Page 3 of Magical Midlife Conclave

Kingsley let it go, not wanting to embarrass him.

Instead, he said, “It is absolutely incredible how Jessie has brought them into the fold.”

“Unheard of. My sisters think I’m messing with them.”

“And the phoenix? Odd as ever?”

“The phoenix is eccentric. It’s the computer person who is odd. Hilariously so. The thunderbird is cooler than I have ever been, or ever will be, and the vampire… Well, I’m just going to be honest. The vampire gives me nightmares.”

Kingsley laughed again, responding to the color he could hear in the alpha’s voice. He’d always heard that Golden Fang was as hard and stoic as they came. Not Aljoe. Clearly the Ivy House crew was rubbing off on him. Or maybe the gargoyles. Or the basajaunak—he could take his pick.

“Amazingly, that vampire is incredibly useful in battle,” Kingsley said. “Out of the blue, he appears exactly where and when you need him, followed by that gal pal of his.”

“Nessa. His shadow, yes. I’ve been told. I haven’t seen it in action. She’s got some energy thing she’s working on. I hadn’t heard of that particular magic, but if she can break through whatever blockage she seems to have in her…power, or efficiency, or whatever is going on—I couldn’t understand it—then she might be a real asset.”

Kingsley remembered Nessa doing something with energy when Jessie had been hurt in battle. He would’ve asked how she could be an asset, but it didn’t sound like Yaz—Aljoe understood the particulars. He’d need to remember to ask Austin.

“How are you settling into Austin’s territory?”

Aljoe released a breath and paused before answering. “You were here once, I heard?”

“Yes, to help my brother get established. I was there when the phoenix first came in.”

“Right, right. I half want to take that phoenix on to see if I can best her.”

“I didn’t.”

He laughed; definitely looser than Kingsley had ever heard he could be. “Then you won’t have to guess why I haven’t.” He paused again. “Austin has a lot of power in this territory, and a rock-solid strategy and structure to manage it. He’s an incredible alpha.”

Kingsley widened his eyes. Praise like that from Yazanth Golden Fang was few and far between.

“That territory is wound very tightly,” he said, “but Austin has the ability to manage it.”

“He does. His betas help with that, of course. Sue has come into his own here. I’ve heard of him—the meddling puca told me his original name and pack—but he wasn’t someone I cared to learn more about. He was a middling alpha who adequately managed his pack. Great fitness reports, but no real aspirations for territory expansion.”

Kingsley had looked him up, too. “He didn’t have any proper alpha training. He didn’t have anyone to learn from.”

“He’s a natural. He could’ve reached…but he didn’t. I think he didn’t have anyone to challenge him. Anyone to push him.”

“True.”

“Now he does. Austin seems to have a real affinity for coaxing the best out of his people. No ego, no bluster, just expectation and a helping hand when it’s needed. He said you taught him everything he knows.”

Kingsley huffed. “I trained him, that’s true enough. The nuts and bolts of being an alpha wasn’t hard to teach him. His struggle was with his beast. I couldn’t help him there. He had to work through that the hard way. Since he has, the student has far surpassed the teacher.”

“I can tell you believe that, but you’re not giving yourself nearly enough credit. The foundations of his knowledge are excellent. His training is rock solid and iron tight. I don’t recall you being this well trained. It’s a testament to how you’ve grown as an alpha, surpassing your own teachers. I commend you. Most generational alphas are stunted by tradition. You’ve continued to grow.”

Kingsley could feel his face heating, a surge of pride infusing him. And now he was being complimented by Yazanth freaking Golden Fang. Seriously, was this real life or had he slipped into a dreamscape?

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you. I should mention, however, that I followed your career and picked up little hints and tricks along the way.”

“Why reinvent the wheel if someone is already doing it better?”

“True.” Kingsley chuckled.

“I’m still adjusting to the change in dynamics here. I’ve learned that the Ivy House crew is easy to get along with if you exist within the chaos—to trust in the team and give up trying to form any sort of cohesive structure. Also to tune out the various random comments and bickering.”

“They are a different walk of life, yes. I think Jessie is the only one who can properly manage them. I was worried about her seemingly loose hold on the reins, but when she was here, I let her do as she would. I was glad I did.”