Ellie returns with the bone, casting her sparkling eyes around in confused excitement as she senses the shift in atmosphere.
"Come here, baby," I call for her, pulling myself up out of the pool. When she brings me Jesse's humerus, I don't recoil this time. I take it from her, feeling the heft of a piece of him he once used to hurt me with.
Seven already checked, but I give the bone a quick inspection anyway, looking for anything sharp. It still smells a bit, but not as pungently. I give Seven a questioning look when I see how one edge of it is sawn flat.
"Took him apart," he explains with a nonchalant shrug. "Started with his junk, but things escalated."
“Escalated?” I repeat flatly.
“What? It’s therapeutic. Ten out of ten, would recommend.”
“Mhmm.”
I press my lips against a laugh, not sure if I'll ever get used to the casual way Seven admits to the most brutal acts of violence.
"I hate to say it, but Atty's right," he adds with a heavy inhale. "If Ellie dug him up, his bones are probably all over the place. It's not safe for her."
"Shit!" Elijah races up the pool steps to the outdoor kitchen, getting to the barbecue as the steaks Atticus started grilling there begin to catch fire. He quickly turns the heat down, blows out the flames, and gives them a flip.
"We should probably go check," I say in reply to Seven. "She can play fetch with this one for a bit, but I don't think I want her gnawing on it. And the other bones could be sharp."
"Or still covered in half-rotted Jesse." Seven makes a face of mock disgust.
It really is gross to imagine, but with the smell of Atticus's chimichurri steak now permeating the air, it isn't enough to put me off my appetite.
"Check the property after lunch?" I suggest.
"Sounds good."
Ellie growls playfully, laying her chest on the pool deck to wag her rear end in the air, urging me to hurry up and throw the bone.
"You joining us for steaks, then?" Elijah asks hopefully from where he's adding the seasoned vegetables to the grill next to the meat.
"If you're the one cooking it."
He smiles and shakes his head. They think it's a step too far—refusing to eat Atticus's cooking. But I see how much it bothers him, and that shit brings me joy, so…I'll stick to my frozen meals and pre-prepared salads.
"Okay, Ellie," I say, pulling my arm back for a good, strong throw. "Fetch!"
She's off like a shot before the bone even leaves my fingertips, chasing the whistling arc of it into the trees.
3
SEAR & SIMMER
ELIJAH
Atticus would've loved to see how Aurora tore into his fancy marinated Wagyu steaks.
They were overcooked, but the cuts of beef somehow remained tender despite catching fire and my shit barbecue skills. And paired with the chimichurri sauce? Yeah, Atty's really been outdoing himself in the cooking department. We all know it's a ploy to try to get back on Aurora's good side, but Sev and I aren't complaining.
We've been eating like kings for a solid week. Atty's even decided to ease off the fasting schedule, but I think the only reason is so that he has more opportunity to cook something she can't say no to.
He underestimates her resolve.
He underestimatesher, period.
I hate to ruin the moment as my angel lazes on the lounge chair with a hand atop her full belly, but we need to figure out how this is all going to work with her refusing to speak to the man in charge of the plan.
