Ash cleared his throat. “The food is all organized.”
“No one’s starving, that’s for sure,” Harper added under his breath.
Ash pulled Harper against him. “What kind of mate would I be if I let you starve?”
“A terrible one.” Harper caught Dex’s eye, his lips twitching in amusement.
Ash laughed, and Onyx said, “Glad that’s all worked out. Where the hell is Dante?”
Luc stiffened against Dex’s side. “Isn’t he staying behind?”
“I’m staying behind,” one of the women on the couch said. She stood and maneuvered across the room to hold out a hand to Dex. “I’m Pamala.”
He shook it. “I’m Dex, and this is Luc.”
“Oh, I know who he is.” Pamala seemed to stand taller, giving off a regal air.
Luc’s stiff posture remained, and tension seemed to settle over everyone. Pamala must be a demon, though there was no way for Dex to tell from her appearance.
Luc placed a hand on Dex’s shoulder, while his attention remained on Pamala. “You’re here even after I imprisoned you?”
She waved an airy hand. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a cause.”
The corner of Luc’s mouth twitched. “Aren’t we all. I appreciate you staying behind. You’ll have my unending thanks for looking after my mate.”
“As long as you look after Lillian and Maxwell, there’s no need for thanks. Besides”—Pamala turned her attention to Dex—“I hear you’re a friend of Ollie’s.”
“Yeah, I am. Are you?” How many demons did Ollie know?
The demon by the window turned to face them, revealing a crisscrossed length of fabric binding her breasts withoutrestricting her wings. She raised a brow. “Friend? Is that what you call someone who kidnaps you these days?”
“Ren,” hissed the man whom Dex presumed was Maxwell.
“What?” Ren shrugged. “Did Pamalanotkidnap Ollie?”
“Pamala only kidnapped me to try and save her friends. It was a misunderstanding,” Ollie said as he came in from the hallway on the other end of the room. “She’s Ellie’s mate,” he added to Dex.
“Ellie has a mate?” Dex didn’t know Ollie’s coworker well, but they’d hung out a bunch over the years.
Ollie nodded. “Awesome, right?”
“Yes,” Pamala said primly. “And it’s nice to socialize with you, Ollie. Now that Dante has calmed down.”
“Who said I’ve calmed down?” Dante filled the doorway, his wings towering over his shoulders.
“You did.” Pamala braced her hands on her hips. “You said we were good.”
Dante stalked forward. “We are. Like Ollie said, it was a misunderstanding. I’d have acted similarly in your shoes.” He turned to face Luc. “I’m coming with you.”
Luc took a step back. “You are?”
“Of course. You’re doing the right thing for the first time in a thousand years. I’m not missing it.”
Luc’s lips stretched in a wide, unrestrained smile, and Dex’s heart leapt. Luc would earn back his brothers’ trust. Dex was sure of it.
Nothing was so broken that you couldn’t try to fix it.
Ollie wrapped an arm around Dante, lifting his chin as he met Luc’s gaze. “You can do this. I know you can.”
