Page 33 of Caelum

“Think they’ll sort Dre’s leg out while he’s out of it?” Stefan asked, changing the subject.

“How can they? It’s not like there’s much they can do,” Eren replied. “Douche shouldn’t keep twisting it.”

“Like it’s his fault. You know those fuckers aim for it every time they try to knock him out.”

“Then he should build up his defenses,” Eren retorted, his words and tone lacking pity.

Dre was an odd duck. Life had made him hard, and even though he was a brother and I loved him like that, he wasn’t a friend.

An admission that truly saddened me if I were being honest. He never let us close, and while I got it—my past hadn’t been a picnic either—he just pushed us too far.

“What’s wrong with Alexandre’s leg?” Eve inquired, pausing in her meal to drink some of her cold coffee. When she slurped some down through a straw, my mind went dirty again, but it was only doubled when she moaned as the taste hit.

“First time for coffee?” I rasped, trying not to be a lech.

“Wow, that’s awesome,” she whispered, eying the glass like it was crack cocaine and she was a junkie.

I guessed she was. A coffee nut in the making, at any rate.

That compound of hers was sounding worse and worse.

Salt and pepper were out of the picture, and a predominantly vegetable diet? Talk about sucking. Although it explained something…

If her food was so boring, it was, without a doubt, not processed. That had probably helped her stay sane all these years. Or, at least, stay under the radar.

Stefan laughed. “I wonder if you’ll like hot chocolate.”

“What woman doesn’t?” Eren teased, and his eyes twinkled. “Chocolate is a girl’s best friend.”

I snorted. “Speak for yourself.” My mouth watered. “What I wouldn’t give for somebrigadeiros.”

“What are they?” she questioned.

“They’re from my country,” I explained. “It’s a Brazilian treat. They’re little chocolate truffles that are just heaven. I wish they served them here but… beggars can’t be choosers.” I winked at her, touched by her sincerity as she studied me.

It sounded nuts, but I knew she was absorbing every single word I said, and I found that I liked that. I figured it was an ego stroke, but more than that, she gave a shit. Not many people had ever given that much of a damn about me, and Eve’s interest was pretty fucking nice. She’d Chosen Stefan, but he was a man I considered a brother, and once we were of age, we’d be an official Pack. That meant Eve would be around the rest of us all the time.

At first, that prospect had filled me with dread, but after spending a few days with her, I had to concede that she was sweet, generally gave a shit about people, and was actually quite entertaining. As well as being a walking turn-on… that helped too.

“Chocolate. I don’t think I’ve had that,” she stated softly.

“By the sounds of it, you haven’t tried much,” Eren quipped, but his eyes were kind. “Stick with us, Eve, we’ll be your food Yodas.”

I raised a hand. “Don’t get us started on Yoda. We’ll introduce you toStar Wars. Fear not.”

“Should I be scared?” Her eyes were wide, but there was a twitch to her mouth that told me she was teasing me back.

“Probably. When I make you watch a marathon of it, anyway.”

“Star Wars…” She pursed her lips. “Does sound scary.”

“Only the costumes in the old movies are terrifying,” Stefan joked, and I flipped him the bird. He knew they were my favorite movies and always messed with me.

“Anyway,” I grumbled. “Dre’s leg… when he was young, he was in an accident. It was a bad one, and he wrecked his knee, but the crash almost killed him. It’s been weak ever since.”

“That’s sad,” she replied, her brow puckering with distress.

Eren shrugged. “We all have pasts like that, Eve. Sob stories are common in Caelum.”

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