Page 30 of Dead & Dating
I grin, sliding off his lap. "Well, we've got a lot of holidays ahead,Alpha. I hope you're good with scissors."
He playfully growls at me, and I squeal, darting away toward Milo. Milo catches me, pulling me into his arms, his laughter vibrating through his chest. "Just for today, forget everything else but us," Milo says softly, his eyes meeting mine. "We'll watch those spooky ass movies and have some hot chocolate and games, okay?"
I nod, my throat tight with emotion. "Yeah, I think I can do that."
Milo leans down, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. It's sweet and gentle, and I melt into him, my hands resting on his chest. However, fifteen minutes later, it’s pure chaos. Unlike the last few times we spent evenings like this, Liora off at some club or halfway across the country, my mates aren’t holding back their demonic sides. The darkness in here is almost thick enough to taste but it’s comfortable rather than terrifying.
I really like the dancing shadows and Milo seems so fucking happy to be half-shifted, with those slitted eyes and his tail swishing behind him like a fucking golden retriever. Every time I pass him another pumpkin decoration to unfold, his grin widens until it’s almost comically sat on his face, the poor Beta’s head shifting completely.
I snort at the pumpkin staring back at me, Milo giggling along with me as Duske comes over, grumbling under his breath, holding up one of the streamers. "This is ridiculous. How am I supposed to cut this into bats?"
I move toward him and press a kiss to his cheek. "You'll figure it out. You're Death. I'm sure you can handle a pair of scissors."
He softens under my touch, his expression shifting from grumpy to something warmer. "You're lucky I love you."
My heart skips a beat, and I stare at him. "You love me?"
His gaze meets mine, that look I’ve been chasing after for years swirling around his expression. When I told them they had to wait to say it, I didn’t think it would come so soon, so naturally. "Of course I do, sweetheart. And I’m sorry I didn’t make it more obvious."
Tears prick my eyes, and I throw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest. "I love you too." He holds me close, one hand cupping the back of my head, and I feel safe and loved and whole.
Milo squeals as he runs into the kitchen, grabs something off the counter, and comes back with a can of pumpkin spice whipped cream. “This calls for a celebration! I found this at the store.” He grins at me, shaking the can, and then sprays a bit onto his finger. He holds it out to me, his eyes dancing with mischief, which is really just the cutouts in his pumpkin head changing shape. "Open up, Esme."
I obey, opening my mouth, as he feeds me the whipped cream, his finger lingering on my tongue a little longer than necessary. The cream is sweet and spiced, melting on my tongue, and I hum in satisfaction. "We're putting that on the pancakes, right?" I ask, licking my lips.
Milo’s head tilts to the side and then he nods. "Of course we are."
Duske stalks back to the kitchen to grab a set of streamers, Vesper saving him as he mentions that lunch is ready. With all breakfast foods because it’s one of Milo’s favorite meals. I’m still a little bummed we didn’t get to have pasta but I had a heat spike and the cuddling waswaybetter than food.
I drop into a seat at the table, licking my lips at the options of fluffy, golden pumpkin pancakes, bacon and sausage piled on a plate, and then a pan of scrambled eggs with globs of Gouda cheese.
Milo plops into a seat beside me before serving up a plate for myself and then doing his own before grabbing the whipped cream, shaking it enthusiastically, and spraying a generous amount onto the top pancake.
"You're going to give yourself a sugar high, Milo," I say, shaking my head.
Milo shrugs, his expression unapologetic. "Worth it." And then he sprays a generous helping into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out as he swallows.
Duske grumbles at that and then grumbles a second time, staring at the sugar loaded up on the table in general. I’m not surprised he only takes a healthy serving of eggs and sausage, leaving the pancakes untouched. He catches my eye, and it takes everything in me to keep a straight face, but I break anyway. “Grumpy old bastard,” I muse.
“300 is young where we come from, dove,” Duske rumbles. “And you seemed quite happy with my bastard demon cock earlier.”
I playfully narrow my gaze at him before stabbing my fork into one of the sausages and stuffing it into my mouth. Duske swallows carefully before nodding. “Noted, dove.Noted.”
Chapter 19
Esme
I’m stuffed full from lunch, now squeezed onto the couch, admiring the tacky decorations we set up. It brings a bit of nostalgia back, making me almost wish my parents would walk into the living room in the next few seconds, but it’s comfortable with my demons, here.
The living room is dimly lit, orange and purple lights flickering along the walls, casting dancing shadows across the ceiling that seem to move with a life of their own. Milo went all out with the decorations, and it shows in every corner. There are paper bats hanging from the ceiling fan, their wings spread wide as they sway gently with the air current. Cobwebs are stretched across the corners with careful precision, and carved pumpkins are lined up on the mantle like soldiers, their faces glowing with flickering candlelight that makes their expressions seem to shift and change.
I'm nestled between my mates, perfectly cocooned in warmth and more blankets than I probably need. Duske's arms are wrapped around me from behind, his chest solid against myback, rising and falling with each steady breath. Vesper is on my left, his hand resting casually on my thigh, his thumb occasionally brushing back and forth in an absentminded gesture. Milo is curled up on my right, his head resting on my shoulder, his wavy hair tickling my neck. It's warm and comfortable, and I feel safe in a way I haven't felt since before I died.
The cheesy sound of someone dying steals my attention back to the TV, some awful slasher film from the eighties staring back at me. Milo is completely engrossed, his eyes wide as he watches the screen with rapt attention. Every jump scare makes him jolt, his body tensing against mine, and I can't help but laugh at his reactions.
"You know you can literally create nightmares, right?" I tease, poking his side playfully. "And you're scared of a movie?"
Milo grins, not taking his eyes off the screen for even a second. "It's different when you're watching it happen to someone else. Plus, these old ones are classics."
