Chapter 12

Vena's parentsled us to the living room as they asked their kids what they'd been up to. Neither Vena nor Miles mentioned vampires or werewolves. Both stuck with the mundane happenings like finally dragging me to the Shadow Market and how I'd jumped at every little thing.

While they laughed, I could tell that Shepard was less amused even though he smiled. So, I redirected the conversation to focus on Mrs. and Mr. Hunter's last dig. They readily grasped the topic and produced the prerequisite souvenirs. The mummified finger they gave Vena was supposed to bring good luck and had me internally gagging.

Thankfully, my phone buzzed with a message, saving me from having to share fake appreciation for it.

Cross: How well do you trust Shepard?

Me: That's a weird question coming from the guy who told me that I was safe in Shepard's company.

Cross: Do you trust him to leave your virtue intact?

I almost laughed out loud as I read his message again. Virtue? Did he think I was still a virgin?

Smothering my humor, I glanced at Vena. She was still focused on her finger. Shepard wasn't, though. He was watching me closely with a trace of concern in his expression. I shook my head to indicate everything was fine and slipped my phone into my pocket to answer later.

"Do you think what you've found will pay out?" Miles asked his dad.

"It will, but I'm not sure it'll pay as much as we'd hoped. The dwarves who were interested in the mining maps sounded hedgy when we contacted them. You know how this game works. Now, we wait to see and hope there are multiple interested parties to drive up the price."

Miles nodded and Mrs. Hunter caught my eye.

"Would you and Vena mind giving me a hand in the kitchen?"

"Sure," I said, standing. Vena made a face and sighed loudly but followed.

As soon as we were in the kitchen, which Mrs. Hunter seemed to think was out of Shepard's hearing range, she turned on me with a grin.

"He is gorgeous, Everly. You definitely have an eye for men. Any chance you can help Vena?"

"Mom," Vena said, drawing it out as she sat at the island.

"What? Your taste in men is horrible. You always go for the flirts. Find one that will stick with you."

"What happened to a dead man being better?" Vena asked.

"They're better than the wrong man, but the right one is the goal," her mom said. "Having a partner alongside you out in the field is worth more than a thousand dwarf mines. And you've always loved a good hunt. This time, try for a man."

Her mom moved to the fridge, and Vena made a help-me-out-here face at me. I pulled my phone from my pocket and slid it toward her as I accepted a fresh bunch of snap peas from Mrs. Hunter.

"Vena's not mature enough for serious yet," I said. "But she's getting there. She can make my coffee just the way I like it now, do her own laundry, and even makes her bed."

"I'm done with both of you," Vena grumbled as she typed on my phone.

I laughed with Mrs. Hunter before reassuring her.

"Vena's not purposely going after Mr. Wrong. Mr. Right has just been a little slow in showing up. I have a feeling that'll change soon though."

"Oh?" her mom asked, giving me her full attention.

Vena gave me a warning look as she set my phone on the counter.

"Yep. She finally said yes to working at Blur. It's filled with men just like Shepard. Give her some time. I'm sure someone she likes will show up."

Her mom was grinning from ear to ear at the promise of a partner in Vena's life. Vena shook her head at me behind her mom's back but got to work peeling and chopping carrots as ordered.

After Mrs. Hunter had dinner in the oven and the table set, we returned to the living room. Vena and I were sipping wine with her mom while Mr. Hunter and Shepard enjoyed a beer from Zimbabwe. Miles had excused himself a while ago, and I could hear the occasional creak in the ceiling above to indicate he was moving around on the second floor.

"So what do you do for a living?" Mrs. Hunter asked Shepard.

"I run a nightclub in D.C."

"Oh? A business owner?" She elbowed Vena like she should pay attention.

"Mom, if you're that interested in marrying me off, why don't you just arrange a marriage," Vena said moodily.

Mrs. Hunter gave her a ‘don't tempt me' look before focusing on Shepard again.

"The club you run wouldn't be Blur, would it?" she asked.

"The very same," he said with a smile.

"Good. We've been meaning to stop there since Everly started. We'll make time soon."

"I'd be delighted to have you," Shepard said. "Let Vena know when you'll be there so I can have the staff watch for you."

Mrs. Hunter's smile grew. "If Vena knows ahead of time, she'll plan not to be there."

