Page 107

Whingy Wollop

Floppyheaded Flametail

Aggravating Adder

Blubbering Blizzard

31

Milo

“Whose bright idea was this?” Ethel asked as she closed the menu and rubbed her temple with her fingers.

“I asked my mother to book the place,” Rowan mumbled, looking sheepishly around the table.

Milo scowled and reached out, claws springing from his fingertips as naturally as breathing now. He gripped Rowan by the forearm, one claw digging into the mating mark on his skin.

“And I can see why you insisted on coming here again.” He glared at the woman at the other end of the table, currently writing down their orders on a little pad. She was just as…there as last time.

Doing things. Saying stuff. Being.

Right in front of his salad.

Infuriating.

“When I asked her to book a place, I didn’t mean this place, Mi…” Rowan said.

“Don’t Mi me, Rowan,” Milo said, hind brain refusing to be reasoned with. “There are plenty of restaurants in this city we could have gone to. The only reason you picked this place is that they have a waitress.”

“Literally every restaurant on earth has a waitress or a waiter,” Ruben said from where he was squished between Ray and Conrad.

“Ray, muzzle your pet,” Milo said, pointing at Ruben. “He’s making noise again.”

“Behave.” Ray’s voice was steady and soft, as usual.

“Thank you!” Milo said.

“I was talking to you,” Ray said.

“TREASON!” Milo exclaimed.

“EVERYBODY, DOWN!” Conrad shouted, ducking his head under the flap of the crisp white tablecloth.

“Are we playing hide and seek?” Glenn asked, standing up. “That’s a terrible spot he chose. You can see his bald spot.”

He turned to walk away, presumably to find a better hiding spot. Rowan’s mother wrapped her hand gently around his elbow and stopped him.

“How about we wait for round two to join?” she suggested, patting his hand and leading him back. He sat down with a nod, still looking at Conrad under the tablecloth and shaking his head in disapproval.

Riley looked over the top of her tablet, expression as unmoving as always. Milo was legit terrified of her. He hadn’t even realized she’d come to dinner with them. She usually just flat-out refused to be seen in larger groups.

Rowan said she glared out of love.

Milo thought she was probably on a most-wanted list but nobody wanted to say it out loud.

“You know, love,” Shelly said to Riley, reaching out and putting the tip of her finger on her tablet. She pushed it down to reveal Riley’s face and Riley went completely still, staring at Shelly like she’d just seen a ghost. “Your aura is so clogged.”

“Right?” Raina said with a clap, leaning over Troy to get to Shelly. “I’ve been telling her that for years.”