"We'll change your mind," he said, though it was so quiet I didn't think he meant for me to hear. I didn't respond, focusing on filling my plate with the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans Molly had whipped up. She was a wizard in the kitchen, and she knew this was my weakness.Probably did it on purpose because I skipped dinner last night.
"We claimed a table over there," Nikolaus said, pointing at the table where the angry alpha was sitting. I winced at the way he warned off the room with his glare.
"Does he just have resting dick face, or did something happen? West can be a dick, but he means well," I said, glancing back at Niko. He lost it, cracking up with a booming, throaty laugh that had me watching his Adam's apple and wishing I could lick my way down the column of his throat. I’d never been one for dirty thoughts, but damn, they made it hard not to think every sexy thing my mind could conjure.
"Resting dick face? That fits Kane so well. That's gold," he said as we approached.
"Care to share?" Kane grumbled, his angry stare bouncing between us.
"I asked if something happened or if you always looked like that," I said without missing a beat. His glare turned into a real one, solidifying that he suffered from the latter. "Ouch, guess so. Might want to work on that before you scare the guests away. We kind of rely on them to pay our bills."
The corner of his mouth tipped up into a half-grin. The hint of humor on his face had his dimple showing up and that intimidation factor falling away.
"Better?" he asked. The cockiness in his tone had me wanting to throw my food at him, but I wouldn't disrespect Molly like that. I shrugged, giving him the brush off, and glanced at Nikolaus.
"So what did West decide to do with you guys?"
Nikolaus smirked, seeing right through me. "He split us up, working to our strengths. I'm going to help manage his bookkeeping a bit, and Levi is going to talk to him about shadowing Molly since he belongs in the kitchen. Just wait until he convinces West to get a smoker. You'll never be the same again. Kane can fix anything, so West gave him a list to knock out. Avi is our wild card, so he's kind of here and there until he finds his place. And we’ll all be covering shifts at the front desk when he needs us."
"He'll find his place," I said confidently. I'd just spent the afternoon with him, but I already knew he wasn't the type to sit around and wait. He'd figure out his place and just claim it. The smooth confidence would come in handy when dealing with West.
"Speaking of... Where are they?" I asked, glancing through the room again.
"Levi is in the back, talking to Molly, so he'll join us after. Avi said he'd be here, though I don't know where he is right... ahh." He pointed a slender finger to the door, and I turned to see Avi walking in. He glanced around before locking eyes on me, his smile lighting up. With a nod of his head, he headed for the food, and I turned away, not wanting to be too obvious in checking him out.
Kane got up and left me alone with Nikolaus, finally grabbing his own food. His gaze was so intense that I felt my entire body relax when he walked away.
"He's not a bad guy, I promise," Nikolaus said, noting my reaction. He gave me a gentle smile. "You took us by surprise, and I think he's processing it as well. Plus, heiskind of a dick, so that isn't helping."
"Yeah, you surprised me too." I laughed, but it didn't hold much enthusiasm. He wasn’t prying, but I could feel him studying me. Likely wondering why a witch didn't think her mates would be witches. I knew that question would come up sooner rather than later since I’d never addressed it. And I wasn’t exactly going to correct his assumptions on my species, at least not yet.
Before the silence could get awkward, a tray hit the table with a bang. Levi plopped down in the seat next to me, his emerald eyes dancing excitedly. He had an energy about him that immediately lifted the mood. Spiced peach filled the air, and I tried to be subtle as I breathed it in. Omegas were generally the jealous sort, but Levi wasn’t triggering any of that instinct. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was a male omega, or the fact that we were mates, but I felt happy and at ease with him around.
"Hello, gorgeous," he greeted, giving me a soft smile that only grew as he turned to Nikolaus. "Niko, it worked! Molly's letting me help, and thanks to Farren's advice, they're going to see about me taking her place when she leaves. She seemed relieved about it all, but she's going to be a hard sell. She loves this place."
"She does. And West is an even tougher critic," I confirmed. He shot me an amused grin.
"I thrive under pressure. They can bring it on."
"I have no doubt you'll do amazing," Nikolaus agreed, his hand drifting to the omega’s neck, massaging it. It was sweet how close they were. The look in their eyes was more than just brotherly love; there was something more there, and I really wanted to know exactly what it was. Of course, my sex-deprived mind immediately imagined the serious alpha fucking the playful omega. They both froze and turned toward me, sniffing the air and groaning. My cheeks flamed as I forced myself to look at my tray and take a big bite of mashed potatoes, anything to force myself to stop thinking before the whole damn room knew where my mind had gone.
Nikolaus leaned in, his breath fanning over my ear. It sent a shiver down my spine that did nothing to calm my libido. "Don't worry, I know what you're thinking. We'd be happy to show you what we do when we're alone, sweet omega. You’d be a welcome addition."
I whimpered. Me... the independent woman who'd spent years alone, literally fuckingwhimperedat the offer. If the image was there before, it had nothing on how vivid it was now.
"Stop torturing the omega," Avi said as he sat down, giving both Levi and Nikolaus the side eye. "Take a breath, Farren. You're going to overheat."
"Shut up," I choked out, finding his teasing oddly helpful in calming me down. By the time Kane joined us again, we'd all gone back to eating. Avi kept the conversation lighter, talking about Emberwood and our tour.
'They're good for you,'Zehra noted as dinner went on. I tried to keep my face blank as I answered her back. This time, there was no sass between us. We were honestly just relieved. We'd both spent years with only the other to rely on. Sure, we had West and Molly filling part of the void, but the idea of facing eternity without mates had been... hard. She'd held out hope, but I hadn't dared.
'I don't know about some of them yet.'I side-eyed Kane, who bit back a grin at my stare.
'No, he's perfect. He brings out your fire,'she countered. That I couldn't deny; he pushed my buttons without even trying. There was no hate there, but we were definitely going to bring out the fight in each other. I had a feeling that when we came together, it would blow my mind.
'But they can't know about you,'I told her firmly. She sent back feelings of displeasure that threatened to make my stomach roll. She trusted them already, but it wasn't so easy for me. Hell, witches were among our attackers. How was I to know that they wouldn't turn on me, mate or not? Even as I thought it, I knew it couldn't be true, but it was too hard to let go of. I'd lived with that mantra for far too long already.
Levi gasped, pulling me out of my head. We all glanced over, but he was facing the large windows, gaping at the white flakes that were starting to fall.