“I have no idea,” I said, before realizing I’d let a pretty important piece of information slip out.
Jesse didn’t miss it either, his eyes narrowing on me. “Don’t know, hey? Calen mentioned that he couldn’t read your race, and that’s actually a skill that cocky mage is quite good at.”
“Calen spent four point two seconds with me. I doubt he got much of a chance to read anything.”
I was hungry, so I picked up my taco and took another bite. Jesse’s expression shifted then to something darker, more primal, and I almost choked. “What?” I said as soon as I swallowed that mouthful. “Do I have something on my face?”
He shook his head, body unnaturally still. “You sure you’re not a shifter? Have you ever felt like … something else was inside your mind? Taking over your body?”
I shook my head, reaching out to grab the icy glass of water. Swallowing a few mouthfuls, I watched him closely. “No, I’ve never felt that. Princeps Jones says my energy is blocked. They’re waiting for a powerful sorcerer to release it.”
I took another long gulp of water before going back to the taco. He kept watching me with that indecipherable expression, and it was making me nervous.
Thankfully, he turned his focus to food, and I was able to eat a few more bites in peace. He ordered at least six meals. Guess it took a lot of food to fill his height and muscle.
“What was it like being raised as a human?” he asked when he was done ordering.
“I didn’t know any different,” I said truthfully, wondering why the hell I was still sitting here. I should be running, like I had yesterday, but Jesse as an individual didn’t seem too bad. “Yesterday was my birthday. I changed my hair color like I do every year, and then boom, there’s a witch standing in front of me telling me that I need to accompany her to a supernatural school. I’m probably still in shock.”
Being human had never felt quite as shocking, that was for sure.
“How old did you turn?” he asked.
“Twenty-two,” I replied.
He nodded like he’d expected that answer. “As you age, your powers grow stronger, and it doesn’t surprise me they found you on your birthday. Do you know that each year at the time of your birth, you have a moment where your power connects to the gods? The very gods we are born from, gifted to our mothers.”
I blinked. “Seriously? How many gods do you all believe in?”
“A lot.”
His food started to arrive then, and he took a moment to maneuver the plates around before he was finally satisfied everything was in reach. The time and care he took to position everything amused me, and I bit back a smile as I watched.
When he was finally satisfied, he said, “I have OCD when it comes to food. It all has to be in reach and positioned from most appealing to least in a half circle, starting on my left side.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me how you like to eat. As long as you don’t drop a half-chewed carcass on the table, then you do you.”
Jesse laughed again, and I was starting to like the warm rumbly sound. “I’ll keep my kills away from our table, then, shall I?”
He saidourso casually that for a moment I was taken aback, until I realized he meant his and the other guys. Not his and mine. He started to eat, and since I’d finished my tacos, I picked at the salad, again wondering why I was still sitting here.
It should have felt weird, not getting up and moving the moment he opened his mouth and all but kicked me out, but for some reason, the draw to remain near him was stronger than my fear of what I was doing.
I didn’t understand it, but I was chalking it up to some weird supernatural thing. Maybe it was just the attraction of their Atlantean blood. It had seemed like everyone wanted to be close to them when they arrived last night.
Jesse started to eat, and I eyed each plate, already working out what I’d get next meal. He was very observant, noticing my examination of his food, and then he shocked the shit out of me when he nudged a few plates forward.
“I can share, if you’d like to try something.”
I stared at him, not quite sure if I’d heard that right. Did he just offer to share?
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. You’re a growing boy. Gotta keep your energy up.”
He watched me for a long moment, before he returned the plates to their original positions and continued to eat in his neat and methodical way.
“What did you mean that some of your brothers were curious about me?” I asked, searching through my salad for the cherry tomatoes. They were my favorite part.
Jesse shrugged. “A human-raised supe that Calen can’t get a read on … they aren’t the only ones curious. Trust me.” He shrugged. “Rone seems to think you’re a spy or assassin, sent here to take us out. This has piqued Asher’s interest because he likes to know everything that’s going on, stay in control of situations. He wants to talk directly to you … I just beat him to it.”
