I mean, I had to admit, it was a pretty good sight to see and I could see why he wanted us to rush over. However, I was a bit confused as to why this was happening.
“Do you think that she is lost on the way to the swimming hole?” I asked.
“Do you think you just wanted to show us what she has?” Frances said with a grin. “Because I’d be interested in examining that a little further.”
“Do you guys think that...you could be with a human?” I asked.
The other two paused.
“Well, yes,” Jacob said. “But I think it got normalized because I saw it with my brothers, so the idea doesn’t really bother me.”
“Is it complicated?” I asked. “Like, do they have to fill out a ton of paperwork with the council?”
“No,” Frances said. “I don’t think so, do they, Jacob?”
“Once the mates produce an heir, it’s less of a problem,” he replied. “But I do think that it could be complicated if any of them ever...break up or something.”
“Yeah, I was wondering that,” I said. “Because then, does the law still apply? If they know about shifters but they aren’t actively with a shifter?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think so?”
“Seems like more trouble than it’s worth,” I said, and Jacob raised an eyebrow.
“Are you saying that you aren’t open to being with a human?” he asked and I shrugged
“I don’t know,” I said. “I suppose if someone came along and it just struck me that they were my mate, then maybe. But I wouldn’t actively seek out a human.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Frances said. “I don’t think I’d actively seek out a human, like posting on a dating site that I want human flesh.”
Jacob chuckled and rolled his eyes.
“You sound like a vampire,” he said. “Anyway, did someone make a reservation for tonight? It’s almost supper time, and I’m starving.”
“I made a reservation,” I said. “Are you guys going with dust on your faces?”
“No,” Jacob said. “I had to go out and round up a few horses that were giving me more trouble than the drunk frat boys. So unless you two want to be thrown out of the restaurant, I’ll be right back.”
“Bye,” I said, as he headed upstairs.
“Are you really not into humans?” Frances asked me and I shrugged.
“I mean, I’ve slept with them,” I said. “And it was good. But I’ve also swept with shifters and it was better.”
He chuckled.
“Maybe you just didn’t get the right human,” he said. “Because I’ve slept with humans, and damn, I don’t think I’ve had any better. Shifter girls just tend to be very...like...I don’t know. Uptight.”
“You can also be rougher with shifter girls,” I said with a grin. “And I tend to like it that way.”
“You just need to find your rhythm,” he said.
“I get it, I get it,” I said. “Come on, get your stuff and make sure we are ready to go when Jacob gets down. I’m starving.”
“I don’t get it. You were literally home all day. You could have stuffed your face at any opportunity.”
“Oh, I did that too,” I said. “I guess that’s the advantage of being a shifter. You can eat and eat and eat without an issue.”
“Are you saying we need to get a grocery delivery?” he asked and I shrugged.
“I might be saying that,” I replied. “But I'm sure we can sustain ourselves on a can of olives for a while.”
“You’re an animal,” Frances said to me, and I grinned.
“You got it,” I said. “Come on, let’s get going.”
I felt a sense of excitement as Jacob came back downstairs. I don’t know what had come over me, but I felt like I was about to embark on a new adventure. It’s just dinner, I told myself, but there was a strange feeling I couldn’t shake. I felt like something amazing was about to happen.
Chapter Four
Jacob
We had been to this restaurant a few times, my brothers and me. It was where I took them when they first got into town, as a celebration. At the time, I had no idea where our relationship was going to lead. I had been so excited at the prospect of having blood relatives. Now, I felt like I was in a world that I could not imagine. Everything was going well, except for the fact that we were mateless while the rest of our brothers were cozying up at home.
“Jacob,” said the hostess as I walked in. I think her name was