33. Hummingbird
Hummingbird
T he next day, I had just turned over to sleep more because, you know, vacation, when the tantalizing aroma of breakfast meats and something sweet drifted from downstairs. It easily made me change my mind. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stretched and went to the bathroom to do a quick version of my morning routine before making my way downstairs.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, I was met not with the chef who usually was the one to cook for us, but Quinn bustling around the kitchen. She cooked some French toast on the griddle, checked the doneness of some sausage sizzling in a pan, and expertly flipped a pancake in a pan with just one hand almost all at once. She moved with a confidence and sureness around the kitchen that was incredible to see, and her energy was infectious at such an early hour. I couldn’t help but grin at the sight. Quinn, with her tousled curls and mischievous smile on her lips, looked like a picture-perfect chef straight from a Food Network show. The fierce beats and lyrics of Megan Thee Stallion wafting low in the air from the kitchen’s built-in overhead bluetooth speakers was just the icing on the cake.
A girl truly after my own heart.
“Oh, don’t tell me I’m dating a morning person. I might have to rethink this whole relationship then,” I joked.
“Oof, I might have some bad news for you,” Quinn flashed me a grin, her eyes bright with humor. “Good morning, sweetness! Can I get you some juice or coffee?”
“Morning! Ooh, coffee sounds magical.” I came around the counter. “I can get it since you are cooking?—”
“Absolutely not! I serve you .”
“But—”
“The only butt I care about is—” Quinn looked up from her cooking as she was making a quip, but it died on her lips instantly. Her hazel brown eyes darkened to a dark honey shade. As if they were made of real heat that I could feel, I felt her eyes like a caress as she took me all in. My feet bare, but with a fresh black-painted pedicure. My naked legs were short and thick, like the rest of me, but shaven for this trip. My hips, waist, and belly were hugged by my high-rise thong that she couldn’t see from under my oversized, thrifted LeAnn Rimes shirt falling to my mid-thigh. My scales shone in the light of the morning sun from the skylight and windows. Half of my locs were in a haphazard bun and the other half down in a cascade of pink. Her eyes roamed my body, as if I was the meal on a plate and she hadn’t eaten in a very, very long time. But I was far more than a snack. No, Quinn looked at me like I was a feast that would sustain her for centuries. I couldn’t blame her. I was just as hungry for her in her t-shirt and boxers under her apron.
Gods, she just looked so fine in the most normal shit.
“What was that about my butt, sugarloaf?”
“Huh?” Quinn asked, her voice husky already. I loved the power I had over her.
I smirked. “You like my pajamas?”
“You wear that to bed every night?”
“Not every night. You can use your imagination on what I wear or sometimes don’t wear.”
Quinn swallowed deeply, her eyes somehow darkening even more as her pupils blew. I laughed. “Don’t burn breakfast there, starlight.”
Quinn blinked and snapped out of her daze to check on the food. Still, as she worked, she stole glances at me, that smolder never fading. “Was I supposed to be doing something else?”
“Making me a coffee because you refuse to let me make my own?”
“Right! You distracted me!” Quinn said, heading over to the coffee nook after checking to make sure the food wasn’t going to burn.
“Me? A distraction? I’m just standing here.” I leaned on the counter and batted my eyelashes.
“ Esta hechicera será mi muerte, ” Quinn whispered with a shake of her head. Then she said, “Sweet and creamy, right?”
“Basically creamer, with a couple splashes of coffee.”
Quinn chuckled as she prepared my coffee, pouring from a French press carafe and adding everything into a mug. I loved how she knew what I wanted without me saying a word. She handed it to me before returning to her many pans. Sipping my cup, it was a dream, just like the woman before me.
“Did I nail it?” Quinn asked, watching me drink while she added more pancake batter to one pan and turning some sausage over in another.
“Mhmm, I’m going to have to marry you.”
She laughed. “I’m so happy you love it.”
“It touches my soul, it’s so good.” I took another sip before asking. “How long have you been up for?”
