15
1135 Words
Evening rolled around quickly, and Addison was worn out by the time she was able to sit down after settling everyone. But at least all were comfortable now and felt more at ease.
After putting Cassia to bed in a room down the hall from her own, Addison debated just flopping straight into bed. Then she remembered that she and her sisters had scheduled a call for tonight. She didn’t want to miss out on that, especially since they didn’t get to talk as much as they were used to. Addison checked her phone and saw she was already a little late to their call.
She set up her laptop on her makeup table and jumped into the conference call. The images of her sisters popped up on screen, and their faces lit up with joy.
“Addison!”
“There you are!”
“Well, well, well, look who decided to show up.”
Addison snorted. “Hey. How’s everyone doing?”
Taryn, the second youngest, shrugged. “Can’t complain. Everything’s been pretty peaceful here right now. Thank goodness, I needed a break from all the craziness.”
“I hear you on that one,” Lexi, the youngest of them all, put in. “But I wouldn’t say everything’s been too peaceful. That would just be dull. Like the other day when I …”
Addison tried to listen to her sister’s story, but a sudden pang of longing hit her. She missed those nights when they were young and would sneak into each other’s rooms to gossip all night. Or when they’d play pretend together and make up the most outrageous stories. Now, they had to travel to see one another or settle for a call.
“Addison, are you all right?” Madison’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. Addison sighed. Leave it to her twin to pick up on her sudden mood change.
She decided to tell them what was going on. They’d probably hear about it anyway eventually. And they’d be furious about hearing it secondhand instead of directly from her.
“Someone is hiring rogue shifters to attack our villages,” she told them.
There were varying mutters of shock. Time for the kicker.
“And on top of that, someone’s put a bounty on me.”
There was stunned silence for a moment, and then they were all talking at once.
“What!”
“Were you attacked?”
“Who put a bounty on you?”
“Are you okay?”
“Since when!”
Addison put her hands up in an attempt to calm them down. “Whoa, hold on there. Let me take those questions one at a time. Thank you. Yes, I was attacked once. We don’t know who put the bounty out, only that it’s enough to have a bunch of rogues after me. Yes, I’m okay, just a little scraped up. Tyler was there and shifted into wolf form to handle it. Then, he and his shifters hunted down the pack behind it. And I only found out about the bounty today, so I promise I haven’t been keeping this from you.”
Her sisters only looked a little more relaxed.
Lexi snorted. “Who knew our lives would only become more complicated once we moved out? I always thought the worst thing I’d have to deal with is bullying about being half-human.”
Addison would have hugged her little sister if she’d been there in person. Leave it to Lexi to break the tension.
“No kidding,” Taryn put in. “What can we do to help?”
Addison smiled at them. “Distract me. Tell me everything that’s been going on in all of your lives. I’ve missed you all so much.”
Lexi and Taryn immediately started telling her all about the people they’d met and the things they’d been doing. They told her about how their mates were faring and silly little stories of things that had been happening.
Madison, though, was quiet. Addison knew her twin wasn’t about to just let this conversation go. And really, if their roles had been switched, neither would Addison.
It was just the special bond between twins that couldn’t be explained. Not that she didn’t have a strong bond with her other two sisters. Of course she did. But she and Madison had always been at each other’s side since the very beginning.
A creak of her door had Addison jumping in her seat, whipping around to see who was there. Peaking in shyly was Cassia. “Addison, I’m sorry to bother you, but I got scared. Can I sit with you for a little bit?”
Addison’s heart melted, and she held an arm out to the girl. “Of course, sweetheart. Come here. I’m just talking to my sisters.”
Cassia immediately rushed over to her and snuggled into her lap. There were gasps and coos from her sister.
“Aww, who’s this?” Taryn asked.
Addison beamed. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Cassia. I’ve decided to take her in.”
“Hi, Cassia.”
“Oh, my gosh, she’s so precious.”
“We are going to have to visit soon.”
“Congratulations.”
Cassia ducked her head at the attention but still waved meekly back to them.
“Addison, maybe the two of you should come to stay with me for a little while,” Madison urged her gently. “Or with our parents, or Taryn or Lexi. Just get away from there until all this blows over.”
She’d been wondering when her twin would finally voice her thoughts aloud.
“I know you’re worried about me, but I can’t leave. I won’t leave,” she amended. “We saved a bunch of women and children from the rogue camp, and I won’t abandon them. I need to see this through and keep them all safe.”
Madison sighed. “You’ve always been too stubborn for your own good.”
Addison barked out a laugh. “Please, that goes for all of us.”
They all laughed at that one. The rest of the call was more lighthearted, and after about an hour, they all said their goodnights to each other.
Addison noticed Cassia was barely awake in her lap.
“Come on. Let’s get you to bed, little one.”
Cassia made half-hearted protests but was clearly too sleepy to put up a real fight. Addison carried her into the room. She gazed lovingly at her new charge and smoothed the girl’s hair.
She crept quietly out of the room when Cassia’s eyes seemed to have drifted shut for the night. Then, she made her way toward the king’s chambers. She needed to find Tyler and talk with him.
- Writer
