Page 61 of Curse of Ancients

“Your father and I are here for you, Carleigh. As long as you need us.”

“I appreciate that. I didn’t say this to Bayu, but I think once he finishes reading the scrolls, our lives will become even more chaotic. I just pray this Violet witch is telling the truth and can shield Bayu. I don’t want him wandering the planet, doing his Nuhuala thing, with the Black Lotus able to find him. It’s going to be hard enough watching him leave and not knowing when he’ll return. If it weren’t for Juni, I’d demand to go with him.”

“And then I would have both of you to worry about,” Kat said. “It’s bad enough when your sister travels on these safaris by herself. I found a gray hair last time she left.”

Juniper snorted. “You did not.”

Kat blew her youngest daughter a raspberry. “It looked gray.”

“You’ll be glad to know I don’t have any safaris planned for the foreseeable future. I’m staying close to home in case Carleigh needs me. Maybe I’ll take up children’s photography for a while. I have the perfect subject in mind – the cutest little one I’ve ever seen.”

“Yes, please. I doubt Gemi took many photos of him, and I want his pictures all over the house. That, and a family portrait. One with the three of us, then another with everyone. The walls are bare since Mom took all her photos to the new house. I wish you had your camera with you. Bayu wants to do the mating ceremony tonight.”

Juniper dropped her feet and popped up. “I was going to order groceries to be delivered since Gemi has a dish she wants to make, but I can stop by the store on my way back from getting my camera. Do you and Bayu need anything?”

“I don’t want to bother him, but I’m in the mood for Crab Rangoon, so if you’ll get the ingredients, I’d appreciate it. Oh, and some more fish crackers. Juni loves those.”

“You got it. Text if you think of anything else.” Juniper popped a kiss on her mom’s cheek, and then she was gone.

Carleigh glanced over at her mom. There was a tightness around her eyes that wasn’t usually there. Kat hadn’t been happy that Julian was going to fight the Black Lotus. On one hand, Carleigh understood. That was her mate, and she worried. But Julian was a Gargoyle, and even though he spent most of his time behind a computer, he was still a warrior at heart. She would probably feel the same when Bayu left for his tasks. She wouldn’t get mad at him, but she would worry. He would leave her and Juni alone the way his father had left Bayu. Carleigh wasn’t looking forward to it.

Chapter 21

Instead of starting with the next scroll, Bayu flipped through the journal, trying to figure out his connection with Juni. He had sensed the boy’s pain as if it were his own. Without having to think about it, Bayu sent a soothing warmth to Juni, and his brother calmed down.

Your son.

Yes, my son. Thank you, Tiger, for reminding me. It will take a while to get used to being his abah.

So far, he had found nothing regarding the ability to calm Juni, so he went back to the second scroll and began. He wanted to get through them all one time before digging deeper into each one. This one was a history lesson on the previous Nuhualas. With most tigers being long-lived, there weren’t that many. Those who were listed went back thousands of years, and they had lived all over the world, most choosing a small, remote village to hide their identity and other half. Bayu already knew why he had been drawn to Atlanta. It was where he found Carleigh. Atlanta was nowhere near a small place, so maybe moving to West Virginia would be best? He wanted to meet the King and Queen after hearing Carleigh speak so highly of her cousin and his she-wolf mate.

When he reached the end of this scroll, he closed the journal and stretched, giving his eyes a break. Bayu stood and walked to the window, looking out over the backyard. The landscaping was immaculate, but Bayu had yet to see the gardener since he’d moved in. Neither had he noticed anyone cleaning the pool. Carleigh hadn’t mentioned a pool person, so maybe she cleaned it herself. He would have to ask so he could learn how to help if she did.

One thing that puzzled Bayu was that his grandfather in his Nuhuala duties only traveled when it was needed, and if the scrolls were correct, it hadn’t been that often. So why had his father? Had things been so out of balance in recent years? Instead of starting the next scroll, Bayu left the library in search of his mate and son. Earlier, when he said the word abah to Juni, the boy looked around for someone who represented that term to him. If not Hariz, then who? Bayu believed Gemi when she said Juni hadn’t seen Hariz in over a year, but what if he had? Bayu still had no idea what he was capable of now that his Nuhuala powers had been returned to him. Maybe he should buckle down and finish all the scrolls.

Julian was sitting at the kitchen island with a beer in front of him. The room was otherwise empty. “Julian?”

His father-in-law turned. “Bayu, how is it going with the scrolls?”

Bayu walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of tea. He wasn’t much of a beer drinker, so he poured a glass of the sweet stuff. “Slow. The first one explained what each of the markings means, and the second was a history of each tiger Nuhuala who came before me. All except my father.” He returned the pitcher to the fridge and joined Julian at the island. “I would like to know how these authors, who appear to be human, know so much about the Nuhualas. Where do they get their information?”

“Well, one of those authors is possibly your grandfather, and we know where he is. You could always go visit and ask him.”

“I thought their information was a closely guarded secret.”

Julian tipped his beer back and finished the bottle. He placed it on the island and rolled it between his hands. “Closely guarded, yes, but there is not much the Trio or I cannot find. He lives outside Kazuno at the base of Mount Futatsumori. I do not have an address, but I do have the coordinates.”

“I need to be certain this Hideki Sato is my grandfather. He and my grandmother should be informed of their daughter’s passing. I asked Gemi, and she does not know how to contact them.” Bayu sipped his tea. “Please tell me about Violet.”

Julian glanced out the back window. Bayu followed his gaze to find Carleigh, Kat, and Gemi at the pool with Juni. “Carleigh is very protective, and she is not ready to let Violet near you, at least not close enough to cast a spell, but from what I sensed, the girl is telling the truth. Erik voiced her, and he agrees with me. She was happy until her mother passed away. Her story is similar to that of Rhiannon’s, a witch mated to one of Major Lazlo’s uncles. Rhi and her mother, Daisy, were witches, and when Daisy died, Rhi’s father moved them to live within a cult where they took away her happiness. Violet’s type of witchcraft is gentle. Nurturing. She is with Lilly and the twins, and I believe the three of them will convince Carleigh that Violet has no ill intentions.”

Bayu respected Julian. He was over five hundred, had kept his Clan safe for centuries, but more than that, he adored his mate. “If it were you, would you allow her to cast a spell on Katherine?”

“Yes.” Julian didn’t hesitate, and that told Bayu all he needed to know.

“I will talk to Carleigh. I am safe here, but for how long? If the Black Lotus locate the missing Nuhuala, my location will not remain hidden. I cannot have them coming here no matter how many Gargoyles are standing guard.”

“Is that what you want?” Carleigh stood just inside the door. Bayu was so engrossed in Julian’s opinion that he hadn’t heard her come in.