The mage nodded, pressing his hands together on the table and staring at them.
I couldn't even imagine how he felt. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He shot me a grateful look.
Doc returned quickly, a pile of clothes in his arms. Nikolai followed Doc out of the room.
I sighed, exhausted. "Come on, guys. Let's go to bed."
The wolves padded along behind me, and I climbed into bed. Ed lay with his head on my chest, and Allan trapped my legs. They left one side open for Doc, but it was almost an hour before he joined us. He curled up around me, his face buried in my hair. The wolves were solidly asleep, but I woke up.
"He going to be okay?"
"Probably. He doesn't seem like the type to give up." Doc kissed my neck.
"Starting shit?" I grinned.
"I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. I just wanted to kiss you, and you're trapped under a couple hundred pounds of werewolf." I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Damn."
He laughed.
"But you're right. I'm beat."
Doc slid his hand under Ed and hugged me against him. "Good night, Sofia."
"Night."
∞ ∞ ∞
As usual, the wolves were up before me the next day and Doc had stayed curled around me, holding me until I woke. The smells of breakfast were probably what had pulled me out of one of the deepest sleeps I'd managed since I'd found out why the magic mafia—my term for the local group of black market mages—was after me.
"Morning," Doc mumbled into my hair.
"Were you waiting for me to wake up?"
"Maybe," he drawled.
"You don't have to, you know." I felt bad keeping him.
"I like waking up with you in my arms, and I didn't want you to wake up alone." He nuzzled my neck.
"I like it, too," I replied a little breathily, heart fluttering in my chest.
"Good." He trailed kisses along my jaw.
I rolled over to face him, tangling my legs in his and burying my hand in his hair, pulling him in for a kiss.
We enjoyed each other for a moment, but it didn't take long before we broke apart. My stomach was growling despite the late dinner, and we both wanted to make sure Ed and Allan hadn't traumatized Nikolai too much.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, I joined everyone in the kitchen. Nikolai was sitting stiffly in a chair against the back wall, watching. He looked uncomfortable wearing Doc's jeans and T-shirt, but they fit well enough. Maybe a little tight across the shoulders. Doc stared at a tea kettle, boiling water for tea. I was glad he was a tea drinker. I hadn't been able to touch a latte since Alex had spelled me with one when they had kidnapped me.
Doc glanced at me, lifting an eyebrow. I nodded.
Allan and Ed were busy making a mountain of food. I really did wonder how Doc managed to afford to feed them sometimes, but then he didn't eat much himself, so maybe it balanced out.
Ed saw me, and his eyes sparkled. He came over, grabbed my hand, and tugged me to my normal chair before planting a kiss on my cheek.
I happened to glance at Nikolai. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes bounced from us to Doc.
Right, so we were going to have to have that conversation sometime soon. Oh well.
Allan dropped a Sofia sized helping of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of me. Ed brought me juice, and Doc put a mug of black tea with a little sugar in front of me. They always took care of me, but this was a little over the top. Either they were as glad my parents were gone as I was, or they were feeling extra possessive.
Except then, Ed went and did something really weird. He invited Nikolai over to sit next to me. I really didn't think he was trying to hook me up with the Russian mage, even though the behavior was similar to when he was trying to hook me up with Doc. I traded a confused look with Allan, who shrugged. Finally, I just decided I might not actually ever understand Ed and just went with it. It was his spot he had given up. Doc sat next to me, a slight frown on his face, and Allan sat on the other side of Doc like normal.
Nikolai didn't say much, just watched what we did with our food before also eating. Doc had also given him a mug of tea, and Nikolai sipped it thoughtfully.
"So, what are we doing today?" I leaned back once I had finished as much food as I could eat. The original plan had been to head to the lake, but I guessed that had changed.
"You, Nikolai, and I are going to head to town and get him some clothing and boots. Believe it or not, it will snow in a couple of weeks," Doc answered. "Ed and Allan are going to stay here and burn energy."
I raised my eyebrows. "No way."
"Always snows before Halloween, and it's almost October."
The weather had cooled significantly since I had arrived only a few weeks ago. The air had a bite to it that it hadn't had when we first arrived, and I was finally starting to remember to dress in layers.
"And then we're going to stop by the college and see if we can get Nikolai permission to audit classes for the rest of the semester. Maybe call him an exchange student or something. He needs to start getting used to the world as it is now, and that will be a decent place to start. I need to get him an ID, too. I know someone who can help. We will get that sorted this week."
"College?" Nikolai ventured dubiously.
Doc nodded. "Also, Nikolai, you need to understand, you cannot under any circumstances tell anyone you're a mage, or mention that any of us aren't human."
"I cannot?" He frowned. "Why?"
"You have a lot of history to catch
