By the time I took the few steps around him, I spotted half the house lingering around the kitchen like there was a literal race to get inside. Through the crowd, I heard Myrtle’s voice. Tenn flicked his wrist and the group slid apart like the Red Sea so he could slip inside. Myrtle hissed and then Tenn went flying back out of the kitchen with a grin and a shameless giggle as he rubbed the back of his head. Only Myrtle would be brave enough to smack him, even playfully, then again, grandmothers were like that. I knew she was many times removed from him, that her son was Tenn’s direct ancestor, but not for the first time I wondered where I fit in that bloodline.

A deep chuckle from my left made me glance over. My heart sank. Emersyn was back in her spot in front of the hearth. Her father and Bentley sat on either side of her, and I knew that was not a coincidence. Cooper stood close to his brother with Savannah leaning into him.

Bentley looked up and met my stare, then nodded his head toward the back. “Hey, Franks, can you check on the dogs out back?”

“You bet.” I gave him two thumbs-up, then hurried to the back door.

I pushed the back door open and found all six of the dogs lying on the grass in a circle around Saber. I frowned and glanced around. There was no one else out here, just her and the dogs. Something in the way she sat there with her knees pulled up to her chest gave me pause. I couldn’t see her face, her back was to the house, but I did see the way she gently swayed. I’d never seen even a hint of vulnerability from this woman, so this was jarring. She’d left in the middle of our battle to do something for Everest, but I had no idea what specifically, except that it had something to do with their armor.

Everest. Saber wasn’t just some woman or some vampire, she was Everest’s daughter. I had no idea how she’d managed to keep her emotions so controlled. Sure, the signs were there but only in hindsight. All the worrying glances and the way they communicated without speaking, that was a thousand years of father and daughter bonding. I’d promised Everest I’d keep their secret, and I would, however that didn’t apply to her. She had the right to know I knew the truth. And since she was my soulmate’s daughter, I wanted us to have a healthy relationship. We were going to be in each other’s lives, so we had to build something real.