There are no answers, and when I get back, Cordelia and Sebastian are gone. It’s just Katsu, who looks at me as if he’s been waiting for me to figure this out.
“Are you ready to talk?” he asks gently.
“Yes. Let’s talk about our future.”
Chapter 24
Cordelia
I’m sitting with Sebastian when he gets the call from Grandma Sol. When the old alpha speaks, we all listen, but I can honestly say that, in all my life, I’d only been summoned a handful of times.
“Bring your omega,” she says into the phone loud enough for me to hear. My stomach drops, and Sebastian catches me as my legs collapse, swinging me into the safety of his arms.
Seb looks at me and kisses the tip of my nose; it’s strangely reassuring. “It’s not my choice. We can refuse, but she will hunt us down and be incredibly loud and embarrassing about it.”
I snort a laugh. “What about Katsu and Fox? We said we’d have lunch with them.”
“I’ll send our apologies.”
I shrug, though a massive part of me is disappointed. I wanted to have lunch with them. Last night was amazing, but Fox was gone when I woke up. The pang has lingered all morning, leaving me uneasy.
This alpha I am infatuated with leads me down to his grandparents’ house and walks in without knocking. The insideof the house is neat and clean with polished floorboards and cream walls. It’s got a lot of open space and large windows that go from the floor to the ceiling. There’s a plant in a tall stand in the corner and a table capable of seating eight that is covered in a pink tablecloth with a plate of muffins in the center that make Seb’s stomach growl.
“Hello, demanding-old-lady.”
“Hello, soon-to-be-smacked-insolent-grandson.”
Sebastian laughs, grabs his grandma, lifts her up, and kisses her cheek. She’s only a half a foot shorter, but he makes her appear tiny.
She growls at him, an impressive sound that echoes around the open space. He just huffs a laugh and sets her down.
“What muffins do we have today?”
“Chocolate for you. Always chocolate. I wouldn’t dare summon you with anything less.”
“Aww, granny, you know the way to my heart.”
“Don’t call me granny, you little shit.”
I look at Sebastian and wonder how anyone could gaze upon his massive form and think little. Shit, yes. Little, no.
“So, you called,” he says around a mouthful of muffin. He pauses to groan. “Oh, man, there are drugs in these, aren’t there?”
“I will accept you teasing me about everything else, Seb, but never about food. I do not need to drug people; I’m just that good.” She looks at me and smiles. “Hello, Cordelia.”
I approach slowly, she pulls me into a hug.
“You’ve always been part of the family, but now you are officially part of the family, and I wanted to welcome you and talk about the situation.”
“You know?” I ask and drop my eyes, fuming.
“Of course. I know all the gossip. My little birdies told me.”
“Shoo! Shoo!” a loud voice comes from outside.
Grandma cackles and holds up one finger. “Excuse me. One moment. Ha, take that, you old coot. This is no longer a palace for seagull squatters. This is my magpie house of horror.”
I turn and look out the front to find seven magpies standing on the grass. When Grandma laughs, they throw their heads back and sing with her. It is eerie.