"Everly and Vena agreed to work every night we're open during summer, so I don't think that'll be an issue." He turned his gaze to Vena. "You won't leave me in a bind by calling in at the last minute, will you?"

She slumped a little in her chair. "No."

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I slipped it out to look at the message a moment before someone knocked on the front door.

Cross: MC is here. Also, you should stop allowing others to use your phone.

I looked at the previous message that Vena had sent on my behalf.

Me: Someone sweet-talked Everly out of her virtue a few years back. But that's not really any of your business, is it? Who she lets play on her playground is her decision, not yours. And she seems to like Shepard a lot.

I lifted my gaze to glare at Vena.

She smirked at me.

"Vena!" her mom called. "There's someone here for you."

Vena raised a confused brow at me before heading to the door, but Shepard cut her off.

"Stay here," he said. "I got this."

Vena's brow rose a fraction more before she settled next to me. "What is going on?"

I turned my phone so she could read the text from Cross. Vena bolted to her feet. I grabbed her hand before she could leave and tugged her back down to the seat next to me.

"There might be an important reason he's here."

"What reason?"

"I don't know." I glanced at Mr. Hunter to find him already nose-deep in a thick book. Whispering, I said, "It could be about the vampires or Anchor. Let Shepard find out. MC will be gone soon."

"He better be. I don't need Missing Common sense showing up at my house to harass me."

As soon as those words left her lips, Mrs. Hunter arrived in the living room with her arm threaded through MC's.

"We have another person joining us for dinner," she said with a grin. "Won't this be fun?"

With the way both Shepard and Vena were glaring at MC, it definitely would not be fun.

"I'm going to go check on dinner," Vena said, standing.

Mrs. Hunter smiled politely but shook her head. She didn't want her daughter to turn the food into ash.

"Fine. Then, I'll go see what Miles is up to." Vena marched out of the room.

MC watched her go but didn't look too fazed by her angry departure. Either he wasn't a man who took hints or he was as dumb as a troll because he merely smiled at Mrs. Hunter and took a seat across from Mr. Hunter.

"Tell me all about yourself," Mrs. Hunter said to MC as she sat down. "Blur sure has some handsome men working there."

While she interrogated, I motioned for Shepard to follow me to the kitchen.

"Why is MC here?" I asked as soon as the door was closed.

"He wanted to tell me what his pack found at the club."

"He could have called you to tell you. If he's here to harass Vena--"

Shepard pulled me toward him in a loose hug as he rubbed my back in a soothing motion. While part of me hated that he was placating me, another part liked it. A lot. At my core, I was a hugger. So, I soaked up all the comfort that Shepard was trying to give me.

"I was about to tell him to leave," he said softly, "but Mrs. Hunter was too fast and invited him to dinner. I'll get rid of him as soon as it's done."

"But--"

"And I'll make sure he sits at the other end of the table away from Vena." Shepard pulled back just enough to peek down at me. "Okay?"

I grudgingly nodded. "It's not that I don't like MC, but he's being too assertively persistent with Vena. She'll snap if he keeps going."

"I'll talk to him about it."

Turning from Shepard, I checked the timer on the oven. It would still be a while before dinner could be served.

"I'll let Vena know about MC," I said. "Keep him away."

"I will."

Shepard followed me out of the kitchen and then headed to the living room while I went upstairs.

I found Vena in Miles' room. She leaned against the wall and watched as he rummaged through his closet.

"What is he doing?"

Vena shrugged. "He said he's looking for old research that he wants Dad's opinion on."

"Is that wise?" I whispered.

"Not sure, but we'll find out soon enough." She glanced at me. "Why is Maximum Chaffing here?"

I fought not to laugh at her agitated creativity. If I did, she'd take it as a green light to get even more creative.

"He wanted to give Shepard an update and will stay for dinner," I said.

Vena snorted. "He could have called."

"That's what I said. Shepard promised to make sure MC is seated at the opposite end of the table and he'll leave as soon as dinner is over." I wrapped my arm around Vena and gently squeezed. "He'll be gone soon enough."

"Found it!" Miles said, pulling out a box. Tucking it under his arm, he closed the closet door and glanced at us. "Is this a party, or can I go downstairs?"

Vena and I stepped out of his way, and he bounded out of the room.

"We should go, too," I said.

"You better stay next to me at all times. I won't be held accountable for my actions if you run off with Shepard."

"I'm not running off with anyone." I turned her toward the stairs. "Besides, dinner smells amazing. Neither of us will want to miss it."

