Page 128 of Blood in the Water

“He comes and goes. He doesn’t keep to set hours.”

They continued moving around the kitchen, preparing plates, joking, and acting like Leona was already fully accepted into their home.

How the fuck did all this seem so natural?

I was still under the impression that we owed the Shadows big time. These were fucking assassins. And here they were, makingpastatogether?

What had I missed?

“Oh, Ciel!” Leona called, glancing behind me. Another Shadow walked into the kitchen, shirtless and rubbing his eyes under his glasses. This was the hacker; I remembered him from the van. “Want some pasta?”

His eyes flicked to me with a hesitant glance. Then he looked back to Leona and nodded.

She pulled another bowl from the cupboard and dished another portion.

“So now that Cas is awake, I’d like to speak with you all,” Leona said once they sat around the table with their plates. Ryuji had hovered on the edge of the kitchen like he thought he should leave, but he didn’t want to. Ciel still hadn’t spoken a word. Wynn was already halfway through his bowl.

And I sat on my stool at the island, watching it all with a bewildered look. It felt like I was playing weeks’ worth of catch up.

“You’re going to talk our ears off, aren’t you?” Ryuji crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window.

My hackles raised, but Leona just smiled at him. “Oh, Ryuji, I don’t know if you noticed, but the stick in your ass is showing.”

Ciel snorted.

My mouth quirked up into a little smile.That’s my girl. She never lets anyone give her shit.

He huffed, but I didn’t miss the ghost of a smile on his face.

“What do you want to talk about, darling?” Wynn asked. I blinked. There it was again.Darling.

“I have a proposal for you all.”

The three of them chewed their food while I sucked in a breath.

“Boring,” Ryuji said as he pushed off the wall.

She rolled her eyes. “I spoke with Obi.” That had them all looking her way. Where was Obi? The mysterious leader. “And I have ideas. Plans. Now that Cas is awake, I want the opportunity to share them with you all. If you agree, then we agree. If you don’t, then Cas and I move on. No hard feelings.” She placed her fork in the bowl and rested her elbows on the table. “Will you at least hear me out?”

“Of course,” Wynn said first.

Leona turned to Ciel, and he nodded. “Yes.”

Then she turned expectantly to Ryuji.

“Fine.” He sighed dramatically but winked at the last second.

“Excellent.” She said as she pushed up from the table. “Tonight.”

She floated around the kitchen, cleaning up, while the Shadows started talking about something I didn’t give a shit about. I couldn’t help but be locked into her every movement and how comfortable she felt here. Leona didn’t even do this in herownhouse. She’d grown up with housekeepers, staff, and people to take care of everything for her. But now she was making food and loading a dishwasher.

I didn’t quite know what to make of it.

On top of feeling a little left behind, I felt a sliver of happiness. She looked at ease. Something she hadn’t felt in months.

Ryuji stomped over, complaining about her washing his favorite mug wrong. He plucked it from her hand, and in response, Leona trailed her hand lazily down Ryuji’s arm. Their eyes locked. My eyebrows lifted in surprise. I couldn’t tell if the look she gave him was more lust or more hate.

Finally, all these casual touches, this friendly and inviting atmosphere, was just too damn much for my brain to process on its own.