Page 20 of Claiming Xan
“Xan, I need you to help me with dinner,” Gracie said, her tone clipped, before her footsteps disappeared into the kitchen.
I turned to look at Xan, who offered me a sheepish smile and a shrug, his own cheeks flushed pink and his lips looking damn kissable—no. I couldn’t think like that.
“Go help your mom,” I muttered, grabbing the controller. I sat down to start up a solo game, but my heart wasn’t in it.
Especially not once the company began to arrive.
There was a small commotion at the front door before a small, sweet voice called out, “Uncle Xanny!” and little footsteps clapped across the hardwood.
I peered around the corner in time to see a little girl with frizzy brunette curls in a butter-yellow sundress run towards Xan, her arms outstretched.
Xan knelt down on the floor and held out his arms as well. The child collided with his chest with a giggle and hugged him around the neck. He squeezed her close, kissing the top of her head.
“Izzy! How are you doing, my lil’ princess?”
She beamed up at him, her cheeks rosy. “Good. I got a new kitten! Her name is Squeaker and she’s all black and gray with stripes, and white on her tail. She’s so cute. You come and see her at my house soon, Uncle Xanny?”
Xan grinned. “Of course, princess.” He gentle untangled her arms from around his neck and stood, ruffling her mop of hair. She continued to babble at him.
I leaned against the doorway, content to watch them, until the little girl noticed me. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean. Shestared into my soul in a way that only small children and felines could.
“Hi! Are you Uncle Xanny’s friend?” she burst out.
Her parents exchanged a nervous glance.
Xan took Izzy by the hand and began leading her over to me. “Yeah. This is River. He’s?—”
“Xan,” Xan’s sister, Quinn, said warningly, like I was a cobra that might strike her daughter…or a beast that might maul her. I set my jaw, but held my ground.
Xan growled. “Jesus, Quinn! He’s not going to wolf-out and eat her. Chill.”
Izzy, oblivious to the tension, smiled up at me with childlike innocence. “Hi. Are you gonna be my uncle too, like Uncle Nevin is my uncle now?”
I gaped down at her, unable to form words. Xan choked on a laugh and quickly tried to change the subject. “Sooo, how is school going, Isobel? Getting straight A’s?”
I didn’t miss way that Quinn came over to tug her daughter away from me and back to safety. Or the blatant look she gave me, her smile tight but her eyes sharp. It was obvious—when it came to her daughter, she would end this world for her.
She would end me, too. I heard the warning, plain as day.
I nodded, once, and retreated back into the living room. My stomach knotted. I wasn’t hungry anymore. I flopped down on the couch and tugged my knees to my chest with a soft sigh.
Instead of following his sister into the dining room, Xan joined me. “Sorry about that…” he murmured. “Kids, am I right?”
I looked at him, my expression devoid of humor. “Your sister doesn’t trust me. Neither does your mom. Are you seeing a trend? Why do you bother?” I asked him.
He frowned. “River.”
“Really, Xan. Why?” I gritted my teeth and swallowed back the growl threatening to rise up and fill the room with pain and anger. “You could have anyone you want, and you choose to give your attention to me. I don’t get it. I certainly don’t deserve it,” I snapped. “I’m just a?—”
“Stop.” Xan held up a hand. “Don’t say it, because it’s not true. You’re not a monster, or a beast, or feral or any of those things. You’re just misunderstood. That’s all,” he said, his voice more tender than I’d ever heard it. “You’ve been dealt a shitty hand in life and you react sharply. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. It means you’ve got rough edges, but rough edges can be sanded down. I?—”
“Xan! Dinner!” Gracie’s voice called from the other room.
Xan rolled his lips together, then held out a hand to me. “C’mon.”
“No.” I gave my head a small shake. “Go ahead. Enjoy your family dinner. I don’t belong there and we both know it.” I huffed out a breath and settled back in on the couch, expecting Xan to stand up and leave, and that would be that.
Xan stood. But instead of walking away, he planted his hands on his hips and stared down at me. “Fine, but I want a rematch after dinner. Understood? Link deserves a second chance.”
