“Fine. How many eggs do you want? I cracked three for me. You want me to add another three for you?”
One side of Kian’s lip curled up. Great, he was sneering at her. “Four?” she guessed.
The beast yawned.
With another glance that took in his size, she asked, “Six?”
Kian only looked mildly interested.
“You do realize I’m cooking more than eggs, don’t you? There’s sausage and bacon too,” she offered.
He actually rolled his eyes.
Stunned, Shay stared. How the hell had he done that? Finally she huffed and said, “Fine, but I’m not cooking more than nine for you. That’s a total of twelve eggs. That’s more than enough for any…” Man, she started to say, but trailed off, realizing Kian wasn’t a man or a wolf, but a wolf-shifter with a healthy appetite. Since Rory usually cooked, she had no idea how many eggs he went through in one sitting. “Never mind. That’s all I’m cooking. If you want more, cook ’em yourself.”
Kian flopped down on his belly and laid his head on his front paws.
The timer went off, and Shay removed the bacon from the oven. “And I’m not putting food on the floor. You want to eat, you’ll shift and sit at the table like civilized folk.” She didn’t glance back to see how he took her edict.
Shay resisted the urge to fidget as the weight of Kian’s stare settled like an itch between her shoulder blades. Determinedly, she took out a larger bowl and a huge frying pan that she needed both hands to move, cracked the rest of the eggs, then picked up the whisk and strong-armed the mix until the yolks and whites blended seamlessly together. Cooking this many eggs at one time was a challenge, but she managed to do it without any getting scorched or worse, runny. She hated slimy eggs.
Since she’d made an issue out of “civilized behavior,” Shay placed the bacon and sausage on a serving platter and the eggs in a serving bowl and set the table with plates, napkins, silverware, and cups. “You can wash your hands at the kitchen sink,” she said matter-of-factly, praying he couldn’t tell how uneasy she was.
Out the corner of her eye she caught a shimmer of light. There were a few muffled popping sounds in quick succession; then Kian stood before her in all his naked glory. And a glorious sight it was.
He stood a few inches taller than Rory but was just as heavily built. His hair was coal black and eyes a vibrant blue. Shay tried, really she did, not to let her gaze travel over the rest of him, but he was like, right there and she wasn’t dead. She could appreciate an eyeful of masculine eye candy the same as any other woman. Kian’s legs were long and lean like a runner, his ass high and tight. The way his muscles shifted as he crossed to the sink was pure poetry in motion.
Shay checked her hormone meter. Despite her appreciation of the view and her recognition of Kian’s hunky appeal, she felt not the slightest bit of sexual attraction toward him. “Well, now, I guess this means I’m good and mated,” she said aloud.
Kian turned and shot her a questioning look, and Shay saw that the front of him was just as delicious as the rear.
Shay waved a hand, indicating his body. “You’re a mouthwatering, eye-catching male, Kian McFelan, and I’m ecstatic to announce I’m not the least bit attracted to you.”
His face turned a fiery red, and Shay laughed in delight. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I’m surprised the women around here aren’t beating down the doors trying to get to you.”
He frowned as he took a seat at the table. I heard you tell Rory you know ASL, he signed.
“Yes, but I’m a bit rusty,” she answered.
I’m mute.
“The rest of you appears to be in working order,” Shay said. She bowed her head and said a quick prayer, then loaded food onto her plate. As she finished with each item, she nudged the platters toward Kian for him to do the same.
It doesn’t bother you?
“Why should it? We all have some type of disability. Some are more obvious than others. I prefer the ones I can see to the mental kind.” Shay glanced at him, hoping he caught her meaning. She hated prejudice of any nature and considered it to be a disability of sorts.
Kian fixed a mountain of food on his plate, his expression showing he was thinking about what she’d said. He took a few bites of food, then signed, This is good. How did you and Rory meet?
Shay laughed and had to bring a napkin to her mouth to catch the food that almost fell out. “Sorry about that. It’s funny to me now, but when I first met your brother, I thought he was the most annoying asshole of a man I’d ever met.”
Kian’s eyes widened.
As they ate, she told him their story, from the first meeting in Kiesha’s store, through the blue moon, and her recent return to Refuge for her cousin’s wedding, leaving nothing out. Kian’s eyes never left her face.
You love him.
“Yeah,” she agreed in a soft voice.
He’s lucky.
Shay sighed. “I don’t know how lucky Rory is, but I do know he’s stuck. He wanted me, I’m here, and have no plans on leaving.”
You want any more of this?
“No, go ahead. I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.” Or maybe her subconscious had known she’d planned to entice Kian out of his hole with food. “Rory showed me your bedroom upstairs. I can understand a man wanting his privacy, but dude, you live like an animal. Why don’t you have any furniture down there? I’m sure Rory would have fixed the basement up any way you like.”
Kian shrugged. I don’t like to be a bother. He has enough to worry about with the pack.
Shay pinned him with a look. “Bull. He’s your brother. Your twin. You think he doesn’t love you, worry about you? You think you living downstairs like a lone wolf doesn’t hurt him?” she asked, startled to hear a hint of anger in her voice.
The pack doesn’t like me. It’s easier if I stay out of the way.
He appeared so uncomfortable Shay decided to take it easy on him. “That’s where you’re wrong. Rory needs you. From what I can tell, your brother has a lot of…if not enemies, well, they’re definitely not his friends. Let’s call his pack full of frenemies. He needs all the support he can get. He says you’re stronger than he is. If you won’t be alpha—and really, with those clowns, I don’t blame you a bit for not wanting the top position—at the very least you should have his back, be his beta.”
He has Caleb, and I don’t like fighting.
A gentle werewolf, Shay thought. Hmm…but then, most twins tended to be opposites in nature. Looks like Rory got the aggressive gene. “Okay, I’ll leave that alone. But Kian”—she reached out and placed her hand over his on the table—“I need you. Not only do we live in the same house, you’re family. You’re my child’s uncle. No offense, but some of the Sparrowhawks are like a pack of hyenas. I think they’d turn on their own children if it would gain them something.” Then, without giving herself much time to think about it, she told him about Conor’s prophecy. Prediction? Hell, she didn’t know what to call it other than a warning to watch her ass.
You want me to protect you and the babe? He seemed surprised.
“That’s what families do,” she said simply. “We protect and look out for each other.”
He leaned back in his seat, studied her carefully. No one’s ever needed me before.