“Not at all. I was outside with Tennessee, helping Timothy become acquainted with his new sword.” He moved closer. “But then Emersyn came out and ordered us in for dinner. She has prepared a feast for everyone. I was sent to retrieve you. All of you.”
“I can go?”
He smiled. “Katherine is helping Kenneth up the stairs as we speak. She assured me you were free to join us for dinner.”
Us. I really, really liked how fast The Coven had accepted him as one of their own.
“What’s for dinner?”
“I saw several homemade pizzas and a variety of baked pasta dishes.” He rubbed his stomach with his free hand and it made me smile. It was the most human thing I’d ever seen him do. “And something called chicken parm, which I must admit I am fascinated to try.”
Savannah gasped. “She made chicken parm?”
“Indeed, she did—”
“Oh shit.” Savannah jumped out of bed and sprinted for the door. “This is not a drill y’all.”
“Emersyn’s from the south, right?” When I nodded, Gigi hurried after Savannah. “Southern women can cook.”
And then I was alone with Riah. I looked up into his golden eyes. “What is chicken parm?”
“Haven’t the slightest idea, but the scent of the air upstairs is mouth watering.” He tugged on my hand, pulling me to my feet. “Shall we?”
I nodded and let him lead me out the door. It wasn’t until we were halfway up the stairs that I realized my puppy was not in his arms. “Where is Olli?”
“Ah, I do believe little miss Chutney is claiming ownership at this very moment.” Riah pushed the door open for the main floor and smiled at me. “Olli absolutely detests it.”
As soon as I walked through the door I was hit by a wall of smells that smelled so good my stomach growled like a bear.
Everyone turned to look at me.
Jackson shook his head. “How does a person so small make that noise?”
Olli barked from my left. I looked toward him just in time to see him leap out of Chutney’s arms at me. I gasped and caught him. He wiggled and wagged his tail, showering me with kisses…and then he spotted Riah over my shoulder and howled. Riah laughed and pulled him into his arms.
I shook my head. “Traitor.”
“Here, Savannah.” Willow grinned and waved, then patted on the chair beside her. “There are seats over here! Gigi, you too!”
“Sweet.”
As Savannah hurried over to the far side of the table with Gigi following close behind, I took a moment to soak in the image in front of me. Somehow, despite there being almost three dozen of us, everyone was sitting at the same table. Sure, it was the longest table I’d ever seen and it had to be fifteen feet long, but the point was everyone was together.
I hadn’t realized just how many couples there were in the group.
Timothy and Katherine sat in the middle on the right, all cuddled up together. Constance and her soulmate Daniel were beside Katherine and they kept giggling at each other. Willow was after them looking very excited for Savannah to sit next to her. Gigi slid in to the seat between Savannah and Henley, although neither of them were paying much attention to her. Granted, Gigi wasn’t trying either. Henley was listening to whatever animated story Lennox was telling beside her. I didn’t miss the fact that Warner was next to her, he seemed to always be right there even though I was told they weren’t a couple.
“Come on, Saffie,” Chutney grabbed my hand and dragged me across the room to the empty seats in the middle of the table across from Timothy. “Sit next to me.”
I sat in the seat she pointed to and Riah took the one right beside me. Once he was seated, Olli hopped into my lap. As I rubbed his cute little head I glanced to my left. At the end of the table, Tennessee was lounged back in a chair with Tegan sitting in his lap. To their left was Bettina and Jackson. To their right was Cooper, Bentley, Emersyn, and then Deacon. I leaned forward and looked around Riah to see where everyone else was. It still seemed like people had to be missing.
Across from Riah, Kenneth sat directly beside Timothy. Followed by Braison, Paulina, Mona, and then Kessler. At the very end of the table sat an empty seat. Hunter and Devon sat across from his brother. Lily and Easton were the last two in the line followed by another empty chair.
The only person missing was Royce, but there were two chairs to choose from.
I shook my head and leaned back in my seat as conversations happened all around me. Emersyn shouted something and then Tegan clapped her hands. Huge platters of food floated in from the kitchen and lowered onto the table in front of us. The room was rambunctious and bursting with energy, but it was happy energy.
I just couldn’t believe the kind of day we’d had. It was hard to think I’d been attacked by dinosaurs just a matter of hours ago. Not counting my time travel, because I couldn’t be sure if that happened today at all, just from when I landed back in Eden so much had happened.
Royce strolled in from the other room and threw himself down in the empty chair next to Riah. Then he sighed. “What the fucculent with this day, man. This year even.”
I chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Royce leaned back in his chair. “I’m just saying, this day is going too well.”
Savannah held her hand up and frowned. “I died.”
“Right, but you were saved.” Royce shrugged. “So that counts for the going too well tally. Could’ve gone the other way.”
Henley shook her head. “Where are you going with this, dear brother?”
“I’m just saying. I don’t trust this. It’s going too well…” He picked up a breadstick and used it to point at her. “Some shit is gonna go down. I can feel it.”
Braison shook his head and leaned into the table. “Hey Chutney, can you go grab Albert for me? I want him to meet Olli, but he’s being lazy.”
“On it!” Chutney giggled and sprinted up the stairs.
Devon pursed her lips. “Willow? Can you follow her and make sure she actually comes down?”
“Good call.” Willow jumped up. “She tends to fall asleep on that dog.”
Everyone watched as Willow disappeared up the stairs after Chutney.
Easton leaned forward and whispered, “All right, are we still on for their surprise party tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we’re all set,” Kessler said with a nod.
“Surprise party?” I frowned. “For what?”
“What is the occasion?” Riah asked.
“It’s for their birthday,” Paulina said as she dumped pasta on her plate. “They both turn sixteen.”
I gasped. “When are their birthdays?”
“Chutney’s is the twenty-eighth, then Willow’s is February twentieth.”
“Oh, this is exciting.” And then something dawned on me. “Hey, my birthday is coming up on the tenth!”
Everyone gasped.
Tegan clapped her hands. “Oh my God. We have to do something special for you.”
“Only three hundred forty-two.” Riah winked.
“What did I do for my birthday this year?” Timothy frowned.
Katherine chuckled. “We went down to New Orleans.”