“Oh, I’m aware.” Jeremy’s grin deepened, turning more mischievous. “Also—would you like my pancakes?”
Thierry rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched with amusement. “Yes.”
Eli’s brows slid together, and he flashed Jeremy a disapproving look. “You’re not hungry?”
“I’ll eat later,” Jeremy said. “I can’t stomach most kinds of food anymore.”
“Because you’re a vampire-werewolf hybrid,” Eli said, sounding fascinated. He shot me a questioning look. “Is that a normal thing?”
“Not that I’ve ever heard of,” I replied, setting my plate down. I placed the napkins in the center of the table, then took my seat. It struck me all over again how beautifully domestic and ordinary this all was. Certainly not what I would ever have expected my future to hold—nor something I could have imagined wanting. But I did.
“As a rule, wolves don’t trust vampires,” Jeremy explained. “We’re not exactly a welcoming bunch with other supernatural races. If one of us is in the transition process, we generally choose not to return.”
“You can choose?” Eli asked, startled. “It doesn’t just happen?”
“Wolves are an exception,” Thierry explained. “They’re intimately tied to the spirit world, so they tend to have more awareness in altered states—including the death process, apparently.”
Jeremy nodded. “But I couldn’t leave him.” He swallowed hard, meeting Thierry’s eyes. “I’ll never leave.”
Thierry visibly melted for a long moment, returning his smile. “I love you, wolf.”
Huh,Eli said telepathically.I was kind of expecting him not to get sappy.
He’s in love,I replied.I’m rather familiar with the feeling.
Eli took my hand under the table, an adorable smile softening his features.
“So,” I said. “Any updates from Godric?”
He had offered to check himself into the hotel Sam worked at, in order to keep an eye on her. After returning, he’d said my home was too crowded for him, and when we mentioned Eli’s sister needed protecting as well, he had jumped at the opportunity.
Thierry shrugged. “He hasn’t seen anything amiss thus far. He’ll stay there for the immediate future.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good thing,” Eli said, his tone sharpening. “I don’t like him. I’m not sure I trust him around Sam.”
“He’s not evil, exactly,” Thierry offered. “He won’t allow your sister to come to any harm.”
“Fine. I still don’t like him,” Eli said firmly. I could sense that he was thinking about the fact that Godric had initially attacked us on sight.
“No one likes him,” Jeremy agreed. “Except maybe Rico. But Rico likes everyone.”
“Who are these people?” I demanded, mystified.
“You’ll meet them eventually,” Thierry assured me. “And Rico is Godric’s fated mate. They’re… friends of mine.”
The way he said the word, it was as though he were testing it out.
“No, they’re your family,” Jeremy said firmly. Then he raised his gaze to meet mine. “They adore Thierry. I’m sure they’d love to meet you and Eli as well.”
Before I could reply, my phone chimed. I pulled it out and looked down at the screen. It was a text message from Harris:Cole, you need to call me ASAP.
I frowned down at the screen, reading the message multiple times. A cold feeling crystallized in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t like Harris to message me at all—much less for his message to be so urgent.
Everyone at the table was watching me in silence. Thierry’s expression was increasingly alarmed, so whatever look I had on my face couldn’t have been good.
“Call him,” Eli said quietly, no doubt sensing my sudden alarm.
I nodded, hitting the button to connect the call.
