But right now, two of the three guys were hungry, and I needed to feed my wolves.
“Of course,” I said, though a heated blush burned in my cheeks.
He stood up. “You okay?”
I nodded and jumped to my feet, grateful he didn’t have any mind-reading abilities. “Yeah, totally. What shall we have for dinner?”
He shrugged and held my hand as we walked into the kitchen. “Anything. We’re not fussy. In fact, we would have cooked for you, but without your help, we weren’t sure what to do.”
I frowned at him, then laughed. They wouldn’t know how my kitchen, fridge, or drawers worked. “Sorry about that. Most of it is magically activated. Have a seat and I’ll make something for you both.”
Xander got up from the sofa and gave me a hot peck on the lips, before sitting down at the kitchen counter to watch me.
I pulled up my sleeves in a theatrical move I’d seen in a movie and grinned at him. “Let’s start with marinated ribs, and mashed potatoes. Then move on to garlic bread and beans.”
I whipped my hands through the air, focusing on the flavors and the heat, the creaminess of the potatoes, and a perfect seasoning of salt and pepper to finish.
When I was done, I made a peach cobbler and set it on the bench for dessert.
“You know, we would have been happy with grilled cheese.” Xander shook his head. “But that is truly awesome how you do that.”
I sat at the small table with them. “Yeah. I’m going to miss it when we go traveling.”
He picked up his knife and fork. “How come?”
I took a sip of my water, my stomach still not right with the stress of the day. “My magic won’t be the same out there in the world. I’ll retain some magic, of course. But I’ll need to use it a little more sparingly and be aware it’ll take time to recharge when I do use it. I’ll definitely need to learn how to cook the traditional way.”
“Or we’ll just cook for you,” Kyle said with a grin, then took a bite of the mashed potatoes. He gave an exaggerated groan. “Though, I won’t be able to compete with this! Delicious!”
I smiled, serving myself some food, but I struggled to eat. Every time I tried to feel happy, or content with the guys, a black cloud floated over me and rained on those feelings.
My men were in trouble. Michael had gone home with his dad, and God knew what they were planning.
“So, tell me more about your pack,” I said, needing the distraction. “Where is it? How big is it? What’s your house like? Your family? What do you all do for work and fun?”
Xander went into the details of the pack structure, and Kyle told me all about the little house they had built together.
We spoke more about the curse, and the lack of females being born into the pack. That reminded me to ask, “Did the high warlock say how he was going to fix that for you?”
“He didn’t tell us specifically.” Xander took a bite of garlic bread. “He said he couldn’t find his sister after all these years, and I got the feeling he thought she was dead.”
“So, how’s he going to help then?” Kyle muttered.
Xander poured himself a glass of water from the jug I had sitting in the middle of the table. “I suspect he’s going to tell me I have to kill the Alpha, then everything will go back to the way it’s meant to be. I’d never do it, never. But he thinks the curse if linked to the Alpha, so...”
My heart squeezed tight. They didn’t sound very attached to the man who barely even lived at the pack with them, but wolf shifters were loyal to a fault. There was no way they could kill their Alpha—it would tear Xander apart if he was forced to do that.
When the meal was done and we’d all had dessert, I snapped my fingers and disappeared the dishes, using my magic to clear away the mess so I could focus on my men.
“Since we only have a couple of hours before Michael comes back, I was thinking, maybe we could go to bed for a bit?”
Xander jumped straight to his feet, his eyes glowing yellow with his wolf. “Start what we didn’t get to finish this morning? Absolutely!”
I faltered. “Could we just play around a little?”
Xander stopped short. “You mean beforehand? Or instead?”
I bit my bottom lip, not sure how I could explain this. It didn’t feel right going all the way with them right now. Which was stupid, I knew. This could be my only chance of being with them. But...