Page 22 of Unshaken

“Why thank you, Jeeves.” I laugh as he growls into my ear, then falls in step next to me.

“Watch it, kitten. Remember, I am not nice. It only extends to you, and maybe Esme.” I yelp as he pinches my ass through my skirt.

“What did I tell you about those hands of yours?” I growl right back, and his eyes light up at my fire as I give it right back to him. “Keep them to yourself. You don’t have an invitation,” I say to him as Trys starts to wave at us wildly from across the room. Everyone sitting at the tables and standing in line for food goes deathly silent.

“For now,” is all he says, his fingers skimming my waist, leaving me at a loss for words. Esme’s shoulder bumps into mine, bringing me back to reality as I look around at the large cafeteria. It reminds me of a food court in a mall. Round tables of various sizes are spread out all over the room, there are lines for all types of foods from a smoothie bar to a cook that personalizes omelets, a coffee stand that has my name written all over it, and a massive general buffet with all types of breakfast options. The smell of bacon makes my knees weak, and my stomach grumbles as I stand in the middle of the room taking it all in.

“This is something,” I say as Esme takes her arm from mine, making me glance over at the nervous expression on her face.

“Yeah, they make sure they fatten you right up for slaughter.” Her attempt at making a joke falls flat in the presence of all the prying eyes. Everyone in the room is still watching us. Ty weaves in between tables gesturing for us to follow, and I refuse to shy away. I don’t know any of these people, and if they want to judge me, then they can go right ahead. I am not here for them. I am here for me. I hold my head up high and grab Esme’s hand instinctively, pulling her behind me.

“I really don’t want all this attention, Micah. I can go find my usual spot,” she whispers. I stop myself at her words and I realize I hadn’t been considering her feelings. She wasn’t seeking anyone out on her own, which makes me think she doesn’t have any friends. The way she shied away from Ty and Trys should have clued me into that fact. She is clearly uncomfortable, and I just walked right in here and put a target on her back because she is with me. The new girl. I didn’t read the room at all. I blame it on the intoxicating smell of bacon.

“Lead the way,” I turn to tell her. “Where do you normally sit? I’m the new addition here, so I will go where you're comfortable.” Esme smiles. I can see the relief in her eyes as she turns away from the crowd and marches to the other side of the cafeteria. The feeling in my chest warms, the feeling of satisfaction washes over me, and I feel like I’ve done the right thing.

My only friend in this world was Marcus. Because my parents liked to sequester me at home away from the prying eyes of our coven, I didn’t have too many friends growing up. So, my how to build relationships radar is way the hell off.

Once I was old enough to go out on my own away from my parent's supervision, well, that was different. I was all about seeking the forbidden, not meaningful relationships, just excitement, fun, and the exhilaration I felt from not being held back by the shackles of family. This is a new sensation, the pull towards her pushes me to want to know more about her and I feel the same with Ty and Trys. The urge to seek them out is strong, like I need them near me even when I don’t know how I feel about wanting a Soul Tether with three people.

Esme relaxes, taking a seat at a table behind one of the support pillars, blowing out a breath that ruffled the ice white fringe of her hair. I follow suit, taking my backpack I place it at my feet. The smell of coffee calls me like a siren’s song, I don’t think I can have a decent conversation without it. Before I can open my mouth to ask Esme whether she wants to come with me to get one, a pair of tattooed hands sets four cups of coffee in front of me, followed by Ty coming into view with two plates piled high with toast, bacon, sausages, and eggs. Esme, who’s busy reading something from her tablet, peers over the top of it, and her eyes widen in surprise. She looks from them to me, and I really feel bad for my newfound friend, I mean, Soul Tether. Ugh, this is all confusing.

“Sunshine, if you and little spirit didn’t want to sit with us you could have said so,” Trys says, giving me sad eyes, with his bottom lip poking out in a pout, and I can’t help but laugh at his ridiculousness. “We weren’t sure what you’d like to eat or drink, so we brought a little bit of everything.” He smiles, showing too many teeth, but there’s a lightheartedness about him.

Trys snatches a chair from underneath a guy who was about to sit down at the table opposite us, flipping it around and gazing at me expectantly. I guess he is going to watch me eat. I look on, as if in slow motion as the guy goes to sit, his body finds nothing but air. Before he falls on his ass, I raise my eyebrow and another empty chair slides underneath him in record time. All of this happens so fast that he doesn’t even register what is going on. He just sits and begins to tuck into his cereal.

“That was rude.” I smirk and narrow my eyes at Trys, who shrugs and blows me a kiss.

“I’m not used to being polite, sunshine. It’s who I am,” he says as he pushes all four takeaway cups of coffee towards me. He rests his chin on his hand and stares, eager for me to drink. I grab the first cup, swallowing it I find it is just black coffee, with none of the extras I need, and my lips pucker from the bitterness.