She frowned. "I'm not even hungry anymore."

"Pretend."

As we walked down the main stairs, a thought struck me. How had Cross known MC was here?

I slowed and pulled out my phone.

Me: Are you at Vena's parents' house?

Cross: I'm feeling slighted that I don't get dinner as well.

Me: Do you really want to have dinner with two wolves?

Cross: I'd rather sleep for another 300 years.

I smiled and was about to tuck my phone into my pocket when I ran face-first into Shepard's chest at the bottom of the stairs.

His arm wrapped around me to steady me as he plucked the phone from my fingers.

"He's quite contrary, isn't he?" Shepard asked, reading the text while holding me. "He wants me to keep you safe but would rather be apart from you for three hundred years than dine with me."

"Like you're any better?" I said in a whisper. "You say vampires and werewolves can't be friends, yet here you are, having text conversations and desperate to meet him in person."

Shepard released me and gave me a flat look.

"I wouldn't have any interest in Cross if he'd leave you alone."

"Liar," I said with a smirk. "You keep stealing my phone. And I know you scrolled back to look at my message history. You didn't get to where you are by being stupid. I know you know that Cross is different. Stop being so stubborn about it."

"Being different doesn't mean he's safe," Shepard said, handing my phone back. "Don't let your guard down, Everly."

"I won't. It takes a lot to earn my trust."

He nodded and tucked my arm into the crook of his elbow. "I came out here to tell you we've moved to the dining room."

I let him escort me there and saw everyone else was already seated and waiting. Mrs. Hunter sat at one end and Mr. Hunter at the other. Vena sat to her Mom's right with Miles between her and MC. I headed for the seat across from Vena.

Mrs. Hunter beamed at us as Shepard held out my chair for me. "You two look so good together." Her gaze shifted to Miles. "You should switch seats with MC so he can sit next to your sister."

Vena's hand went under the table as Miles and MC started to rise. Miles immediately sat and smiled at his mom.

"I haven't seen you and dad in weeks. If I sit here, I get to talk to both of you."

Mrs. Hunter awwed and put a hand over her heart. I didn't buy his bullcrap, though. Knowing Vena, she had her knife poking into his side.

I glanced at Shepard, who'd taken the seat next to me, and caught his slight head shake at MC.

Mr. Hunter passed MC the first dish, and conversation started back up with ease, sticking to the safe topic of their dig and current research.

"It's disappointing that we didn't find the maps we were looking for, but you know how rare it is to come across maps today. It seems like everything's already been discovered," Mr. Hunter said.

"Maybe it's time to start looking into what Grandma and Grandpa had been researching," Miles said.

My gaze flew to him then to Mr. and Mrs. Hunter. The pair shared a look and glanced at the guests before smiling slightly and shaking their heads.

"A good researcher knows when to call something a dead end. My parents taught me that early on," Mr. Hunter said.

"True," Miles said. "But I don't think it's a dead end. I found a map that I think links to the book Grandpa was working on."

Something thumped under the table. Although neither Vena nor Miles moved, I was pretty sure she'd just kicked him.

"Do you remember what was in that book? Something about stones, right?" Miles asked, undeterred.

Mr. Hunter leaned back in his chair and considered the table for a long moment before looking at Miles with an easy-going smile.

"It's been a decade since I looked at it. And honestly, I've done so much research on other projects between then and now that I don't really recall. Let's go to the study after dinner and see what we can come up with."

Miles nodded and continued eating. Vena looked like she wanted to murder him. MC and Shepard were sharing a look, not oblivious to the current underlying tension.

"Anyone up for billiards after dinner?" I asked, desperate for a change in topic.

"That sounds like a lovely idea," Mrs. Hunter said. "We can save research for another day when we don't have guests."

Miles frowned at me, but I ignored him. Didn't the idiot realize I was saving his life?

Vena and I helped Mrs. Hunter clear the table while the rest went to set up the first billiards game.

When we were in the kitchen alone, Vena turned to me.

"What the hell is Miles thinking?" she whispered.

"He's probably bored," I said. "Look at how it felt having Shepard in our house for just a few hours this morning."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, and I knew she was already mentally forgiving Miles for bringing up the taboo subject of her grandparents.

We loaded the dishwasher and finished cleaning before joining the rest. The guys were playing teams against each other, and the Hunters weren't faring well. However, once we were in the room, MC's attention shifted to Vena, and he kept missing shots.

