As Dad and I approached, Theory was chuckling right alongside Mom. I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever they were chatting about had something to do with me. My eyes darted between them, noting that their laughter renewed itself when they saw me coming. I furrowed my brow, “What have you two been giggling about?”

Theory collected himself first, since my question seemed to spur Mom’s laughter even further. Theory smiled at me so brightly that I could feel my irritation fading away. He waved me closer, and I found myself dropping my dad’s arm to step into Theory’s. His arm draped across my shoulders as he began to answer my question, “So, Mrs. Bellamy was just telling me a story from when you were little-”

“Oh my gods, Mom!” I shook my head, covering my eyes with my hands. I peeked between my fingers, braced myself, and half-heartedly whined, “Which one?”

“Just a little story about you and a tree. Why are you hiding your face? It was cute!” Theory hugged me closer, placing his chin on top of my head. He gestured to my mom, “We were at the part where you realized you made it to the top of the tree after the bird you were trying to befriend flew away… When you began hugging the tree for dear life and- pft- ahem, and began cussing out the bird at the top of your lungs for not accepting your friendship, rather than calling for help.”

“I did not cuss out the bird! I just said it was a racist and a bigot.” I dropped my hands, protesting at how the story made me sound hateful. My parents and Theory all paused to look at my offended expression before they erupted in laughter. I covered my face again, my embarrassment evident in the rise of my body heat. Theory, still laughing, drew me into him for a full hug. His laughter tickled my scalp. 

I was grateful because I could hide my face and hands in his embrace. I inhaled deeply; my nose filled with a comforting aroma like oakmoss, bergamot, and a hint of jasmine. It was a damp, earthy scent, like just before or after a storm. Being from Louisiana and as someone who loves the rain, that scent was more familiar and soothing than anything else. I inhaled again, uncovering my face. His laughter faltered as I rested my hands and forehead against his broad chest. My eyes fluttered as I breathed him in. How could someone smell so good? 

“Juniper?” Theory called. My eyes flew open at the sound of his voice. I broke from my trance as Theory leaned back to look down at me. Oh god, he didn’t notice my sniffing him, did he? What the hell is up with me today? Okay, play it cool. Maybe he didn’t notice.

“What’s up?” I tilted my head at him, trying not to give anything away.

“I was just checking on you… You got really still and were leaning on me a bit more than before. It seemed like you were breathing fine, but I guess I’m still on edge from you almost passing out earlier.” His lip quirked up as he gazed down at me, using his left hand to tuck a loose curl behind my ear, and he teased, “Is the princess getting sleepy?”

I rolled my eyes at him and, using his loosened grip as an opportunity, nestled back into his side so that I didn’t have to face him. “I’m not a child, and I’m NOT sleepy.”

Theory chuckled, but I ignored him. Instead, my attention was caught by my parents sharing yet another secretive look. My brows came together as I studied their interaction. Are they actually communicating telepathically? My eyes flitted between their faces, and I could see their expressions shifting slightly. 

They’d done this before, anytime they needed to appear as a united front when I proposed some far-fetched idea to test the limits of my autonomy. As fated mates, especially as two witches gifted in Hedge magic, my parents could carry out conversations in their minds. Of course, other species have similar abilities. One example is Alexandria Corvus’ telepathic vampire ability, which was used earlier, allowing her to project her thoughts to any species. Though her abilities were that strong due to an untold number of years spent honing that skill. Shifters can mind-link with their packs and their mates. The difference between mind-links and telepathy is that mind-links are permanent and continuous, only being affected by proximity and willpower. Basically, if they travel far from their pack or close off their mind to one or more people, that connection will be blocked until either they return to their pack or reopen their mind.

I wondered what they could be discussing before I felt Theory’s body go rigid. I snapped my head up and examined his face. His eyes were tracking something, or someone, through the crowd. His handsome smile was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his jaw was clenching and unclenching. I felt the urge to console and comfort him in any way that I could. Following my instincts, I placed my hand on his chest. At the small gesture, his body relaxed slightly. 

Though his eyes remained locked on their target, he spoke, “It appears my father sent someone to look for me since I hadn’t returned for some time.”

“Has the prince been skipping out on his royal duties?” I joked, trying to dissipate the remaining tension that seemed to weigh him down. 

“You could say that.” Theory huffed. His gaze dropped to mine. Unlike the mischief, amusement, and intensity that had been there earlier, now his eyes seemed to be filled with conflicting emotions. 

“Do you have to go?” My question sounded more desperate and whinier than I had intended.

Theory’s eyebrows came together as his eyes darted from my face to whoever was heading our way. It seemed like he was struggling even more than he had been. He stared into my eyes, searching for something, before sighing. He looked from me to my parents and asked, “Would you like me to introduce you to my father? I split off from him earlier, much like Juniper, and he’s sent someone for me. I’ve enjoyed being in your company, so I wanted to extend the offer and our time together.”

Mom nodded at Dad with a gentle smile before replying, “We would love nothing more than to meet your father. You are such a thoughtful young man.”

“Of course! If he’s anything like you, I’m sure we’ll get along!” I smiled up at Theory, sliding my thumb back and forth on his chest slowly to soothe him. At my words, a somewhat pained look flickered across his face before a small smile replaced it. Theory’s hand dropped from my shoulder to my waist and pulled me flush against him. He turned his head, and my eyes followed. 

