They all laughed as I continued to growl at them.
Chapter 23
Felix
With my belly now full from the plain bread at the table, Sev and I left the kitchen to walk around in the garden. Or Sev walked, I was once again carried in his arms. When I told him I was capable of walking myself, he just growled or grunted but still refused to let me go. So, it seemed my days ofwalking were past me.
While we ate, I managed to speak more with Astrea. She was still weakened, but the potions Dina had given her had already helped immensely. Claire still seemed on edge around her, like she was afraid she would break apart at any time. It was rather sweet watching them together.
Sev and I passed a gravel trail down to a huge weeping willow. A stone bench was placed neatly in front and a small lake was close behind it. I still hadn’t had the chance to explore the gardens, so seeing a lake here was a surprise.
Sev sat down on the bench with me in his lap. I snuggled into him, my back fully supported by his chest, my head resting on his shoulder as I watched the water in front of us. It was a pleasantly warm morning, the sky peeking through the leaves every once in a while, from the gentle wind swaying them. It hit me then, that this could very well be my future, for however long I wished it. This was truly my home now, and unless Sev and I wanted to move, it would be ours forever.
“Did you see the way Dina and Joel looked at each other?” I asked, closing my eyes and just savoring this quiet moment with my vampire.
He huffed, amused. It made me smile. My vampire had gone all caveman after we’d bonded. At least he’d talked some at the table, had he not, I might have begun to worry.
Not caring that the conversation was pretty much one sided, I continued, “Dina looked so radiant, like she was glowing from within. And considering a man died here yesterday, that speaks volumes. I wonder if Giro will attend the burial or not, he seemed torn about it. Which I totally get, like Brent even admitted to cursing him into a coma. Had the witches in Dina’s coven not been able to create the potion, Astrea and Giro could still be asleep. And what if Brent had died before Giro was awake? Would he ever know it was his grandfather? And can we even trust Brent’s words?”
Severin’s arms tightened around my waist and he placed a kiss on my neck, then nuzzled it. He was so freaking cute. I wished someone was here to take a picture of us. When this caveman thing was over with, I would need to show Sev just how adorable he’d acted. Dina had casually mentioned that it lasted around a week, so I would just enjoy this overprotective nature of his for as long as I had it.
“And Claire seemed so nervous around Astrea, like if she took her gaze off her just for one second, she would disappear.” I took Sev’shands and laced them with mine. “I just hope whatever’s coming, we’ll be stronger.”
Sev’s phone rang, interrupting the quiet around us. I groaned, Sev growled. It made me laugh as I searched his pocket. I saw Dina’s name flash on the screen and figured Sev’s grunts wouldn’t help her much, so I answered. “Hi, Dina.”
She sounded amused as she greeted me back, “Hi, hon. I was just calling to ask if you and Sev needed something from the next town over? I’m heading out with Joel now.”
I frowned, not liking the thought of them leaving. “Why the next town over? Did something happen?”
“Oh, nothing happened, not unless you count Peter and Giro breaking the dining table, something.”
I laughed hard at that and so did Sev, it was the first laugh I’d heard since he went all growly. “Are they okay?” I asked, still laughing.
Dina laughed, too. “They are, don’t you worry. They fell asleep after bonding and woke up on the floor, the table broken in two next to them and the floor littered in food.”
I didn’t like the thought of all that food going to waste. Joel and Dina had spent time on it and food waste was one of the things Ihated most. “Do you need help cleaning up?” I offered. With them driving they likely needed it.
“Thanks for offering, hon. But Peter is currently on all fours doing it himself.” Sev’s laughter started all over again.
“Was he angry?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Nah, just grumpy that I ordered Giro to wash up while Peter cleaned. It seemed fair to me. Poor Giro was a mess of blood and I swear he had blueberry syrup in his hair.”
“Oh, poor Giro!” I laughed.
“He’ll be alright. He just needed to get clean and Peter needed to clear his head,” Dina assured me, her tone still filled with humor. “Now, was there anything you need?”
Was there? Oh. “You mentioned a garden?”
“Yes. Is that something you want us to start on? I mean we have flowers and beautiful trees, but nothing edible or for potions, other than sunflowers and roses, of course.”
“I would love it,” I answered, feeling a bit teary. I was laying down roots here. I was getting my dream garden. Maybe I could have what Gran had in her backyard. Or something close to it, at least. Astrea had kept up with it, tending to all the different herbs and vegetables. But with her in a coma, it would be a mess by now. Would she bemad about that? I’d kept payments up to date on her house, knowing it was Gran’s. I couldn’t sell it; Astrea would have hated me for it. But now I wasn’t so sure keeping it was the right choice. Claire and I had decided it was best to keep the payments going, even if it meant taking longer to free Astrea, because Astrea loved the house so much.
“I’ll buy some stuff and then maybe you and Sev can plant them together.”
I smiled at that. “Thank you, Dina. Drive safe.”
“We will.”