“You know, a hot minute.” Quinn shrugged. “Maybe, like, a few hours? Having ADHD means insomnia, especially when sleeping in new places.”
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry! That must mean you never get any sleep since you travel so much! That sucks.”
“My sleep schedule has always been irregular, to be honest. Again, spicy brain. But I love that you care so much. My ex hated that I couldn’t sleep when she wanted me to. She called it ‘inconvenient’ and ‘annoying’, as if it was something I could help.” Quinn shook her head, focusing hard on her work instead of looking up at me. “I’m so sorry to bring her up. That’s awkward, I’m sure.”
“Shut your face. I don’t mind at all. She sounds like a bitch.” I came around and reassuringly put a hand on her shoulder. “I would never do that. You need sleep, but you can’t control your ADHD anymore than I can control my anxiety. Sometimes, it all keeps us up at night, but we have to roll with the punches. I’m sure that while you are up you are coming up with some delicious recipes to try!”
Quinn beamed then, giving me her most brilliant smile. It warmed my heart. How could anyone want to hurt someone like Quinn? How could anyone want to see her in any way other than like this, happy in her element? She said, “You are so right! I have so many ideas for things to cook for you, especially. Which I can do and then some in this freaking kitchen! They have more stuff here than in a grocery store!”
I laughed at her pure glee. “Well, they get people from everywhere who stay here to adjust, so the chef has to be ready for any request. Speaking of, I’m surprised she isn’t here.”
“Simone told her I was cooking breakfast last night so she knows she has the morning off.”
“How come I didn’t know about this?”
“Because I love surprising you, obviously.” Quinn kissed the tip of my nose. “And I know how much my girl loves breakfast.”
“Well, you have truly won me over, Quinn Garcia. Breakfast, coffee, and Megan? I might have to convert from being a night-owl with these amenities.”
“Well, Kelly Clarkson will always be my first love, but Megan Thee Stallion is definitely my second. I mean, she’s from Texas, and have you seen her? I would be best friends with her if I could.”
“She loves anime, too! I think you might just have a type.”
Quinn smirked slowly and deviously. “Thick, black, female, and nerdy? Yes, please. That is my dream woman.”
A cackle burst from me.
We continued talking as Quinn finished breakfast. I say talking, but it’s definitely more flirting than anything. By the end, she’d made French toast, pancakes, bacon and patty sausage, a fruit salad, crispy cubed potatoes, Cajun cheesy grits, freshly squeezed juice, and another pot of ground coffee. She saved eggs for when everyone was awake since they all liked them made differently. Quinn grabbed some magical foil to keep everything hot and fresh. Before she placed it over the food, she glanced up at me.
“Do you want to try some stuff before everyone else wakes up?”
“Uh, am I black? Of fucking course, I do!” I exclaimed.
Quinn laughed. “Okay, stand over there and close your eyes.”
“Why? I already know what you made.”
Something shifted in Quinn’s eyes. Did I imagine that tick in her jaw? Whatever it was, it disappeared as Quinn set her jaw and fixed her space.
“Maybe you should just wait?—”
“Hey, now! I’m doing it, standing and closed eyes!” I said quickly. I went to stand where she instructed near the pantry door. I closed my eyes.
I heard Quinn as she made me a plate, her spatula and various cooking utensils rubbing against the serving dishes and pans. I was so excited, I was dancing as I waited. Quinn must have turned to see me after she covered everything in the magical foil because I heard her chuckle.
I heard her bare feet as she approached. It only took a few of her strides to reach me. Then I felt heat, and it wasn’t from the steaming plate of food she was holding. Gods, she was so hot in more ways than one. She really was like my starlight, warming me up like the sun.
“Open wide, sweetness,” Quinn said. I listened.
Immediately, I melted. The bite filled my mouth with the sweetness of maple, the crunch of pecan, the savoriness of sweet potato and toast, the salt of some bacon, the spices and sting of bourbon, and just pure goodness . It reminded me of how good Quinn’s girlfriend proposal cake pops had been, but even better because it was my favorite meal of the day. I had let Everett and Teddy try the cakes, but I would stab someone if they tried to take this plate from me. I didn’t try to hold back the moan that came from me.
