Page 21 of Consume Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #4)

Kendall

I never thought I’d see the day when my sister and I were sitting at the same table, both mated, both… happy. Okay, “happy” is a relative term when the two males sitting across from us look like they could brood the sun right out of the sky.

Tori’s mate, Legion, is every inch the predator of legends—tall, broad, and watching Noctan like he’s sizing him up for a sparring match instead of a dinner conversation.

And Noctan is doing the exact same thing right back.

The dragon and the wolf.

Gods help me.

I set my wine glass down, ready to defuse this with small talk, but Tori just smirks at them over the rim of her drink like she’s watching her favorite show.

It’s just the four of us tonight. I have a feeling Klyn and the others were told to make themselves scarce for this first dinner.

Noctan has no idea this is actually the calm before the storm. It’s all chaos from here on out .

“Isn’t this fun?” Tori whispers.

I gawk at her. “Our ideas of fun are very different, I think.”

She snickers, but the amusement fades fast as she glances at me. “I guess I wouldn’t know what you find fun these days.”

I wince. “Yeah, I deserve that. I’m sorry. Like I told you before?—”

“No, no, don’t explain again. I forgive you. I was just giving you a hard time.”

I exhale. “You should. I shut you out, and I shouldn’t have?—”

“Stop.” She sets her glass down and reaches across the table for my hand. “We’re moving forward. You’re happy. I’m happy. What do your visions tell you?”

I manage a smile at that. “That we have a lot more family dinners in our future.”

“See?” She sits back and picks up her wine again. “Now, we get to enjoy these two measuring their dicks until they bond like brothers.”

I try—and fail—to muffle a laugh.

But neither male shows any reaction to her words. Apparently, that would be against the rules of whatever standoff they’re in.

The silence lasts so long that it’s everything I can do not to laugh again.

Finally, Legion tilts his head. “You were in the Third Border War, weren’t you?”

Noctan nods once. “The last two years of it.”

Legion’s mouth quirks—barely. “I was there for the first three. Thought I knew every commander worth his salt, but I don’t remember your face.”

“Probably because I preferred the front lines to the war tent,” Noctan says evenly.

Legion chuckles, low and gravelly. “Fair. The men played by different battle rules back then.”

“A soldier had more honor,” Noctan agrees, his mouth twitching like he might almost smile.

And just like that, the tension eases a fraction. They dive into some shared war stories that sound equal parts horrifying and ridiculous—comparing battles, terrain, old commanders who apparently couldn’t strategize their way out of a paper bag.

It’s… weirdly adorable.

By the time the meal is halfway gone, they’re talking like they’ve known each other for decades instead of an hour.

Tori reaches across the table, nudging me with her fork. “So,” she says casually, “when’s the mating ceremony?”

I blink at her. “The what now?”

“You know—ceremony, feast, all your family and friends there to witness the bond. It’s a thing, Kendall. You should do it.”

I open my mouth to tell her I haven’t thought about it, but Noctan beats me to it. “We’d love to,” he says, as if the decision was already made.

I turn to him, eyebrows raised. “We would?”

“Of course,” he says without hesitation. “I want to share this with your family and friends. With everyone who matters to you. ”

There’s a warmth in my chest I can’t quite name, and I squeeze his thigh under the table.

“What about your friends?” Tori asks, and I tense.

Noctan’s gaze flicks to his plate. “I don’t have many of those left. And no family either.”

I slip my hand into his and squeeze.

Legion reaches over and claps him on the back so hard the plates rattle. “Then you’re stuck with us as family now.”

Tori beams at that. “He’s right. Besides, anyone who can pull Kendall out of her shell and get her to family dinner is worth keeping around.”

She winks at that, but I know she’s serious. If I say Noctan’s my family, then that’s that. And I love her for it. Especially after how distant I’ve been the last year and a half.

Warmth spreads through me in a slow, steady wave. I glance across the table at Noctan and find he’s already looking at me. The heat in his eyes says this —this moment, this strange and perfect dinner—is exactly where he wants to be.

“What about the primal hunt?” Legion asks suddenly, grinning like he just tossed a lit match into the middle of the table.

My face goes hot. I know exactly what that is, and the idea of Noctan making me come in front of everyone I know—and a lot of folks I don’t—is so forbidden that I almost choke on my wine.

Noctan’s gaze stays locked on mine, and the corner of his mouth curves into something dark and wicked. “Is this the public mating hunt you told me about? ”

“Noctan, we are?—”

“Absolutely doing that,” he says, drawing a hearty laugh from Legion and a giggle from my sister.

But I can only stare at the fae-wolf warrior beside me and try not to imagine us fucking in front of our friends and family.

Except that some small part of me thinks it’s deliciously hot, stripping naked where anyone can see.

Letting Noctan be the one to take me like that. So everyone knows I belong to him.

“What?” I squeak, breathless and a little turned on.

He winks at me. “I wouldn’t want you to miss out on any family traditions.”