Vinny muttered something under his breath as he looked away. “You know what, fine.”
All of Violet’s sadness vanished in an instant, replaced with a small, victorious smile that she tried, and failed, to hide behind her bunny.
“But—” Vinny turned back toward her, lifting a finger like he was reclaiming some scrap of authority. “You need more than rabbit food.”
Her smile faltered, suspicious now.
“Give Benji your plate, let him fix it, you sit in my lap, you eat what he serves you, capise?” Vinny said.
Violet pursed her lips but nodded before doing exactly as Vinny said before climbing on his lap. Vinny hissed as Violet bumped his shoulder while getting settled, but he didn’t snap, which was weird for him.
Once she got comfortable, Benji handed her a fresh plate, this time containing a buffalo and a barbeque wing, one of each pizza slice, and a tiny scoop of salad. Begrudgingly, Violet took the plate, but before she took a single bite, she nuzzled against Vinny’s neck before breathing in so deeply I could hear it.
My brow furrowed as she rubbed against him, she’d scented herself with me, Benji and Skye before, so I was used to seeing it. But, Violet only really scented herself in private, you know? Bed time, after a bath, but never during the middleof dinner. This behavior was weird, to say the least, but I just chalked it up to pregnancy hormones.
Once she was done, she turned back to her plate, and to my surprise, she actually ate.
After we’d all eaten, I tried, and failed to get Violet again. There was just something calming about havingyouromega sit on your lap, and Skye waswaytoo independent to willingly give in to my requests. Well, unless he wasn’t feeling well.
And, normally Violet would cling to me, butno, she only wanted Vinny, leaving me to seethe in my jealousy.
She wouldn’t even let him mark her, and here she was, head on his good shoulder, asleepagain, while Vinny ate his pudding and drank his third glass of bourbon like he wasn’t intentionally trying to rub this in my face.
I’d asked Skye to sit in my lap but he saidnosomething about pregnancy and being uncomfortable and all things that sounded like a lie. So I did my best not to glare as Benji and Skye took turns asking Vinny about his heroic endeavors.
“So, why did they even start attacking the omegas?” Skye asked, not once looking up from his crochet hook and red yarn.
“It’s the fucking Stellars,” Vinny grumbled. “Logan lost his omega and is throwing a fit because he can’t fucking find her. That’s why you shouldn’t let a kid run a god damn mob.”
Vinny finished his miniature rant by taking another bite of his dessert. I remembered Pierce talking about it while he was here, but he didn’t really share anything other than the fact it wasn’t his fucking problem. Vinny told me to look into it, and while I had, not much was coming up. All I’d been able to find came in rumors around town.
“People say she was the daughter of some family that owed the Stellar’s money.” I shrugged. “Apparently, Logan married the girl and that squared off the debt, but no marriage certificate exists.”
At least, not one I could find.
Benji leaned back further into the couch as he looked up at the ceiling, head bobbing side to side as he thought.
“Logan is not very old, right? Twenty six? Twenty seven?” Benji guessed.
“Something like that.” For the first time tonight, Vinny slurred his words.
“So, that means whoever he picked has to be his age–right?” Benji had a point.
But not a good one.
“Stellars are slimeballs.” That was to say the least. “If a marriage certificate doesn’t exist, the girl could be barely eighteen.”
Vinny scratched the stubble on his jaw, and Violet stirred with the motion. If she’d just let me hold her, I wouldn’t have done that butno, she suddenly preferred men. Shit, no, this wasn’t the time for jealousy, I needed to stay on topic.
“You find any descriptions of the girl?” Vinny asked.
I shook my head, but the second I did, Vinny’s expression changed ever so slightly, like he’d just realized something none of us could.
“Benji, you checked Violet for marks right?” His voice was harder, but he pulled Violet closer to his chest.
“I did as much as she’d let me! She was afraid of me the first night. I do not hurt omegas.” Benji said firmly. “I left the rest to Skye.”
Slowly, every set of eyes shifted toward Skye, and his crochet hook paused.