“Holy fuck, my girl can throw down! I really will have to marry you, Quinn, because this is so amazing !”
“Are you just saying that?”
“I promise you I’m not! It’s so fucking good, Queenie! I want to eat this every single day.”
“Mhmm, we can make that happen.” The rasp in Quinn’s voice didn’t escape my notice. “Ready for another bite?”
“Yes, please!”
She fed me another mouthful. If my eyes weren’t closed, they would be rolling in the back of my head. This one had sage sausage, a bite of the grits, and a pumpkin pancake with a Nutella sauce. It was simple but divine. I don’t know how I was going to go back to eating regular food after this. I swallowed, and I was ready for another bite.
Instead, I received something else sweet.
Quinn gripped my chin and pulled me forward before kissing me. It was slow like a tease. It was like Quinn was savoring every soft drag of her lips against my own, every graze of her tongue on my lips, every taste. The kiss was sweet, but torturous.
I wanted more.
I wrapped my arms around Quinn’s neck and pulled her in closer. I quickened the pace, deepening the kiss further. My tongue danced with hers, tasting her sampling of what she made to ensure its flavor, the smoke from her blunt that she must have had before she started to cook, and the fire that was Quinn. I gently took her bottom lip between my teeth. It was a fraction of what I wanted to do to her, but I loved the sound it earned me.
Quinn growled as she lifted me up and pinned me between her and the pantry door, never breaking from our kiss the entire time. I wrapped my legs around her waist, and my arms remained around the back of her neck. My senses were encompassed by everything Quinn. Her smoky, citrusy scent mixed with the sweet aroma of baking and cooking. The fire of her being that seemed to radiate out from her. The feel of her against me like this. It was everything and still not enough all at once. One of her hands gripped my thigh hard enough to definitely leave a mark this time, while the other went to my neck to grab it. I loved the roughness of her hands against my skin, and that was just my face. I couldn’t imagine how they would feel elsewhere…
Quinn moved her kisses down, peppering kisses on the corner of my mouth, my chin, down my jawline, and toward my ear. She nibbled on my earlobe around my lowest piercing, and I felt a shiver down my spine. Her chuckle tickled my ear, and her whisper into my ear made me shiver again.
“Remember what I said about questioning me?”
“Yes?” I scrunched my eyebrows, confused.
“Well, I warned you, and now you are going to see what happens.”
I had hardly registered her words when she started kissing along my body again. She kissed my ear, then each of my piercings. She kissed behind my ear, almost making me giggle. Then she kissed further down. Her kisses headed down my neck, right to?—
“Let’s see how sensitive these truly are,” Quinn breathed against my neck before her lips kissed my scales there. It was the softest kiss yet, honestly no more than a feather’s touch against my skin. But it was lightning dancing across my skin. It was a live wire, pure energy and pleasure. I arched my back against Quinn and gasped. My legs and arms tightened around her even more.
“Mhmm, interesting,” Quinn said. I could feel her smirk against my neck. “I wonder if the other ones have the same effect? We will have to see now, won’t we?”
I swallowed, and Quinn chuckled darkly.
She kissed her way up my jawline and captured my lips again. This kiss was just as slow as before, and I demanded with my lips to go harder. Instead, she leisurely snaked a hand up my shirt. Her calloused fingertips caressed their way up my stomach, tracing my stretch marks and rolls before reaching my breasts. I don’t know if it was because the last time I had sex with a person was at least four iPhone generations ago, because my body still experiencing the lingering effects from my scales, or just because Quinn was that good. But when she squeezed one of my boobs, I couldn’t help but moan.
“You have no idea how long I have been wanting to touch you. You are perfection.” Quinn kissed her way down my other side as she squeezed my breast again, the texture of her hand against my nipple driving me insane.
Then she kissed a patch of scales on my shoulder while she pinched that same nipple.
“Are you trying to make me wake everyone up? Because I definitely will if you do that again,” I panted.
