Page 69 of Cat’s Guide To Romance

Every time, his ears twitch. Every time, he makes himself stay seated.

He’s trying so fucking hard to learn how to sit at a dinner table without being responsible for everyone around it. I lift our joined hands and press a kiss to his knuckles. Sparkle finally looks at me, his green eyes flicking over my face.

“You okay?” I ask quietly.

His gaze travels around the crowded table before returning to me. His smile is small but genuine. “Yeah. I think I am.”

His tail slips around my ankle beneath the table.

Eventually, his father decides to acknowledge my existence.

“What do you do?”

The conversations around us don’t completely stop, but they quiet enough that I know everyone is listening.

“I own a nightclub in Evansville.”

His father leans back in his chair. “That’s all?”

Sparkle stiffens beside me.

I could mention the centuries I spent working for demons far more frightening than the man across from me. I could mention the wealth I’ve accumulated or the places I’ve been. Instead, I take another bite of dinner before answering.

“That’s what I do now. I used to track souls for the demon realm.”

His father’s brows rise. “And you gave that up to run a club?”

The question shouldn’t be difficult, but my answer catches somewhere in my chest.

I spent centuries doing something because I was exceptionally good at it. People needed me. They praised me for it. They sought me out because there were very few beings who could track someone across realms the way I could. For a long time, I let being useful become the same thing as being happy. Then one day, I realized I wasn’t.

“I was good at tracking. I still am. But being good at something isn’t a good enough reason to spend eternity doing it.”

Sparkle goes very still beside me.

I glance at him before looking back at his father. “I wanted something different, so I chose something different.”

His father’s ears twitch. He looks down at his plate without responding, and I realize a second too late how closely my answer resembles everything Sparkle has been going through.

Sparkle squeezes my hand beneath the table.

His mother gives me a thoughtful smile from across the room before asking one of the twins about their latest trip, allowing the conversation to move on without turning what I said into some grand revelation. Thank fuck.

By the time dinner ends, Ferris has extracted a promise that I’ll eventually teleport him somewhere interesting with Sparkle and his mother’s permission, and the twins have asked enough questions about our relationship that Sparkle threatens to throw dinner rolls at them.

With all the kids helping, it doesn’t take long to clear the table. Sparkle helps too, but he’s not running the show. He carries a few dishes while his siblings grab the rest, and his mama doesn’t have to direct him through every little thing.

His dad glares at me from across the room, and I glare right back. We must look ridiculous because Sparkle snorts as he passes between us with a stack of plates.

His mama brings out the pie and somehow cuts it into ten perfect pieces. Conversation settles into something easier over dessert, everyone talking about work, school, the twins’ travels, and whatever else comes to mind. I find myself listening more than talking.

I sorta wish my family was like this. Then again, Stefan is insufferable on the best of days, so I’m not sure I actually want regular family dinners with him or any of our other siblings. Maybe I just like this family.

Sparkle’s mother hugs me again before we leave.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Lucien.”

The warmth that spreads through my chest catches me off guard. “Thank you. I’d like that.”