Page 11 of Claiming Xan (Shifters of Greymercy #7)

RIVER

Tonight was family dinner night, the night when Gracie invited all of her adult children, their significant others, and the kids to enjoy a home-cooked meal and some company.

Of course, the house smelled heavenly, of roast lamb and rosemary-garlic potatoes, and something with a hint of cinnamon—maybe a pie? Knowing Gracie, it was probably a four-course dinner. Only the best for her progeny.

Which meant I’d be sitting this one out. I was the farthest thing from family there was, and that was fine with me. Even if my stomach was growling something awful…

Xan had dragged me out of the sanctum of my room and into the living room to play video games—“To pass the time,” he’d said—though all it did was make me even more aware of my unwanted presence here in Gracie’s home.

The black sheep that she didn’t want her son fraternizing with.

Apparently, Xan didn’t care about what she wanted. He was bound and determined to make a lasting impression on me.

And damn it, it was working.

If I’d thought he’d been flirting the other day? He was laying it on thick tonight and I had absolutely zero idea what to do with that information. I needed to behave myself, especially with Gracie in the next room.

“C’mon, River,” Xan taunted me, his character knocking mine off a cliff with a few well-aimed “Falcon Punch!”’s until poor Link spiraled into oblivion.

I lost a life. Xan crowed with delight. I growled back and fisted my hands around the controller, zeroing in on the screen.

“Watch it,” I muttered.

“Watch it?” he retorted. “You’re the one with the losing streak, not me! We’re playing Smash Bros, so come over here and smash me!” He erupted into hyena giggles, his feet kicking off the edge of the couch.

He shouted with triumph as Link once again died in a fiery explosion, this time due to a bomb, and the victor was announced—Xan, of course. It was always Xan.

“You really need to up your game, babe,” he said, waggling his fingers at me. “Here, let me give you a few pointers.” He reached for my controller, but I snatched it away. He fell into me instead. “Hey!”

Somehow, we ended up on the floor, wrestling over control of the controller—but suddenly, I didn’t care about the game.

My attention was fully focused on Xan and the heat of his small body against mine, the way it felt rubbing against me in all the right places as he practically straddled me to pin me to the wooden floorboards.

I found myself face to face with the beautiful Omega, his lips curling into a wicked grin, both of us breathing heavily from the impromptu workout. I stared up at him, almost shell-shocked, which gave him the chance to steal the controller from me.

“Mine!” he barked—but my gaze cut to Gracie, who stood in the doorway, glaring daggers straight into my soul.

A warning.

With a growl, I rolled over and dumped Xan onto the floor, then stood and dusted my pants off. My face burned hot as embers. Fuck. I was trying to be good.

“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. She stared 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.”

“Screw Link, I’m going with Captain Falcon,” I replied drolly, but my lip twitched.

“So deal?” Xan countered.

“Deal.”