Yully finished readying herself and stepped outside the room. Jule waited patiently, a smile crossing his face as he took her in. He held out a hand, and she hugged him instead of taking it. The warmth of his body made her senses tingle with both need and happiness. While she didn't quite know where she was, she felt a sense of belonging.
"You can have hugs whenever you want," he said with a laugh. "And anything else."
"Just you," she replied. "Everything else terrifies me right about now."
"You have nothing to fear, sweetheart," he said and tilted her chin. Yully met his gaze, utterly relaxed and content with his heat and power moving through her. His thick arms squeezed her closer. "C'mon. Let's meet your new family."
Her chest tightened at his words, but she nodded. Jule took her hand and led her through the large log house with its earthy décor. They paused in the doorway of a large library, where a beautiful, petite blonde sat. Yully entered ahead of him and spotted the reclining Guardian dressed all in black in one corner.
"This is Sofi and her bodyguard, Pierre. Sofi is Damian's mate. She's also an Oracle, so she comes up with strange, random things sometimes," Jule said, winking at the small woman.
"Random?" Sofi repeated with a smile. She rose. "Happy to meet you at last, Yully."
"Welcome," Pierre called from the other side of the library. "Irish and French share common ancestors. We'll get along well."
"I'm actually not Irish," Yully said. "The accent says otherwise, but I was born in New York."
"Never mind. You're on your own," Pierre replied.
Yully looked at Jule.
"Ignore him. He amuses me," Sofi said with a smile. "Welcome home. Bianca's out back. You'll have some time here with us to adjust before Jule yanks you to Europe." The Oracle's gaze sharpened as she looked at Jule.
"Yes, ma'am," Jule said with a snort.
"Thanks," Yully murmured, amused to see the tiny woman stand up to someone Jule's size. He tugged her hand, and she followed him out of the library and through the sprawling house and a large kitchen to the back door.
A shapely woman with curly dark brown hair leaned against the railing of a paddock between the house and a large outer building. The Texas sun was gentle, and Yully enjoyed the light breeze and warmth after the Irish autumn. She shaded her eyes as they crossed to the paddock.