Chapter 330: Chapter 330

Lanie | was losing track of time, but | found | didn’t care.

In the mornings, we had breakfast in our luxurious quarters as a family, then got the children ready for school. After that, Gabriela took herself off to whatever she did all day, while my mates and | spent an hour or so making love. Then the men went off to train with Greyson while | met with Malachi or Charlotte, or spent. time with Delilah.

Brightsky was truly becoming home.

More than that, it was as close to a paradise as | could ever have imagined.

No luxury was out of reach. The enclave had whatever | could think of. Spa massage? No problem, Lanie.

| Do you want that in the spa or your quarters?

Hungry for rare steak in the middle of the night?

Again, not an issue. Help yourself to the common kitchens if you’re in the mood to cook. Or have it sent to your rooms with whatever else you could ask for..

| knew that a lot of the treatment was special because | was Malachi’s bloodline, but the longer we spent there, the more | came to understand that Brightsky really was a utopia. Everyone had a role, a job, but everyone worked together using their best skills.

...what’s my contribution, then?” | was sweating, the taste of copper rich in my mouth. Delilah had really been putting me through my paces. Wolves couldn’t fly...but | was learning that vampires could.

toe child | still couldn’t, though. | landed on the mat with a thud and fell back onto it. Delilah nudged me with her “You'll get it. As for your contribution, you’ll have to see. We all find a way to make this place work.”

| pushed up on my elbow. “Where does the money come from?”

She threw back her head and laughed, then gave me an amused shake of her head. “Oh, sweet summer | puffed out a breath and took the bottle of water she handed me. My muscles ached, but in the best way Im serious”

“Supernaturals with long life spans have a lot of time to accumulate wealth And, unlike humans, we are not as focused on keeping it all for ourselves, since often we have so much more than we cant even use Well Not the dragons, of course They do like to h oa rd She grinned and looked behind me She waved ‘Oh took There’s Penelope Have you had enough for the day? | think she wants us to go to the hot springs “| can be convinced.” With a groan, | got to my feet.

Penelope gave us an eager wave. “Hello, friends! | got us a reservation, but if we don’t get there in ten minutes, we'll miss it.”

As we rode in the elevator down, down, down, countless floors, | thought about her greeting.

Friends. The other two women chatted, and | watched them with a lump in my throat. They were my friends.

| missed my old friends, of course, but here... “I feel so much more at home here than anywhere else I’ve ever been.”

Penelope linked her arm through mine. “Good.

Because we love having you here.”

The hot springs turned out to be in a series of caverns with soft lighting, fluffy towels, and benches carved into the stone pools.

The three of us stripped naked and got into a pool of steaming water, and | sank back with a happy sigh.

“This is almost too much,” | said.

Delilah sighed, too. “Vampires adore hot springs.”

| cracked open an eye at her. “Why?”

“Cold blood,” she said matter-of-factly. “Your wolf self probably makes up for it, since that kind runs extra hot. Like you’re covered in fur even when you're in your skin.”.

She splashed lightly and laughed.

| held a hand out of the water, turning it from side to side. “It’s so weird to me to think that I’ve got that inside me, and | just can’t see it.”

“You've been doing a great job learning how to draw on your different strengths, though,” Penelope said sincerely. “We're all shocked.”

“Pen!” Delilah said, sounding exasperated.

“It's okay. I’m shocked, too.” Soberly, | sat up, and the water sloshed. “Honestly, | can’t believe it myself.”

“Malachi’s so proud of you,” Penelope said hastily, looking embarrassed.

“You are a valued addition to this enclave, Lanie You might not be sure of what you'll contribute, but my guess is that you're going to be vital in Brightsky’s protection Delilah let herself float, face tipped to the cavern ceiling “| don’t want this place to need help with that, | said in a low voice. “But I'll do whatever | have to, if the time comes.”

Delilah turned her face toward me. Her black eyes gleamed, the red a pulsing glow in the cavern’s dim lighting “It's coming We all know it!