Chapter 42
Jade
There was a knock on the front door just as I was pulling dinner out of the oven. I shucked off the oven mitts and smoothed my hair down before I went to answer the door. Tracey had gone for a run and Lucas went to the manor to hang out with Carden. Alice was cooking for all the children and mentioned she could use the help. Both of the guys had volunteered immediately. I was surprised by how much Lucas loved being around kids.
Rafe was waiting on the front porch. His hair was a wild mess around his head and his hands were shoved into his pockets. He wore a long sleeve shirt with four buttons at the top of his chest and dark blue jeans. His cheeks stained pink as I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn’t mad at him, but I deserved more of an explanation than my wolf needed blood.
“I wasn’t thinking,” he started. “I’m used to this bachelor lifestyle. I have never had to tell anyone anything about my business. Not even as Alpha. But we are in the middle of a war and you deserve better than that.”
I nodded and moved out of the way to let him inside. We weren’t enemies. We weren’t lovers. We were mates and we were going to have to find a happy medium in all of this. Once again, I would have to meet him halfway.
“Whose blood was it really?” I peeked under the tinfoil over my casserole. The cheese was the right shade of brown and bubbling. Tracey had admitted she had never tasted a casserole that was any good before. This was one of the many meals I had tried to make for myself while my parents were gone and I was a starving college student. Online recipes had saved me in those days. I had learned how to tweak them to perfection. Cooking for others wasn’t something I was used to but it made me excited. I could have never prepared this for my parents.
Rafe lounged back on the couch and threw his arms along the top of it. “A dude that smelled like trouble. Fear and desperation clung to his skin and it wasn’t his own. People like that don’t deserve a place in this world.”
“Where is he now?” I couldn’t help but ask. I knew he was a morally gray person. I didn’t mind it. Being a part of a supernatural race made things different.
“Hopefully dead,” Rafe didn’t miss a beat, and this time I wasn’t exactly surprised. He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask anymore. We could recover from this. We had recovered from much worse but I still needed my space. “Dinner smells good.”
I smirked. “Are you hungry?”
He grinned and my stomach dropped. “Not for food.”
Tracey took that moment to burst through the front door. “I am starving!”
Rafe pinched his lips together to keep himself from grinning further. I threw the oven mitt at his head. Tracey ignored us both, grabbed a fork from the drawer, and immediately dug into the casserole dish on the counter. She didn’t bother with a plate instead, she scooped massive amounts of the cheesy chicken right into her mouth. My mouth fell open as she continued to scarf my food down. Before I could say or do anything- thanks to being so stunned- half the casserole was gone. She tilted her head back and leaned against the counter all while she rubbed her belly. Her eyes swooped between Rafe and me.
“Oh, I wasn’t interrupting something, was I?”
Rafe scratched his neck and a laugh burst from his mouth. “Please, continue.” He pulled his phone out. “And I would love to record you eating the rest of that.”
Tracey’s face fell. “Sicko.”
Lucas took that opportunity to come in through the backdoor. He looked between his sister and me and his brows pulled together. “I feel like I just missed something.”
Rafe snorted. “You definitely did.”
Tracey rolled her eyes and handed me her fork. “Your turn.”
I shook my head. “No, I prefer to eat my food like a human.”
Tracey grumbled something under her breath before she tossed the utensil into the sink and marched to her joint bedroom. Lucas’s grin was uncomfortable at best. Rafe simply looked amused as hell. Lucas raised his hand. “I’m gonna go take a shower now.”
“Have at it, buddy.” I swept my hand toward the hall in a grand gesture. Lucas’s look only became more perturbed as he walked away.
“Why do both of the women I live with have to be so weird?” he muttered as he walked away.
“Do you want some casserole?” I finally asked Rafe. There was no way in hell I was going to ask him if he was still hungry.
He grimaced. “I don’t think so. You should probably put it in the fridge and label it,Tracey’s dinner. So no one else mistakenly eats it after that.”
I scrunched my nose. “You’re right.Or she can put it away.” I raised my voice on the last part so I knew she heard me.
“I should probably get going,” He stood up from the couch. I took a step toward him but wondered where we stood and took a step back. In a few long strides, he was by my side. With his look of determination, I expected him to kiss me right on the mouth. I was shocked when instead, he kissed my hairline. “Thanks for the entertainment.”
Tracey called out from the bedroom. “Oh, I see how it is! You only want to be around her when you can be alonnnnne.”
Rafe clicked his tongue. “That’s not it, but it kind of is. I was hoping to get her alone in that big new bed.”
