Page 40 of Midnight Rules
Riley and Griffin were smiling, which seemed odd because Iven had all but threatened Kinnison.
Marric came down the stairs at the same time someone knocked on the door. And Kinnison was left to stew in his own juices.
Marric went right to Iven and wrapped his arms around his middle. “I heard what you said to my dad.”
“Little eavesdropper.” Iven rubbed Marric’s back and let him bury his face in the crook of Iven’s neck.
“Thank you,” Marric whispered.
“For what?”
“For sticking with me. I know I come with baggage.” Marric made it sound as though it was a hardship, but so far, the only part that was hard had been finding the bad guys and keeping Marric safe and healthy.
Kinnison met Iven’s gaze. He didn’t look happy, but he seemed resigned. “How many beds will your crew need?”
“Four. If you’ve got them.”
Someone knocked. Kinnison answered and let Cass into the house.
Cass sought Riley out with his gaze first before dropping four duffle bags near the door.
“Alpha.”
Kinnison nodded. “I’ll need to talk with you about your pack. I might need their help with security around here.”
Cass frowned even as he drew Riley against him. “What about your pack?”
“Looks like they’ve turned on me.”
Someone knocked again. Marric went to answer the door. Zinnie and Maggie walked in.
“I have your back, Ransome. I might be old, but my aim is still good and I ain’t afraid of prison.” Maggie held out her hand and waited for Kinnison to take it. “I’m Maggie. The Gran to this lot.”
“Might as well add one more to your count, Maggie.” Griffin met Iven’s gaze and winked. “We gained a little brother in the last hour.”
Marric squeezed Iven even more.
Maggie shrugged. “The more the merrier, I always say.”
Cass shook his head and whispered to Riley, but it was in a loud, playful way intended for everyone to hear. “I’ve never heard her say that. Not one time while growing up.”
“That’s because we hadn’t expanded our family yet.” Maggie met Kinnison’s gaze. “If you’re not aware, our lot are all smart asses. You’ll just have to get used to it.”
Kinnison smiled for the second time since meeting Iven. It was Maggie who made Kinnison come out of his angry shell.
Marric met Iven’s gaze, pulling him away from the happenings around them. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t really have to. The longing in his eyes was enough to let Iven know he was unsure of Iven’s emotional state.
“What’s wrong?”
Marric bit his lip. “Can we talk about it in private?”
“Sure.” Iven turned to grab his bag, but then he let Marric pull him toward the stairs.
“Good night, everyone.”
Kinnison sighed. “I guess I have beds to make up.”
“You will do no such thing. Point me in the right direction. I’ll do the rest,” Maggie said.
