Free Frost & Bothered by Gayla Drummond

you have a case to work on.” Logan began repacking the basket. “What’s your next step on it?”
    “I don’t know. Someone would’ve called if Rico had turned up.” I checked. “He’s alive. The last place he was seen was Dreamland, and you know how much luck we had there.”
    “Yeah.”
    “About the only thing I can do is try to find more of his friends to talk to, unless something pops up on the psychic radar.” I looked out the front window. “And it’s still freakin’ snowing.”
    “You can use my truck. Or my services as a chauffeur, because Soames has zero winter driving experience.” Logan scowled down at the basket. “This isn’t working. How the hell did they fit it all in here?”
    “I’ll help.” I moved to my knees to assess the situation, and began rearranging dishes. “You don’t have stuff you need to do?”
    “Garage is closed due to inclement weather. Alanna is chaperoning Terra and our other teens.” He handed me the wine glasses. “I’m not allowed to supervise the play dates because I intimidate the boys.”
    “Imagine that. I bet you stand where you can see everyone, with your arms crossed and that super serious look on your face.”
    He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah. I guess I do.”
    Laughing, I closed the basket. “There, all done. I’m going to guess it doesn’t help that you call them hanging out together ‘play dates’ either.”
    “They’re children.”
    “They’re teenagers, Logan. Entirely different. Also, Terra is Queen.”
    “True. I just,” he sighed. “I don’t want her to get hurt. She’s mooning over Devon and he’s not remotely Consort material.”
    I sat and pulled my knees to my chest, hugging my legs. “Is there a rule that the Queen can’t play the field until she figures out what she wants in a guy?”
    Logan opened his mouth, closed it, and swallowed before answering. His expression wavered between surprise and a little sick. “No, but she’s just a kid.”
    “See, there’s where you’re going wrong. Sure, she’s a teenager, and unless shifters develop way different than humans, there’s hormones and stuff running wild, but she’s also a young woman.” I held up my hand when he started to speak. “A young woman who is aware of what’s expected of her, and who desperately wants to make good decisions.”
    Logan thought about that for a minute. “You’re saying I’m worrying too much.”
    “You’re worrying too much. She might get her heart a little bruised, but that’s part of growing up, and life in general. You can’t protect her from it. When she’s ready, I have no doubt she’ll make a good decision.” I frowned. “I don’t know if she’ll make it for herself and the clan, or just the clan though.”
    He had to think about that too. “We want her to be happy.”
    “Might want to make sure and tell her that. A lot.”
    Logan studied me for a few seconds. “It sounds like you may have been worrying about her too.”
    I shrugged. “I like her, and we kind of have stuff in common. I mean, neither of us signed up for the gigs we have. Both of us kind of wish we were normal girls. The big difference is that I was a normal girl for fifteen years. Terra’s never been a normal girl.”
    Very quietly, he said, “I know.”
    “Not that being a normal girl is all fun and games. But she doesn’t know that.” Heck, I realized I didn’t even know any “normal” girls anymore. My friends were witches and shifters. Oh, and one elf: Alleryn, Thorandryll’s healer.
    “What can I do about it?”
    Perfect time to make good on that promise I’d made to Tonya. “You can’t do anything, except okay her going out with Tonya and me. We’ll do fun, normal stuff. Hit the mall and shop. Stuff like that.”
    He began to shake his head, stopped, and looked me straight in the eyes. “You’ll keep her safe?”
    “Duh.”
    A half-smile appeared on his face. “Would you be insulted if I wanted Alanna to go