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Oh no. I had to correct that, or at least make something clear. “I’m very glad to eat in here with you, but I can’t just sit all day and do nothing. I’d feel useless.”
Saber smiled at me. “Whatever you want to do is great. But we like waiting on you, and we enjoy your company.”
“If I stay here, I want to be a full member of this family and pull my own weight.” I had to be firm on that.
“We don’t need you to get a job,” Saber said. “Unless you really want to. We make more than enough for our needs, even if we have several children.”
“Not a job, necessarily, but I’m used to keeping busy.”
“Whatever suits you best.” Draven came in with the promised tray. “I made you a cheese-and-mushroom omelet and some country potatoes. And toast. Coffee and juice. But you’ll have to tell me your favorites so I can make them for you.”
“Do you think you’d let me help you cook sometimes?” I wasn’t a chef, but I could manage in the kitchen, and the idea of learning to be better at it really appealed.
“I’d enjoy that.” He set the tray on the coffee table in front of me. “Now, eat up, and maybe you will want to explore the house and see where everything is today? Familiarize yourself.”
“Perfect.” And I did just that. Then I found a bookshelf and selected a novel to read. The day passed pleasantly, each of the guys taking breaks at different times and using their downtime to chat with me or eat or take a walk. Saber and Draven were open books, but Menace was more closed down. It was harder to tell what he thought beyond sniffing me and commenting on how good I smelled.
After dinner, Draven and Saber went up to bed early, leaving me sitting by the fire with only Menace. It seemed like a good opportunity to try to talk with him a little and get to know him. Or try anyway. He was sitting in one of the chairs, so I patted the couch cushion next to me. “Want to sit here?”
“Okay.” He stood up and took the few steps to my side before sitting. “Are you warm enough?”
“Not really. Even with the fire, I think my clothes are a little inadequate for the weather here.”
He grunted, pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, and laid it over both our laps before putting an arm around me. “Better?”
“Much.”
We didn’t really talk, but I felt closer to him. And that would have to do for now.
Chapter Sixteen
Saber
I heard our mate awaken with the sun. I had gotten up only minutes before her but while I still lay in bed, thinking about the day before and what we’d shared with her, I listened intently to her every movement. She used the bathroom, of course, as we all did first thing, but there was more. Every step she took fascinated me. I heard her brushing her teeth and washing her face, groaning in between the tasks. We were all quiet in the mornings, but she beat all of us in the grumpy department.
It wasn’t until she’d had two cups of coffee the day before that she spoke her first word.
Then again, she’d only been here a few days. She fit with us, even in her short time here. Once she finished in the bathroom, I heard her taking clothes from the dresser. There were a few giggles and stomps, and I found myself laughing along with her. Clearly, she was having trouble getting that short little curvy body into clothing. Short. Curvy. Sexy. Beckoning body.
My pointy ears perked up at the sound of her door opening, and I moved to go out as well. Draven was already bustling around the kitchen, getting the coffee going as well as opening and shutting the cabinets.
“Morning,” I half said, half grunted as I walked into the kitchen. Menace was already there, and I didn’t miss the look Ilya and he gave each other before she sat at the table and accepted the coffee cup that Draven offered her. We had left them alone the night before. I wondered if something had happened. I would be happy if it did. We all deserved this hope of a family.
While I made my own way to the coffeepot, I brushed my hand along the back of Ilya’s shoulders. She lifted her hand to touch mine at the last second.
“I’m headed to the training grounds today. Draven is going to get the deliveries,” Menace said. “Saber, you will stay here with Ilya, or would you like to come with me for warrior training, woman?”
The look she gave him had me chuckling. “Okay, okay. No training today. Maybe another time. Saber?”
“Yes. Of course. I have to schedule my last semester’s classes. I’ll keep an eye on the security and Ilya as well.”
“I’m right here,” she said, her voice gravelly. My chest sank, thinking I had already offended her but when I flicked my gaze toward her, she gifted me a smile and a wink.
“I’m sorry, Ilya. We did swear to keep you protected.”
She nodded. “I know. We’re all getting used to each other. I appreciate the effort.”
“I’m off,” Menace said, but his feet stayed planted on the polished cement below him. He sucked in a breath and then moved, but I knew my friend. There was something he wanted to say but left it unsaid. Perhaps he wanted to tell her goodbye or maybe give her some sort of affection. All of this would be a journey for him, but I saw his want. He was making an effort, even if it was a storm within him.
