“What are you laughing at, you scarlet hyena?” Cas stood, his scowl deepening, and shot Zane a hot glare.
“Thank you, Simmy,” I said, meeting his gaze.
His expression softened just a fraction before he turned away, muttering about velocity and arch supports, and I shook my head.
Soon enough, a boy came into the room with platters of food, setting them down with an almost scared look, his hands trembling just a little. I gave him a kind smile, but he never looked directly at me.
As soon as the boy was gone, Casimir began dishing food onto my plate, then the others. Since Zane and Koa didn’t say anything about it, I only murmured a quiet, “Thanks,” and got a quick nod back.
As we ate chicken and roasted vegetables, Zane kept up a steady stream of jokes and stories, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief, while Ko interjected with dry, understated commentary that had me biting back laughter. Casimir ate quietly, his posture rigid, although I caught the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips whenever Zane said something particularly outrageous.
Brumous sat at my feet, his head resting on my lap as Zane fed him scraps under the table. I smiled, marveling at how quickly he’d grown attached to them and they to him. Zane ruffled Brumous’ ears, earning a happy yip, while Koa murmured something soothing when the pup whined for more food.
Casimir seemed less enthused. He looked under the table twice with a slight frown, his fingers tapping against the edge of his plate, his eyes narrowed. I wondered if he’d had a bad experience with a pet before or if he just didn’t trust dires in general. The thought made me sad. Brumous was sweet, all paws and wagging tail, and I couldn’t imagine anyone not loving him.
Zane caught my eye and grinned.
“Don’t mind Cas. He’s just mad because Brumous gets more of your attention than he does.”
“Zane,” Casimir warned.
“Brummyiscute.” I smiled, shaking my head. “He’s pretty hard to resist.”
Casimir rolled his eyes, but I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. For all his seriousness, there was something endearing about the way he tried to hide his softer side.
They were so different—Zane with his easy laughter, Koa with his quiet intensity, Casimir with his sharp edges—but there was a bond between them that was unmistakable. As I looked at these threemen who were now my husbands, I felt a flutter of hope, something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
It gave me the courage to ask a few questions.
“What, um.” Okay, maybe not as much courage as I’d hoped.
“Please don’t hesitate to ask us for or about anything.” Casimir set down his knife and fork and folded his hands over his plate, and I nearly shriveled under the weight of his full attention. “If you require something, we will provide it. If you want to know something, we will answer you if we can.”
I nodded, trying to swallow the knot in my throat.
“I— I just wondered what sort of work you expect me to do. Around the house. Cleaning or things like that.”
“Work?” Zane blinked. “You meanchores?”
“Or jobs,” I murmured, dropping my eyes to my plate. “If it’s scrubbing floors or doing dishes, I don’t mind. I would just like a pair of gloves, if that’s all right. I’m allergic to something in the soap, I think. My hands—”
Warm fingers brushed mine, and I flinched back. Koa froze, letting me see his hand before he reached again, slower this time. His palm hovered just beneath mine. An invitation.
When I didn’t pull away, he turned my hand over and traced his thumb along the rough, red skin of my knuckles.
“Is that why they’re so raw?” he asked gently. “Because they made you scrub floors and wash dishes without protection?”
“Papa always had gloves for me,” I confessed, ashamed to admit my weakness. “But after Arabesque came, she said I needed to toughen up. She said real women didn’t need coddling.”
The air shifted. The room went very still.
Zane’s fork clattered to his plate. Casimir’s jaw clenched, his knuckles whitening around his utensils. A muscle ticked in his cheek. Even Koa let out a breath like a tide drawing back from the shore, quiet, but edged with something dangerous.
My heart stuttered. They were angry now. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’d ruined the moment. They were going to—
“Serafina.” Casimir’s voice was like velvet drawn taut over steel, and I hunched in on myself, wanting to be small for when the hits started. “You willneverscrub another floor. You willneverwash another dish.”
“You’re not here to earn your place, sweetheart,” Zane leaned forward, voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “You alreadyhaveit.”
