"I don’t want to hear about my sister’s interest in sex."
"That’s fair."
"You haven’t been interested in anyone else, though?" Kat checked. "Ever?"
"Not really." Dare didn’t bother dancing around the answer.
"It has to be her," Liv said, tossing a hand in Dare's direction and looking at Merrily. "Right?"
Mer shrugged."She was at least a little interested in him. If she keeps showing interest, we'll have a better idea."
Reluctant nods went around most of the table.
"I'm sure there's a way we can push her gently," Callum said.
Darius met Callum's gaze with his own, the threat behind it clear. "Rae has been through hell. Stay away from her. If she's mine, I'll be the one who figures something out."
"If she's as obsessed with him as the rest of us are with our fae, I don't think she’ll stay away for long,” Niall said bluntly.
The waiter came back with enough pancakes to feed a small army, temporarily pausing the conversation. He left us with them, saying he'd return with syrup.
"They keep the good syrup in the back for us," Mer murmured into my mind."Callum invested in this place with that as a requirement."
Of course he had.
My mate cleared her throat. "We're going to give the situation with Darius and Rae a few months, to see if anything develops naturally." She looked straight at Callum. "If nothing happens, we can come back to the conversation then. Anyone who meddles before that spends a week in the holding room beneath my house, without their mate."
Grimaces went around the booth, but nods did too. Even Callum agreed, albeit stiffly. Kat slipped onto his lap after he did, so he held her the same way Niall held Liv and I held Merrily. He lowered his nose to her hair, and she leaned back against him a little more.
Everyone proceeded to stuff their faces in pancakes before we all climbed out of the booth.
"Thanks," Darius told Mer, on the way out of the diner.
She gave him a small smile. "Of course. If she really is yours..."
"I'm sure she isn't. Fate doesn't like me that much."
She rolled her eyes. "Bullshit."
Dare glanced at me. "I'm surprised you're not pissed by this conversation."
"I'm not the one you would have to convince if they're right. Rae fights her own battles."
We all piled backinto Callum's SUV, and went back to Merrily's house as a group. We were still waiting for the werewolves to wake up, so the footage from the camera in their room played continuously on Liv's phone.
Someone dug a deck of cards out of a closet nearby. We all took turns packing Merrily's stuff and playing a four-way game ofWar,while Liv kept the video feed on full volume so we'd be ready.
Kat fell asleep first. Her wolf took over around midnight and followed Callum around, until he joined the card game so she could curl up at his side.She was out almost as soon as she snuggled up with him.
Dare was out second, snoring in the closet next to a big plastic tub of Merrily's shoes.
Merrily fell asleep third, in the middle of the card game, with all of my shadows draped over her back like a blanket. I took her place in the game, when Liv waved me over.
Callum crashed a few minutes after Mer did.
Niall took Callum's place in the game at his mate's groggy insistence, and she passed him the phone before passing out.
Niall and I continued the game until he only had a few cards left.
