Hunted (War of the Covens 1)

Caia was in her room, struggling over calculus homework, when she heard cars on the gravel driveway. She glanced at her watch. Seven o’clock. The aromas coming from the kitchen had been teasing her since she’d returned from school. Again, Ella had refused her offer to help.

“I’d like to cook sometime. Do anything to, you know, do my bit,” Caia had said as Ella physically shooed her out of the kitchen.

“Oh, of course, honey.” Ella smiled brightly. “And you will. Just not today.”

“I could set the table.”

“Irini is going to do that.”

“I could tidy the sitting room.” She gestured toward said room from the hallway.

Ella frowned. “I did that already.”

Caia laughed, abashed. “Of course you did. It looks great.”

“Go do your homework.”

She had obeyed the quelling look in Ella’s eye and left her to it.

“Caia! They’re here!” Ella called from the kitchen.

“I’ll be back.” She grimaced at her homework. “Maybe, somehow by magik, I’ll have the answers when I do.”

Stopping to check her reflection, Caia was reminded once again, as her eyes washed over her jeans and plain white shirt, that no matter what she wore, she really was the plain Jane of the lykan world.

“Ugh.” She shook her head. “Self-pity is not a good color on you.”

They were congregated in the living room. Dimitri with his family—there seemed to be a lot of them. And then Magnus. She grinned at him.

“Hey, kid.” He grinned back.

This should be okay. Right?

Jaeden smiled at her as she wrestled with a squirming toddler. Caia’s nerves began to melt away as Dimitri hugged her, followed by Magnus, and then pretty much everyone else. It was nothing like her experience with Yvana. Warmth emanated from them all, Magnus sticking protectively by her side. Dimitri’s wife, Julia, was introduced, a gorgeous woman Caia presumed was the same age as Ella—goddess knew how old that was. Julia hugged Caia to her and said it was good to have her back.

Then there was Dimitri’s eldest, Christian, and his wife, Lucia, both friendly and sincere. And then Jaeden came forward and introduced the bubbly fifteen-month-old in her arms as her niece, Jaela.

Caia was surprised as Jaeden pushed the child into her arms. “Say hello, Jaela.”

“Uh, Jae …” Caia nervously wrapped her arms around the child. She tried not to blush as everyone watched her hold the little girl, but then Jaela grabbed onto a strand of her hair and Caia’s eyes locked onto the little one’s big baby blues. She smiled sweetly at Caia and made some gurgling noises, trying to snuggle deeper into Caia’s arms.

“She likes you.” Lucien appeared beside her. Her raised an eyebrow at Lucia with mock disgruntlement. “I thought I was the only one she liked?”

But once she realized he was there, Jaela squealed and threw her arms out at him, hitting Caia in the face as she cryied out, “Luchy!”

“I think she wants Luchy,” she teased.

“Only Jaela is allowed to call me that.” Lucien grinned, taking the girl into his arms. “Ain’t that right, gorgeous.”

Caia sat with them, enjoying the peace and comfort that this small group enjoyed with one another. They were obviously a family within a family, and so warm to her she felt herself being pulled in, despite her concerns.

“Dinner’s ready, folks,” Ella announced, looking flushed from her hard work in the kitchen.

Dinner with them all was probably the best time Caia had had. She hated to admit it, but as Magnus and Dimitri took turns lightheartedly teasing her and each other, as Julia jumped flightily from asking her questions about school to asking Ella about cooking, as Jaeden threw her affectionate smirks, as Christian and Lucia whispered lovingly to one another, and as Lucien ate while making Jaela giggle throughout the entire meal, she realized that this was what she’d been missing her entire life. Not the pack—just a family. An ordinary family having a meal together. It was so humdrum, and yet it was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

When dinner was over, the family decided to settle in the sitting room with coffee and cake.

“I’ll clean up, do the dishes,” Caia said to Ella as they rose from the table.

“No—”

“I’ll help.” Jaeden managed to do what Caia couldn’t and shoo Ella out with the others. Lucien was the last to leave.

He stood at the doorway, his eyes narrowed on Jaeden. “All the times you’ve been over for dinner, you haven’t once offered to do dishes. What are you up to?”

Jaeden laughed at him. “You’re so suspicious, Lucien.”

“Always. For good reason.”

She leaned past him, grabbing onto the door and began closing it on him. “Bye, Lucien.”

“If she’s bothering you, let me know,” he said to Caia, and laughed when Jaeden smacked him on the arm and pushed him out.

Once they were alone, Jaeden chuckled at Caia’s bemused expression. “He’s not suspicious at all. He’s just plain nosy.”