“Mhmm, let the whole island hear you,” Quinn said. Even her breath on my scales sent shivers straight to my core. “I want them to know what only I can do to you.”
“But what?—?”
Quinn’s teeth grazed against my scales at the same time that she pinched my other nipple. I clawed at her back and moaned the loudest yet. My vision sharpened, and I could feel my fangs start to graze the inside of my mouth. My pussy throbbed for her to do it again as I was left breathless.
What on earth was the evolutionary purpose of making these that sensitive?
“You naughty girl. Was that a question I heard from those pretty lips?”
“N-no,” I stuttered. “I can’t even spell question right now.”
Quinn chuckled and went back to work on my breasts and scales. She kissed and nipped at my skin and scales. As I gasped and moaned, she groaned along with me, clearly enjoying this just as much as me. And I couldn’t get enough of it. I started to roll my hips against her to get some friction as my nails clawed at her back. It was a pleasure I had never experienced before, and it was building.
I had sex with only four girls before, but no one had managed to push me over the edge. Even with foreplay, it always felt like it was taking too long or like I would come close but never finish. I felt like a burden, impatient and impossible to please. So, I would fake it before they got too exasperated with me. It wasn’t until I had my first orgasm on my own in my mid-twenties that I began to wonder if I was the problem. It was then that I realized that the other girls hadn’t been interested in me deep enough to care about my own pleasure. They just wanted to get off themselves.
But it was different with Quinn. Something told me I could take all the time in the world, and Quinn would indulge me while enjoying herself. She would kiss me, bite me, touch me with so much pleasure until I reached the end. She wanted me to be fulfilled. That was all that mattered to her.
“Quinn, please,” I said, finally, feeling like I might explode if she didn’t give my pussy some attention.
“Mhmm, I love hearing you say my name like that,” Quinn said, flicking my pert nipple and biting a patch of scales on my bicep. Gods, this fucking woman.
“Quinn, please, I need you right now.”
“So needy, sweetness. I do like when you beg for me like that,” Quinn said, smirking with that smolder that fanned the flames within me. Her voice was so husky and deep that I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling so affected.
She leaned down and captured my lips. This kiss had lost that slow tease from earlier. We were starving for each other. The same bolt of electricity and power pulsed and bounded between us, intensifying until I started to see stars.
Then I felt Quinn’s fingers through the fabric of my thong. Quinn practically purred feeling how hot and damp it was. “So wet for me, Byrdie? That’s my good girl.”
She shifted my underwear to the side effortlessly and did an achingly slow circle around my clit. I whimpered, ready to beg her for more, when she plunged one of her fingers into me while her thumb worked my clit. Everything heightened and sharpened. My vision, my hearing, my taste, everything. It was like Universal all over again. My nails found exposed skin on Quinn’s shoulders and dug in deep, making her moan. I wanted to sink my teeth into Quinn’s neck, too. Something within me growled at me to do it, but I swallowed the urge and told it to quiet down. Besides, I had so much more to focus on.
“Quinn, d-don’t stop. I can’t—I won’t last. You’re too good,” I moaned, feeling so close already.
“Yes, mi tesoro , that’s okay. You just do me a favor and come around my fingers. I need to feel your pleasure,” Quinn said before licking, kissing, and biting on one of my scales on my neck.
I arched my back then, throwing my head back and crying out. I unraveled. As Quinn continued to work my clit, she quickly coaxed another orgasm from me, making me come undone again. After the aftershocks subsided, Quinn carefully removed her fingers. My body immediately relaxed in Quinn’s arms, my head nestled in the crook where her neck met her shoulders. Quinn held me close there. It was so warm, like a cocoon. I just wanted to be in this moment forever. It was bliss.
Leave it to Quinn to get the title of not only my first orgasm from another person, but to do it twice back-to-back.
“That was… I don’t think I have words for it right now. What even are words? I think you fucked the intelligence out of me.”
I felt Quinn’s chuckle reverberate through me. “Just you wait until I don’t have breakfast waiting to be served.”
