"You don't need anything," Allan said a distinct growl to his voice as well. "You just want information."
Ed and Allan had finished their dinners and Ed eyed mine speculatively. It tasted good, but the conversation had stolen a lot of my appetite, so I passed my plate off to him. He grinned. Doc handed his plate to Allan, and the werewolves dug in.
"You are werewolves?" Adriana asked hesitantly.
Ed nodded.
"Where is your pack?"
Ed tilted his head as if he didn't understand the question. "Sitting at the table with us."
"No, your other wolves. Werewolves rarely, if ever, are on their own."
"It's just me, Allan, and the mages. We're a pack. Doc rescued Allan and me from the foster system. Sofia and Nikolai joined us more recently."
"How did you end up in the foster system?" Adriana frowned.
"Our family was attacked on a camping trip. Ed and I survived. Our parents didn't. Relatives couldn't take us. We managed," Allan finished the story.
"I see." Her tone indicated that she was still confused. However, she dropped the questions.
Another uneasy silence followed, broken when the waiter came to see if we wanted dessert.
"You do." Allan grinned at me.
That settled, everyone ordered cheesecake, though I probably wasn't the only one that wished Adriana would leave.
When dessert arrived, I took a bite. "Oh, this is good." I moaned a little, which got all the guys to stare at me. I ignored the heat in their gazes, partially because of our unwanted dinner guest, and partially because the cheesecake was that good.
"Yes. Is truly made from cheese? Delicious." Nikolai stole Doc's piece.
"Hey," Doc protested.
"Get another. I have been missing out on this entire life."
Doc laughed and gestured for Nikolai to keep it.
The werewolves finished quickly, and Adriana grabbed the bill before Doc could. "Least I can do. Now, since you seem to think you can, once you rescue the demon, call us and I will have people move in to arrest the Andersons. If you change your mind about relocating, don't hesitate to reach out. Try to keep the damage to a minimum." She directed the last comment at Nikolai.
Adriana put cash down for the bill and left.
We stared after her for a minute before I burst out laughing. "She doesn't know you, but she's already figured out you're destructive."
Nikolai snorted, passing the last of the cheesecake he had taken from Doc to the werewolves. "She is not wrong."
∞ ∞ ∞
We were all exhausted when we made it back to Victoria's house. She and David were home and playing cards with her parents.
"Have fun?" Victoria grinned.
"Yes. The museum and dinner were great." I didn't mention Adriana tracking us down at the museum. They didn't need to know.
We all found places to sit, though I ended up sprawled in Nikolai's lap while Ed and Allan shared the other couch with Doc.
They finished their card game, then Jasmine stood. "Let me show you where you can sleep. I'm sure you're all tired."
I nodded for everyone.
"We have a couple of options, but Victoria said you guys were used to sharing?"
"It's a werewolf thing," Ed offered. "We talked the mages into it. Now they're just used to a puppy pile."
Jasmine's eyes widened slightly though she smiled at Ed's phrasing. She glanced at Allan, who nodded agreement.
I was surprised they had told her, but it was probably just as easy that way.
"We have a guest room with a queen sized bed or we can set up a few air beds. David stays in Victoria's room when he stays over, but we can kick him out, if you want to sleep in there, Sofia."
"I, uh, I'll just share with the guys." I tried not to stammer too much.
"Sounds good." She didn't act like it surprised her, so I just rolled with it.
"We'll take the guest room," Doc said. "No need to go to any extra trouble. We do appreciate you putting up with us for an evening."
Jasmine's smile warmed me. "It's no trouble at all."
I reluctantly climbed off of Nikolai's lap and we followed her up the stairs. "In here. The guest bathroom is attached. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know."
"Thank you," I said.
"You're quite welcome, Sofia. It's been a pleasure meeting all of you. Get some rest. Pancakes in the morning."
"We love pancakes," Ed replied, eyes glinting with excitement.
"I'll make a lot." Jasmine sounded pleased.
Once we were alone, Nikolai cast his sound barrier again. I groaned as his magic washed through me.
"Do not think will need it, but still, can talk if necessary." Nikolai studied the bed, glanced at all of us and shrugged. "Cozy."
"I can..."
I cut Doc off. "Squeeze in with the rest of us. We'll fit." There was no way I was letting him sleep on the floor.
He didn't argue, and before long we were all curled up in bed. Doc spooned around my back and Nikolai had pressed into him. I spooned around Ed and Allan lay on his other side. We fit. Barely. Still, I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. Especially since I had almost lost them.
∞ ∞ ∞
After waking up surrounded by my guys, followed by a fantastic pancake breakfast, and the general feeling that we were actually safe, I didn't want to head back up to Sunnyglade. I loved it there. Not being safe weighed heavily on me, however. I hadn't realized how much until I spent even a few hours away from it all. As we climbed into Doc's truck, the weight settled back around me.
Nikolai might have sensed something because he kissed my hair and wrapped his arm tight around me. Allan had pressed against my other side and gave me a curious look. Maybe he caught the same sense of depression that weighed me down because he took my hand and echoed Nikolai's kiss on my hair.
"It'll be okay, Sofia," he murmured.
"Thanks." I snuggled into them.
Ed reached
