Vicki suddenly understood.
“Candles too? How…romantic.” Sean coughed to cover a laugh.
The table was littered with candles and flowers, a gluttonous display of overdone affection. It was so silly, and so wonderful she had to blink not to cry. Twice in one day with the tears, I’m going for a record.
Vicki cleared her throat. “Shut it, Sean. Look, I think we have to deal with life here as a new reality.”
“No, really?”
She would have belted him if the sarcasm hadn’t been warranted. “Are you planning on leaving Diana in the near future?”
He stopped smiling.
Chapter Thirty-One
“No.” Sean sighed. “You so eager to get back to town and deal with more retrieval work? Because earlier, Dom pointed me to a fully loaded room, the office of our dreams, and mentioned how we were free to work out of an office here, when we weren’t in town doing business. As in, we will at some point leave this place and be Ravagers along with the rest of them. In our own unique way, of course.”
“An office, here?” Good old Dom. Busy with clan business, my ass.
“Aside from what everyone else thinks, I feel it too, Vic. I can’t explain it, but it’s like we belong here now. Does that make sense to you? Or am I just totally a vegetable? The sex is frying my brain in a really, really good way.”
She laughed. “Still gross, but I know exactly what you’re saying.” She leaned close. “Thing is, if you give in too easily, you’ll lose face. They like a challenge.”
“Hell, they’re not much different from humans in that respect. Nothing worse than a woman catering to your every need,” he had the audacity to say as Diana returned carrying his plate of food. He frowned when he saw Vicki glance from his plate to Diana and back. “Stop. She’s just being nice because I threatened her earlier.”
“Really?”
“Just mind your own business.” Sean thanked Diana and stroked her cheek when she sat. The woman smiled at the open sign of affection, and more, of acceptance.
God, the woman really loved Sean. Their energy, their guers, as the Ravagers liked to think of them, merged without a seam.
Vicki sighed. “We’re going to have to talk to Gran. Let the family know we’re still alive.”
“I’ve been on the phone with that woman daily,” he grumbled. “She’s invited us all over for Monday night dinner. Diana and me, and you and your entire pack. Talk about spreading the love.” He snickered.
A glance over her shoulder showed her pack bearing down on her. Three Ravagers and her. She turned back to Diana. “Hey, Diana, I heard you’re going to fill out your pack.”
“Yes.”
“More mates, right? But not another female, more males.”
“No. There’s just one female to a pack. And not all packs have a female, there are so few of us.”
By the panicked expression on Sean’s face, he realized where she was steering the conversation.
“So your mates, you’ll all share each other equally, right? Because as I understand it, pack is family.”
“Of course.” Diana smiled and tucked into her plate laden with food.
“Don’t say it,” Sean warned, his face on fire.
“Sean, you’ll have to get over your sexual hang-ups. Like I’ve been saying for years, it’s not about gender, it’s about the person inside.” She couldn’t wait to tease him about this. Fodder for years to come.
Diana frowned. “This is an issue? You didn’t seem to mind Nathan earlier.”
“TMI, honey, TMI.” Sean rubbed his eyes and slid his hands through his hair in agitation.
Vicki tried not to laugh. But by the time Dom, Eric, and Malcolm reached her, she had tears in her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.
“What’s so funny?” Dom asked.
Vicki laughed harder at her cousin. “Remember when I asked you about the Ravagers sharing you among their females?”
“Shut up,” Sean said, his face red. “Come on, Diana. Let’s let Chuckles here share her candlelit dinner with her boyfriends. Oh, and Vicki? Gran really wants to meet them…all.” The evil grin he shot her did wonders to cure her humor.
“Damn.”
“Vicki?” Malcolm asked.
“Did you like the flowers and candlelight?” Eric asked, sounding pleased with himself.
She sighed. “We really need to talk.”
The Ravagers of Eric’s pack, those who could think logically, sat together on the bed while Vicki paced in front of them trying to make a point he clearly wasn’t getting.
Eric didn’t understand. Even though Dom had tried to explain it to him, dating seemed like such a stupid concept. What exactly did Vicki need from him he hadn’t already given her? After their time in the forest and last night, he was pretty damn sure he’d planted a seed that took root. His heart swam with delight at the thought.
His guer had welcomed her. He’d marked her, then claimed her—claimed a human—an unheard-of event for a Ravager, let alone the actual prime. By accepting her as his queen, he’d made her the most important part of the clan, one they hadn’t had since before the Voids opened. The moon willing, she’d do what no female had done since leaving the homeworld—enhance the fertility of their species.
Vicki blathered on. “Eric, guys, we don’t really know each other. The flowers and candlelight was a way of saying let’s go out on a date.”
He saw confusion on Malcolm’s face as well. Good to know he wasn’t the only one.
“Told you,” Dom murmured. Mr. Right, yet again.
“Dick,” Eric murmured back.
“Eric, listen to me,” Vicki insisted. She scowled at him, and he wanted nothing more than to bend her over the desk and take her. Or maybe this time he’d have her sit on top of him, so he could fuck her pussy while Dom or Malcolm rode her ass. Or…
“Eric,” she snapped. “Tone down the hormones for a minute. This is exactly what I’m talking about.”
Malcolm licked his lips, his gaze vacillating between Eric’s and Dom’s erections and Vicki’s mouth.
She sounded a little breathless when she continued. “And you too, Malcolm. I’m trying to tell you that as much as you want me to stay here, I don’t think I can.”
Eric, Dom, and Malcolm froze.
“Living with someone is freaky enough. But it’s like we got married, mated, whatever, and I barely know you. What’s your favorite color?”
“Red,” Eric said.
Dom answered, “Blue.”
Malcolm shrugged. “Never really thought about it.”
“Mine is yellow.”
“Like your eyes,” Dom said.
“My eyes are brown.” Vicki glared, her eyes turning even more golden.
Wisely, Dom held his tongue.
“You want to know everything about us, is that it?” Eric asked, trying to understand why she couldn’t stay with them. His guer wouldn’t let her leave, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she didn’t really want to go.
“I should, don’t you think?” she asked, obviously exasperated. She planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward, drawing attention to her luscious breasts.