Page 39 of Little Bunny

“You’re safe, Elijah.” He set his phone face down on the polished, scratched wood. “Want a drink? Or I’ve got snacks back here.” His voice was deep and soothing, the kind Elijah listened to late at night on his favorite podcast.

“I’ll take a soda if you don’t mind.” He really didn’t want one but felt it was a good way to break the ice. “You are?”

Elijah had to use the rungs on the stool to mount it. Sometimes it sucked to be short.

“Tito.” The guy flashed him a pirate smile, pretty white teeth included. “Nice to finally meet you one on one.” He filled a tall glass with Coke from a soda gun. “That was a solid you did for Diablo.” Tito dropped a few cherries into the glass. “Not many people are brave enough to approach him under normal circumstances.”

“Like you?” Elijah smiled, curling his fingers around the glass Tito sat in front of him. The cherries sank, only the stems floating near the surface like tiny buoys.

“Nah.” Tito grinned. He seemed like an easygoing guy. “I’m talking about—”

Elijah plucked at a steam, his mouth watering for a Coke-soaked cherry. He could eat a stack of them when he was out drinking. There was something addictive about them when he was drunk and looking for something to chew on.

“Humans?” Elijah pulled a cherry free. “You’re talking to me with glowing eyes, and you think it’s some sort of secret I don’t know about?”

Oh god. The cherry tasted so good. Elijah eyed the caddy where the fruit was kept, wondering how many he could talk Tito into giving him.

The mind reader grabbed a small glass bowl from under the counter and filled it with the red deliciousness before sliding it across the wood. He really didn’t think the guy was a mind reader considering Elijah had been eye-banging the fruit caddy.

“Hell yeah.” He snatched the bowl and hugged it but stopped himself from growling, “Mine” like a greedy little cherry gremlin.

“Never saw anyone calm the big guy down so quickly.” Tito went back to leaning his arms on the bar top, as well as his conversation about Diablo. “Then you drop a fucking miracle on us.”

Elijah had stuffed too many cherries into his mouth like a squirrel packing away nuts for the winter. He just tilted his head to the side, furrowed brows.

“Diablo let you tend to his wounds.” Tito gave a low whistle. “That’s huge.” He winked, his thick lashes briefly kissing his skin. “Cemented you as a pack member. You’re officially one of us, little bunny.”

He stopped chewing to stare wide-eyed at Tito. A small amount of juice escaped, dribbling down Elijah’s chin. Leaning forward, Elijah grabbed some napkins and used them to spit out the cherries so he could talk.

“Elijah,” he said firmly. “My name is Elijah, not Thumper.” Wolves didn’t seem to care about renaming someone. But just like with Diablo, Elijah refused to be looked at as prey.

“It’s not an insult.” Tito chuckled. “We got mad respect for our alpha’s elegido.”

“His what?” Elijah needed to learn Spanish. Rápido. No tongue roll. Not even in his head. He needed to learn how. He remembered Matias saying that earlier, but Elijah still didn’t know what it meant.

Tito nibbled on the side of his lower lip, his gaze locked on Elijah, but he didn’t say anything.

Elijah was putting mileage on his translator. “I just need you to repeat what you said. Would be grateful if you could spell it out for me.”

Tito shook his head, looking at him like Elijah had lost his mind. Then he looked toward the ceiling as he spoke, like he was over it already. Over what?.

“No serás la causa de mi muerte.”

You are not going to be the cause of my death.

“I’ll figure out what el hero means.” Elijah had no such luck, unless Tito was actually calling him a hero. That hadn’t been the word though.

Tito softly chuckled. “I like your sense of humor, Elijah bunny.”

“Where did everyone go?” Elijah purposely ignored the bunny comment. He was not about to keep arguing. Some battles weren’t worth fighting, and he was still riding his post-orgasmic high. He wasn’t letting anyone ruin that.

Tito shrugged.

“Let me guess. Pack business.” Elijah dropped the few remaining cherries into his glass. “If I recall, you just said I was one of you now.”

Tito grabbed a bottle off the shelf behind him. “Matias didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Elijah’s lips tingled, once again remembering the kiss they’d shared. He was greedy for another one. “Are you gonna tell me?”

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