After she was dressed, she stepped out to find the food spread across the small table. Both men were already seated and drinking coffee.
Eli got up and pulled another chair back. “Coffee?”
“God, yes. I can’t believe someone dropped off those clothes for me,” she said.
“Not just one person,” Kellan told her. “Several.”
“Really? Do you know who they were? I want to say thank you.”
“Think it was Laken and a couple of her friends. Probably Savannah and Lila.”
“Was the bra the right size?” Eli asked as he put a cup of coffee down in front of her.
“No, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I have much to support.”
Both men glared at her.
“What? It’s true.” She reached for some scrambled eggs and put them on her plate along with half a piece of toast.
Kellan grunted and, grabbing her plate, filled it with more egg and another piece of toast. Then he spooned some oatmeal into a bowl with some sliced fruit on top.
“That sounded like you were putting yourself down,” Eli said, pointing at her.
“I really wasn’t,” she said. “It was simply the truth. There’s not much there.”
“I still don’t like you saying that.” Kellan pointed at her. “Don’t do it again.”
“Yes, no putting yourself down,” Eli reiterated.
She sighed. “All right. What are these other rules? Also, this is way too much food for me. I’ll never eat it all.”
“Just do the best you can,” Eli told her. “You haven’t eaten much in the last twenty-four hours.”
That was true.
“Fine. The rules?”
“No putting yourself in danger, talking down about yourself, risking your health, breaking any laws, or lying to us. Also, you have to always tell us if there is a threat, if you’re scared, where you are going and when you will be home.”
“But not at the moment,” Kellan said. “Until the risk is eliminated, you’ll be with one of us at all times.”
“Yes, true,” Eli said. “Do you understand them all?”
She nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
“Oh, and there might be other rules for the bedroom.” Eli winked at her.
Yeah. She could just imagine.
“Eat,” Kellan told her.
With a sigh, she started eating. “Kellan said the rules were to control me.”
Eli stared over at his brother and she waited for him to tell Kellan that he was wrong or could have worded that differently.
Instead, he smiled.
“Yeah. That’s about right.”
