“I’m not sitting.” He said each word distinctly; arms crossed over his chest defiantly. I did love when he worked himself into a proper snit.
“Whatevs, stand then. Just stop hovering.” I ordered. “Your shadow is blocking all the light. Do you need more wine?”
“No, I don’t need more wine,” he muttered, then whispered, “maybe.”
Holding my half full glass out to him, I didn’t even try to hide my smile when he took it from me and drank the rest of it. I wasn’t sure how well elves metabolized wine, so maybe since we were going back to the village, we should both slow down on the red.
“So…you spoke to your parents, which I’m guessing by the way you said that, and the fact that I didn’t even know you had parents, you don’t do that often.”
He scowled. “Of course I have parents. Why would you think I don’t have parents?”
“I don’t know what elves do. You could have hatched in the middle of the snow for all I know. Just appeared one day, all super tall and frowny.”
“I don’t frown.” He pursed his lips into one frowny line.
“You’re frowning now. Wait, do you have siblings? Are there more of you? Dear Goddess, that’s a frightening thought.”
He rolled his eyes, flicking his hair over one shoulder. “Yes, I have siblings. I am the oldest of…” he looked at the ceiling, his eyes narrowed and his mouth moving silently, “three hundred and…something. It could be four hundred by now. I don’t know. I lost count, honestly.”
I stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open, sure I had heard him incorrectly. “Three hundred?”
“More,” he shrugged, “but like I said, I lost count. My parents are stupid in love with each other, even after four hundred and fifty some years.”
“Imma need more wine for this conversation,” I whispered.
“Focus!” He snapped his fingers at me.
Arching one red brow, I snarked, “I don’t know who the fuck you are snapping your fingers at like that. Not someone you need to help you, I know that much. And I am focused. I’m focused on the fact that you are the oldest of a thousand siblings and there is more than one of you.”
“There is only one me,” he assured me, sounding quite proud. “And no one said a thousand. Hundreds, yes, but don’t exaggerate.”
“I feel like after the first hundred it’s all just overkill.”
He gave a very OTT sigh, his entire chest heaving with the effort. “Are you going to help me or not?”
I raised my slightly pointy chin up at him. “What do I get out of this? What are you going to do for me? Because you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend, right? For your family. That’s what you’re asking?”
“Yes, that is what I’m asking. Do you want me to get down on one knee and beg you?”
“Is that an option, because maybe? Yes,” I shook my head, “do that.”
“I’m not doing that. And I helped you earlier. With your date. So, technically you owe me. How was it by the way? The date?”
Dammit, he had helped me, even if he had been late in calling me. I’d sorta forgotten about my disastrous date. Coming home to find Bal stretched out on my couch, watching TV, looking relaxed and like he belonged here had made me forget all about my date.
“Okay, fine, I’ll help you,” I agreed. “And my date was awful. He wanted to come with me to Thanksgiving and meet my family. Since that seemed like the next step, since I was the type of omega he was looking for.” I used air quotes around the last part, followed by a deep shudder.
Bal blinked, confusion clouding his silver eyes. “Wasn’t this your first date?”
“Knew him barely an hour. Yeah.” I nodded, standing since Bal was indicating with his hand motions he was ready for us to get this show on the road. Shrugging into my winter coat, I zipped it snugly.
“Humans are odd creatures.”
“Says the guy with two thousand siblings.” I grinned when he opened his mouth to correct me. “And he was a shifter. Wolf, I think. But still, it was fucking weird. Creepy controlling stalker vibes for sure. I know lots of shifters, and they don’t act like he did. At least I don’t think they do.”
The majority of Sweet Alps was made up of shifters, with about a quarter of the population being full humans. Shifters didn’t bother me, and I had never discriminated in my dating life. I’d even gone through a couple of heats with shifter alphas, and they had been very satisfying.
Bal put his arms around me and I closed my eyes as his minty chocolaty scent filled my nostrils. His steely arms tightened around my lower back, and I leaned into him. Myhands clung tightly to his muscled biceps, and I looked up at his face. He was watching me intently, his jaw clenched tight, and he swallowed hard.
