a photographer to take monthly pictures of Jessica and Jake.”
“That is a great idea,” Oracle said. “All the pups have grown so fast, especially Danny and Max.”
Nodding, Lizzie said, “I know…luckily, Cody kept taking pictures of the twins and I’ve saved copies of them on my phone. Whenwe find a home, I’ll have them framed and do a family picture wall. I saw one in a magazine and I knew I wanted one.”
“Have you viewed any potential houses yet?”
“No…Frank has an appointment with Ian later today and once he clears him medically, we’ll start looking, but I’m hoping we’ll find something close by,” Lizzie replied, smiling.
“I am sure you will find the perfect home,” Oracle murmured.
“Lizzie, are you still going to babysit the twins this morning?” Frank called out from the other room.
Looking at her watch, Lizzie’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, yes, I am. Sorry, Oracle, I have to go. I promised Cody I’d take care of the twins this morning so he could get the laundry done.”
“Make sure you take the dresses with you,” Oracle said. “I am sure Jessica will love them.”
“That’s a great idea,” Lizzie said, gathering up the clothes. “I’ll send you some pictures of her in them.” Leaving the sitting room, she headed for Frank, who was holding the suite’s door open for her.
“Give our grandpups a kiss and hug from me,” Frank murmured, before kissing Lizzie’s cheek and giving her a quick hug. Then, keeping the door open, he looked at Oracle, waiting for her to leave as well. He was in no mood to listen to more explanations, but when she remained still, he shut the door. He ignored her, striding to the window, signaling that she wasn’t welcome.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Oracle sighed, realizing his anger over her part in freeing Cain Foster was still there. She walked over to Frank, stopping a few feet behind him, and said softly, “I wish I could tell you why there is no reason to fear Cain’spresence here, but unfortunately, I cannot. But I urge you to speak to Jackson about your concerns…”
“My concerns?” Frank growled. “You make it sound like they aren’t anything more than some minor issues.”
“I do not think that…”
“No? Well, your actions show otherwise. You had the right to refuse any assignment the Fates give you and yet you didn’t,” Frank snapped. “Even after knowing you would be responsible for putting a dangerous human into the pack where my grandpups are…where your grandpups are.”