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I wasn’t sure why Osric was sticking around though. He looked miserable, over in the corner, by the kitchen. He was Aaron’s best friend, of course, and was going out of his way to assist Ceci, but he was also his usual standoffish self. He stood looking pensive, nibbling a slice of pepperoni pizza, staring through the TV rather than actually watching it. Maybe his thoughts were in another place. Perhaps England. Aaron had mentioned something about him being betrothed to someone there. Logic said he should’ve been happy about that, his life lined up in a fairytale way most could only have dreamed of, but I wondered if Xander was right: Osric wanted Ceci too.
I reluctantly pulled away from her and plucked another slice from one of the pizza boxes piled on the coffee table, separating it from the main part, drawing long strands of hot cheese upwards and catching them in my mouth. The salty pepperoni and thick mozzarella were so well baked, the textures and tastes satisfying as I ate. Through chews, I said to Osric, “Thanks for the pizza. I’ll get it next time.”
My words snapped him from his trance, and he looked at me, neither smiling nor scowling. “My pleasure. Glad we’re all pepperoni fans.”
Actually, pepperoni wasn’t my preferred topping. But Ceci had declared it her favorite, and I’d wanted her to have it. The ease and speed at which Aaron and Osric had agreed told me they felt the same.
I guessed if Osric was sticking around, that would be fine.
He must have been a good guy, if he was Aaron’s best friend.
My real concern was Xander, who had texted Ceci earlier, saying he was spending time with his aunt, in their spooky skyscraper, and wouldn’t be joining us. I wasn’t sure Xander could ever earn my trust. He’d led that girl from my pack on. Though to be fair, she’d seemed obsessed with him. And he always made it clear to the girls he wanted nothing serious. Just sex. And their blood. Gross.
But he’d been going out of his way to help in the search for Ceci’s mom, and I appreciated that. I’d also never seen him act such a fool for any girl, the way that he did with Ceci.
I put thoughts of the vamp out of my mind.
“Another slice?” I asked her and leaned forward to separate a piece.
Ceci looked at it with hungry eyes. “Well, I shouldn’t, but I can’t resist. Such a treat having pizza from the best place in town.”
Balancing the piece carefully, I put it on a napkin and transferred it into her hands, mindful of not dripping cheese and greasy pepperoni on the couch. Though if it had landed on her creamy thighs, I’d have been happy to lick it off. My wolf sighed contentedly at the thought.
She took hold of the triangle and wolfed down the tip in one huge bite—I was an expert on wolfing and her game was good—rolling her eyes and sighing in pleasure. “Oh, that’s good. Thanks, Jax.” She turned her head. “Thanks again, Osric, you’re so kind for getting it.”
His emerald eyes flared wider, delving into hers. Almost full of longing.
But his response was cold, even a bit snooty as he shrugged, saying, “You’re very welcome. Humans are so easily pleased. It’s only a circle of baked bread with cheese and meat sprinkled on top, after all. I didn’t give you a diamond tiara.”
She stuck her tongue out playfully. “Not yet. I’ll put it on my Christmas list.”
A thin grin appeared on his face, and he took another bite himself, before speaking, his focus directed toward me and Aaron. “So, as I told Xander when I bumped into him earlier on today, I’ve been looking into this possible thing, this phenomenon that you chaps are convinced might be occurring between you and our little human pizza muncher.”
Aaron, who was tearing into the final slice of the whole pizza he’d polished off himself, replied, “Thanks, anything?”
Osric shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I’ve scoured every ancient Fae text in the campus library, and even in the public library downtown. Nothing. I’ve made extensive enquiries among my mother’s egghead royal advisors and the answer is always the same. No such phenomenon has ever been recorded. Not in England, not in New Nebraska, not anywhere.”
Aaron’s brows furrowed as he mulled the news. “Okay. Well, what can I say? It’s not been recorded, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a real thing. I know something’s going on when I’m near her.” He kissed her forehead, lingering there as she reached out to put a hand on his chest. “Now that I care for her, even more, just this kiss has me feeling wired, my bear stirring in ways he’s never before. Jax, what do you say?”
I wiped my hand on a napkin and returned to massaging Ceci’s thigh, devouring the softness, stroking my palm up and down gently, relishing the smooth skin. Ceci hummed and pleasure lit her eyes. My wolf pranced happily inside me. More dynamic, excitable than he should have been, and stronger too. I couldn’t deny it. “I agree. My wolf only feels this way when I touch her. It’s not just that she’s his mate.”
Ceci’s eyes widened when I said that.
“I don’t care what any experts or dusty old books say. This strengthening thing she’s doing, it’s real.”
Osric swallowed the last bit of his pizza and began washing his hands under the kitchen tap. He’d only had two slices. Fae seemed so modest in their eating habits, or was it just him?
“Very well, the boffins back home in England would disagree, but then what do they know?” Drying his hands on a dish towel, he met Ceci’s gaze, saying, “After all, they haven’t shared a pepperoni with this one.”
Osric let his joke land then jolted back, as if a thought had just physically struck him. His face went ashen. “Oh goodness. I’d forgotten what happened when I tried to get a read on Cecilia before.”
“What do you mean?” Aaron asked.
“The first time I saw her in your class, I had an inkling something was different about her. I couldn’t read her, get the measure of her soul, her aura, the same way I always can with others. I must say, I found it both surprising and confusing at the time.”
“Well, there you go then,” I said. “She might not be affecting your powers in exactly the same way as ours, but she’s having some effect on you.”
He grumbled, bobbing his head side to side, as if not wanting to accept the obvious. “Possibly. But then, I usually only ever read paranormals…”
