I wake up to a cramped bed.
It's no wonder, considering there are two kids and three adults in it. James and I are slender, and the children are tiny, but Jordan is a giant. He's taking most of the space, even when he's trying to make himself small.
Thank God, the kids haven't asked their mother to sleep with us, too.
"Slept well?"
I crane my neck to look at Jordan, who's sitting against the headboard. Come on, mate, it's the crack of dawn, and you're already working?
"Well," I snort, eyeing James, who's lying on his side on my right, "always better than a certain someone."
His shoulder twitches, and a smirk finds its way on my lips. Oh my, did he really think I wouldn't notice he's pretending to be sleeping? I don't believe for a second he slept a wink last night. The kids and I might be acting as a barrier between him and Jordan, but he's still lying under the same blanket as my husband, not even a meter away.
A rustle, and I lower my eyes, catching sight of Elois snuggling against the vampire's chest. Meanwhile, his sister is nestled between her father and me, her arms wrapped around mine.
On the bright side, these two had a good night's sleep. That's for the better. They're hell to handle when they're tired.
"By the way," Jordan says in a hushed voice, "your phone rang a few times throughout the night."
Why would it—oh, shit! Bryan!
"Here."
My husband hands over my cell phone before I can even ask for it, and the next instant, I sweep open the screen. A wince leaves me when I see the notifications pop up.
"Something's the matter?"
"I forgot to tell Bryan I'm alive."
To be fair, I'm not used to having to report my living status to my brother. I mean, I pretty much ignored him for two years, and we've only just started to talk to each other again.
Still…
I should have thought of telling him the vampires hadn't sucked me dry, especially after he warned me to be on my toes. That's the least I could have done. It's just that a lot happened yesterday. Not sure he's going to buy that excuse, though.
+1 (911) 912-9113 04:23
Next time, I'm expecting you to tell me you survived on your own. I can't ask the agency about your whereabouts every time that I'm not sure whether you made it out alive or not.
Good night.
Looking at the hour he sent me that message, a pang of guilt clenches my chest. He worked to the wee hours, even though Bryan isn't a night owl.
Also, I should add him to my contacts. Let me do that real quick before answering him—no, I'm not stalling. I'd never do that.
Ultimately, I type a message back. He's most likely sleeping, but I don't want to wait until later in the day, or, knowing him, he's going to throw it right back into my face.
Me 08:01
I was too dead tired yesterday to send a message. I'm alive and well. Sorry for worrying you.
I'm about to close the text message box when I notice three wiggling dots appearing below.
"…"
The fuck? He's not asleep?!
Big Bro 08:02
So, you do know your silence worried me to death. That's a good start, I guess. Anyway, I'm going to bed. See you.
"Is everything alright?"
Jordan's voice snaps me out of my stupor, and I turn off my cell phone.
"Yeah… I'm just being reminded of how blunt my big brother is."
***
At breakfast, we sit around the table instead of the kitchen island. We're too many people for the small thing.
It's quite the spectacle, really.
James is enjoying his cup of tea, Eve is still pouting, Jordan has a file open beside his plate, the kids are bickering, not even paying heed to their squirming food before them, and Sir Akerley looks utterly lost.
Whatever, not my problem.
I bit into my toast, pretending not to notice Sir Akerley's gaze. If he wants to stay over at our house while Anthony cleans up the mess that is his clan, he'll have to get used to this kind of lively breakfast.
"Dad, dad, dad!" Elois is jumping on his seat, and I put down my toast. What does he have to say now? "What's our big brother's name?"
Good thing I didn't take another bite, or I'd be mirroring James. The poor guy didn't think of putting down his teacup, and he's now coughing his lungs out and patting his chest.
"Is Uncle alright…?"
"Yes, he's fine." I rush to comfort Ellena before she starts crying. "The tea just went down the wrong pipe."
The vampire gets the cue and gives her a thumbs-up to let her know that he's fine. Only then does she calm down.
"Big brother…?"
Sir Akerley's confused voice echoes.
Right, he was asleep yesterday, so he doesn't know the kids have decided he has demon siblings now.
"Well," Eve yawns, "apparently, I gave birth to another child before these two, and I didn't know about it."
"If anything," Jordan continues, flipping a page of his report, "he's young enough to be our kid. If we do the math, he's still considered a teenager in our species."
"Fair point." Eve nods, then smiles. "Should I add him to my family tree? Or will you add him to yours?"
"I don't mind either way. I've already added James, so I can add him, too."
Ah, James chokes on air this time. I feel you, buddy, I feel you.
"Oh, you finally did it, huh? It was something you should have done sooner." Eve snorts. "It would have saved us some trouble…"
"Do I have to remind you that I was asleep until two days ago?"
I have to concede that Jordan has a point here. Still, Eve isn't the kind to let him have the last word.
"So what? You could have taken preventive measures. You already knew the first time we met him that there was a high chance he'd become a part of our family."
"As you did." Another flip of a page, and Eve narrows her eyes at Jordan, throwing daggers his way. "…Fine. I was a little careless. I hadn't expected the restriction to put me to sleep for this long. My bad. Anyway, coffee, please?"
"There you go."
Oh, the conflict got resolved without bloodshed this time. Good, good.
It doesn't mean the discussion is over, though. Sir Akerley and James are staring at me, and I can almost see the question marks popping around their heads.
Scott, don't laugh.
I mean, if you're not in the know, the back and forth between the two makes absolutely no sense.
But darn, Jordan is fast. While he pulled that all-nighter to go through the data for the investigation, he also took the time to add James to the registry, huh? I swear, this guy…!
Also. He really doesn't give a shit about lineage purity, does he?
Not like it matters to me.
But that at least explains why he's not worried about the other patriarchs ostracizing James. They can't. He's already part of the family tree, whether they like it or not.
…The vampires are about to drill a hole in my forehead, so I should probably stop pretending to be blind and give them an answer. Urgh. Why is it always me who has to explain things on my husband's behalf?
Oh well, sure, I'll do it.
Considering how transparent Eve and Jordan are being, they probably have no intention whatsoever to hide their sights from James and Sir Akerley.
Even if I don't know exactly what Eve's and Jordan's sights are telling them about the vampire patriarch, the kids have already decided that he was their big brother, just like they decided James was their uncle, and I was their dad.
All I can do is play along.
"It's their sights acting up."
"Their sights…?"
James frowns, something akin to understanding flashing through his eyes. He has heard that word thrice already in different contexts, so I think he's starting to get an inkling of what it is.
"Their third eye, if you prefer." I snort before peering at Jordan and Eve. Yeah, I'm dragging you back into the conversation. "Mind telling us what you're feeling about Sir Akerley right now?"
They don't even look at each other before chorusing, "Parental worry."
"James?"
"Sibling affection."
Well, look like the kids aren't the only one who loves to drag others in their family without their consent.
"That…"
"That makes no sense, does it?" I smirk knowingly. "Of course it doesn't. That is, if these feelings were from the present. It's another story if they're from the future."
A silence falls onto the dining room, and I pick up my toast to take another bite. Damn, it has grown cold already.