“I couldn’t imagine anything better than this. I mean, my legs definitely aren’t working right now. I think I might need to be wheeled around the island today.”
She laughed again. “I’m more than happy to carry you. I love how you feel in my arms.”
“Can we just talk about how hot it is that you are so strong, by the way?” I said. As I rubbed her shoulders and down her biceps for emphasis, my fingers caught on strips of fabric. I pulled my head back and looked over her shoulders toward her back. My jaw dropped. The top of the back of her shirt was in shreds. Underneath, there were angry red claw marks that were starting to bleed.
I couldn’t believe that I had done that.
“Oh, my gods, Quinn! Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I had no idea that I was even doing this to you,” I said, careful while I moved the fabric to see the marks.
Quinn glanced at her shoulder and nonchalantly shrugged like it was just a tiny stain and not open wounds. Her face didn’t show any pain as she said, “It’s okay, sweets.”
“What?! You’re bleeding, Quinn! We need to get these cleaned up.”
“I love you worrying about me. It’s so cute, but look. It’s really fine.”
We watched together as the scratches magically stitched themselves back together one-by-one. In no time at all, her upper back and shoulders were whole and healed. The only evidence that anything had happened was the blood that remained and her torn shirt.
“How?” I asked, dumbfounded as I caressed where the marks had been, feeling the new skin there.
“I’m kind of a supernatural, remember? I heal incredibly fast. But—” She raised her slitted eyebrow at me. “It does usually take a lot for someone to make me bleed. Saying I have thick skin is an understatement. So, it’s as much refreshing as it is impressive that you can do it. And kind of hot, not gonna lie.”
“I feel like I should definitely be concerned about your priorities here, but I kinda like it. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m totally fine. I can’t say the same for my shirt, though.” Quinn kissed my lips. With ease, she carried me around the counter and sat me down on a barstool. She walked around the counter to the sink. She turned on the water. But before she pumped any soap into her hands, she locked eyes with me. Then she licked her fingers.
The same ones that were just inside of me.
“Mhmm, you taste even sweeter than I thought you would, mi tesoro .” She winked.
I almost came again on the spot.
Oh, this girl was definitely going to ruin me .
While she dried her hands after washing them, Quinn checked the time on her phone. “Everyone should be up and down here soon. Do you want to come upstairs with me?”
“Yeah, I should probably put pants on or something.”
Quinn came around to me again. As I looked up at her, she laced her hand around the back of my neck with my locs. “But this is my favorite look on you.”
“Just you wait, babe. I can think of a few others that this will beat.”
“Mhmm,” Quinn’s thumb feathered on the edge of some scales, and I shivered. “Did you bring any of those with you, hechicera ?”
“Maybe. I know one that I brought I never leave home without it. If we had more time?—”
My sentence was broken by a squeal as Quinn lifted me up into her arms again. This time, instead of gripping my thighs, both of her hands went to my ass. Despite how large her hands were, they still weren’t big enough to completely hold my ass without overflow. She squeezed them, and she made an appreciative sound.
“You are so lucky we have plans today. Otherwise, we would go into my room and not come out for at least a day.”
I was wet again at the idea of having her to myself and letting her have her way with me for hours. That something in me from before seemed to like the idea, too. It was my turn to make a noise.
Quinn carried us both up the stairs. She opened the door to my room and sat me on the edge of my bed. Then she leaned down and kissed me, caging me between her arms. I loved being encircled by her.
“A little early for you lovebirds, isn’t it?” We separated to turn and see Cody yawning in the doorway.
“That’s rich coming from you.” Nat appeared next to him with her arms crossed. “Not after what I had the displeasure to hear from you and Cole’s rooms this morning. How homophobic of you.”
They started throwing digs at each other then, making me laugh and Quinn roll her eyes. She shook her head, murmuring about how she can never have a moment’s peace. Quinn leaned and kissed my forehead. “I’m going to go change. Are you going to be okay to meet me downstairs?”
“I think I can manage.”
