A Crown Of Smoke And Ash - Sloane Murphy Page 0,39
says to Creek, while sending me a tight smile.
Levi stands and moves to cover the hall entrance the two left from, the one that leads to Everly, but does not leave. Just stands there, with his arms crossed, eyes hard and calculating, looking every inch the warrior that he is.
The wolf lets me keep stroking his fur softly, his low growl in Levi's direction a constant until I sit on the ground in front of him, and bare my neck to him. He opens his jaw, and places his teeth on my neck, squeezing, but not so much that it hurts, and I let him. Showing him that I am his, proving that I am alive and well. He releases me, and lies at my feet, a rumbling still leaving him as he places his giant head in my lap.
"He better be house trained," Levi huffs, and I can't help but laugh.
"You're not helping, you know," I say with a grin. "You don't have to stay, once the wolf settles, he'll shift back."
"I know, but I'm not leaving you here unprotected."
"He won't hurt me, Levi," I sigh. "I am as safe here with the wolf, as I would be with Roman as a human.
"He," Levi points and the wolf snarls, “is the Alpha of the Alphas. He could end your life quickly, and I am not ready to give you up. I will not wait another lifetime for you to come back to me. To have you at my side again."
I nod silently, understanding. And so I sit, and he watches, until the wolf is satisfied.
Chapter Nine
Marie and Fallon arrive early the next day, just in time for breakfast. I enter the kitchen to find a larger table than the one I sat at before, and look to Everly who just smiles at me. "I had a feeling we'd be needing more space than the four seats we had."
She shrugs, with a huge grin, and I laugh at her obvious happiness at the amount of people filling the house she has cared for so lovingly.
"Oh my Lordy, the smells coming from this kitchen," Fallon's voice rings through the halls as she brings Marie through the house, and I shake my head. "Mama, you'll see. This woman definitely has a magic touch when it comes to food."
"Fallon, Marie, so lovely to see you again!" Everly says, and embraces them as they enter the room. "I was just getting ready to dish up, sit down, please."
"Are the boys on their way?" she asks me, and I tune into my Hunter hearing and hear them each heading towards us.
"Yeah, they won't be long," I tell her, and sit down with the Witches.
"So what brings you lovely ladies here today?" Everly asks them as she brings platters of food over to the table. My mouth waters as the array of it.
"We don't actually know," Marie says, looking towards me. “Though I have my suspicions. "
"After we eat." I wave her off, and she laughs.
"Just like your mother." Her casual comment makes me pause, but I find that for once, I find happiness in the comment, rather than sadness. I don’t know how much she knew about what happened between me and my grandfather, but my mother always encouraged me to follow my instincts, maybe her own way of pushing me in the right direction, without having her own life ripped from her.
The guys filter into the room, saying hello in different ranges of sleepiness. It warms my heart to see so many people I love in one place, safe, getting along. It makes me wonder what life could have been like if I'd been able to reach my grandfather that day.
"Morning," Levi says as he drops a kiss on top of my head before he settles into the open seat beside me. Creek pours himself a coffee and brings me one too before sitting, Kain sits next to Marie, and it occurs to me that they know each other as they talk as if they're old friends.
"I told you, Mom never really saw the point in hating the other factions," Fallon whispers to me.
"Well, they're just people too," Marie says, her keen eyes watching me. "But you already know that."
"I do," I say with a small smile.
"Enough shop talk," Everly says bustling towards the table, laying down plates before taking her seat between Roman and Kain. "Let’s eat!”
Everyone obeys her and tucks into the buffet spread before us, low murmurs around the table as