AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Nico, stop," I said, stepping into his path and grabbing his shoulders. It was Sunday, and Dakota's parents would be here in less than an hour for brunch. Of course, Nico was panicking.
Who would've thought a powerful demon like Nico would be worried about making a good impression on his roommate's parents?
"What if they don't like the food?" he asked, not for the first time, and I exhaled slowly so I wouldn't shake him like I wanted to.
"Dakota loves everything you make, doesn't he? So will they. Stop worrying."
"I'm sorry," he said, ducking his head, and I pulled him into a hug.
"Nothing to apologize for. I don't even know how to toast bread. The fact that you cook so many delicious meals without the help of magic is a big deal. You should feel proud of yourself," I said, giving him a squeeze as he rested his head on my shoulder.
Ryk came running into the room then, his red curls bouncing every which way as he paused, took one look, and rushed over, throwing his arms around both of us.
"Why are we hugging?" he asked curiously, and I shook my head.
"I was, uh, a little nervous about the brunch," Nico explained as he raised his head to look at Ryk. He was the tiniest one of us at just over 5'5", and fit perfectly between Ryk and me. Huh. How had I never noticed that before?
"Aw, don't worry about it, Nico. No one cooks better than you. They'll love your food, and they'll love you. Mom's really sweet too, so she might even teach you to make more things if you ask her," Ryk said with a grin, and Nico's eyes lit up.
"Really? You think so?"
"Hell yeah. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ryk asked, and Nico nodded quickly.
"I'm gonna go talk to Dakota," Nico said, and hurried out of the kitchen before I could ask what he wanted to talk about.
Turning to Ryk, I leaned against the counter before raising a brow at him. "You really like the fact that Dakota's mom told you to call her Mom, don't you?"
Ryk's grin was instant and bright as ever. "Of course! I have no idea what my mom was like, and I haven't ever had any other mom-like figure in my life, so it's nice to have one now. You'll see what I mean when she tells you to call her Mom too."
"Eh, I don't know if she will. You have the type of vibe that makes women want to adopt you, not me," I said, and I was only half-joking. Ryk really was the type of person any mom would want to adopt, and it was no wonder Dakota's took to him so quickly.
"Ryk, don't touch the food until they get here!" Nico called from the living room, and Ryk pouted.
"I didn't touch the food!" he shouted back. Then he pressed his finger to his lips and tiptoed over to a covered bowl waiting on the counter.
I rolled my eyes as he reached out to open the lid—his cat-burglar imitation was spot-on—but before he could raise it, Nico's sharp "Ryk!" stopped him.
"Damn," he muttered, letting go of the lid and stepping away. "Just so you know, I was only doing it because you accused me. I'd never have done it otherwise," he grumbled, his voice low enough that Dakota wouldn't hear him if he was in the living room, but Nico would.
"Do you wanna change into fresh clothes before they get here?" I asked, glancing down at his paint-splattered clothes.
Ryk frowned at his clothes, then snapped his fingers, getting rid of all the paint. Shaking my head, I waved my hand at him and reversed what he'd done.
"What the—" he started protesting, but I cut him off before he could say any more.
"Dakota will notice," I said, and he sighed.
"Damn it. I really like this outfit," he said with a mournful look down at his clothes.
"You can clean it later, but you need to change," I said, and he sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it."
Once Ryk had left the room, I picked Moon up from where he'd wrapped himself around my leg at some point in our conversation and left the room, finding Dakota and Nico in the living room.
"He really is very attached to you, isn't he?" Dakota asked with a grin as I flopped onto the couch, setting Moon down beside me. He immediately crawled into my lap and curled up for a nap, making Dakota chuckle.
"Yeah, he is. I have no idea why. I don't even feed him," I said with a shake of my head, utterly mystified. Nico was the one who usually fed both Candy and Moon, and yet Candy hated us all, and Moon only ever wanted to be around me.
