“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“You aren’t.” She looks toward the door, and it opens. Heath and Juliana step into the room. “I smell the food. Go eat.”
“Alright.” I stand up. “I’ll come back after.” I lean over her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Her lips twitch, but the exhaustion falls over her face.
“We’ll make sure she rests,” Juliana says softly.
“Thanks.” I nod and move toward the door. Pausing over the threshold, I watch as Heath drags a chair next to the couch, pulls Juliana to his lap, and looks at Rylee tenderly. The deadly snake shifter loves her, and I know she will be cared for.
I shut the door softly and stand in the hallway. The conversation flows from the kitchen. There are vampires and shifters of every kind, joking and telling stories. I’ve been going through the motions, accepting the reality I’m living in, yet I don’t think it’s really sunk in. I’m going to be one of them. Being around them, I don’t think of them as a lion, vampire, or rabbit. They are just people to me. Yes, they have something very special, but they have emotions, fears, and bad days just like everyone else.
I walk to the other end of the hallway under the stairs. I’m not ready to join everyone yet. Brushing my hair back with both hands, I lean against the wall and stare down the hallway. When I woke up today, the worst thing I thought would happen was that my mates would get hurt, and I tried to prepare for it. I don’t even know what happened at the fight. I assumed it went how they wanted it to, since they are back in one piece. I needto check in with Lawson. Seeing Frank again couldn’t have been easy.
He walks out of my thoughts, a sweater draped over his arm, and a container in his hand. I watch him stride toward me and straighten.
“Come with me,” he says, and nods behind me. He moves to the right, and I see a doorway I didn’t notice before. Curious, I keep pace behind him as he presses his hand to a keypad and opens it. I’m shocked when the night air touches my face.
“I didn’t know this was here,” I say, and follow him outside.
“We wanted another way out of the house.” He grins.
“How did I not see this?” I gasp as the backyard is filled with light. They must be motion censored as little lights illuminate our path as we pass. I don’t know what time it is, but it’s dark beyond the rocky trail. “No way.” There is a gazebo made out of dark wood.
“Bane was the one who wanted it,” he chuckles, stopping at the entrance. “Go ahead.”
“It’s gorgeous.” I move past him and step inside. Half the space is walled in, and the other half is lattice. There is a bench that spans the wall.
“I thought you might enjoy some quiet,” he says, placing the container on the bench. “Here.” He holds out the sweater, and I slip my arm in, and turn. “It’s Remy’s, so it’s big enough to keep you warm.” Once I put my other arm in, I hold up my hands and roll the sleeves.
“Thank you.” Instead of buttoning it, I wrap it across my chest.
“Come here. You need to eat.” He sits down and opens the container.
“Lawson,” I breathe. I stand beside him, staring at the food. “It looks delicious.”
“Breeane is a good cook,” he grins charmingly. “Don’t tell Remy. He’ll get jealous.” He takes a fork out of his pocket.“Chicken Alfredo.” He slides the fork into the noodles and pulls a small water bottle out of his back pocket. I sit down before my knees give out.
“You thought of everything,” I whisper.
“It’s not a big deal.” He lifts a shoulder and leans against the wall, stretching his legs out and crossing his ankles.
“It is to me,” I say softly, and twirl the fork.
“I don’t understand what's wrong with human men,” he grumbles, and I smile before taking a bite. “If you care about someone, you cater to their needs. You didn’t eat, and the chaos was getting to you, so I solved the problem.”
“So simple.” I lick my lips. “I don’t understand human men either.”
“Good thing you have four shifter men.” He drops his head back, rolls toward me, and winks.
“Do you even realize how sexy you are?” I ask, and take another bite.
“How do I answer that?” he asks, lifting a brow.
“Probably shouldn’t,” I mumble as I chew. He rolls his head forward and crosses his arms. We sit in silence as I enjoy the food. This is perfect. This place is perfect. My experience with men is nothing like they have treated me. It’s too good to be true. Is this how the rest of our lives will be? Will they always be so attentive? Or will we settle into being mates, and the little things like this will become a thing of the past? I hope not.
I open the bottle and take a drink. The world is filled with so much noise; it’s nice to feel no pressure to talk. I could sit for hours with Lawson, or any of them, and be comfortable. They give me space. My father would go on and on, so I didn’t say much, but there came a point when I hated hearing his voice. I was always doing something wrong. Brushing it off, I accepted that he would never approve of me or my decisions.
