Page 76 of Fangs and Fudge

I smiled and was about to tuck my phone into my pocket when I ran face-first into Shepard’s chest at the bottom of the stairs.

His arm wrapped around me to steady me as he plucked the phone from my fingers.

“He’s quite contrary, isn’t he?” Shepard asked, reading the text while holding me. “He wants me to keep you safe but would rather be apart from you for three hundred years than dine with me.”

“Like you’re any better?” I said in a whisper. “You say vampires and werewolves can’t be friends, yet here you are, having text conversations and desperate to meet him in person.”

Shepard released me and gave me a flat look.

“I wouldn’t have any interest in Cross if he’d leave you alone.”

“Liar,” I said with a smirk. “You keep stealing my phone. And I know you scrolled back to look at my message history. You didn’t get to where you are by being stupid. I know you know that Cross is different. Stop being so stubborn about it.”

“Being different doesn’t mean he’s safe,” Shepard said, handing my phone back. “Don’t let your guard down, Everly.”

“I won’t. It takes a lot to earn my trust.”

He nodded and tucked my arm into the crook of his elbow. “I came out here to tell you we’ve moved to the dining room.”

I let him escort me there and saw everyone else was already seated and waiting. Mrs. Hunter sat at one end and Mr. Hunter at the other. Vena sat to her Mom’s right with Miles between her and MC. I headed for the seat across from Vena.

Mrs. Hunter beamed at us as Shepard held out my chair for me. “You two look so good together.” Her gaze shifted to Miles. “You should switch seats with MC so he can sit next to your sister.”

Vena’s hand went under the table as Miles and MC started to rise. Miles immediately sat and smiled at his mom.

“I haven’t seen you and dad in weeks. If I sit here, I get to talk to both of you.”

Mrs. Hunter awwed and put a hand over her heart. I didn’t buy his bullcrap, though. Knowing Vena, she had her knife poking into his side.

I glanced at Shepard, who’d taken the seat next to me, and caught his slight head shake at MC.

Mr. Hunter passed MC the first dish, and conversation started back up with ease, sticking to the safe topic of their dig and current research.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t find the maps we were looking for, but you know how rare it is to come across maps today. It seems like everything’s already been discovered,” Mr. Hunter said.

“Maybe it’s time to start looking into what Grandma and Grandpa had been researching,” Miles said.

My gaze flew to him then to Mr. and Mrs. Hunter. The pair shared a look and glanced at the guests before smiling slightly and shaking their heads.

“A good researcher knows when to call something a dead end. My parents taught me that early on,” Mr. Hunter said.

“True,” Miles said. “But I don’t think it’s a dead end. I found a map that I think links to the book Grandpa was working on.”

Something thumped under the table. Although neither Vena nor Miles moved, I was pretty sure she’d just kicked him.

“Do you remember what was in that book? Something about stones, right?” Miles asked, undeterred.

Mr. Hunter leaned back in his chair and considered the table for a long moment before looking at Miles with an easy-going smile.

“It’s been a decade since I looked at it. And honestly, I’ve done so much research on other projects between then and now that I don’t really recall. Let’s go to the study after dinner and see what we can come up with.”

Miles nodded and continued eating. Vena looked like she wanted to murder him. MC and Shepard were sharing a look, not oblivious to the current underlying tension.

“Anyone up for billiards after dinner?” I asked, desperate for a change in topic.

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” Mrs. Hunter said. “We can save research for another day when we don’t have guests.”

Miles frowned at me, but I ignored him. Didn’t the idiot realize I was saving his life?

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