Grace

"Grace! Thank the sweet baby Jesus you're ok! What the hell happened to you!? I've been worried sick!" Gavin snaps at me as I close the distance between us. He pulls me into a firm hug and I feel Owen's annoyance from our bond. I pull away gently from Gavin and take a step back towards Owen.

"How in the hell did you find me?" I ask and he shrugs.

"I put a tracker on your phone." He explains and my mouth gapes in surprise.

"You put a tracker on my phone?!" I ask incredulously and he nods.

"Of course I did. You're a hot, young single woman living in Seattle. It's Ted Bundy town. I was worried about you. Then the last I heard from you, you said you were thinking about staying and then went radio silent for days. What else was I supposed to do?" He asks, his voice dripping with frustration. His eyes wander around the pack for a moment before he looks back at me.

"Not that I can blame you for staying. Holy hell did I somehow stumble onto a photo shoot for an underwear ad? All of these men are freaking gorgeous." He mutters to me. He looks behind me and winks at someone. I turn my head to see Liam standing stock still and staring at him. I give Owen a confused look and his eyes glaze over in a mind link.

"How'd you even get up here in that tiny car?" I ask and Gavin scoffs.

"Don't talk about Estelle like that. She can get me anywhere." He says and I roll my eyes.

He is Liam's mate. I hear Owen's voice float through my head.

I look back at him in shock and he shrugs at me.

"Well, fuck." I murmur and Gavin gasps.

"Well, excuse me for climbing up this ridiculous mountain to save your ass from what I thought was a cult holding you hostage. You could be a little more grateful, Grace." I sigh and massage my temples before giving Gavin a apologetic look.

"Thank you, Gavin. You're a good friend." I say softly, reaching out to grip his hand. I hear a little grumble from Liam and send him a firm look to quiet him. Gavin watches the exchange curiously and I pull him towards the house.

What do we do about this? I ask Owen in our link.

We'll need to tell him the truth. With him being Liam's mate he will want him to stay. Owen responds and I let out a heavy sigh.

"Give Tony your keys. He'll move your car. We need to talk." I say and Gavin chuckles.

"Are you breaking up with me?" He asks and I roll my eyes.

"No. But you're about to have your mind blown." I say and he watches me nervously.

"Is this really a cult?" He whispers and I snort out a laugh.

"Ummmm... No. Not exactly." I say, pushing him into one of the chairs on our porch. Owen pulls Liam into the house to give us some privacy as I try to explain this new development to my friend.

"Grace, are we in danger?" He asks, all traces of humor gone from his face.

"No, Gavin. We are not in any danger." I tell him firmly and he nods, relaxing into his chair. I take a deep breath as he watches me expectantly.

"Gavin. I'm a witch." I say gently and he lets out a loud laugh.

"Um, Ok? What? You dance around naked in the woods under a full moon? That's cool, no judgement here." He says with a smile. I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"No." I say and he eyes me suspiciously for a moment.

"Well, what kind of witch are you?" He asks.

I make a small ball of light in my hand and show it to him. He screeches and jumps from his chair, falling over backwards on top of it before groaning in pain. Liam bursts out of the house, eyeing the situation before snarling at me.

"Calm down, Liam. It was an accident." I tell him firmly and he walks to Gavin, grabbing his arm and helping to lift him onto his feet. Their eyes lock and they both still, staring at each other for a few tense moments.

"Are you ok?" Liam asks and Gavin swallows audibly.

"Yes, thank you..."

"Liam." He says with a little smile.

"I'm Gavin."

"Nice to meet you." Liam says and I can't help but smile at how cute they are.

"Did you know Grace is a sorceress?!" Gavin yells as Liam chuckles, making Gavin shudder.

"Yes. I know she's a witch." Liam says and Gavin nods, looking back at me.

"Anything else I should know?" He asks, eyeing me warily. I look at Liam for direction, but he shakes his head at me.

