That broke the tension, and even Mellgren cracked a smile.
Hazel tapped her nails against the table. “At least you had food. When I took a break from my booth, there wasn’t a single fly to be found. Not one. You’d think at a crowded festival, someone could manage to leave behind a decent swarm. Flies are an excellent source of protein, you know. But no, nothing for me. I had to settle for stale granola bars from the vendor’s tent.” She wrinkled her nose.
The table erupted into laughter—gentle, good-natured, the sound of misfits sharing the weight of the week. This was what we’d been missing. This was the purpose of the group.
“How about you, Gideon?” Elwood asked.
I almost said nothing. I was used to being the one with the answers, not the one with the problem, and yet, here I was. “I, umm, I have something going on. I’m not sure if I should say something here or not.” I rubbed the back of my neck and looked at Elwood. Did he really want to hear about my relationship problems with his grandson?
“Go ahead. I know all about you and my Declan.”
I glanced around and saw nothing but encouraging faces. These people weren’t wolves, but they were my friends, and I thought they would be able to understand.
“So, the thing is, Declan and I are together.”
“Then why do you look so stressed? Did he put a love spell in a cookie and then give it to you? That’s not a very nice thing todo.” Sandy sat up straight like he was ready to throw down for me.
“No, Sandy, he didn’t put a love spell on me.”
He relaxed back down. “Good, because I would hate to have to stop eating his cakes. They’re so tasty.”
“Go ahead, dear. We’re here for you.” Hazel gave me a reassuring smile, and I nodded at her.
“I think he might be my mate.”
“Think?” Perry asked. “Don’t you wolves just know?”
“Usually, but I can’t shift, so I can’t know for sure. My wolf would have to smell him for me to be positive.”
“I was afraid it was something like that,” Elwood said. “You two had such an immediate connection.”
We did, and it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Declan was funny and brave and smart. Not to mention sexy. We seemed to mesh perfectly, exactly the way mates did. If only I could know for sure.
I nodded. “We did. But I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to spend my life with my mate, but I can’t know for sure.”
“So you do it like the rest of us. You date him, you fall in love with him, you choose him. That’s what those of us without fate’s nudging do.” Elwood gave me a smile. “I think it’s going to work out fine.”
I let out a relieved breath. It didn’t fix everything, and it didn’t tell me if Declan was my mate, but it mattered to me to have Elwood’s blessing. “Thank you.”
I looked up and met gazes with Az. Not only was he my closest friend, but he was never one to keep quiet. He didn’t say a word. Instead, he just gave me a nod. I was pretty sure he saw something, but whatever it was, he didn’t tell me. I would have to catch him later and see if he would tell me what he knew. Thedemon wasn’t an oracle, but somehow, he still seemed to know things he shouldn’t have been able to know.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you all for listening. Now, does anyone have anything else?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Suspects and sexy invitations
Declan
As soon as the last bit of equipment was in the back of Paula’s van, I raced down the street to Gideon’s pub. The pub was busy, which made sense. It was Saturday night, after all.
But Gideon wasn’t in sight.
“Hi!” I said to a beautiful woman who was standing behind the bar. Her long red hair had a striking white streak down the left side. “Is Gideon here?”
“Why?” She tilted her head to the side as she eyed me, reminding me of a curious puppy. Then she sniffed the air. Her eyes widened. “Oh! You’re…”
“I’m what?” I prompted when she didn’t finish her sentence.
