Page 86 of Alpha Mates

I grab the first thing I can from the open fridge doors which, luckily for me, is the crate of eggs Aiden must’ve been digging for. Ducking behind the counter, I clutch one in my hand, ears straining for any sign of the enemy. Most of the flour has settled, but there are still wispy traces in the air that make for the perfect camouflage.

My nerves set in as I dare to peek over the counter. There’s no sign of movement.

“Are you scared?” I taunt, jumping around one corner, expecting to find Aiden crouched low. Nothing. I spin around, but he’s not behind me either. He’s nowhere.

“Looking for me?”

I jump with a shout, but before I can run, Aiden grabs the back of my shirt and, in the space of my stretched collar, dumps a lump of something freezing cold. I howl as cold needles stab my spine, and his laugh is pure wickedness.

“Your favourite’s chocolate, right?” he asks before another lump falls on my head. “Enjoy.”

Ice cream slides down my back, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting him pull another ninja act on me. I grab onto his arm, focusing on the mission at hand, and not what’s dripping into my waistband. Shouting, he tries to wiggle free, but I smash an egg straight into his face.

“What the—” he’s cut off by another egg to the mouth, and then another to his chest. Shaking with laughter, I pelt him with egg after egg, while I back up like a retreating tank.

“One got in my eye!” he shouts, waving his hands about, blindly trying to block my egg attack. “There’s yolk in my eye, Julian!”

“Yeah, well, there’s chocolate in my butt!” I shout back.

We’re both laughing now, sneezing and coughing too. All out of eggs, I drop the empty carton while Aiden tries to wipe the yolk from his eyes. He’s a white and yellow canvas, covered in chunky flour and lumps of egg. I’m no better, skin sticky with milk, and ice cream sliding where it definitely shouldn’t be.

“Are we done?” I ask breathlessly, my smile just as wide as his when he looks at me through one eye.

“Yeah, we’re done,” he pants, lifting a hand. “Shake on it?”

I eye him warily, but he only has one good eye left, so I nod and cross the room. We shake hands like adults, and when we pull apart, I take in the disaster zone for the first time. So maybe we got a little carried away.

A little?Alex retorts with a snort.Good luck cleaning this all up tonight.

I sigh. “How long do you think—”

A cold, hard slap to the face cuts me off mid-sentence and sends me stumbling back. I blink, confused by the strike that hadn’t been by a hand, but by something slippery … and fishy.

When I look at Aiden, he’s standing as stiff as me, eyes wide and lips quivering before he breaks into helpless laughter. Actual tears sprout fromhis eyes as he doubles over, and in his flour-covered hand … is a very familiar cut of fish.

“Is that …” I narrow my eyes. “Is that salmon?!”

His laughter dies instantly, fear washing his amusement away.

“Shit,” he curses before he takes off, but I’m right behind him.

“You had salmon?!” I roar, chasing him around the counter. “This entire time! You had salmon!”

“I forgot!” he shouts lamely, dashing into the living room. He’s running for his life but the salmon still in his grasp is like a red flag that sends me charging.

“See if you forget this!” I tackle him to the ground. We crash together, but I ignore the pain as I pin him to the ground.

“Hold up!” he starts, already begging for mercy as he tries to crawl away. “Julian, wait!” I drag him in by his hips and flip him over, grabbing the salmon off the floor as he lifts his hands in a meagre attempt to protect himself. The salmon becomes my whip, and I use it wisely.

“Wait!”Slap.

“Jewels!”Slap.

“Stop!”Slap.

When I’m satisfied, andonlywhen I’m satisfied, I drop the fish on his face and jab a finger between his eyes. They’re no longer so amused—more terrified.

“Don’t ever”—I poke his forehead—“evermess with my salmon.”