"Not right now. Let's get you some food and we can talk more tomorrow." I offer, pulling Gavin into the house. He looks around curiously, following me into the kitchen where Owen is sitting on his laptop. I pull out some food and start to make some lunch while Gavin sits and watches.

"What, you can't just snap your fingers and have lunch appear?" He asks, a tint of sass to his tone that has Owen giving him a sharp look, but I just chuckle.

"This isn't Hogwarts." I respond with sass of my own. "I suppose I could, but using magic like that has consequences." I say and he eyes me curiously.

"What kind of magic do you use then?" He asks, looking embarrassed by his question.

"Healing charms mostly." I say and his eyes widen.

"At work?" He asks and I nod.

"Sarah?" He asks and I nod again, referencing a burn victim we had lost.

"I tried." I say, my voice thick with emotion. His eyes go wide with sadness and he stands to pull me into a hug. A few stray tears track down my face and he pats my back soothingly.

"We all tried, sugar." He says quietly and I nod. Sarah was a hard loss for all of us. I take a deep breath and clear my throat as Gavin helps finish up lunch.

"Where'd that fine beast of a man go?" Gavin asks, looking around the room.

"Who?" Owen asks and I smile at him.

"Liam." I say and Owen barks out a laugh.

"Did someone say my name?" Liam asks as he walks through the door and Gavin lets out a small groan. After realzing what he did his face flames in a blush that is extremely uncharacteristic of him.

"We made lunch." I say with a bright smile as Liam pulls up a chair next to Gavin.

"So, sugar. What's going on? Are you staying here? Because work has been a hot mess without you." Gavin says sternly and I shrug.

"Yes, I'm staying here. I know it probably sounds crazy but, this is where I belong. And I love it here." I say, sitting on Owen's lap. He kisses my temple affectionately as I burrow myself into his chest, his warm arms wrapping securely around me. Gavin watches with a hint of envy on his face, but nods in understanding.

"Well, I suppose I should head back then." Gavin says and Liam's eyes widen in panic.

"No!" He shouts and Gavin eyes him curiously.

"And why not?" Gavin asks and Liam looks at me desperately for help.

"Why don't you stay for a day or two. Maybe you'd like it here too." I say with a shrug and Gavin looks at me curiously.

"Really? I can stay?" He asks and all three of us nod.

"Of course. We have plenty of room. And there are some other things I have to tell you, once you've settled in a little." I say and Gavin scoffs.

"Like what. You grow extra limbs too?" He asks and I snort out a laugh.

"No. No growing extra body parts. Well... not me at least." I say with a teasing tone, my eyes moving over to Owen who smiles back and pinches my hip gently. I smack his chest playfully and he laughs before burying his face in my neck and breathing me in.

"I don't have any clothes, though." Gavin points out and Liam is quick to interject.

"You can borrow some of mine." He says and Gavin eyes Liam up and down.

"I don't think we're the same size, stud." He waves his hand at Liam's large frame, currently clad in jeans and a red plaid shirt. "Over here lookin like a lumbersnack." Gavin mutters and Liam cackles out a laugh.

"We'll make do, come on." He grabs Gavin's hand and pulls him towards the door. "You can sleep on my side of the house. Trust me you don't want to be in ear shot of Owen and Grace's room." He says and Gavin's face pinches in distaste.

"You're right. Lead the way, handsome." Gavin coos and I see Liam blush as they disappear through the door. Owen chuckles at them before looking at me.

"I wasn't expecting that." He says.

"His mate to be a human? Or a man?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Both." He admits and I narrow my eyes at him a little.

"Does it bother you?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"No. Not at all. Just a surprise. It doesn't happen often. You think he will handle the news ok?" He asks and I sigh.

"Gavin has always been a little dramatic, but I also know he's wanted to find his person for a long time. I think it will be a good thing. I really do." I say firmly and Owen nods before leaning in to peck my lips.

"I hope you're right, love." He murmurs worriedly.