“Yes, random woman, come into the woods with three men at night; you’re much more likely to drop your guard, then,” she quips with a sarcastic roll of her eyes and a small smile, moving on to the rest of the dishes.
I lean a hip against the counter, crossing my arms and canting my head. “What’re you doing?”
Her hand stills in the soapy water. “Dishes?”
“Voluntarily? Why would you do that?”
She turns to face me with confusion painted all over her face, speaking slowly. “Because you guys are feeding and housing me, so I need to do something to earn my keep? And Bane cooked, so it wouldn’t be fair if he had to clean up too?”
I face the guys, the two of them still sitting at the table with equal surprise. “My gods, she’s perfect. We can’t ever let her go, now.”
Mason snorts. “You’re such a kiss-ass.”
Bane, on the other hand, completely agrees with me, addressing Risa. “I will pay whatever you want to take over my part of helping out around the house.”
“Fucking cheater!” Mason and I object in tandem, but he talks over us, jumping at the golden opportunity.
“We have literally gotten into fistfights over bets to pawn shit off on each other because we hate chores so much.” He folds his hands, pleading, and gives her a pitiful look that has Mason kicking him under the table. “Please let me give you a job so I never have to touch the stupid washing machine again.”
Chuckling, she grabs a towel to dry her hands. “Are you serious, you big baby? You literally just dump the clothes and soap in, then hit a button; it’s not even hard.”
His eyes dart to the side as Mason and I lose it. Between fits of laughter, I manage to explain, “Bane’s wrecked three washing machines in as many years. Couldn’t tell you for the life of me how he does it, but the guy’s cursed when it comes to laundry.”
Mason rocks back in his chair, still snickering. “Set a full load in the dryer on fire my first few months here, too.”
“That was an electrical short, it wasn’t my fault!” Bane snaps, and even Risa joins in, devolving into laughter.
“I mean, I sort of figured helping out around the house was par for the course if I was going to be staying here. You’re saying that you not only want to let me live here rent free and feed me, but pay me, too? Hate to tell you, but I’m definitely getting the better end of this deal. You really hate houseworkthatmuch?”
“Yes,” we all state definitively, leaving no room for confusion on the topic.
I brush my fingers down her arm, compelled to touch her as if possessed. “Not to sound dramatic or anything, but I would literally cut off my left arm to never have to touch another dirty dish again so long as I live.”
Mason simply scoffs. “You say that because it’d grow back.”
“Yeah, but it’d hurt like a son of a bitch, and I’m still willing to make that sacrifice.”
Risa shakes her head, amused. “Fine, you guys have a deal. I’ll handle taking care of the house-“ at my hopeful look, she snorts “-for all of you. Basic chores though, so if anything breaks, that’s on you because I can’t fix jack shit; gutters and lawns are out, too. I’ll take care of the normal stuff, but since I was planning on doing it anyway, you can pay me whatever.”
She squeaks in surprise as I wrap my arms tightly around her, kissing her cheek enthusiastically. “Yep, we’re keeping you. We were hoping to wait until after your first few shifts to take you into town to get some new clothes and stuff, but we’ll just be extra careful. Or if you’d rather not, you can make a list and one of us will go.”
“Is there a particular reason to wait until after the first few shifts?” she asks, still trapped in my unyielding embrace.
Mason’s gaze heats, envious. I get what he’s trying to do; not overwhelm her as she becomes acclimated. But as far as I’m concerned, the sire bond is there exactly for this reason. We help ground her while she processes everything; through our scents, our touch, and presence. We’re here so that she doesn’t feel alone, and while I know humans have a very different ideal about personal space and customs, shifters are raised connecting to each other to form communities.
Snakes tend to live independently when they’re grown, but as children, we’re rarely ever alone. Most sleep in our shifted forms, tangled with others and leeching off of their body heat for a sense of comfort before our venom comes in as adolescents. Hell, Bane and I have been crashing together since Risa took over our beds upon her arrival. It’s not weird to us the way it might be to a human, and while I get Mason is our best connection to understanding where her head is at in all of this, he didn’t exactly have a normal transition. Even after all of these years, hestillkeeps his distance, forcing himself to always remain on the outside looking in.
I’m determined not to let her fall into the same trap, especially when she already treats affection like she has to earn it, as if no one would touch her without an ulterior motive.
Her old way of life is dead; there’s no changing that. The more she tries to transfer human ideals to this place, the more miserable she’ll be. Casual touch is good, and I think it’ll help her embrace her other half, to cave in and listen to her new instincts that are urging her to seek us out as if she’s known us her entire life rather than under two weeks. She’s not human anymore, and the sooner she accepts that, the easier everything else will be on her, hopefully far more so than it is on Mason.
Mason clears his throat. “Being around humans will have your instincts raging and on edge. It’s incredibly likely that if you’re startled or feel threatened, you’ll shift involuntarily in public as a defense mechanism. After you’ve shifted a few times, you’ll be familiar with the sensation as the process starts and can hopefully get to an isolated spot in time.”
Releasing Risa when she starts squirming, she carries back on with the dishes while we talk. “What happens if you reveal yourself in front of a human? Do we kill them to keep the secret before anyone finds out and sends us to shifter jail?”
Chuckling, I hop up to sit on the center island that separates her from the guys at the kitchen table. “Oh, you’re going to fit in around here beautifully, angel.”
Bane grabs his and Mason’s plates, heading over to Risa. Waiting to see if it’s going to piss her off, he slowly slides them into the soapy water, watching her face for a sign. When she doesn’t react, he beams, happier than he’s appeared in ages.
