“I don’t think I want a werewolf in heat. I mean, we haven’t seen you guys in two days. Sounds … fun, actually. Eh, I could handle it. I’d just need to stock a mini fridge.” Jasper chuckled and opened the door.
“It was more than fun, Jasper.” Derrick grinned and tugged Lucie into his side playfully. “Do we have any more heats to look forward to?” He laughed as she bumped her shoulder into him playfully.
“Should you be up walking around? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Lucie asked, looking at Abaas.
“No, I don’t need to rest like that. As long as I’m not using my energy, I am resting. But if you’d like for me to disappear for a while, I can do that.”
“That’s not what I was suggesting at all. I just want to make sure you’re getting the rest you need.”
Lucie looked up and smiled widely as a group of familiar faces walked toward them: Brian, Justice and Aedan.
“Lucie!” Justice ran up to her and checked her over. The new protectiveness he felt over her had him worrying about her nonstop, and now, seeing her, he felt like he could finally relax. He patted her head and smiled down at her. “Much better, Lucie.”
“Well, I’ll feel much better after I get some food,” Lucie said with a small giggle.
“Oh, is this the refuel for round two?” Brian said with a smirk. He chuckled as he caught Lucie’s glare. “Come on, feisty. We were on our way to raid the kitchen as well. We’ll make a thing of it. As long as you two can contain yourselves. I’m an innocent here.”
“Ha! There is nothing innocent about you, Brian.” Aedan chuckled and set his eyes on Lucie and Derrick. “It looks like everything is all settled. I’m glad. Now I can officially welcome Derrick as my new brother.”
“Oh, another family member to initiate!” Brian said with an evil tone.
“Oh yes, I forgot about that,” Justice said, an equally evil grin spreading across his face.
“I’m afraid to ask.” Derrick chuckled as the group walked into the kitchen.
“I want Lucie’s pancaaaaakes,” Aedan whined.
Justice slapped him in the back of the head. “You really want her to cook after not eating in days? What’s wrong with you?”
“Well, Lucie has been enjoying dessert for a couple of days. I thought we could enjoy some too,” Aedan said with a crooked smile.
“Oh gosh, Aedan. Shut up!” Lucie hissed.
Brian and Justice grabbed a couple of trays from the kitchen and brought them to the table. “Eat up, guys!” Brian grabbed a sandwich off the tray and plopped down across from Lucie and beside Abaas. “So, you’re the one everyone is fussing about?” He arched an eyebrow at him. “You seem fine to me.”
“He is fine,” Lucie grumbled, biting into her heavenly food. She didn’t realize how hungry she actually was until this moment.
“Lucie, you seem fine. Did the marking not change anything for you?” Aedan asked as he bit into an apple.
“So far, I don’t … I don’t feel like there was any change.”
“But there was,” Abaas said simply. And just like that, all eyes were on him. “Her energy is different now. They’ve morphed together.” He waved his hand in front of Lucie’s chest. “It’s pulsating inside her right here. I’m keeping an eye on it, because I don’t trust the way it looks. It should be spreading out instead of acting like a bomb ready to explode. You should probably stay close, too.” He looked over at Justice, who was now eyeing Lucie protectively. “Same goes for your prince. I can’t see yours to the same extent, but I can see Lucie’s building up in you too. It went from the mark and settled in your chest.”
“Oh hell, she marked you? Let me see!” Brian said, jumping up, followed by Jasper. “Nice, man. How did it feel? I bet that was freaking hot, wasn’t it? No wonder you stayed locked up for days.”
Derrick chuckled and rubbed the side of his neck. “Yeah, it was real nice … real nice.”
Aedan cleared his throat loudly. “My sister, guys, remember?”
“Aedan. We all know they had a live rodeo going on in that room for the last couple of days. We can be adults and talk about it. We know what having a mate entails.” Brian flashed a cheesy grin at the annoyed looks he was getting from Aedan and Lucie.
“Abe, can I call you Abe?” Derrick said, looking at Abaas, who smiled and nodded his head. “What do you think about this whole energy thing? I can’t see or feel it. Is this a normal occurrence?”
“Oh, Abe! I like it a lot. It’s perfect.” Lucie beamed at Derrick, who was treating Abaas more like a friend than a servant. This was what she wanted, and since Derrick now knew Lucie so well, he acted accordingly.
Abaas chuckled. It was his first nickname ever, besides being called demon or mutt. And he liked it. A weird sense of belonging gripped his heart, but he wouldn’t get ahead of himself. He was afraid of losing it. He’d never had anyone. His half-brother Leoric had despised him, and his father had barely tolerated his existence. Could he really have something more here? It was too much to even hope for.
“I’m not really experienced with this sort of thing, but it looks like a storm building up. Your grandmother Lita should be able to recognize it better. She has a lot of experience with seeing energy.” Abe watched Lucie’s small frown.
