AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Miss Freya, where have you been?” Elodie appeared beside our table, both hands on her hips.
She was an intimidating woman, matronly, with wrinkles on her face making her look grumpy. With similar genes to mine, she had a lighter skin tone than her daughter and light brown hair instead of dark. May’s Southern European roots were on her father’s side.
If I were to approach my aunt on the street, I would be worried about getting cussed out. She had an aura that screamed ‘I take no shit’. I’d seen her do that a few times, too. Aunt Elodie had a supreme resting bitch face, and it had been her signature far before the Nulls created a name for it. “I’ve been around. Sorry I haven’t had a chance to come by,” I said.
“Around? You work at a bar down the street from here. You’re so close you could come here on your lunch breaks for a snack!”
“I don’t take lunch breaks.”
“Your boss needs to get his head out of his ass and follow the law.”
Rolling my eyes, I stood up from my seat to give her an awkward half hug. “Mattie doesn’t have to follow Null laws because they don’t know the club exists, Auntie. Besides, if I asked for one, he would let me take one. I’d rather take the money.”
“If you need money that badly…”
I sat back down and rested my head in my hand. This side of the family was a constant riot. No downtime, and they would nitpick the tiniest nuances of everything I said. “Ilikemoney. I don’t need it.”
“And you have a boyfriend you haven’t introduced us to. This is an absolute travesty.”
Caspian perked up and stood from his chair, reaching forward to grab my aunt’s hand. When he brought it to his lips in a gentlemanly kiss, her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Yes, that’s me, Freya’s boyfriend. I’m Caspian, ma’am.”
“No need to call me ma’am when you’re probably older than I am. You must be at least a hundred, with manners like that. All the human boyfriends Mabel brings home have no respect.”
He was beaming from the praise. At first he’d looked nervous when my aunt walked up and I realized, belatedly, it was because he didn’t know how they would react to his species. My family had no stake in the Zemterra-Apilion conflict, being witches, and besides that, we would never care. People were people. It was how my family had always taught me.
“Well, I’m glad you approve of me so far, ma’am. I hope to be spending plenty more time around your niece, so that’s important to me.”
“You’ve yet to prove yourself, but it’s a good start,” she said brusquely. “Freya, dear, Clara’s been trying to have you come by for a month now. She’s not in right now, but you better promise to come back in a few days to chat with her.”
Clara had indeed been trying to talk to me for ages. She was rightfully worried about me, knowing what she did about my situation. Unlike Oswald, who had only recently started convincing me to take a mate, she’d been on the topic for two years. Even knowing what had happened to Maisie like I did, she’d encouraged me to overcome my reservations, slowly but steadily. She’d known from the beginning that I would eventually experience severe side effects of not indulging my Omega nature.
“I’ll come by.” Elodie didn’t look convinced. “I promise.”
“Remember what happens if promises are broken in this family. Better stick to that. I’d better head back before your food burns — gods know Fred can’t handle a skillet to save his damn life.”
Fred could handle just about anything the kitchen threw at him, and she knew it. There was a reason he’d been working for them for nearly seven years. Elodie loved to taunt the poor man, though.
Our food came out a few minutes later, perfectly cooked and plated with flair. My usual was chicken strips and a waffle loaded with fruit and whipped cream. They’d given Caspian a fully loaded cheese dog, weighed down with grilled mushrooms and peppers and everything but onions. He was staring at the full plate in awe, like it was the holy grail of midnight date food.
I would say it was, but my chicken and waffles were definitely the holy grail. He could fight me on it if he wanted.
Chapter 17
Freya
Bythetimewestepped foot outside the diner, our stomachs were full and a headache was forming at my temples. I loved Mabel, I really did, but she could talk an ear off. Elodie hadn’t been much for leaving us alone either, pulling up a chair to the side of our table when people cleared out and the kitchen slowed down. They’d both wanted details on why I hadn’t been around as much recently, but I didn’t have an answer. Only Aunt Clara would understand. She was the only one who knew my designation.
“Are you going to let me walk you home?” Caspian asked, slipping his hand into mine and twining our fingers together.
He’d flourished under the attention. Once he concluded that my family wouldn’t judge him, his chattering had rivalled my cousin’s. It was the most animated I’d ever seen him and I was happy to sit back and watch him direct the conversation. I had a new respect for Shan, always hovering in the background. Caspian’s confidence was tantalizing when he showed the world. Though, when it was Cas and I talking, Shan butted in. Always for the purpose of irritating me.
“Halfway,” I conceded.
We felt closer than ever and I wanted to give him a piece of trust. Another piece of trust, after showing him two of my favourite places in the city. Him not knowing about my family owning the diner told me they hadn’t dug too deep into my history. Or at least, he hadn’t. Shan likely knew all about Eloise and Mabel already. But Caspian, he only knew the basics about me and now I’d learned the basics about him, too.
We were practically even.
“It’s this direction,” I said, leading us down the street.
