Saffron sat in the beach chair next to me. He leaned closer. “So, Muzo. Now that you’re part of the fam, are you gonna spill Cobalt’s secret?”
“What secret?” I asked, munching on a pre-BBQ strip of jerky. The pregnancy had amped up my appetite to eleven.
Saffron waved a hand. “You know. His hoard. You’ve seen it, right?”
I blinked as memories of the cum bucket flashed before my eyes. “Uh.”
Thystle snorted as he pulled up the adjacent two chairs for himself and his mate, Matteo.
“Don’t bother telling him, Muzo,” Thystle said. “He’s only going to make fun of it like he does with everyone else’s hoard.”
“Hey, I don’t make fun of yours anymore, emo boy,” Saffron argued. “Not since I saw Matteo live on stage. He was awesome.”
Matteo grinned as he sat next to Thystle. “Thanks.”
“Youwereawesome,” Thystle agreed, kissing Matteo on the cheek before turning back to his brother. “Anyway, if Cobalt wants to keep his hoard a secret, let him. Don’t feel peer-pressured to spill anything, Muzo.”
Saffron groaned. “Aw, come on! Look, I’ll trade you, info for info. I hoard movies, Aurum’s is video games, Jade obviously hoards books, and Viol’s is—”
Viol’s ominous voice cut in. “If you want to keep your tongue, stop using it.”
Saffron yelped, nearly leaping out of his skin. He went pale as Viol loomed darkly behind him. “Fuck, where do youcomefrom sometimes?” Saffron blurted.
Viol ignored him, looking to Matteo. “Where’s Heather?” he asked gruffly.
Matteo gave a casual nod towards the sand, as if Viol hadn’t just threatened to cut someone’s tongue off. “Playing with Ruby. Taylor and Crimson are babysitting.”
A frown etched into Viol’s mouth. He looked disappointed, like a kid who couldn’t have a cookie. He suddenly turned to me. “When are you due?” he asked.
Math was never my strong suit, and time slipped away on this dreamy island paradise. “Uh... A few weeks? Not sure,” I admitted.
“How can you not be sure? You’re growing an egg inside you,” Viol retorted, sounding more confused than anything else.
I grinned, patting my belly. “Sure am. Man, it makes me hungry, though. Were you always starving, Matteo?”
Matteo tilted his head. “Not starving, but I craved my favorite food all the time.” With a playful smirk at Thystle, he added, “And my mate was happy to feed it to me.”
Viol’s lip twitched. For a second, I almost thought he looked jealous.
I perked up as Cobalt approached me with a big, steaming plate of food. I swallowed to stop myself from drooling.
“Heard you’re hungry,” Cobalt said with a knowing smile. “I made a lot, so eat up.”
I happily accepted the plate. The scents of sizzling meats and veggies wafted up to my nose, making my stomach growl louder. To my joy, half the plate was big, juicy grilled shrimp. Cobalt knew exactly what I loved. I didn’t hesitate to shovel them in my mouth.
“Hey, what about the rest of us?” Saffron asked, glancing hungrily at my shrimp.
Cobalt shot him a look. “Pregnant omegas eat first.”
“It’s okay, he can have a bite,” I said, offering a shrimp to Saffron. He looked as happy as a dog being fed scraps under the table.
I was about to offer a shrimp to Viol too, but he’d disappeared without another word. He must’ve slipped back into the shadows he manifested from.
“You guys want some?” I asked Thystle and Matteo.
Matteo reclined in his seat. “I’m good, thanks. I’m saving myself for sashimi.”
Saffron snorted. “It’s a barbecue, bro. That’s like the opposite of what you want.”
