I reach over and swat his arm with the back of my hand. “He wanted to die,” I hiss.
“Yeah, should we really be interfering with that?” Gunnar glances between Calix and me. “It’s fucked up. The guy has a shit ton of responsibilities, and he loses the one thing that gives him peace. You telling me you wouldn’t do the same?” His eyes are locked onto Calix now.
“I don’t have an entire pack under me,” Calix retorts defensively.
“Would it matter?” Gunnar isn’t letting up.
Calix raises his hands in surrender, but his face tells another story—his lips are pulled tight and his eyes are narrowed. “I’m not saying either way is wrong. I’m just saying as an alpha, he knew the risks and responsibilities involved, and now he needs to decide. If he wants to waste away until he joins his mate, so be it. But there needs to be someone to replace him. A pack this size with this much power…” He lowers his hands and shakes his head slowly. “I’m trying to avoid a war.” He pushes away from the table without looking back.
I place my palm on the table, preparing to rise so I can follow him, but Gunnar stops me by laying his hand on mine. “It’s my fault he’s pissed. I’ll talk to him.”
My mouth wants to fall open in surprise, but I just blink a few times. “Sure, I’ll clean this up and get ready to go.” I watch Gunnar’s back as he trails after Calix, and then it dawns on me—he’s not the only one changing to accommodate the others. The proof is in my hands as I carry the dirty dishes to the sink. I never would have done anything so domestic for someone else before them.
* * *
The driveway is linedwith more cars than yesterday when we pull up to the front of the mansion. I let out a long, low whistle. Calix’s sigh is audible.
There’s a group of about eight men standing in the front yard that I haven’t seen here before. They stick out like sore thumbs, decked out in biker leathers. Their eyes are glued to our borrowed SUV, and they’re not bothering to hide the fact that they’re curious about who else is arriving.
“Why are all these people here?” I ask Calix from the back seat, while Gunnar puts the vehicle in park and cuts the engine.
“Everyone is watching to see what happens,” Calix answers, then opens his door without another word. I scramble for my door handle, but he somehow beats me to it and extends his hand to me. It always makes me feel like some movie star when they do this, and the vain part of me loves the attention.
I place a soft kiss on Calix’s lips when I’m standing in front of him. He smells and looks so good I nearly forget about our audience. When I pull back, Gunnar is behind me, looking over my shoulder with a menacing scowl.
There’s a noticeable uptake in whispers and quiet conversations. Without meaning to, I send out my senses to see if there’s a threat. There is just about every sin you could imagine drifting on the air, but none of them appeal to me. Other than taking what Grim has to offer, I’ve never really consumed baddies’ sins. I’m currently surrounded by monsters and their immoralities, yet none of them are appealing.
I sneer when one of the bikers tilts his head and examines me, as if he can’t quite figure out what I’m doing here. I wrap my hand possessively around Calix’s and reach for Gunnar’s arm with the other. His fingers are too meaty to hold hands with, but oh do they have other wonderful uses. I’m thinking about Gunnar’s thick fingers and what they can do to me when one of the bikers lets out a hearty laugh and hollers, “Calix!”
“Fuck me,” my golden-haired hottie curses under his breath. He does a manly chin jerk and plasters a calm look on his face to cover the aggravation that was there moments ago.
“Holy hell, it’s been ages.” The guy is making his way over to us, wearing an easy grin on his face. “Tammy is going to be so excited she came when she realizes you’re here.” The man just keeps talking while he approaches. It seems like he and Calix are old friends. My ears perk up at the mention of Tammy.
Completely ignoring me, he wraps his arms around Calix in a tight, quick hug, slapping him on the back—a little too hard for my liking—before releasing him completely.
“I didn’t even know you were in the States! What gives? You can’t call? That’s going to piss Tammy off.” He elbows Calix in the arm jokingly. I’ve already decided I do not like Tammy, and this man is quickly working his way onto my shit list.
“Don, this is—”
“Damiana.” I cut Calix off before he can finish. “I don’t know who Tammy is, but you should warn her that Calix is taken.”
Don’s dark eyes drop to me, and he doesn’t hide his perusal. I kept it simple tonight—black boots, tight jeans, and a spaghetti strap top. The few extra seconds he spends staring at my tits do not endear him to me. He lets out a chuckle. “Honey, Tammy would eat you up and spit you out.”
I lean forward just enough so when I whisper, he’ll still hear me. “Not if she’s dead.”
The man’s eyes dance in a way that I think he might be just as turned on by violence as Gunnar. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that—”
“I’ll let her pluck out your eyeballs.” Gunnar plants his hand on Don’s chest and gives him a little shove before looking at me for approval.
“Who says chivalry is dead?” I coo up at him.
“Honest truth, friend, on both accounts. She could kill you where you stand without batting an eye, and…” Calix releases my hand to wrap his arm around my waist. “I most certainly am taken.”
“Aw, you’re getting an extra special blow job for that.” I lean into Calix’s side.
Gunnar scoffs. “What about me? I said I would let you mutilate him.”
Before I have a chance to tell him he deserves a reward too, I feel Grim’s presence as a portal opens. I don’t feel ill like I did the last few times, but I don’t feel the need to feed either.
