Chapter 4 #2
As Faris happily munched on his macaroni, my gaze drifted over to Cam.
My breath caught in my throat as I took in the sight of him in his Thor costume.
The tight bodysuit left little to the imagination, clinging to every sculpted muscle of his six-foot-five frame.
His long, golden blond hair, usually pulled back, now flowed freely over his broad shoulders, completing the godly look.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the way the fabric stretched across his chest or how the pants hugged his powerful thighs. My mind wandered to less innocent thoughts, imagining how it would feel to run my hands over those muscles, to tangle my fingers in that golden mane.
A low chuckle beside me snapped me out of my reverie. I turned to find Kai standing there, a knowing smirk on his face. His dark eyes sparkled with amusement as he followed my line of sight back to Cam.
"Enjoying the view, Saige?" he teased, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, but I couldn't help but laugh. "Can you blame me?" I whispered back, gesturing subtly towards Cam. "I mean, look at him. He makes Thor himself look like a scrawny teenager."
Kai's grin widened as he nodded in agreement. "Oh, I've been looking alright. Our Thunder Daddy is certainly living up to his nickname tonight."
We shared a conspiratorial giggle, our eyes darting back to Cam every few seconds. He was oblivious to our attention, busy helping a group of young trick-or-treaters with their candy.
"You know," Kai mused, leaning in closer, "I bet if we asked nicely, he'd do that thing with the hammer."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What thing with the hammer?"
Kai's eyes twinkled mischievously. "You know, where he holds it out and says, 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.'" His impression of Cam's deep, resonant voice was spot-on, and I had to stifle another laugh.
"Oh gods," I snickered, "now I can't get that image out of my head. Do you think we could convince him to do it for real?"
Kai's grin turned wicked. "Only one way to find out. Hey, Cam!" he called out, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Saige and I have a special request for Thor!"
Cam's brow furrowed in confusion as he made his way over to us, his muscular form cutting an impressive figure as he moved.
"What's this about a special request?" he asked, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine.
Kai grinned widely. "Well, Thunder Daddy, we couldn't help but notice how... snug... your costume is." His eyes roamed appreciatively over Cam's body, lingering on the areas where the fabric strained against his muscles.
I felt my cheeks grow hot, but I couldn't resist joining in. "It's true," I added, my voice a touch breathier than usual. "You're practically bursting out of those tights. Not that we're complaining, mind you."
Cam's eyebrows shot up, a slow smirk spreading across his face as he realized what we were up to. "Oh? And here I thought I was being subtle," he chuckled, flexing his arms just slightly—enough to make the fabric stretch even tighter across his biceps.
"About as subtle as a lightning bolt," Kai quipped, earning a laugh from both of us.
"So," I ventured, emboldened by the playful atmosphere, "we were wondering if you might do that thing with the hammer. You know, the whole 'whosoever holds this hammer' bit?"
Cam's smirk grew wider, his green eyes twinkling with amusement and something darker, more primal.
In one fluid motion, he stepped forward, wrapping an arm around each of us and pulling us close.
The heat from his body enveloped us, and I could feel the solid muscles of his chest pressed against me.
"Oh, I plan on doing some hammering, alright," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "But that's for later, you deviants. You'll just have to wait and see."
His words sent a jolt of electricity through me, and I could feel Kai shiver slightly beside me. Cam's gaze was intense, promising all sorts of delicious things to come.
"For now," he continued, giving us each a gentle squeeze before releasing us, "we have trick-or-treaters to attend to. But don't worry, I won’t forget about your... special request."
With a wink that made my knees weak, Cam turned and strode back to a group of children waiting for candy, leaving Kai and me breathless and more than a little flustered.
"Well," Kai whispered, a slight tremor in his voice, "I think we might have bitten off more than we can chew this time."
I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away from Cam's retreating form. "Maybe," I replied, "but I can't wait to find out."
As Kai and I stood there, still flustered from our encounter with Cam, a high-pitched voice cut through the crisp autumn air, calling my name with unbridled excitement.
I turned my head toward the sound, my eyes widening as I spotted a small blonde girl racing down the street, her princess costume bouncing with each step.
"Annie!" I exclaimed, my heart swelling with joy at the sight of her. I knelt down, arms outstretched, ready to catch the little ball of energy hurtling my way.
Annie crashed into me with the force of a tiny tornado, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck. "Auntie Saige! Look at my costume!" she giggled, pulling back to show off her adorable pink princess dress.
"Your Highness," I said, booping her nose gently and earning another peal of laughter.
As I stood up, I saw my best friend Miranda and my father, Khol, making their way toward us at a more sedate pace. To my amusement, Miranda was also dressed as a princess, but my dad, he was dressed like a knight.
"Well, well," I heard Sloane's voice behind me. "If it isn't the knight in shining armor!"
