Christa’s Obsession (Obsessions #3)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Wanda

Despite how wonderful the house smelled, Wanda’s nerves were getting the better of her. She had assisted Christa in the kitchen, while she made all the wonderful things for their lunch. That said, given the knots forming in her belly, she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to eat a single bite of the tempting foods. Wanda had discovered she had been missing out on a lot.

Until Silas had gone into the city and realized the delights of cheeseburgers, Wanda had tasted nothing but fruits, plants, herbs and vegetables. Most in their very basic form. She had not felt inclined to try doing much with them.

The meat patties were delicious and temptingly good, so whenever Silas had gone to town, she had wanted one. And yes, since Christa had introduced her to pizza, she enjoyed it, too. Not as much as the burgers, though. They had been her favorite until she’d tried the chocolate fudge cake. It was a revelation. Not hers particularly, though she couldn’t say why, except it wasn’t as moist and light as Christa’s.

Cake was a party in the mouth, full of wonderful flavor and sweetness. So much so, Wanda had gorged herself to the point of feeling queasy, even when Christa had warned her it was very rich, and Wanda wasn’t used to eating it.

Yes, chocolate fudge cake most certainly beat having a burger any day of any week, which was why Wanda found herself encouraging Christa back up to the house and into the kitchen, not the bathroom. Although they still spent a lot of time in the bathroom, to clean up Wanda, who couldn’t appear to keep everything in the bowl, the same as Christa.

It was a mystery.

“Stop chewing on your lip, you’ll make it bleed.” Christa slipped an arm around the front of her as she drew her back against her warm, scented body. Their size difference made her feel delicate when she hugged her this way.

She released her lip, tracing it with the tip of her tongue to feel the marks her teeth had left behind. “Do you think they’ll like me?”

“They’ll love you.”

She turned in Christa’s arms, stretching her neck to look at her. “Liking is fine. I only need your love.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Christa kissed the center of her forehead.

“Knock knock. Is it safe to come in? Do I need to avert my eyes? I could hear some pretty mushy talk going on.”

Christa rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the doorway the voice was coming from. “Behave Luka and get your backside in here.”

A man dressed in a smart gray suit and a black shirt walked into the kitchen and Wanda could see the likeness to Dakata. Though he was as tall, he wasn’t as bulky across the chest as Dakata. Behind him came another man, also dressed in a suit, but it was navy paired with a pale blue shirt. Neither man wore a tie, their top buttons undone. He was slimmer, and his smile was more like Christa’s.

“Benra, it’s nice to see you arrived on time.”

Jet black brows rose, and sapphire blue eyes twinkled with cheekiness. “I wanted to see what got our sister moving to the sticks and hiding out in a tree, no less.” He glanced about the kitchen. “Though, this doesn’t look like tree living to me. Did you move all your stuff from the house in the city?”

“I did and shut up, you are giving my blissful one a poor impression.” Christa grinned at Wanda. “This is Benra and Luka.” Her attention returned to her brothers. “Be nice, I told her you were all loveable.”

Benra laughed at her rebuke. “I don’t think that’s possible when she’s bonded with you. And of course we are loveable, I mean,”—his hand waved down his body—“look at me.”

Christa let go of Wanda, shaking her head. “You never change.” She went to Benra and grabbed his cheeks, giving him a sisterly peck on the lips. “And if you don’t behave, you won’t get any of my special chocolate cheesecake.”

He clutched at his chest, faking a look of distress as Luka watched on, chuckling. “Not that!”

“I can see it’s going to be business as usual,” Dakata muttered, coming in with Silas at his side.

“There’s sweet cheeks.” Benra went to Silas, and Dakata punched his brother's arm when he went to touch Silas. “Ouch,” he hissed, rubbing at his arm.

“Keep your damn hands to yourself. He’s my blissful one, find your own!”

Wanda stared in amazement as they continued to argue and smack at each other. She looked at Silas to see if he was as confused as her by the way they were. He gave them all an indulgent look and shrugged at Wanda.

“Lunch will get cold if you all continue to bicker like children.”

Christa had bickered right along with them, but Wanda decided not to point that out.

By the time they were all sitting at the table, it became a competition about who could speak loud enough to be heard over the others. Wanda’s temples throbbed a little, and her worry about eating ceased when she spent most of her time staring wide eyed at the brothers and Christa. It was most entertaining to watch them when they were all so happy to be together. Happiness filled the dining area.

Silas, like her, didn’t get to say much, but he tucked into the food, groaning in approval as he tried all the dishes covering the table.

“The food is delicious, Christa,” Silas murmured minutes later when there was a break in the conversation.

“I helped,” Wanda said, though she could admit she’d probably been more of a hindrance.

“You did indeed, my love.” Christa’s smile gave Wanda a warm feeling in the center of her chest, even when all the men looked at her.

