“From Kane?”
I couldn’t help the surprise that laced my question. Kane was the least talkative person, shifter or Other I’d ever met. I couldn’t believe he’d been waxing on about Ze and me, even if the guy was adorable in all kinds of ways.
“Yeah, Kane. He’s helping me with my training. Jarvis says I have to pass some bullshit training test to be officially on the team, even though I could knock every one of these assholes out with just a thought. Anywho, Kane is taking mercy on me now and helping me. And I’m teaching him how to harness his shifter energy. Oh, and I’m teaching him how to bake.”
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
Yet again, Ze was channeling my thoughts. This mate thing was already awesome.
“I’m teaching Kane to harness his shifter energy, sort of like what I do, but a little different. I’m teaching all of you actually, and I’ll be setting up Mage lessons with you, Nial, as soon as you get settled.”
“No, I think we got that part, I mean can you elaborate about the baking thing.”
Just then, the man himself came around the same side of the house Thorne had come around moments before. He looked at all of us standing by the truck, and I could see him debating whether to turn around and go back the way he’d come. I almost laughed at the look of fright, then resignation on his face when Thorne waved him over.
“Hey, Kane, I was just telling the guys about your baking lessons.”
Kane looked momentarily mortified, then resigned himself again and let Thorne continue.
“He told me he wants to make a cake for his mom’s birthday. She always makes a carrot cake for him every year for his birthday, but he wants to do something nice for her. Isn’t he the sweetest?”
I will not laugh, I will not laugh.
Ze wasn’t in tune with me this time. He busted a gut laughing so hard.
“You’re seriously learning how to bake? You’re the baddest motherfucker in a fight I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen the vids of you fighting in the ring and out of it, both shifted and not. You’re telling me the Wolf King of the Ring is learning how to make icing and baking cakes? For fuck’s sake man, next you’ll be wearing an apron.”
I would not let him get away with this bullshit. I could tell that Kane was getting embarrassed at being ridiculed in front of Thorne and I wasn’t going to let him embarrass either one them.
“Oh, Ze, honey, if Kane needs an apron, you can loan him yours.”
Ze immediately shut up, and I turned to the guys who were all ears now.
“At the cabin, Ze cooked for me every day, including baking bread and making pastries. He had the cutest apron that hadKiss the Cookprinted on it. It’s probably up in flames now, but I’m going to get him a new one.” I snapped my fingers. “I know, Thorne, you and I can look online together and get the guys matching aprons, what do you think?”
Ze grabbed my hand and pulled me quickly behind him toward the front door, shouting over his shoulder.
“He’s tired from the trip, pay no attention to the nonsense he’s saying right now.”
Geordie and Thorne laughed behind us, and Kane just shook his head and went back the way he had come. When we went up the grand staircase in the house and down the long hallway, we finally found ourselves in my room. The king sized bed was new as were the two dressers and two wing back chairs in front of the window. Other than that, the navy walls and silver drapes were the same as always.
“So, you’re going to get me a matching apron?”
I giggled when Ze licked and nipped at my new mate scar. But the more he did it, the hotter I became. I wanted him, but I needed to find out something first.
“So, you and your whole team are headquartered in my house for the foreseeable future?”
He kept licking and kissing both sides of my neck and only paused to answer.
“Yeah, looks that way, I’ll have a team meeting later today and talk everything over with Luke and your dad.”
“Things might get complicated with all of us living in the same house. What’s going on with Luke and Geordie? And did you see Kane with the guy Thorne?”
“I don’t know what’s up with Luke and Geordie. The ones I’m concerned about are Eugene and Jarvis. I have no idea what’s going on there, but something about it has my radar pinging that it could be trouble.”
Eugene and Jarvis? Seriously?
“Okay, all of that is beside the point, what I really want to know is if you’ll keep your mate happy while you’re doing all of this important work and are you going to let me help you?”
