Gideon's voice is pure sex. I close my eyes to pull myself together, but it doesn’t help. Instead, my brain supplies me with a lot of graphic sexual images of the two of them wrapped around each other.
“If you both don't stop, I'm going to have to introduce Sheena to my parents with a hard on,” Callum warns. “And if that happens, I'm going to make damn sure you both are every bit as uncomfortable as I am.”
“It's his fault, not mine.” I hurl the words at Gideon, pointing my finger at him in accusation.
My shifter seems like he's having a blast, dimples flashing as he grins and starts whistling tunelessly. He’s the picture of innocence, but I’m not buying it.
We stop talking then, and I focus on the best way to make a good impression, realizing I don’t have the first idea how to dazzle anyone’s parents.
Before I can get too worked up, we’re passing through a gate and veering left down an enormous cobblestone driveway. I catch glimpses of buildings, a fountain, and tall hedges as we go. We finally stop at another massive building. Gideon parks the SUV, then Callum opens my door. I slide out and do mybest not to fidget or stare. This place is stunning. They definitely undersold it.
“You said this was a home,”I hiss, frantically scraping a spot of mud off of my boot onto the stone. “I’m not sure what this is exactly, but it's not like any home I've ever seen.”
Gideon looks at the sprawling structure as if he's trying to see it through my eyes. “Yeah, it’s big. Our families have their own living spaces, but a lot of other people live here too.”
“And many of them have nowhere else to go,” Callum explains. “There are a bunch of other areas used for operations and training, too.”
“Boring stuff like that,” Gideon says.
I think I hear Callum murmur something about dungeons under his breath. Before I can ask, I hear a set of footsteps coming up behind me.
“Just think of it as an ostentatious, mixed-use development.” At the sound of the familiar voice, I spin around so fast I almost trip.
“Careful, bestie,” Ciprian teases, smiling as I rush forward to give him a hug.
“The house isn't the only thing that's ostentatious. Are you wearing slacks?” Callum asks, pointing at his brother.
Ciprian tilts his head cheekily. “I had these custom made to cup my ass just right. What do you think, babe?” He twists to show me the back of his tight, black pants.
“No one will be able to look away,” I assure him, choking on a laugh and giving him a thumbs-up.
He ignores his brother's scowl and throws his arm around my shoulder, grinning. “Come inside now, Little Red Riding Hood. It's time to meet the big bad wolves.”
I stop in my tracks, ice trickling down my spine.
“Wait, no one mentioned wolves.” I turn to question Gideon about what I'm walking into. “I thought your parents had an affinity for birds and cats?”
He smiles down at me, shaking his head. “There aren’t any wolves staying here that I know of.”
“He’s right.” Ciprian laughs. “Just some nightmare demons living next to an over-capacity, cage-free animal shelter.” He leans in closer. “And we’ve got fairies now.”
Callum twists his head toward his brother with a scowl. “How’s that going?”
“So far, it's been a heaping pile of painfully polite small talk.” Ciprian rubs his chin. His tone is light, but the tension I’m feeling from all three of them makes me certain I’m missing some kind of context here.
“I’d prefer we save those introductions for another visit,” Callum says, looking around the courtyard with narrowed eyes.
For once, Ciprian seems to agree with him because he nods his head and ushers me forward. He keeps up a steady stream of chatter about people I've never heard of while he leads me towards the nearest entrance.
“My family lives in this wing,” Gideon says, slipping his hand in mine as we climb the stairs.
At the top, Callum reaches for the heavy, ornate door, but it opens on its own.
A man steps out. He's tall, elegant, and full of stunning, sharp edges as though his entire body was carved from marble. I assume he has Asian heritage until I notice the gracefully pointed ears on display beneath his black, neatly coiffed hair. After spending time with Callum and Gideon, I thought I would never be stunned by another good-looking man again, but this guy... He’s so otherworldly flawless, it scares me.
Gideon's hand tightens around mine. Ciprian's arm, which was draped lazily over my shoulders, twitches twice as theman stares me down. He studies me like a specimen under a microscope. I shudder.
“Idris, it's good to see you again.” Callum breaks the silence. His words are perfectly polite, but his tone is cold.
