Elowen’s eyes go wide, and she makes me promise to show them to her.
“A few news trucks even showed up.” Perrin takes another bite, “but sadly he didn’t make it on TV.” He pretends to frown. “That was the worst part.”
Elowen laughs, and everything feels so warm and happy. Sitting in the kitchen, eating the best food on the planet with my brother and Elle just feels good.
But then, the doorbell rings.
The Kitchen
Elowen
The doorbell ringswhile I have a forkful of braised short rib halfway to my mouth.
Perrin is already up, heading toward the front door.
Adam takes a bite of his food and lets out a moan so loud that it's almost inappropriate. "Oh my god," he says, eyes closing briefly. “This is exactly what I needed.”
We hear Perrin's voice from the hallway.
"Can I help you?"
Someone speaks, and I go still.
"Yeah, uh." He clears his throat. "Is Elowen here?"
I turn toward the entryway, a little shocked.What the hell is Milo doing here?
Adam looks at me. "Who is that?"
"Someone I worked with," I say, setting my fork down carefully, "at the Morder."
I slip off my barstool, making my way to the front door.
Milo is standing on the front porch with his handsshoved into the pockets of a worn denim jacket, despite the fact that it’s ninety degrees outside.
And the first thing I think is that he looksterrible.
He's thinner than I remember, his jaw too sharp, and the skin under his eyes dark and slightly sunken. His dark curls are lank and longer than he used to keep them, and he’s clearly lost weight. His T-shirt and jacket hang off his shoulders, exposing his pointy collarbones.
He looks up when he hears me, and an odd expression moves across his face.
"Hey, Pérez," he says quietly. "You look good."
I come to a stop next to Perrin, close enough that our arms brush, and look at Milo across the threshold. "What are you doing here?” I glance past the beta, toward the driveway. I half expected to see Anton, but there’s no one else here.
Milo shifts his weight from one foot to the other, his hands still buried in his jacket pockets. His eyes move briefly to Perrin, then back to me.
"I've been thinking about you a lot lately," he says. "Wanted to make sure you were okay." He attempts a smile that doesn't quite land. "The lab isn't the same without you."
My mouth pulls into a smile, but I don’t say anything. I mean, what am I supposed to say?
Behind me, I hear Adam's footsteps moving closer.
"You want to come in?" the omega asks, appearing at my shoulder.
Perrin cuts his brother a sharp look, clearly not happy with the invitation. Honestly, I’m not either, but it’s fine. It won’t kill me to chat with Milo for a minute.
“What?” Adam says as he stares at his brother. The look on the omega’s face makes it very clear that he doesn't exactly think Milo is a threat, and I have to agree.
