Hunted (War of the Covens 1)

5

Watering Hole

That night Caia experienced her first family dinner in Lucien’s home.

The drive to his house was interesting to say the least. Like her, he didn’t seem to be much of a talker, but it was obvious he was trying to make an effort. He’d started by asking her about her old school, what her teachers were like, what subjects she enjoyed …

After a lull, he cleared his throat as if trying to come up with something else to say. Finally, a noise of what she assumed was satisfaction rumbled from under his breath. “You like music?”

Caia nodded, trying not to smile in amusement. The guy was pretty adorable, she decided, when he was attempting to be normal.

He glanced at her, frowning, unamused by her less than helpful response. “I’m trying here.”

“I know.” She nodded with laughter in her voice. “You don’t have to.”

The look he gave her was almost admonishing, and she blanched under its complexity. He was so serious, so intense. “Yes, I do.”

She was caught in his gaze. “The road,” she reminded him, although her voice was a less controlled, huskier version of itself.

Lucien flashed her a wicked smile. Caia didn’t know if he was mocking her for distrusting his driving or for her girlish response to him. Males, Caia though. How did she cope with them after a decade without them?

The Alpha chuckled at the sound of her groan. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

“Fine,” she heard him mutter. “Always fine.”

Disconcerted by the tension between them, Caia was relieved when they reached the Líder’s home. She wasn’t so relieved when she spotted two other vehicles in Lucien’s driveway. Her gaze was questioning as they got out of his car.

“It’s just Magnus and Ryder,” Lucien said.

“They’re here for dinner?” Or are they checking up on me?

She bit her lip as they walked toward the house. Ryder, Jaeden had explained, was the pack’s own true-blue hero. He was a Rogue Hunter, which meant he dealt out justice to any lykan who broke the law—any who killed humans for pleasure. Was the hunter inspecting her?

Her thoughts must have betrayed her because Lucien explained, “You’ll be seeing a lot of Ryder. He’s a bachelor and can’t cook, so he either comes here for dinner or goes to the diner owned by his mother, Yvana.”

Oh. She let go of the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Her nerves really couldn’t have taken the Spanish Inquisition tonight.

As soon as Caia stepped through the front door, Irini bounded at her, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “How was school? Was everything okay? Were the others nice to you?”

Caia smiled. It was nice that Irini was still interested in her. She’d half expected with Irini’s newfound freedom, she’d want to forget the person responsible for her “imprisonment.”

“Everything was fine. Really. I’m okay.”

“You let me know if anyone bothers you.”

Caia chuckled, remembering her giving a similar demand when she’d begun the ninth grade. “I will.”

“Guess what?” Irini whispered.

Caia’s bag was heavy and her stomach rumbled, but she smiled as she asked the expected question. Irini didn’t answer at first, just smirked mischievously at Lucien as he walked around them and into the kitchen. Caia could hear more than one male greet him, as well as the soft cadence of Ella’s voice.

“We have guests.”

Caia glanced meaningfully behind her at the driveway. “I gathered that.”

“Aidan’s here.” Irini hungrily ran her tongue across the bottom of her top row of teeth.

“Aidan?”

“Ssshh.” Her eyes darted back to the kitchen. “Ryder’s brother,” Irini whispered, “the one who got away.”

Her eyes were round, sad, but hopeful. Caia peered beyond her to the kitchen door. It had never occurred to her that when Irini had run into hiding with her, she’d left more than her family behind.

“Irini, I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Wha—”

“Caia,” Ella interrupted, appearing in the hallway. “How was your first day at school?”

How many times was she going to have to lie today? “It was fine.”

“Good. Come on in, honey. Dinner’s ready.”

The sight that greeted her in the kitchen was more intimidating than having met all the pack at the same time. The intimate setting, a table set for seven, four of which were for large lykan males, made Caia’s smile of hello tremulous.

Magnus strode over to her, drawing her to his side. He gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “You okay?”

She nodded, craning her neck to look up at him. He was genuinely happy to see her.

“Cy, this is Ryder.” He nodded to the lykan standing next to Lucien. He was about an inch smaller than the Alpha but shared a similar build. His features weren’t as rugged as Lucien’s; he had constant humor in his eyes and a warm quirk to his top lip. The shaggy, brown mess of his hair only added to his approachable appeal.

“And this is Aidan.”

Aidan, an almost mirror image of his brother, except for the straight blond of his hair, stood directly across from Ryder.