He takes a bite of what I think is beef and broccoli. “No. You?”
“Hey, Guys,” Evie says dropping into the seat next to me and startling me. “Ooo, Panda.” Before I can stop her, she reaches out and snatches a piece of orange chicken. “Oh, that’s so good.” There’s a growl, and my head snaps up. Evie stares at Slater. “Did you just growl at me?” she whispers in shock.
Zane drops into the seat next to Slater. He takes in Evie’s face. “What’s wrong?” He turns to Slater. “What’d you do?”
“It’s fine,” Evie says waving the whole thing off. She turns to me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eat your food.”
“It’s fine. Slater’s just being cranky.” I give him a pointed look that he completely ignores.
“Did you recover from...everything last night?” Evie asks quietly. The food I’ve just eaten lodges in my throat, and I swallow hard. So far, I’ve just pushed it all out of my mind. “I know it’s a lot to take in. It took me a little bit.” She laughs. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’m still trying to adjust to all of it.”
I take in her words. “Because Slater is,” I pause, keeping my voice quiet. “What he is.”
Evie gives me an assessing look. “You know it’s not just him, right?”
“What?” I whisper.
“Zane, Quint, Reid, Slater—they're all...the same.”
I feel my face pale. “All of them?”
My gaze shoots to Slater’s. He's sitting back against his seat, watching me intently. He must see the question in my eyes, but he gives me a slight nod. Evie gives me a gentle smile. “Maybe you should come over to the house soon and let the guys explain.”
Chapter 28
Tessa
The lunch Slater and I planned on having doesn't really happen. Quint joins us a few minutes later, and there’s no chance for Slater and I to talk. But I enjoy the time to just laugh and have a good time. After lunch, everybody goes their separate ways, and I find myself walking next to Slater. “Are you going to try to sleep for a few hours?”
“Yes. What about you?” I ask, looking up at him. I pause on the sidewalk as his words come back to me. “Wait, when you said you’re always watching me—which, by the way is super creepy—did you mean that you don’t sleep at night?”
He stares down at me. “Not when you’re on security.”
“What do you do the entire time?”
He shrugs. “Keep an eye on you; make sure you’re safe.”
“Well, that’s just,” I pause, searching for the right word.
“Romantic? Sexy?”
I don’t crack a smile. “Stupid.”
He winces. “Ouch.”
“Yeah, ouch. Slater, you should be sleeping.”
“Like you do?” he challenges.
“I do. In the afternoon. While you’re in soccer practice.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, Slater. You need sleep.”
“I actually don’t need as much as you.” I cross my arms over my chest, and his lips tug up. “Before you get all offended, hear me out. We don’t need as much sleep as others do.” He lets his words sink in, making sure I get it.
“Why not?” I ask curiously.