“Beautiful,” Quinn said in a way that made me think it wasn’t just a response to what I said. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at me, and my heart fluttered. Then she turned and ushered her still-bickering cousins out my door for me to get ready for the day.
Once the door clicked softly behind her, I took my pillow and squealed into it. Was this my life? Was this real? I had a girl like Quinn as my girlfriend?!
I was so giddy on Cloud 9 I was on autopilot as I picked out my clothes for the day. It was a good thing I had a natural sense of fashion and could pick outfits out with my eyes closed, especially if I had packed the bag full of new clothes bought and planned specifically for this trip. I put on a gray henley crop top and some orange and brown Palazzo pants that flared at the knee. I had bought them when I had seen so many videos of how they make your ass perfect. As I looked back at my butt in the mirror, I honestly understood why these were so viral. My ass looked like a ridiculously juicy peach as I bounced and watched it jiggle and shake. Quinn was going to lose her mind.
It was perfect.
I was tying a scarf around the top of my locs to the style of an early 2000s female rapper or singer when I heard my door crack open. In the reflection of the mirror, I made eye contact with Maisie before she opened the door completely with Simone in tow.
“Ah, there you are!” Simone said. “We were wondering where you—Oh, cute outfit! Your ass looks amazing in that!”
“Thanks!” I said, grabbing a pair of sandals to match the outfit and slipping my feet in them.
“We were both looking for you this morning. We had so much to dish about, but we couldn’t find you!”
Maisie snorted.
“Okay, I couldn’t find you,” Simone corrected. “Maisie thought you were having sex downstairs, which I thought was absurd. Byrd is like a nun at this point! She would never have sex in the kitchen, especially loud enough for her besties to hear. I mean, there was no way?—”
Simone made eye contact with me then. My face was so hot I started to sweat. Gods, I might as well have had a neon sign above my head. Simone gasped.
“ Brydgette Fallon Pierce, you had sex downstairs in the kitchen! ”
“You should definitely say it louder, Sea, I don’t think the neighboring islands heard you.” I shook my head, grabbing some large hoop earrings.
“Also, it isn’t a game of Clue,” Maisie teased. “But I did tell you so.”
“How are you not shocked by this? I mean, Byrd got fucked right next to our French toast and coffee!”
“ Simone .” I didn’t think it was possible for my face to get hotter than what it already was.
“I like to think that our little Byrd got her wings. By the sounds of things, she soared, too.”
“I fucking hate you both.”
“Besides, have you seen her and Quinn together?” Maisie pointed to me while looking at Simone. “With that much chemistry between you two, your dry spell being as long as it was, and your love of cliterature, I really thought y’all would have fucked ages ago. Aren’t y’all lesbians?”
“I don’t even know where to begin unpacking that.”
“Well, you can start by unpacking all the dirty details,” Maisie demanded.
“What about y’all? I thought you said you had tea?—”
“She fucked Cole, and I fucked Cody this morning. There is no news there. It’s the same shit, different day. I need your hoe story now .”
Like they had done to me for their sexual exploits before, I recounted my own salacious story of this morning. They listened intensively, cheering and hollering at Quinn’s moves. By the end, I was in tears from laughing so hard. There was nothing like being able to talk to my girls like this. I loved them so much, my heart screamed.
“All jokes aside,” Simone said, wiping away tears in the corners of her eyes. “Your sexcapades oddly help to narrow down what kind of shifter you might be! There are only certain ones that do claim bites on their mates. It is actually very rare, something that only happens in predatory shifters.”
“So, scales and a predator who bites? I’m going to say alligator shifter,” Maisie guessed.
“That would be my luck, honestly. I would be the most Southern Georgian kind of shifter possible.” I rolled my eyes at the irony before tilting my head. “But my scales are, like, holographic, though?”
“Sweetie, you are as gay as the day is long. You think your shifter form wouldn’t reflect that? I mean, the fact that you are a black magical girl from an anime bleeds into everything else in your life.”
“I mean this with all the love and respect in the world. In a room full of crutches, Marceline Repond, I still would not be able to stand you.”