“Ugh, no black coffee, ever,” I say out loud. Trys is hanging onto every word as he shuffles two cups away from me. I guess the other one was black as well. I pick one from the last two and take a sip. I sigh and sink into my seat with a satisfied soft moan of pleasure. Nothing like that first taste of hot centering bliss in a cup.

“Good?” Trys asks, eyes heating as he watches my lips connect with the cup. He smiles, his eyes sparkle with his own satisfaction written all over them. “Now I know your order, sunshine. I will make sure you have it every morning.” He winks, and dare I say it makes me blush at his attentiveness. I blink, trying not to get lost in his gaze, changing the subject and focusing on the food in front of me.

“Well, I don’t think Esme wanted to be out in the open, and honestly, neither did I. Thank you for all of this, though. You didn’t really need to grab me food. I am more than capable of getting it myself.”

Ty and Trys nod at the same time. Trys hands me a napkin and a fork as he continues to wait for me to eat. Esme grabs a piece of bacon and starts to eat, not paying Ty or Trys any attention as she digs in. Fear or not, it’s bacon. Not even the boogieman himself can keep most people away from its deliciousness. I grab my own piece and groan in appreciation as I take a bite, scooping up a few eggs I pop them on a piece of toast making myself a quick breakfast sandwich. I’m practical like that.

I look up, and notice the twins are still watching me. Ty leans against a pillar, peeling an apple with a knife. Looking on as he slices through the skin like a master surgeon, cutting a wedge out of the fruit before sliding it off the knife and into his mouth. I’m captivated and can’t look away as I watch his lips move, chewing with a smug smile on his face because he’s got my attention. I shake my head, and sit up, not realizing I had been leaning in his direction, and clear my throat. I needed to regain a semblance of control.

“You all know this is weird, right?” I address all three of them. Esme blows out another breath, as if I was reading her mind. She was thinking what I was and hadn’t had the courage to say so. I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but something in me wants to help her. She doesn’t need to cower for anyone, whether she is my Soul Tether or not. No woman should, and I want to help her find her inner badass bitch. That I can do.

“I was thinking the exact same thing. I was wondering how you could be so cool about all this,” she says as she finishes a piece of toast and pulls back from the table. Clearly, she is done and ready to make her escape to whatever class she has next.

“Oh, I am not cool with it at all,” I reply. Trys gasps in shock then quickly changes his facial expression as if steeling himself for what I am about to say. I roll my eyes playfully at his dramatics, but I am serious.

“I wouldn’t say it’s weird at all,” Ty said, finishing his apple and throwing the perfectly carved core on to the plate in the middle of the table. “Unexpected, unpredicted, and a marvelous surprise all the same is what I would call it,” Ty states.

“Are you rejecting us, sunshine?” Trys cocks his head to the side and stands slowly. All joking and playfulness leaving his face, as if he turned off a light switch and darkness descended. He prowls towards me with the same gracefulness I am starting to equate with just him. I stand as he advances, needing space, but I move backwards and back myself into a pillar and have nowhere to go. I am right where he wants me.

“This is fate. We are your gifts and trying to deny yourself such gifts—” He moves his hand in a slow circle pointing out Esme, Ty, and himself. “—it’s sacrilege, and downright foolish because my pull to you is so strong it’s making me do all kinds of things that are so out of character for me. I don’t recognize myself, and it’s been less than twenty-four hours. If you reject me, us, I am sure those urges will only get worse. Oh, sunshine, you don’t want to see me at my worst. If I can’t get, no, can’t have what I want, I tend to act out and get all kinds of murdery. You don’t want that, do you?”

I can taste the strawberry jam on his breath, his lips are so close. If I lean in, I could lick them. I want to lick them. The possessiveness in his tone hits me in all the right places. Looking into his mismatched eyes, I know that rejection is not on the agenda. Looking over his shoulder, Esme looks alarmed. Ty’s lips twitch in what I can only guess is delight as Trys’s chest heaves with the idea of me walking away from them. He is serious, he wants me.

I place my hand to his chest, right over his Anchor key, and he groans like I had reached down and cupped his balls. “I am not rejecting anyone. I just want a chance to understand what is happening to me, to us. You don’t know me, yet you are bringing me coffee, and bacon. Thanks again for that by the way, it totally got you some cool points. But it’s a lot.” I sigh. “All I am saying is that I am not trying to hold you to me. If you want no part in this—” I look at Esme, giving her the chance for an out if she needs it— “I will completely understand because I don’t know what this is. You don’t have to protect me. I don’t need it. You don’t have to walk me to class. I will get there eventually. I am not here to build a magical team of super villains.” I laugh, offering Trys just enough of my thoughts to make him step back from me.

“OK, sunshine. I am glad we had a heart to heart. See ya later.” He steals a quick kiss on my cheek and disappears through the crowd so fast that I am left standing there with the lingering tingle of where his lips touched.

Esme holds out a map to me, and she parts ways with a tight smile, leaving me as well without saying a word. I guess she decided to run. I can’t say that I don’t blame her.

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