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“Some people are just born to be in the kitchen,” I said.
Like women?Tye teased inside my mind, enjoying the banter of the pack. It had taken a little time, but my mates were coming around to Tye. It helped that they’d all grown up together, so he wasn’t a complete stranger, and seeing the way he cared about me helped lessen some of the blame they held against him.
Excuse me?I sassed.See if you get any breakfast with commentary like that.
Oh no, not the burned eggs, he said, his voice full of mischief. “I guess I’ll have to find something delicious on my own.”
I froze with the spatula suspended in mid-air, and my breath caught. The deep, rich timbre of his voice floated through the room instead of my mind, and I turned seeking eyes toward the sound.
Tye stood on the stairs, unbound, with Jolon and Dason trailing him down.
Chayton slipped the cooking utensil from my hand and leaned down to kiss his mating mark on my neck. He’d claimed me last night right here in the kitchen, uncaring of who heard the way he made me scream as he bent me over the kitchen table. His teeth nipped at the spot, sending a pleasant tingle through my body, before he smacked my ass playfully and told me to go to my mate.
“I don’t understand,” I murmured. Chayton freed me from the circle of his arms and I scrambled toward Tye, who bolted the rest of the way down the stairs and through the living room, meeting me halfway.
“He declared he would sacrifice his life to keep you safe. In time, he will have to prove his loyalty and earn the trust of the pack, but for now, he has your trust, and that’s enough.” Jolon smiled softly as Tye lifted me off the ground and crushed me to his chest.
Having my mates together in one room felt incredibly right.
“I could feel that you needed all your mates right now, and regardless of how I or the rest of the pack feel, he’s yours. That makes him a part of us, too,” Dason added.
“Thank you,” I said out loud. Then repeated to just Dason and Jolon,Thank you. Words felt inadequate, and I hoped they felt just how much this meant to me through our connection. They were taking a huge leap of faith in me, and in Tye, and I wanted to show them it was possible to add him to our group.
“Now nothing could make this morning more perfect, unless Chayton took back control of the kitchen,” Axel teased, then ducked as I sent a harmless burst of magick his way. It fizzled out long before it reached him, but it was the idea of the threat that counted.
“I’ll make sure Axel gets a double serving of your eggs, sweetheart,” Chayton placated me, but it only made it worse.
I winced. “If they’re that bad, let’s just start over.” Kissing Tye on the cheek, I grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen.
“Do you know how to cook?” Chayton questioned.
In answer, Tye took the spatula, flipped it behind his back with one hand before catching it seamlessly with the other in a fancy move I’d never be able to replicate.
“If I didn’t cook, I didn’t eat. I’m decent at breakfast, but I make a mean chicken marsala.”
“It’s going to be nice to have someone else around here who can share the burden of feeding so many hungry mouths.” Chayton clasped him on the shoulder and together they worked in the kitchen like a well-choreographed dance.
Wanting to be helpful, but totally happy to relinquish control of the meal, I grabbed a stack of plates from the cabinet and went to set the table.
I was halfway there when a loud screech pierced through my mind and made me gasp. Pain radiated sharply through my head, and the dinnerware slipped from my fingers to shatter against the hardwood. I gripped my temples and doubled over.
The ringing in my ears was so intense, I couldn’t hear the panicked voices of my mates as they rushed to me.
“Lorn!” A cacophony of voices called my name, blending into a muted chorus.
Last chance, little Keeper. Join us or die, an otherworldly voice hissed.We’re waiting.
Dizziness swamped my head as the darkness inside me grew to new levels. The veil shook, and I shuddered just as hard.
“Fuck! Her aura is bleeding to black,” Jolon’s voice shot through the haze.
Unable to hold myself up any longer, I nearly fell into the shards of glass, but someone lifted me and set me on the couch.
“Move,” Tye ordered, the dark command brokering no argument.
“What are you doing?” Dason demanded, his trust thinning, though he tried to hold on to his faith that Tye was on our side.
Kota’s magick healed the small nicks on my legs from the broken dishes, and Tye’s magick bolted into my chest.