A dark-haired beauty came into view. She was tall, with lean muscles that were accentuated in her sleeveless, golden dress. Two wide slits in each side of her gown revealed her toned calves and thighs. She was what I would describe as a muscle mommy. Runic tattoos decorated her flawless skin.

“Theo, why did you shut down the mind-link? We’ve been looking all over for you…” She paused as she took in Theory’s increasingly possessive grip on me. As she looked me up and down, I was trying to make sense of Theory’s reaction to her. He seemed to bristle the closer she got to us. For a guy who seemed so laid back and playful, it felt odd for him to have such a negative reaction. He didn’t even seem this worked up when my dad was heading our way.

“I was busy socializing. That’s what we’re here for. To mingle.” His words came out clipped. Unconsciously, I nuzzled against him. At my movement, her eyes shot to me and back at him. Recognition dawned on her face; she lifted her hands in a pacifying motion and took a small step backward. This gesture seemed to work because Theory relaxed and let out a breath. “Lead the way, we’ll follow.”

The woman huffed, then promptly turned on her heel and began leading us through the crowd toward the southern side of the hall, where most attendees were gathered in various clusters. Feeling my uneasiness returning as we ventured through to the heart of the masses, I swiped two wine glasses as we passed a waiter. Theory raised an eyebrow at me double-fisting wine. I shrugged and extended one of the glasses to him, “Better tipsy than tense.”

He shook his head, but I saw a smile tug at his mouth before he took the glass in his free hand and continued guiding me by the waist. I sipped the wine as we went, hoping that his earlier internal conflict wasn’t foreshadowing anything too uncomfortable. I didn’t regret following him, especially since my parents were joining us as well. If anything, I would have been worried about him if he had decided to go alone. It bothered me that there was something that could bother him. 

The woman began to slow as we reached a crowd of people surrounding a huge man. He was close to 7 feet tall, but unlike Theory, this man’s suit could barely contain his muscular build. If Theory was massive, this man was a brick house. The group’s conversation stalled as we approached, and several sets of eyes slid our way. The man met muscle mommy’s gaze, and displeasure flickered across his face momentarily. I assumed they were communicating via mind-link. Shocking blue eyes locked first onto Theory, and then onto me. The man’s short, dark chocolate hair was neatly swept back. His large hand thoughtfully stroked his neat, full beard and mustache as we integrated ourselves into the cluster.

“Theory, my boy! I thought you had snuck away from the ball again, like you have every other year you’ve attended.” The man’s laughter boomed. “It seems that this year, you found something more interesting than your own company. Interesting enough to make even you willing to set foot on the dance floor.”

“You are right, Father. I was on my way to slip out unnoticed when I happened across the most captivating wallflower. Because of her, I stuck it out much longer than I usually do.” Theory clinked his glass against mine. Unable to act like I was unaffected by his public praise, I sipped my wine to hide my blushing face. The way his father spoke of him irked me, but Theory seemed adept at dealing with his snide remarks. “I would like to introduce you to this lovely lady and her parents, whom I had the pleasure of getting to know before Maxine located me. This is Juniper Lenore Bellamy, the Maiden of Louisiana’s Fleur-de-lis Coven. This is her mother, Mona Bellamy, the future Crone, and her father, Azlanii Bellamy, one of the High Priests of their coven.”

Theory released me long enough to hold my drink, allowing me to curtsey, and then he introduced my parents. Once Theory finished, his hand found its way back to my waist. I took another swig of wine to push away the weird tension I felt. Maxine stood rigid off to his father’s side, seeming like she would rather be anywhere else. I noticed her eyeing a group of attractive young men in the distance.

“Nice to meet you all. My name is Wyatt Torben. I am the Ursus of the Central Western American tribe of brown bears. I believe I had encountered both Azlanii and Mona Bellamy, however briefly, in years past.” Wyatt offered my dad his hand. He paid more attention to my father, and while it rubbed me the wrong way, I chalked it up to cultural differences. Our coven was matriarchal, but other covens and species have their own way of doing things.

“Yes, we met in passing a few times over the years. There are always so many events to attend, people to greet, and so little time. We are glad that circumstances have allowed us to cross paths once more.” Mom’s cheery voice somewhat thawed the awkward atmosphere. 

 “Yes… Glad, indeed. But you just debuted, did you not, Miss Juniper?” Wyatt’s gaze was piercing. Everything he said seemed friendly enough, but there was an oppressive air leaking from him. Theory pressed against me, and with his support, I could look his father in the eye. 

“Yes, sir. Although I've only just debuted, I’m 26 years old. I had petitioned my coven to allow me to attend and graduate from a university before participating in my coming-of-age ceremony. I recently graduated with high marks, completed my ceremony, and was appointed as our coven’s Maiden, which is why I was lucky enough to be here with all of you today.” I kept my head held high. When I felt a reassuring squeeze from Theory, my eyes drifted dreamily to Theory’s beautiful, stormy eyes. I smiled up at him as he shot me a wink. I began to relax. The introductions hadn’t gone so badly after all.