Logan was finishing his last bite when he lifted his head to me. “Where did you learn to cook likethis?”
I swallowed and then shrugged. “My mom was an avid cook and had a full garden. We grew fifty percent of what we ate. After she got sick, I learned most of my tricks from cableTV.”
He nodded. “So … what’s fordinner?”
Everyone laughed, myself included. But the feminist in me rose up then. “I’ll tell you what: I’ll cook every meal for the next two weeks, but only if the boys watch and learn. We can split the cooking. I’m nobody’s maid orchef.”
“Oh snap!” Sophie said from the couch. “Why didn’t I think ofthat?”
Logan grinned at me. “You’reon.”
Sophie raised a hand. “But seriously, trust me, Nadine should be exempt from this little learning experience. Poor thing is kitchenchallenged.”
Nadine laughed. “Screwyou.”
Sophie just shrugged. “True story,girlfriend.”
I could see now what Logan meant about Sophie being a good friend once she had your back. I didn’t think we were anywhere near “friends,” but it felt good to have normal banter. No druids, no magic weird purple fire, just a friendly game of “teach the boys tocook.”
Logan stood, stretching, giving me a peek of the tan torso underneath his shirt and the muscles he hid there. Once you had seen someone naked you couldn’t really un-see it. The crunch of gravel, and then a car door slamming, brought me back to thepresent.
“Alright, it’s time to train,” he told me, and I groaned. So much for friendlybanter.
There was a knock at the door. Keegan wiped his mouth quickly and smoothed hishair.
I furrowed my brow in confusion, until Keegan answered the door and I saw what the fuss wasabout.
Danny, Keegan’s ex-boyfriend, the same guy I saw at Eva’s club, stood on the other side. He was holding a to-go coffee cup and wearing a cute cable knitsweater.
“Keegan,” Danny said in a monotonevoice.
Keegan nodded. “Thanks forcoming.”
Danny’s eyes narrowed as if he wanted to say more, but he looked beyond Keegan to the rest of us and decided againstit.
He waved. “Hey,everyone.”
The pack welcomed him from the doorway as Logan sidestepped Keegan and put one hand on Danny’s shoulder. He walked him out onto the porch, and nodded that I shouldfollow.
“Cooper and Gear, you’re on dishes,” Keegan ordered, watching Danny and Logan walk out onto the gravel driveway and towards thebarn.
Geargroaned.
I went to pass Keegan and follow them, when curiosity got the best ofme.
“What’s he doing here?” Iwhispered.
Keegan sighed and his cheeks puffed out. “I made a call that was best for the pack. You need to train, and Danny is a strongsorcerer.”
My heart ached for him then, to have a relationship and then break up because you didn’t want to reveal your friend’s secret—only to have it revealed later. My heart also ached for myself. Because the entire pack thought I was half sorcerer and Iwasn’t.
“Thanks,” I told him, giving his bicep a squeeze. It spoke big of his character that he would do that for me, for thepack.
He nodded to me and then looked again at the door. “He wore my favorite sweater.Fucker.”
I chuckled. Hell hath no fury like a loverscorned.
I made my way across the gravel lot and into the large dusty barn, where the guys were talking in low voices. “I can’t believe he didn’t trust me enough with this. I mean, I would have taken the oath before. I didn’t need to be paid like an employee just to keep your pack’s secrets.” Danny was giving Logan anearful.
