25. Pasta & Pussy Cats
Chapter twenty-five
Pasta & Pussy Cats
SHASTA
T he cleanup for Michael was disgusting. It’s easy being able to just wave my hand and make it magically go away but seeing and smelling that before it disappears is just gross. What a hell of a way to die. Next item on the agenda, blocking them from tracking me and triggering their people to kill themselves, or be killed from a distance.
We’re back at my place and I’m currently in the shower scrubbing myself clean. I can smell food coming from the kitchen so I’m assuming at least one of the guys is done and is making us some food. My tummy chooses that exact moment to growl.
I really don’t feel any drain from my new powers though which is so odd. The amount of magic I used when we were saving my dad would have laid me out for a while before. Now, I just feel a little bit hungry.
I step out and dry off. Wrapping a towel around me I go to my dresser and pull out another pair of leggings and a hoodie this time. All black. If we decide to scope things out at the hotel I want to be ready to go. I pull my damp hair up into a messy bun and slip on some Chucks.
Following the smell of something delicious, I walk into the kitchen to see Kadi cooking this time. Ethan is nowhere to be found so I’m assuming he is still showering.
“Mmmmmm, it smells good.” Leaning around him, I see that he’s boiling noodles and making a creamy white sauce. Alfredo is actually one of my favorites. These two continue to surprise me.
Kadi smirks and points to the loaf of bread in the package on the counter. “You wanna cut that up and put it in the oven?”
“Putting me to work already?” I laugh and walk over, grabbing the cutting board out of the drawer and a knife from the block on the counter. I slice about half the loaf and then wrap the rest. Taking the butter out of the fridge I slather a little on, add some garlic powder and then pop it in the oven.
Ethan chooses that moment to walk out. He is pulling on a t-shirt as he walks in, and my mouth goes dry. There isn’t a place on either of these two that I don’t want to thoroughly lick. They are both tall, strong, and made just for me. At five foot six, I’m not tiny. Just average. But they are both so large that I feel tiny.
Laying in bed with both of them this morning was pretty damn nice. I can definitely get used to waking up surrounded by lion shifters every single day. Though, I think we are going to have to get a bigger bed.
Ethan walks over and sticks his finger in the sauce and licks it off, watching me from under his lashes. He’s a terrible flirt now that he’s mostly gotten over our issues. I smirk at him and stretch, lifting my arms above my head until my shirt rises just a bit, showing a little of my stomach. Two can play this game. We don’t have time for anything else right now except food, but that doesn’t mean we can’t build the tension for later.
He stalks over to me and snatches me up. I squeal as he throws me down onto the couch and then crouches over the top of me, bracing his hands on either side of my head. I feel a little breathless as he watches me with his gaze so intent.
Raising my hand, I cup his cheek and his eyes soften. He closes them and leans into my touch and purrs a little bit. Holy shit, that went straight to my pussy. Squirming, I try to adjust my legs to cover my scent but I should have known it wouldn’t do any good when I hear an answering growl from the kitchen.
Ethan sits up and gathers me onto his lap. I lay my head on his shoulder and just rest for a minute. It feels nice to just be held by someone. I didn’t realize how truly lonely I had been getting until these two lunatics showed up in my shop the other day.
Goddess, has it only been three days? It feels like an eternity already.
Ethan chuckles. “Fate is funny sometimes isn’t she? Who knew things would be like this? If you had told me last week I’d be here right now, I’d have said you were insane, but yet here we are. I’m not mad about it either. I know we have a lot going on, but I feel peace in my heart for the first time in a very long time.”
Kadi comes over and tugs on a piece of Ethan’s hair and he leans his head back on the couch to smile up at him. I love the friendship they have. Almost like brothers. You can just tell by the way they act that they would, and have, done anything they can to protect each other. I get to be a part of that now. I tug Kadi over to me and lean up to kiss him.
He bites my bottom lip after the kiss, boops me on the nose, laughs, and then heads back over to the stove. Ethan leans his forehead on mine. “I’m afraid for you. I know that you have all these new powers, but the thought of them getting their hands on you is making me feral, Shasta.”
“You’re not going to talk me out of going with you, if that’s what you think you’re doing.”
“No,” he sighs. “I know I can’t talk you out of going, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Four days ago I didn’t even know you existed, and now you’re my entire universe and the thought of losing you terrifies me.”
I melt.
This man couldn’t even stand the sight of me and now, he’s one of the most important people in my life.
