Page 49 of Hidden Nature

Glancing at the others, they nodded with smirks on their faces, making me second guess if they would really let the matter drop. Either way, I wanted to get ready for the day and clearly needed to do that on two legs. Letting out a huff, I flicked my tail at them and carefully made my way to the stairs that were thankfully carpeted, so I could bolt up to Zander’s room without further incident.

Ready for the rest of the day, I came back down to the kitchen and found the counter filled with almost empty platters of food. They’d gone all out and made eggs benedict in different ways, but I was more excited about the two chocolate chip pancakes left. There was even a canister of whipped cream to add to the experience that made me smile. The guys were already seated, even the twins, with plates full of food which explained the lack of food left. I checked for a plate, but I couldn’t find one sitting out, so I went to the cabinet.

“Little dove, what are you looking for?” Zander called from his seat.

Glancing over my shoulder, I showed him the plate I’d grabbed. “Need something to put the food on.”

“Am I to believe that you think we wouldn’t have made you a plate before we dove in?” Zander demanded, his brow creased.

Pausing, I looked over the table and found a plate with a cover over it to keep it warm in the spot I normally sat in. “Oh.”

“Come sit, nin mel. He’s just being testy because you weren’t in the house last night and he missed you,” Rath shared, reaching out a hand to me.

Zander glared at Rath but didn’t correct the statement, making my heart melt a little, knowing he missed me that much. Taking my seat, I started in on my food, my stomach growling its delight at being fed. After the pace the twins put me through, I shouldn’t be surprised I was starving.

“Didn’t they have snacks or something for you in the treehouse?” Zander asked, concerned.

Between him and Mason, I’d never had people care about how much or how often I ate. “Ah well, I can’t say that was something we were worried about...”

“Honestly, Zander, let the woman eat her meal in peace,” Colt grumbled, waving a fork at him. “None of us got much sleep last night, so we’re all acting like assholes, but she doesn’t deserve that from us. At some point, we’re all going to want alone time with her, and that means we can’t make her feel bad for doing it.”

“While I wholly agree with you, Colt, I’m more surprised you’re the one who came to that conclusion first,” Lane commented, smirking at Colt from behind his coffee cup. Colt just huffed and shoved more bacon into his mouth, effectively ending the conversation.

The table fell into a comfortable silence as we ate only for it to be broken by a cellphone ringing. Mason pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at it before tossing it to me. “Looks like it’s for you.”

“Hello?” I answered the moment I caught it.

“Knoxville zoo, two hours. Reptile building, look for the maintenance man by the poisonous lizards,” a voice on the other end of the call said, then hung up.

The guys watched me expectantly as I set the phone aside. “Who wants to go to the zoo?”

“The zoo…” Colt repeated. “Why the zoo?”

“It’s a place with plenty of people and it gives you a clear reason to be somewhere. What could be more normal than a woman and her boyfriends enjoying a date at the zoo?” I asked, resting my chin on my hands as I looked at them. “I think I’ve been to almost every zoo in America at this point. Although this will be a first time at Knoxville’s, not much demand for assassination in Tennessee, if I’m being honest.”

“Why do I feel like we should be offended?” Mason asked. “What makes Tennessee less worthy?”

“While I’m sure that is something we all need to mull over, shouldn’t we be getting ready to leave?” Lane pointed out, looking at his watch. “It will take us a half hour to get there or more depending on traffic. Then we need to park, get tickets, and I feel like we should spend a little time there before heading to the meeting, so it’s not suspicious if the Senate has someone keeping an eye on us.”

“God, could you sound any more like a dad?” Mason teased, shaking his head. “Zander can’t come, though.”

This had the man in question snapping his head in Mason’s direction. “Why the fuck not?”

“Ah, because you’re an international superstar who has people following after him, watching his every move. Come on, man, think about it. We are going on a stealth mission and you are like a neon beacon to the world around you.”

Zander looked like he was going to argue but then took a moment to think about what Mason was saying. “Fine, I need to meet with my manager at the office downtown anyways. You can drop me off, so it gives a reasonable excuse for why I’m not with you guys. If the Senate or Dark Ring is watching, they will notice I didn’t come with you.”

Getting up from my seat, I walked over to Zander and let him pull me onto his lap. “Thank you, I know it’s not what you wanted to do, but it will be the most helpful thing you can do for me. When we get back, I think a group nap is in order, don’t you?”

Zander started to purr, running his nose along my neck as he nodded his agreement. “That sounds like a perfect plan, little dove.” He pressed a kiss to my neck right where my pulse was just under the surface before lifting me off his lap to stand next to his chair. “If I let you sit there much longer, I won’t be able to leave you when we get into town.”

Bending over, I grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss reminding him what he had to look forward to. “Just to get you by until later.”

“Hmm, little dove, being a tease is a dangerous game to play with me right now,” Zander warned.

I pulled back, grinning at him as I headed off to find shoes and a jacket, getting a slap on my ass as I walked away.

twenty-seven