“At least I’m in costume,” Khol replied, giving Sloane a once-over.
I turned to see my mates struggling to keep straight faces as they took in the sight of my father—the demon who trained supernatural spies—dressed in a suit of shiny armor.
Khol's eyes narrowed dangerously, shooting a death glare at the group of men who were now openly snickering. "I'd be careful if I were you, boys," he growled, though I could detect a hint of amusement in his voice. "I still sign your paychecks."
“Just until the academy opens next week,” Kai replied, winking.
All of my mates and my father had been hard at work preparing their next business venture.
They’d purchased a large warehouse on the outskirts of town and had converted it into an academy.
The plan was to use it for rehabbing, educating—or in some cases, reeducating—troubled mages and witches.
Miranda, sensing the growing tension, stepped forward with a grin. "Now, now, boys. Play nice. We're all here to have fun, aren't we?" She winked at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.
“Go put your costumes on!” I heard Faris order Sloane and Fischer.
As the group continued to exchange playful banter, I gently set Annie down and caught Miranda's eye. With a subtle nod, I gestured for her to follow me a short distance away from the others. She understood immediately, excusing herself from the conversation and joining me a few steps away.
"So," I began, my voice low and excited, "how are things going with you and my Dad? You two seem really happy together."
Miranda's face lit up with a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. "They’re so good. I honestly never thought I'd find someone like Khol at this stage in my life. He's just... he's everything I never knew I needed."
I couldn't help but beam at her words. It was still a bit surreal to think of my best friend dating my father, but seeing the happiness radiating from both of them made any potential awkwardness fade away.
After all, I'd only known Khol for a little over a year myself, having met him when I was twenty-seven.
Our relationship was still new and evolving, and seeing him with Miranda felt like watching two puzzle pieces finally finding their perfect fit.
"I'm so thrilled for you both," I said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "You deserve all the happiness in the world, and if my dad can give you that, then I'm all for it."
Miranda's eyes misted over slightly. "Thank you, sweetie. That means so much to me. I was worried at first, you know? I didn't want things to be weird between us."
I shook my head emphatically. "Not at all. If anything, it's brought us all closer together. Plus, it's kind of nice to see the big, bad demon leader of Radical Inc. turn into a soft kitten around you."
We both giggled, glancing over at Khol, who was now playfully chasing Annie around, his cat tail swishing behind him.
"He's really something special," Miranda sighed. "And he adores you, you know. He's always talking about how proud he is of you and how lucky he feels to have you in his life."
I felt a warmth spread through my chest at her words. "The feeling's mutual," I said softly. "I'm just glad we found each other, and that he found you, too. It's like our little family keeps growing in the best possible ways."
"Thank you for being so supportive." She glanced around. "Speaking of family, the twins… where are they?! I can't wait to squish their fat little legs!"
"Gran will be bringing them any time now. I told her I wanted to make sure we had everything set up before the girls arrived." I smiled and sighed. "You know how it is, you have to try to do as much as you possibly can when the kids are occupied."
Miranda rolled her eyes in agreement. "Oh, girl, wait until they start moving on their own. Thank the stars you have six mates to help, that’s all I can say!" She slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close. "And you know you always have me. I've missed you."
I tilted my head against hers. "I've missed you, too." I knew what she was hinting at, and I no longer felt shame for my postpartum depression. I really had come a long way. "You know, for a while there I missed a lot without even realizing what I was missing."
"I love you, girl."
I hugged Miranda then. I couldn't resist. I'd isolated myself so much since the girls were born, especially in the first two months.
My sense of time had seemed to warp. Minutes bled into hours and hours morphed into days, and every day felt exactly the same as the last. I never knew what time it was, and if someone had asked me what the date was, or hell, what day of the week it was, I would've been fucked.
I was there, going through the motions. I'd have conversations, but I wouldn’t quite remember all of the details later.
I'd smile and laugh, not realizing that happiness wasn't hitting me as deeply as it had in the past. And then during the nights when everyone was asleep and I'd be nursing the girls, I'd often find myself sobbing.
For no reason at all… and that was the part that infuriated me and caused me to mistrust my own feelings.
But I was doing so much better now, and I was so fucking thankful that Gran and the guys had held a mirror up so I could see the depression for what it was and get help.
I tried not to, but sometimes I'd find myself thinking about where I'd be right now if those conversations had never happened.
Right now, though, I was thoroughly enjoying myself, and I'd think about my recovery another day.
"Okay, no more of that today," I said, closing the mental door on all of those thoughts.
I broke the hug and stared my friend deep into her eyes, wanting her to see the sincerity in mine.
"I love you too, and I'm better, really.
Let's get lunch sometime next week. I need to hear more about your summer. "
"You got it, babe. I want to try the new sushi place!"