“You know, I don’t want to lose you either. Watching my mother go through what she has all these years…it was terrible. Now I have not one, but two mates. Losing either of you would be the end of me, I fear. Seeing my parents together again today brought up so many childhood memories. The love they have for each other has lasted for twenty-five years of being separated, tortured, and so many other worse things. But they just came right back together today like nothing had ever kept them apart. I want that, without all the kidnapping and torture of course. But to love you both and be loved like that in return…”
I trail off. What am I even saying? None of us are there yet, but we can be some day. Logan messed me up when he cheated and treated me the way he did. I never thought I would get a happy ending or have a love like my parents did…well, do, now that Dad is back again. I’ve watched Emmett and other people live their best lives with people they love, that respect and cherish them. The happiness I have felt for my friend has always been pure, but wanting something for yourself isn’t a bad thing.
I watch Kadi cooking in the kitchen and I know he’s listening to every word by the posture he has. Ethan is watching me closely too. “Little Witch, I know none of us are there yet. I’m not ever going to say that a mate bond is insta love, because it clearly isn’t. But the need to keep you and love you and cherish you forever is sitting there in my heart waiting to be explored. I won’t ever ignore that again. I promise you.”
Laying my head on his chest, I can only nod. I have a lump the size of Texas in my throat. How can your life change so much in three days? It’s a lot to take in. All these feelings, mates, my father, the threat against me.
I can feel Ethan’s heartbeat. It’s strong and steady. He strokes my hair and we just sit for a while listening to the sounds of Kadi cooking in the kitchen next to us.
“Little Lioness, your meal is ready.”
Ethan lifts me off his lap and I stand. Looking at the island I see he has everything laid out. I love that he moved a stool and all of them are lined up for us, with me in the middle. Everything looks so good.
“Well, I guess you were right about not being able to live off BLT’s because I am famished ,” I say, my stomach growling loudly as if to emphasize my point.
The guys chuckle and we dig in.
“Everyone is meeting us at Winnie’s at eight. I wanted to give you a little bit of time to get Amir settled before we have the meeting, but, I was thinking, depending on how he feels I’d like to ask if he wants in on the planning,” Kadi looks at me intently as he reveals his idea.
I think about it for a moment. Would he want to? He does know a lot more about them than we do. We still don’t know his whole story. Has he been with Michael and Vivian all this time? Has he been to other places? He might know things about their movements that would otherwise take us years to figure out.
Not to mention, he may want to help just to be able to take some power back from the bastards. What they did to him…I can’t even go there in my head or I will lose my shit. The fact that Kadi thought of this makes me more happy than I can say.
“I think giving him the option is the best way we can help him right now. Thank you, for thinking of him and what this could do for him, and us,” I say seriously.
Kadi just smiles and tucks back into his food. Both of them are eating like they’re starving. Shifters need massive amounts of calories. They burn through everything. You won’t ever see an out of shape shifter. It’s not physiologically possible for them.
“This tastes amazing by the way. I may just have to give up cooking and make house- husbands of the both of you.” I laugh maniacally and wave my fork at them.
Ethan bumps my shoulder with his. “Listen, just because you got us as your mates doesn’t mean we are tame, Little Witch.”
I snort. “Well you certainly were purring like a tame little kitty cat just a few minutes ago.” I smile sweetly at him and flick a noodle in his direction. It sticks to his forehead. Kadi chokes on his mouthful of food as Ethan growls and narrows his eyes at me. He pulls the noodle away and drops it on his plate.
I could definitely get used to teasing Ethan for the rest of my life. Hearing Kadi laugh at him might also become one of my favorite pastimes.
“You do realize that I’m the President of a criminal organization, right?” Ethan growls.
“Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed. I mean, I did have to zap you a few times to get you to act right. That wasn’t very scary MC Club President of you,” I say primly, batting my eyelashes at him.
Kadi is roaring with laughter. Ethan looks like he might pop a blood vessel. I stand and take my plate to the sink and rinse it off before laying it aside to load into the dishwasher later. Turning around, I lean against the counter and cross my arms over my chest.
Ethan stands and walks over to me, and right before he lunges for me, I see a smirk light across his face. I screech and turn to the side just narrowly avoiding him. Running to Kadi, I launch myself into his arms.
“Save me!” I yell at him. He grabs me and turns me to face Ethan. Traitor. He’s holding me for Ethan to catch me easier so I decide to fight fire with, well, electricity, and zap them both. Kadi immediately lets go of me.
“Ouch! That hurt way more than I thought it was going to,” he says with a laugh, rubbing his abs.
Now Ethan is the one cracking up. “Yeah, try being wet when she does that but take the power of it up about five notches.”
Kadi whips his head towards me and I shrug. “It’s not like you didn’t watch me do it. You didn’t say anything then.” I flip my hair behind me and turn back towards the sink.
They both snicker and I finish clearing the plates so we can go to Grams’. At least now I know how to get them when they gang up on me. Having two mates is going to have its good sides and its bad. Two against one isn’t always going to be fair. But, I can just zap them when they get out of line. No biggie.