“You’re up,” Amelia said, rising from where she sat next to a hulking red demon in a suit at the head of the table. The man to his right was slender and gorgeous, with golden curls and expressive eyes, and he appeared human, though I was fast learning to never assume. Two other men sat at the other table, one long and gangly, and the other burly and built, and they chatted with someone very familiar.
“Sofia?” I said, thrilled to see her intact.
She glanced to us at once and gifted us with a huge smile, her dark eyes crinkling at the edges. Something inside me relaxed at once. If Gretel had run into trouble, she wouldn’t be this calm or measured.
“Gretel’s asleep,” she said with a wink. “Spent the night driving, but I figured I’d check in on you this morning. I took my precautions.”
“Come, eat,” the lanky guy said. “Theo made way too much, as if we expected a horde of people.”
“Jaffar was planning on swinging by too,” the red demon said. His obsidian horns, broad shoulders, and regal features made him stand out. “He’s got a naga he picked up from a bad situation.”
“You softie, you,” the blond with the curls teased.
“This is Cillian and Beau.” Ursuline murmured the introductions. “And Charles and Theo are at the other table. Let’s go sit.”
With their hand on my back bolstering me, I went over to the open spots at Cillian and Beau’s table. We both took our seats, and Amelia dropped empty plates in front of us, along with silverware. The two tables held a veritable feast. There was fruit of every shape and color—some I didn’t recognize—toast, eggs,different types of cooked meat, including bacon, and a bread pudding sort of dish.
I didn’t wait, snagging a few pieces of fruit for my plate, along with the bread pudding.
“The sweet tooth strikes again,” Ursuline murmured, an affectionate grin on their lips. One of their tentacles caressed my leg beneath the table, the touch offering the comfort I needed.
“Where did you come from?” Cillian asked, his voice booming through the place as his golden gaze zeroed in on me.
I paused, a piece of cantaloupe lifted to my lips. Nerves rushed through me. Was this where he interrogated me?
Beau elbowed his partner in the side. “Forgive my rude boyfriend. He’s never learned manners during his many years in this dimension.”
I bit back a snort. The relaxed exchange took Cillian’s intimidating factor down a notch or two. The way they bantered with each other amplified my longing for the same sort of familiar relationship, one filled with a natural ease like that. Except then Cillian returned his gaze to me. Fuck, I hadn’t responded. “Also on the run from the Triton family,” I commented, then paused. Did I mention I was with Ursuline? Were we together now?
Before, when I was engaged to Arielle, I was too afraid to claim anything, but now a relationship with them was all I wanted.
Ursuline’s tentacle curled around my thigh and squeezed. “He’s mine.”
The words sent a thrill through me, a shot of adrenaline and lust. My balls ached, and my trapped cock served as a reminder of exactly what they said. The confident, fearless way they staked their claim was everything I could’ve dreamed of, and they’d done so in front of their friends. When I met their eyes, their gaze blazed—with heat, with passion—and I lit up inside.
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Cillian said, a wan grin on his lips, his fangs protruding.
Ursuline arched a brow. “The same could be said of you.”
“No one is surprised I’m in a relationship,” Charles proclaimed. “Probably because I didn’t have the Broody Trauma Starter Pack the rest of you lot got.”
Beau let out a laugh at that, and I couldn’t help my smile. I didn’t miss the fact that Ursuline’s was due to their upbringing, though. How many other monsters suffered from the way those in power in our society treated them? I swallowed hard, the realization settling into the core of me.
“Eat,” Amelia said to me. “I’ll make sure my boss stops interrogating you.”
I offered a genuine smile and took a bite of the bread pudding. It was caramelly and buttery and perfect, and I tried to stifle a groan, my lashes fluttering. Ursuline’s tentacle squeezed my thigh. They leaned in close enough that their lips brushed my ear, and I shivered.
“That groan was filthy,” Ursuline whispered. “Save it for later.”
Heat roared through me, and I shifted in my seat. Oh damn. After waiting this long, all of a sudden my patience had vanished and I needed them now. I wanted them taking me apart piece by piece, and for whatever time we could claim, I just wanted to be reminded that I belonged to them.
“Are you going to join us for the next game night?” Beau asked, his gaze fixed on me.
I blinked. Ursuline had mentioned them in the past, but I hadn’t believed that invitation would ever extend to me. “If we’re around. I’m not sure what the plan is with Frederick sending guards to scour the city for us.”
“I’ve reached out to my contacts for any dirt on Frederick,” Cillian said.
“I may have an avenue myself if I can get to my files,” Ursuline murmured. “Though it’s a long shot. And chances are, he’s already set my apartment on fire and burned anything that remained.”
