Page 35 of Prodigy & Tybalt
Fuck if I knew how it would work, except that I wanted to stay. I wanted to explore this new, exciting relationship, and spend time with my alphas. I wanted to find ways to spoilProdigy like he’d spoiled me in the bookshop, and I wanted Tybalt to take me for another ride on his bike, but when I was conscious this time. I wanted to explore every sexual position in existence, and find all the ways we could fit together. I wanted to watch the red impressions of my teeth on their bodies heal to white scars, permanent and meaningful. I wanted their bites on my body, too.
“This is insane,” I told myself, because someone had to say it and I was the only one here to talk some sense into myself. “You can’t juststaywith two guys you’ve barely known two weeks.”
Except, of course, there was no one here to stop me. And Icouldstay, because Prodigy had made sure I knew I was welcome for however long I decided to stay, be it forever or until the end of the month.
There’s no rush for you to leave, ray of light,were his exact words as he pulled me into a tight hug, his mouth brushing my temple as he spoke, reluctant to part despite the week’s worth of work he had to catch up on. Tybalt had given me a similar goodbye, although with a double-handed squeeze of my ass and a kiss that could only be described as dirty.
My stomach growled loudly, a twist of discomfort in my belly.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” I muttered, stuffing my feet into fluffy cat-eared slippers—I wasn’t planning to run away today—and padding out into the hall. I could go into the sanctuary, but I didn’t fancy making something myself in the kitchen. I was feeling lazy and indulgent, so I headed the opposite direction, winding through the clubhouse that now felt familiar and known, not some mysterious, half-threatening dwelling. No matter the time of day, the dining room table was usually full of food, either warm as it lingered in tureens or piping hot and fresh.
My current mission was a plate full of fluffy scrambled eggs and crisp, hot toast. I’d kill for a cup of tea, too. Prodigy broughtme one in the nest, but that was an hour ago and the craving had hit for a second.
It was past eleven by the time I made it to the dining room, and all the Knights had already cleared out for the day. That, or it was still too early for the nocturnal bikers to stagger into the dining room seeking pancakes and maple syrup. You’d be surprised just how many of these giant, burly, growling men had a weakness for sweet things. I could smell something sugary now as I slipped through the perpetually-open door, eyeing the vast table. It was big enough to seat fifteen, and ladened with decimated tureens and dirty plates left on place mats alongside half-drunk cups of coffee.
I grabbed a clean plate and assessed what remained, pumping my fist when I found a pile of scrambled eggs left in the dish. Toast was out of the question—it was already cold, and I was too lazy to take it to the sanctuary kitchen to reheat. I didn’t even know where the main kitchen was in the clubhouse. I added some still-warm tomatoes to my plate and blinked when I found a platter of jalebis.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “Jackpot.”
I sat in the chair furthest from the door, with a clear view of the exit, partly because I was still on edge—and would always be on edge—after being locked up and beaten. Mostly, I sat there because it smelled of fresh cut grass and the warm, spicy aftershave Prodigy wore.
It took mere minutes to demolish my breakfast, and then I grabbed a jalebi, the swirls of syrup-soaked fried batter exploding across my tongue with the taste of sweetness and home. It was a rare treat in the Kishore household, but my grandma grew up eating them from street food vendors, so we always made sure to have some at holidays.
I was so busy reminiscing that I didn’t see the shadow fall across the dining room entrance, and almost missed the tall,broad-shouldered, bearded asshole trudging across the room to deposit a heavy-looking platter of sandwiches on the other end of the table. He looked unfriendly and grumpy, like an anti-Santa. I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back in Prodigy’s seat, breathing through the biting, burning pain in my chest.
“You’re pretty unobservant, huh?” I remarked, smirking when he started so hard it was like he’d just heard a rattling scream in a haunted house. I could only smile because of the last week, because I could very clearly picture the shape of my teeth on Tybalt’s throat, on Prodigy’s neck.
“Jesus, motherfucker,” he grunted, whipping around. It was kinda satisfying to watch every bit of anger wipe from his face, leaving something like shock and panic. “Uh…”
“Yup.” I helped myself to another jalebi. “It’s me. Did you make these?”
I hadn’t got a good enough look at him to guess his ethnicity, unless grizzly bear counted as a race. It was kinda hilarious to compare him to Prodigy—both big personalities, intrinsic to the Alpha Knights, with no bad word to be spoken about either of them. But Sweetie was about as friendly as a wild dog, with none of the calm composure I loved in Prodigy. Both tall, powerful, reeking of alpha dominance, but Prodigy’s made me want to sigh and melt into him, where Sweetie’s made me want to borrow one of Tyb’s knives and cut his fucking balls off.
Okay, so maybe I wasn’t totally recovered from the rejection.
“I—” he said, and faltered, the Adam’s apple jumping in his throat as he stared at me across the length of the table. “Yes.”
“My grandma’s are better,” I told him with relish.
“Your, um—” His eyes flitted around the room, and he swallowed again. He was skittish, like I scared the shit out of him. I hoped I did.
I allowed myself one glance at the mark on his neck, then dragged my attention back to the sweets piled in front of me. Acorkscrew of pain dug into my chest, but I breathed through it and held onto the memory of Prodigy’s embrace and the softness in Tybalt’s brown eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a rush. “I handled meeting you—”
“Fucking atrociously?” I offered.
“I was going to say badly.” He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I can’t… offer you anything.”
“No?” I gasped, feigning surprise. “And here I thought we were going to run off into the sunset together.”
His right eye squinted shut in a wince. “I mean—”
I sighed and got to my feet, the burn intensifying in my chest. It was easier to bear without the volatile hormones of my heat, but it still hurt like a bitch. “You were perfectly clear back at my buyer’s house. No need to elaborate.”
A growl filled the room, surprising us both. Silence stretched across long, long seconds after he killed the noise.
“Anyway,” I said, grabbing the plate of jalebis and kicking the chair back under the table.
