rogue shifter 06 - torn apart by gayle parness Read Free Book Online

she needed energy. Because she was my spirit familiar, I was her main source, so I took her hand and transferred my magic into her slim body, sending it out in a slow stream the way Isaiah had shown me. When she solidified again, she smiled. "Thank you, sister."
    "Visit your family again, Marie. Take a break."
    "I would like to see them."
    "Then go, and thank you for your advice and your help."
    "Your grandmother's allows Bridgett to kill in her name. Please be careful." We hugged and she left, fading away without the more spectacular shimmer of the fae or demon races.
    An hour later, I was busy helping Liam make dip and hors d'oeuvres for the party. Garrett surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer.
    "Guess what I dreamt about?" His warm breath tickled my neck.
    I ran my fingers through his hair, leaning back so I could see his face. "I hope it was the same thing I dreamt about. However, we have a party to prepare for, so plus tard to you."
    He chuckled with that deep vibration that had my body shivering almost instantly. "Oui, Madame Cuvier. Plus tard. J'attends votre plaisir. I await your pleasure . He still enjoyed sending me translations, and I loved getting them, especially that kind.
    "Ooh, that's a good one." I spun in his arms and kissed him, keeping it PG-rated since there were kids in the house.
    "Your guests will be arriving in two hours and these things don't cook themselves." Liam teased us.
    "Liam, we all know that with a snap of your fingers the appetizers would be done and tasting delicious."
    "Yes, but then you wouldn't learn how to make them and I'd miss out on the fun of teaching you."
    "I'm never going to need to know how to do this."
    Garrett grinned. "Oh I don't know. What if I decide to take you to a cabin in the woods or a private island in the Caribbean. Someone would have to cook for you and Charlie."
    " You can barbeque the fish you catch or the meat we kill when we hunt. Charlie will help me made a salad." I looked down at the tray. "We won't be eating mini quiches or canapés."
    We smiled at each other, fantasizing about a trip away from the craziness. The reality was that we'd never be able to just take off. Charlie had to be guarded 24/7 because the Faerie Queen and archdemon wanted him dead, or at least under their control. Garrett and I weren't powerful enough to take on the responsibility of protecting him on our own so we stayed where we were, keeping our son safe by surrounding him with guards and magical wards.
    I hugged him a little closer and sighed. There was nowhere I felt happier than in my lifemate's arms, but if Liam wasn't going to use his fae magic to make party food, then I was stuck helping.
    "I must get back to work, Monsieur Cuvier. Why don't you peek in on your son, who managed to weasel the guitar out of me so he could learn to play a song for you."
    "I'll get my instrument and give him his first lesson. I have a bongo Jay can use."
    "Perfect." He kissed me sweetly on the cheek, winked and left the kitchen, moving away with the perfect grace of a master vampire/cheetah combination.
    I think Liam took pity on me and did most of the work magically while my back was turned, because it only took another twenty minutes to finish. The main courses were already done and stored in the fridge at the vamp villa, where they could be heated up quickly. The party would be over there, since that house had an enormous back yard, aka soccer field, which was wired to light up at night. We'd set up casual seating areas in the adjacent garden and a large buffet table and a bar, figuring people could just help themselves to food and sit wherever they were comfortable. The evening was predicted to be exceptionally beautiful, never a sure thing in Crescent City, California.
    I'd been suspicious at first, but Liam had sworn to me that no fae had manipulated the weather. Even though I'd sensed a teasing note in his disclaimer, I wasn't about to ask for a rainstorm