Every phone in the room rang with a weather alert before the game ended.

My eyes went to the prematurely darkening sky as Vena read the message.

"That storm front came in fast," Mr. Hunter said.

"There's no way you kids will make it back before the storm hits," Mrs. Hunter said. "You're staying the night. Don't even think about leaving." Her gaze shifted to Shepard and MC. "There's plenty of room for both of you as well. I hope you'll stay, too."

"Wouldn't dream of leaving," MC said with a smile.

Vena's hand shot to her hidden knife. I quickly steered her from the room.

"We'll check on the pajama situation," I called over my shoulder.

"We have plenty of things you can wear, dear," Mrs. Hunter said. "Don't worry about it."

"You know Vena is picky," I said with a forced laugh.

My best friend didn't struggle as I dragged her by the arm up to her parent's walk-in closet.

"Find pajamas," I said as a rumble of thunder vibrated the walls.

She glared at me. "All I needed was two seconds."

"I know you're mad, and you can vent as much as you want to me. Just remember that MC is helping the D.C. pack. Once they find Anchor and take care of the vampires, MC will be back in L.A. and out of your life. This is only temporary."

She grumbled and pulled out a full-length flannel nightgown with birds and flowers on it. The ruffles on the wrists and hem made me cringe.

"This is yours since you want to try to use wisdom with me," she said.

"It's summer and too hot for a flannel nightgown," I said.

"My parents keep the house cold."

"I think you should wear it to cool off MC." I grinned as she realized I was right.

Pulling out a second hideous nightgown, she smiled back. "We'll be twins. I think the only guy who would be turned on by this full-cover monstrosity is Cross."

"No guy would be turned on by this."

Vena shrugged. "Girls in his day wore stuff like this. All these ruffles could be what gets him going. Should we test out my theory?"

"No. He wouldn't dare come into the house with two wolves. And–"

"And?"

"I'd never want anyone to see me in that."

"Including Shepard?"

I sighed, knowing what she was doing. Verbally cornering me into admitting I liked both of them wasn't going to help the situation, though. So I pulled off my clothes, deciding it wasn't worth my time or energy to get worked up about a nightgown. If this caused Shepard and Cross to tap the brakes, then maybe that was a good thing. Right now, I felt like the rope in a tug-of-war game anyway.

Once the heavy bird-and-flower material dropped to my feet, I spun in a circle for Vena's approval. She snickered and put on her nightgown as well.

Linking arms, we headed downstairs to find Shepard sinking the eight ball and ending the game.

Eyes swiveled over to us at our entrance.

"Um, dear," Mrs. Hunter said with a wince coating her voice. "It's summer. Those are much too warm. I'm sure I can find you something better than my mother's old nightgowns. Where did you even find those? I swear I tossed them years ago."

"They were in your closet," Vena said. "And I think they're perfect."

I wasn't sure the gown was doing what she'd hoped, though. If MC's expression said anything, it was that he'd have no problem ripping it off Vena.

"I know," Mrs. Hunter said. "You can wear one of Miles' t-shirts."

MC glanced at Miles, likely sizing him up. The way the shifter grinned told me he was already envisioning how much of Vena's ass would be exposed.

"Nope," Vena said. "With the storm and these old windows, it's going to be a cold night."

Mrs. Hunter scoffed. "We had the windows replaced five years ago. Hardly old."

Mr. Hunter placed a hand on Mrs. Hunter's shoulder. "Let Vena wear what she wants. It's no use talking her out of something when she has her mind set. Plus, I quite like that she's wearing the nightgowns."

Likely, that was because Mr. Hunter knew Vena never had a sense of modesty.

"Oh, all right," Mrs. Hunter huffed. "Let's get everyone settled for the night." She looked at me and the two other guests. "We only have one guest room. Everly, why don't you and Shepard share? MC can stay with Vena."

Shepard choked on a cough.

"I think it's best if I stay with Vena," I said. "Shepard and MC can stay together in the guest room."

MC shook his head. "I have no problem with Mrs. Hunter's suggestion."

"I do," Shepard said. "I think Everly's plan is best."

I smiled at him.

The thunder rumbled the house, and the lights flickered then went out.

"I'll get everyone an emergency flashlight from the hall closet," Mr. Hunter said. "I think we'll need to retire early for the night."