“No more work,” Chiara said sternly. “At least, not until you’ve taken a long, relaxing vacation. You deserve one.”
Jared smiled at her, then looked at his parents who were eyeing his mansion with obvious approval.
He’d built it for the family he’d dreamed of having. Not for a single griffin shifter who spent all of his days caught up in council business.
But for once in his life, he’d been right to dream big.
He hadn’t just found his mate, but also his parents. There’d be lots of space for them to come visit whenever they wanted. And of course, there’d be lots of space that would hopefully one day be filled by tiny little griffins running havoc through the house and keeping them busier than the council ever had.
“It’s a beautiful house,” his father said, giving him a nod. “Good work. That’s been built to last. That’s what’s most important—good foundations. You can remodel the inside as often as you want—but if the walls and the roof are good, that’s something that’ll last for generations.”
Not just children—but grandchildren, one day.
Jared felt his heart soar as he imagined what it would be like to watch their own grandchildren explore the garden and listen to their tales of exciting adventures.
He turned back to Chiara, who was looking at the garden as well. She was smiling, too—but there was something wistful in her expression.
Her dad, he realized. She’s missing her dad.
They’d fix that, too. He’d apologize to her dad himself, if that’s what it took. Surely no parent who loved their child would let something like the existence of shifters come between them. Especially since Jared could prove that shifters were real. He’d take her dad for a flight on his own back, if he had to.
“Any news from your dad yet?” he asked softly.
Chiara pulled out her phone to check for new messages, then shook her head. For a moment, her smile faltered.
But then she turned to look at the house once more. Jared watched her take a deep breath and then straighten her shoulders.
“He’ll come around,” she said. “And for now, I want a tour of your home. After all, this is my first real shifter town!”
Chapter Twenty-Five: Chiara
Chiara didn’t know what she’d expected.
Sky Home had been strange and mysterious—a complex of caves at the top of a mountain, hidden above the clouds. No humans knew that it existed. No planes had ever come close, thanks to whatever magical protections the chimera had put into place.
It was an unsettling place, but it hadn’t scared her. Still, it hadn’t been a home.
Mountain View, on the other hand, was almost unsettlingly normal.
The small town consisted of houses and gardens scattered around the mountaintop. Depending on the weather, the clouds could come so low that the town was hidden above the clouds as well.
But there was nothing magical about it. It was like any other small mountain town, with the exception that everyone here was a shifter.
There was a small school, a tiny library, a bakery that also served as the town’s coffee shop, a store run by a family of cheetah shifters, and a diner.
There was a doctor, too—a lioness with golden skin and proud eyes, which had warmed as soon as she’d shaken Chiara’s hand to welcome her.
“It was about time,” she told Jared. “I’ve said for y
ears that you can’t keep up that lifestyle your entire life. Devotion to duty is all very well, but there’s more to life than work. I was afraid that you’d end up as my first shifter case of burnout.”
“I like my job,” Jared said unapologetically. “And you know the council’s doing good work. Just two months ago I was putting out a fire between the two largest West Coast werewolf clans. That’s worth some missed sleep.”
The doctor gave him a smug smile. “Ah, but there won’t be as much travel anymore now, will there?”
Chiara smiled as she saw Jared look at her.
“No,” he murmured, looking almost embarrassed as the doctor grinned triumphantly. “I guess I’ve finally found something better than work.”