Chapter 1 - Invitation

Kenzie’s screen was lighting up with instant messages. So much was going on.

Jillian was rounding up models and seamstresses to get her clothing line launched, and she was looking into hiring people for marketing as well. Plus, she still had to get a small business loan to get on her feet. Isaiah was helping her out, but her pride didn’t allow him to cover all of her expenses and responsibilities.

Paige and her coven were busier than ever sealing humans’ homes, preventing supernatural creatures from entering a human’s home without an invitation.

Austin was busy working on more products to make life as a vampire easier. Since he’d helped develop the vampiric sunscreen, most of his research was dedicated to the creatures of the night. But he was also doing some heavy-duty experimenting with robotics.

And then there was Cheyenne, Austin’s wife. She was adjusting very well to Austin’s newfound fame and recognition, but she’d been feeling under the weather lately. In fact, she’d just excused herself from the computer.

WordToTheNerd: I don’t know what’s going on for sure. She hasn’t had much of an appetite lately, and she seems to be throwing up a lot. I assume it’s the stomach flu going around here.

WolfKen: Stomach flu? Ugh, that sucks.

LifesABeach: You’re a scientist. Heal her!

WordToTheNerd: Jillian, I’m a scientist, not a doctor. I can’t just cure whatever’s ailing her.

LifesABeach: But medicine is developed from science, right?

BiteMe: Darling, if it’s the stomach flu, there’s nothing anyone can do except let it run its course. Some anti-inflammatories might help ease any pain, but it won’t get rid of the illness any faster.

LifesABeach: Yeah, I know. I just feel bad for her. And you too, Austin.

WordToTheNerd: Thanks.

WolfKen: Well, besides Cheyenne not feeling good, what else is going on? What new discoveries are you preparing to release to the world?

WordToTheNerd: I’m trying my hand at a new form of robotics. Imagine this – an entire police squad of artificially intelligent robots immune to human emotions and with twice the manpower. They wouldn’t be swayed by feelings of fear, anger, or love. They’d just do what they were programmed to do and that’s it.

BiteMe: Sounds like a cheap science fiction movie.

WordToTheNerd: That was just an example. I think a more practical idea would be robots that served as housekeepers and the like.

WolfKen: Yeah…I’m quite content doing my own housework, thanks. Sure, it would be nice to have someone else do it once in a while, but I wouldn’t want a robot creaking around my house. That would just freak me out.

LifesABeach: I’m with you.

Kenzie’s phone rang abruptly. She glanced at the caller ID and couldn’t restrain a smile when she saw that it was her boyfriend, Hayden, calling her.

WolfKen: Be right back guys – Hayden’s calling.

She eagerly answered her smart phone with a chipper, “Hey, you.”

“Hey back. I’ve got some news for you.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’ve got an assignment for the paper. There’s a new amusement park opening in Aurora Skies this coming weekend, and I’ll be heading there to take pictures and cover it.”

“That sounds great!” Kenzie replied. “I’ve never been to Aurora Skies.”

“Good, because that brings me to the main point of my call.”

“You mean there’s something besides the good news that you get to cover the story?”

“Yep. I want you to come with me.”

In the past, Kenzie’s first response would have been to politely decline because of her job. But considering the fact that she was now her own boss as a private investigator, she didn’t have to worry about having vacation time.

Besides, her phone wasn’t exactly ringing off the hook with people begging for her assistance. But Kenzie didn’t want to dwell on that at the moment.

“That sounds fantastic,” she replied. “I’d love to.”

“Awesome! And by the way, don’t worry about a hotel – I’ve got a place for us to stay.”

“Where?”

“My parents owned a place, and technically it’s still in their name. Ellis and I each inherited it when they died, but he never uses it.”

“They owned a place in Aurora Skies?”

“Yeah, they liked to have little private getaways every once in a while, but a lot of times we’d all four go for a family vacation. It’s an isolated cabin in the woods, so it was perfect for a family of werewolves. Oh, and one thing about this place – it has this amazing light show in the sky. Like, the sky really changes colors. That made for a romantic retreat. It’s rare, but hopefully we’ll see it.”

Kenzie smiled as she stretched out on her bed. A romantic weekend in Aurora Skies, where the sky itself changed colors? Not to mention a secluded house with Hayden Howland? She was so there. It sounded like the perfect trip.

Plus, thanks to Jillian’s “help” recently, she had a little something extra to show her boyfriend. She could hardly wait until Friday, when she’d be traveling to Aurora Skies to see him. She was no stranger to the long distance thing, but it wasn’t exactly easy. With Hayden, it seemed even harder to be away from him than it had with Logan. Though there was hardly a comparison between the guys; Hayden was the better man, hands down.

“So what is it that you have to show me?” Hayden inquired when Kenzie told him that she had a surprise for him.

“If I told you,” she chortled, “it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Hayden chuckled too. “Well, whatever it is, I look forward to seeing it. Almost as much as I look forward to seeing you.”

His voice just made her melt inside and out. Some might argue that she was pathetic, but she didn’t care. She had every right in the world to be happy. She finally had the perfect boyfriend, and she was going to live it up.

Sage trotted over to her, wagging her tail. In her excitement, Kenzie had forgotten about her faithful companion. The weekend wouldn’t be very romantic with Sage present, but thanks to her heightened intellect, she’d understand if her master wanted to be alone with her boyfriend.

Of course, it would also be pretty awkward. Almost like having a second human in the house, listening to everything that was going on.

Kenzie knelt down and scratched her dog behind the ears.

“Sage,” she asked her, “do you want to go with me to Aurora Skies? I’ll be alone with my boyfriend the whole time.”

Sage continued to wag her tail. The fact that Kenzie all but said she and Hayden would be enjoying a conjugal visit didn’t seem to deter her at all.

Besides, where else would she go? Kenzie could let her parents watch her, but taking her over to their house would provoke an unwelcome interrogation from her mother, who would undoubtedly be skeptical of her only daughter spending the weekend in an isolated cabin with her werewolf boyfriend. Shelly, however, would be fine during her absence, as Kenzie would give the turtle plenty of food to last until her return since she hardly went through a can of food a week.

So it was decided that Sage would accompany Kenzie on Friday. She texted Hayden to confirm that this wouldn’t be an issue, and he insisted that it was fine.

Friday seemed a million miles away. But for once, Kenzie didn’t have to worry about a previous obligation, like a boss or case. Being her own boss certainly had its advantages, even if she wasn’t getting nearly the amount of business she was hoping for when she obtained her PI permit.

All she had to do now, all she had to concern herself with, was getting through the long, tedious week ahead.

Chapter List | Next Chapter