I startled when a shirt appeared before me. I could feel Mom watching as I stared at Fenris’s exposed forearm. He wore one of my dad’s shirts with the sleeves rolled up.
When I slowly turned to look at all of him, I saw that he was wearing slacks, too. But, he was barefoot. And the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.
“Not sure that’s an improvement,” I whispered.
Fenris’s usually boyish grin remained firmly in place while I flushed.
Thankfully, the sight of my dad just behind him helped distract me.
“I can find another shirt if you’d like,” Dad said. “I’d offer a pair of my boxers, but your mother doesn’t allow me to wear any.”
I looked at Fenris, horrified by the open comment.
“That’s right,” he mouthed. “Commando.”
I should have known he wouldn’t care.
“Jason, darling, you know Eliana doesn’t want to hear those details about her father. Why don’t you and Fenris make us some breakfast?”
Fenris quirked a brow at me, which made me flush further.
“Mom, Fenris doesn’t need to—”
“Lavish you with signs of my affection? I believe I do,” Fenris said, his humor lighting his eyes. I realized that had been something I hadn’t witnessed in a while. And it kind of made me nervous that he was letting his mischief show now. Here. In my parents’ home.
I wanted to ask him what he was up to but was too afraid of the answer.
“Behave, Fenris.”
“I’m always well-behaved.”
I swallowed down my disbelief, took the shirt from him, and watched Dad lead him to the kitchen. While they quietly discussed how much batter to make, I shrugged into the shirt and joined Mom with the towel still firmly under my extra covering.
“He’s good for you,” she said, watching me.
“How so?”
“His playfulness helps balance your seriousness.”
“He’s a little too playful sometimes.”
“And aren’t you a little too serious sometimes?”
I shrugged and glanced at Fenris as he moved around in the kitchen with Dad.
“I don’t like making him cook breakfast for us. He’s not a slave.”
“Of course he isn’t. Use your senses, though, Eliana. Is he happier now that he’s doing something for you?”
I gave her a startled look. I spent so much time trying to ignore the emotions of others that they became background noise, easy to overlook. Now that she’d brought it to my attention, though, I could feel Fenris’s happiness. It was greater than Dad’s. Panic speared through me, and I scrambled to figure out what had happened. Had I accidentally fed from him? Was it the hugs? Too much touching?
Fenris laughed at something Dad said and nodded. The reason why Fenris was nearly bursting with joy clicked into place in my head.
His plan was working.
His elation wasn’t because he was “serving” me but rather that he was convincing my parents that we were together as a couple. And that was the point of all of this. Getting the parents to believe we were real so he wouldn’t need to keep going on the forced mate runs.
Calm flooded me.
“So good for you,” Mom said softly, not missing a thing.
“But will I be good for him?” I asked.
“What an odd question. Of course you will be. Just look at how happy he is.”
I was looking and had noted the way he’d tensed at my question. Knowing that his ears were far too keen, I grabbed my phone from my purse and typed out a quick message that I showed to my mom.
Me: Raging out on you wasn’t my first sign of possessiveness. What happens when he finds his mate? I don’t want to hurt anyone.
Mom read the message and gave me a look filled with affection and sorrow.
“Baby, you didn’t even come close to raging out. You gave me a warning look and politely asked me to leave. You showed far more restraint to an intruder than I would have.”
“You’ve never acted like that to me.”
“That’s because you’re my daughter. It’s different. But to address your question—”
I frantically shook my head at her and shoved my phone into her hands.
She gave an impatient sigh but typed out her reply.
Mom: You won’t need to worry about him scenting his mate and going on a run while he’s with you. You’ll be the only thing he smells and sees. When you’re done with him, he’ll likely find his mate and do his best to forget about you.
I frowned at her after reading that and replied.
Me: Do his best? I thought his kind was immune to the side effect of our kind feeding on them.
“I would much rather have this conversation out loud,” Mom said.
“So would I,” Fenris agreed from the kitchen, which earned Mom a look from me.
“Jason, darling, will you take Fenris outside to play for a bit? Eliana and I need some mother-daughter time.”
“I’d rather not,” Fenris said. “I can hear the way her pulse is racing and smell her growing panic. Whatever you two are discussing has her two seconds from running. It took a lot of planning and some trickery to get her here, and I still want to visit my dad after this. I’d rather just calm things down before they get any worse.”
Mom waved her hand at me. “By all means. Eliana is worried about your immunity to the mindless infatuation that often results after we feed.”
Instead of letting my panic rule my thoughts and feed my fears, I paid attention to everyone else’s emotions. Fenris, despite his calm words, was feeling almost as much panic as I was. Worry filled both Mom and Dad.
I slouched back into my seat.
“I don’t want to talk about this. I’ll be fine. Nothing’s changed,” I said, meeting Fenris’s gaze.
“Prove it. Come here and hug me.”
My gaze shifted to my dad, who stood in uncertainty beside Fenris.
“Jason, she’s looking at you because your beliefs about public displays of affection have stifled her true nature.”
Dad took a long, slow breath before speaking.
“Hugs provide comfort and show concern. They can be completely appropriate in public. Some cultures even approve of a kiss on the cheek for public displays of affection for friends and loved ones. Empathy, sympathy, and affection are healthy emotions that need not be hidden away.”
Mom beamed at him like he’d just made a breakthrough, but I knew better. He had a way of saying just the right words to make her believe he was seeing things her way, all the while conveying a deeper, hidden meaning. His true message was clear: those emotions are fine for public, but don’t cross the line.
That same trapped feeling enveloped me but on a new level. Before I’d only felt pulled between Mom and Dad’s beliefs. But now Fenris was watching me, the light missing from his eyes as if I’d somehow already disappointed him by not running into his arms.
I stood, ignoring the fact that I was still in a towel, and went to give Fenris a quick hug. I should have known better. Fenris didn’t make things easy. As soon as he had me in his arms, he tipped me back, eliciting a startled “eep” from me.
My weak hold around his neck became a desperate cling for support.
“Unconditional honesty,” he said, his hand anchoring my back. “What are you thinking?”