“While a gay gator would make some sense, Byrd is not built like any gator shifter I have seen or met. Plus, she can’t swim to save her life. Literally. She can barely float.”
While I flipped Simone off, I said. “I’m kind of happy that I’m not a gay gator because y’all would never let me live that down, which is obvious from how many times we have said gay gator?—”
Suddenly, I caught a whiff of something that made me pause. I sniffed the air, aware of a shift in it that I hadn’t noticed before. Actually, I was aware of a lot of things now that weren’t there before. There were three distinct smells that were strong in the room right now: an ocean breeze with an undercurrent of fruit, herbs and expensive skincare that was made to artificially smell good, and something sweet yet tangy while also smelling like cocoa butter, like my body wash. Wait . These must be Simone’s, Maisie’s, and my scents. I could even catch the wafting smell of citrus, chocolate, and smoke that I knew could only be Quinn. I inhaled deeply.
There it was again. That smell that was unlike the ones that I was deeply familiar with without ever truly scenting them. It smelled like one of those candles I hated that Uncle Everett adored: the manly scents like sandalwood and nighttime, that always smelled like someone had doused themselves in men’s cologne before a date. It was enough to give me a headache.
Focus on it. Find where it’s coming from. That voice from before said in my head. I closed my eyes for the briefest moment and breathed in all the scents. My eyes snapped open immediately and went to the open doorway. The smell led there. It was strongest just around the corner.
And it had been there, lingering for some time before I had picked up on it.
“Bee? You okay?” Maisie furrowed her brows, noticing the change in my demeanor.
“She’s scenting the air.” Simone’s eyes widened. “Her sense of smell is telling her something.”
“Her what now?”
“Shifter thing. Well, certain shifters and other supernaturals can smell the air and gather all kinds of information from it.”
“There’s someone eavesdropping,” I whispered. My eyes were locked on the door. I couldn’t take them away. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. Something in me wanted to growl, protect what was mine and fight against anyone who dared to come in without my permission.
That’s new.
Quietly and quickly, even with my heeled sandals on, I approached the doorway. I could tell from the scent that whoever was there was on the right. So, once I reached the door, I turned.
“Cooper?” I stared into his sharp blue eyes. They were as calculating as ever, but they were wide with shock. I had surprised him. Something in me purred with pride that I was able to sneak up on him when he should have had the upper hand.
“So. You’re a shifter,” He stated simply.
I bristled, fighting the urge to snarl at him. “Were you eavesdropping on me?”
“Can you see in the dark, too? Have super strength and speed? Super healing?”
I clenched my fists so tight my nails bit into my palms.
“Do you have a special connection to your mom, maybe?”
I growled, something surfacing instantly at the mention of my mom from this total asswipe. My fangs sharpened immediately. I smelled blood as my talons cut into my palms. All I could muster was one word.
“Don’t.”
“What are you doing listening to our conversation, Cooper?” Maisie emerged, putting a hand on my arm. It cooled my temper somewhat, enough to make my nails dull back to normal. Distantly, I noticed that I didn’t feel the sting of an open wound as my scars seemed to heal. But my fangs remained long, and the sting in my eyes told me that the pupils were thin lines instead of round human ones.
“Yeah, is Byrd’s sex life something else you have a question about?” Simone appeared on the other side of me and Maisie, touching my other shoulder.
He rolled his eyes at their snark. “I wasn’t listening to your silly conversation. I couldn’t care less about who you have sex with. I was merely passing by to get downstairs to breakfast. Only one way up and down the hall, you know.”
I crossed my arms. “Sure, I’m sure Quinn would love to know how you were snooping again after yesterday.”
Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t answer to you or her. I could take her in a fight any day. Regardless, do you always have my cousin fight your battles? Are you incapable of doing it yourself?”
“Aw, is baby Cooper sad he doesn’t have friends to back him up if he gets jumped?” Maisie play-pouted.
“Byrd is more than capable of taking care of herself, Cooper, but having people who care about her means she doesn’t have to,” Simone said. “Don’t think that just because you are my boyfriend’s brother I won’t literally wash the floor with you.”
