“He seemed pleased when he announced our mating. What’s changed?”
“I think it’d take more than rumors for him to make a move like this. But I can’t say for sure. I’ll ask around.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” I set down my knife.
He offers a tiny smile. “I have a few connections I can tap into. Don’t worry.”
I resume dicing, and the others begin to stir. Lining the buffet-style omelet ingredients on the counter, I set the table.
“How’d you sleep last night?” Cadoc asks, walking in to the room.
“Poorly. I kept dreaming about my house.” I set down the last fork and admire his rumpled appearance.
He’s adorably mused in his navy-blue t-shirt and mesh black shorts.
“What about it?” Cadoc rumbles.
“I can’t remember.” I peer out the window.
“I saw the house, and smelled smoke.” I frown. “The rest is blank.”
“Is that normal for you?” Kirk asks. “Dreaming about it, I mean?”
“It happens now and then.” I stare at the warped skin on my forearms. “It’s not like I can ever forget.”
“Huh. What do you want in your omelet?” Kirk asks.
I appreciate the change of subject.
“Ham, cheese, peppers, and mushrooms please.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You keeping things from us, Princes?” Bo walks in, black sleep pants riding low on his hips.
I want to lick the V-shaped Orion’s belt on display.
“Huh?”
He chuckles. “My eyes are up here.”
Clearing my throat, I lift my head. Bo shakes the bottle of Ashwanda pills. I groan. “Where did you find those?”
“You shouldn’t leave things lying around if you don’t want them found.”
“They weren’t.”
“Your purse fell over in the car last night.”
Bo mocking melodic tone makes me want to scream.
“And of course, you were the one to find them.” I glare.
“I’m not sure where you got them.” Bo stares at the back of Kirk’s head, who ignores him.
I speak quickly, to avoid an agreement. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t take them anymore after last night.”
“Good.” Popping off the cap, he pours them into the sink. “Don’t fuck with your body chemistry again.”
“Or what?” I tip my chin up.
“You need to have indications of your heat. Imagine if that happened last night. We barely fought off two men enthralled by your sweet scent. Imagine an entire room.”
I sway, grabbing onto the counter nearest to me to steady myself when the blood rushes from my head.
“Last night revealed a serious weakness. Until one of us fucks our permanent mark onto you, others may try to take what’s ours. We need to fix that.”
“You—.”
“Before we go out in public again. Pick whoever you want, I don’t care, but we aren’t going into a situation like sitting ducks. If Alpha wanted to force our hand, he succeeded.”
Bo’s crude, but he’s not wrong. Unsure what to say I nod. Better the Devils I know is the name of this game.
“We’ll go shopping for groceries today. It won’t be long from how ripe you smell,” Bo continues.
“Do you have to be so crass?” I look away, toying with the ends of my hair.
“Are you going to pretend you don’t like when I talk about how your needy pussy needs to be stuffed, Princess?”