“She’s real bossy,” Benra said in a stage whisper. “You have to learn to distract her.”

Wanda giggled, feeling included in a way she hadn’t considered was possible. “I already know how to distract her, don’t worry.”

Everyone burst out laughing when Christa blushed bright pink. “That you do.” She nudged Wanda’s full plate of food closer to her. “Now eat up, or you won’t get dessert.”

Wanda searched Christa’s expression. Wanda couldn’t quite tell if she was serious and having licked the spoon clean earlier, she spiked a crispy potato on the end of her fork. She dipped it in the peppercorn sauce and popped it into her mouth, and waved her empty fork at Christa. No one wanted to miss out on dessert, especially when it was a chocolate and cream combo.

This got more laughter from the others.

She mumbled around the potato, “I licked the spoon, I’m not daft.”

Christa placed a hand on her knee, squeezing gently, and answered Luka’s question. The sense of connection was there. The life of a dryad was a lonely existence until they found their tree. There were so few of them left in the world, and they preferred their own company to that of other dryads. Her parents were the same. They had no time for her or Silas.

When Silas left, Wanda had felt cast adrift and quickly followed her brother because she much preferred company to being alone.

As her eyes swept around the table, the four siblings were the epitome of family. Her own weren’t the ones to give her a sense of what an actual family was like. No, that had been Silas and Dougal.

Dougal. Her heart ached at what her conversation with the king had revealed. What he must have suffered, both of them. Yet, she’d felt the burst of life, of energy in the forest and understood Asmodeus had finally chosen what he wanted over his fear.

“So Wanda, is it you I have to thank for being left to do all the work?”

Wanda’s gaze flew to Luka, the piece of meat she was in the process of swallowing caught in her throat. Coughing violently, Christa smacked her on the back, reaching for her water glass. “Here, have a drink.” She glared at Luka. “Did you have to say that!”

“Sorry.”

“So you should be,” Christa snapped back, holding the glass to Wanda’s lips despite the fact she’d reached out to take it herself.

“It’s me you should blame,” Silas said, chuckling. “It is Dakata’s business.”

“He has a choice. I could get someone else to run the business,” Dakata replied, jabbing his fork at Luka, his gaze searching Silas’s, who smiled guilelessly.

“You love it.” Benra stared Luka down. “I’ve never seen you so happy, so give it up pretending to be annoyed.”

Luka gave him a big ass grin and shoving a honey roasted carrot in his mouth.

“I’m fine.” Wanda gently nudged the glass away when Christa tried to drown her.

“It’s a good job, or someone would have gotten their demon ass kicked,” she threatened Luka, who just laughed at her.

“Children,” Dakata groaned, but his eyes held a wealth of amusement.

It never stopped. They continued on through the meal, onto dessert and clean up. They all helped, notwithstanding the moaning and complaining. By the time everyone was getting ready to leave, the sun had dipped in the sky and Wanda found herself with three additional brothers.

“Don’t leave it so long next time,” Benra murmured, kissing Christa’s cheek, before moving to do the same to Wanda.

“Not if Christa is cooking,” Luka replied, holding up the covered dish of leftovers.

More cheek kisses and finally they were gone, leaving Wanda mentally exhausted, but content.

Christa sat down on the couch and dragged Wanda down next to her. She groaned and laid her head back on the couch, closing her eyes. “Remind me again why I thought this would be a good idea? They always give me a damn headache.”

“They are loud.” Wanda agreed with that. She rested her head on Christa’s shoulder, looking out the window. The dipping sun silhouetted her trees. They swayed in the breeze and encouraged her home. “It’s time to go home,” she murmured.

Christa moved, dislodging her head to look at her. A softness to her gaze came when she glanced at the orchard. “Yes, it is. They missed us.”

In that moment, Wanda was truly happy they had the house to use for Christa and Wanda’s family, but that their home in the trees would always be just for them.

She kissed Christa’s throat, trailing open-mouthed kisses down the column of her neck, reaching the exposed collarbone which she traced with her tongue. “Take us there.”

“As you wish, my love.”

In the blink of an eye, Wanda lay naked on a lush bed of leaves with Christa lying at her side. Her hand stroked down her soft curves as the branches formed a nook around them, the overhead ones opening the canopy to allow them to watch the evening light fade and the soft evening air to caress Wanda’s warm skin. She moaned as Christa came closer and kissed her, the taste of chocolate lingering on her tongue.

A languid feeling followed as Christa stroked over her heating flesh, murmuring words of love. “You are my world.” Another kiss. “My everything.” Another kiss. “My love,” she groaned as Wanda went pliant.

“As you are mine,” she answered breathlessly, losing herself in the world of love that her girls created, and Christa completed.

The End….