“You’re outnumbered, buddy. Maybe think twice before you mind the business that doesn’t pay you,” I hissed.
“I don’t need this.” Cooper shook his head and sneered before turning around and going back to his room. He slammed the door behind him like a teenager who had just told his mom that she was ruining his life. Such melodrama. Still, something about Cooper made my skin prickle and put me on edge.
I didn’t like the look of the motherfucker, to be honest.
I closed the door to my bedroom door harder than I probably needed, and Maisie was kind enough to lock it with her magic for extra measure. Then the three of us made our way down the stairs to the already bustling kitchen with the rest of the cousins.
It was like night and day comparing them to their other sour family member. Quinn was making eggs for everyone with that same finesse from earlier. Cody and Cole were joking about something that made Natassa throw her head back and laugh straight from her gut. Quinn shook her head, but there was a smile on her face that was light and relaxed. They were a family, yes, but when they saw us, I didn’t feel excluded. I had never felt more included, actually. It helped to cool my rage slightly.
“I hope we aren’t interrupting!” Simone ran up to Cole as if she hadn’t spent the morning with him. I couldn’t blame her. I joined Quinn’s side as she cooked. I couldn’t help but want to be in her orbit all the time.
“Not at all!” Nat’s laugh died down. “Cody was just telling the story about how Quinn had kicked this dead snake’s skin into Cooper’s flip-flop as a kid. It was so fucking hilarious!”
“Oh, I would love to hear that,” Maisie leaned on Cody, playing with his hair. “Especially after what just happened. I want to know all the dirt on that kid.”
Quinn looked up from plating some eggs. Her eyes furrowed immediately as she took me in. “What happened?”
“Nothing. It’s fine.” I half-heartedly shrugged, but my hands were still shaking from the adrenaline of it all. I crossed my arms to hide them, but it didn’t escape Quinn’s notice at all.
“No, it definitely isn’t fine.” Quinn’s nostrils flared as she sat the pan down on the burner. She turned and took my chin gently, forcing me to look at her. “What happened? Did he do something to you?“
“He was eavesdropping on our conversation upstairs. Then he started asking Byrd questions—” Simone answered from Cole’s lap. “Including one about Byrd’s mom.”
“I’m going to talk to him.” Quinn turned to move past me.
I caught her just before she did. “No, Quinn, you're not. You are going to kill him.”
“So?”
Natassa rolled her eyes. “You can’t kill Cooper. My mom would kill you, for one. Also, he isn’t worth it.”
“Yeah, he’s been acting weird for weeks. Like, more than usual,” Cody added.
“He’s been super obsessed with Byrd lately, though,” Cole said thoughtfully. “Leading up to this trip, he was asking some weird stuff.”
Quinn glared at her cousin. “Weird how? Why did I not know about this?”
Cole held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, Quinn. He was just asking if we had noticed anything about her leading up to her birthday and after.”
“Why the fuck would that matter?”
“Why the fuck does any of this matter?!” Nat declared. “Fuck him! If he wants to try to ruin this trip, he can literally eat an ass.”
“How many drinks have you had this morning?” Cole raised an eyebrow.
“Both not enough and more than I should have had.” Natassa shrugged.
“Alcoholism aside, she’s right, Queenie.” I took her face in my hands. Instantly, the heat of her hazel eyes cooled at my touch. “We are on vacation! We are on a beautiful island! If he wants to brood upstairs, let’s let him. He can miss out on the fun we are going to have!”
Quinn smiled down at me and gripped my hands. She pulled one away from her face and bent down to kiss my palms. The light, gentle kiss lit a flame within my body immediately. She met my eyes again. “Are you sure, sweetness? You know I will literally go up there and kick his ass. Just say the word.”
“I know you will, starlight. But he isn’t worth it. Let’s just have the time of our lives with or without him, okay?” I kissed her.
When we parted, she was beaming. “You are the only one who can calm me down like that. I really saw red just now.”
“I know. What is it that you said before? We’ll take care of it together.”