"Werewolves and their stomachs," Doc laughed.
"Pot, kettle," I called up the old saying, fixing my gaze on Doc. "You just get to eat and have fun at the same time."
He opened his mouth as if he was going to deny it, but then realized he couldn't, so he just shrugged instead. "It's convenient."
"Eating is fun," Allan breathed on my neck. "Especially after you hunt it first," he whispered, voice low.
The primal joy in his voice tightened my stomach, and his breath on my neck sent tremors down my spine.
I turned to face him.
He kissed me gently on the lips before crawling backward off the bed. "He destroys the kitchen if I don't supervise."
"Are they trying to torture me?" I groaned, flopping back onto the bed.
"Maybe you're fun to torture." Doc's eyes shone with his smile.
"If you leave, too, I'm going to…" I didn't even know what to threaten.
"Going to what?" He stood up.
I just stared at him. He was really going to leave?
"Cry?"
He laughed. "We do need to discuss what we're going to do about the Andersons."
"I don't bloody want to think about Alex right now!"
The highly amused expression on Doc's face wasn't helping any. He headed for the kitchen. Nikolai had already vanished, leaving me alone in the bedroom, frustrated but also grateful that we had managed to call Ed back from whatever dark place the Anderson's magic had put him in.
Grumbling, I followed the guys into the kitchen. At least they could feed me.
Ed and Allan cooked while Doc sipped on tea, leaning against the wall.
"Where's Nikolai?"
"He went for a walk," Doc replied.
"Is he okay?"
"He's got a lot on his mind." Doc shrugged. "I think he'll be okay. We need to talk about a few things, though. The Andersons. Nikolai."
I sank down into my usual chair. "What are we going to do about the Andersons? Alex outright threatened us. If they find out Nikolai is a mage…" I trailed off.
"Yeah," Doc replied.
Ed and Allan filled the table with food. Ed sat next to me, and Allan took Doc's normal seat. They both sat closer than normal.
I leaned over until I touched shoulders first with Ed, and then with Allan.
"How do you feel about Nikolai?" Ed tilted his head to the side.
"Uh." What did I even say to that? Sure, I was attracted to him. He was easy on the eyes, nice to me and all, but the thing that was pulling at us was our magic resonance. Wasn't it?
"I mean, I like him. I guess. I know Doc likes him." I smirked at the blushing vampire, and shoved food in my mouth to avoid having to continue babbling.
"We need him to train you," Doc continued. "Sam said we would lose you to him if he did, though."
The thought of losing my pack brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't talk around the sudden lump in my throat for a moment. "I would rather figure it out on my own," I managed to choke out, "than lose any of you."
"She said it was already too late," Doc added. His expression remained neutral, and I wasn't sure what he was thinking.
Ed and Allan both looked worried when they glanced at each other, then at me.
"Sam seems to say a lot of things," I grumbled. "I certainly don't feel like I've lost you." I twisted my arm until the tattoo on my wrist was exposed. "Besides. What does this mean, other than that we're all pack?"
"We can't ask him to train you and expect the two of you to not get involved with each other. Nikolai and Doc made that pretty clear yesterday," Allan said.
Though I was worried about what the guys might be suggesting, I couldn't help the sly smile that crossed my face. "I'm sorry I missed that."
Doc cleared his throat and stared at the ground.
"So, you just want to hand me over to him?" I said once the silence stretched.
"No!" they all declared together.
"Then what?"
"I guess we're asking you if you want to date him, too," Doc said when no one else spoke up. "Or maybe, more accurately, if you can talk him into training you, whatever happens between you two will be fine with us, as long as we get to keep you, as well."
"Oh." Though I had desperately wanted to kiss Nikolai earlier, I had dismissed it as the resonance. I still wanted to touch him, but it was easier to ignore, since he wasn't in the room. The guys were right, though, there was attraction between us. Even if it was just the magic. "I… What do you think?" I looked at Ed and then Allan.
"I would rather lose you to Nikolai than the Andersons," Allan admitted. "At least he'll teach you how to avoid becoming a host to a greater demon, but I'd rather not lose you at all."
Ed didn't answer, and I focused on him. He had his jaw clenched, and he stabbed at the eggs on his plate but didn't actually eat any. In fact, he hadn't touched much of his food compared to normal.
"Ed?"
"I agree with Allan," he added slowly. "We need Nikolai. We aren't giving you up. If you can convince him he has to share with us, then I guess it's okay with me." He stared at the table, his hands clenched.
"You're not okay with it," I stated, leaning against him.
"I just need to get used to the idea," Ed replied. "It was my idea to share you with Allan and Doc in the first place. I can let Nikolai in, too. Besides…" He grinned, looking closer to his normal cheerful self. "It looks like I don't have to try and convince you to get our pack tattoo." He ran his fingers lightly over my wrist.
I shivered, but returned his smile to him.
"What about you?" Allan took my hand. "How do you feel about the idea?"
"It's kind of sudden. Besides, maybe he just wants my boyfriend and not me." I wanted to laugh, but I didn't quite
