Page 6

Chapter Six

Xochil

‘F uck me. Nice save, ’ I mind-linked Miguel, when she finally turned away and continued working.

I watched her in silent awe. She was efficient and graceful. She thought on her feet and didn’t appear to give up or get frustrated easily. She would be a damn good luna.

And I was fucking lost.

How the fuck did one flirt with a human? All of my relationships were more like flings with women waiting for their mates, too. I never tried to win their hearts because I knew I would never give them mine. I always assumed whoever was mated to me would know what a mate was, and would fall into my arms when the full moon peaked and the bond snapped into place. Not only did I not know what the fuck I was doing, but I was having to censor myself because she knew nothing about what I was. It made an already difficult situation more complicated.

‘Just relax. You’re doing fine. She already looks more comfortable than earlier,’ he replied, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world while he munched on some bread.

He was right, though. She was very stiff and flustered at first, and now she looked more in her element. I watched her cook and hum a little tune I didn’t recognize, no doubt already looking like a love-struck fool for my mate.

“So, Aline, right?” Miguel asked, trying to get me to snap out of my daze.

Did I have drool falling down my mouth as I watched her ass sway while she worked? Probably.

“Correct,” she answered, placing a plate of food between us with a smile.

“What are these?” I asked, my mouth salivating at the smell.

But it wasn’t the food that was making me like this, not that it didn’t smell delicious. Even through all the aromas of the kitchen, I could still distinguish her orchid scent above the rest, and that was making me salivate for an entirely different reason.

“Bolinho de Bacalhau. They’re cod balls. I’ll start making you some main entrees,” she answered, then paused and looked at us with a thoughtful expression. “How much of the order had you planned to eat?”

“All of it,” I chuckled, making her eyes widen. “We’re big eaters.”

“Alright. Challenge accepted,” she joked and got to work, but stopped when Miguel moaned loudly.

“Sorry,” he replied and actually blushed when he realized he’d called the attention not just of my mate, but the entire kitchen. “These are really good. Aunt Celeste is the queen of Mexican food, and I think we just found the queen of Brazilian food,” he praised before taking another ball.

I glared at him and took one, the taste of it bursting into my mouth. I was definitely more of a meat-eater than Miguel, who enjoyed seafood a lot, but this was delicious.

“It’s amazing,” I concurred, grabbing another one and devouring it. “I could kiss you,” I blurted to Aline and widened my eyes when I realized what I just said.

“So, the key to your heart is food,” she chuckled.

“It sure is. She eats even more than me,” Miguel volunteered and made me glare at him again.

“How are you so skinny? Are you a workout junkie?” she asked me.

“Good genetics?” I answered weakly, hoping she didn’t see how I was starting to sweat. Being the future alpha basically meant I trained a lot and ate a lot.

Miguel and I ate the food between us, while Aline continued to cook. She was a beast. The most she ever stopped for, was to wash her hands when handling different meats. We stayed there all afternoon, chatting her up as she continued to work. I only managed to get her to stand still for ten minutes to eat some of the moqueca she made for us, before she went off again.

It was ten in the evening when she started trying to kick us out, and I thought that was partly because she was exhausted, and partly because she felt bad for keeping us here for so long. If only she knew there wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be.

“How can you guys not be bored by now? All you’ve done is watch me cook?” she asked.

“It’s fascinating to watch,” I answered, cringing at how dreamy I sounded.

“Plus, all the free food,” Miguel chuckled, rubbing his stomach.

“You two eat more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment,” I answered, sitting back. I was stuffed, but I didn’t care if I got a stomach ache for the first time in my life. I was going to stay here until I was physically forced away from her presence.

“It is. I wish I had your metabolism. Dessert?” she wagged her eyebrows playfully.

“If you’re offering,” I answered brightly, then hesitated. “We’re not being an actual hindrance, right?”

“No. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve had at work in a while. I’ve had a terrible month,” she answered as she placed a plate with different sweets on it between us.

“Why? What’s happened?” I asked.

“Ugh, take your pick. Aside from my two sous chefs getting Covid, my fridge taking a dump, feeling like I’ve been watched for weeks, the random collapse of my liquor shelves, my credit card machines randomly not working, having a bunch of waitresses find better jobs and leaving me shorthanded, the plumbing in my house has been acting up, and I’ve lost my credit card twice in one month.”

Alarm bells were ringing in my head, and from the lack of laughter from Miguel, I could tell he was thinking the same thing, too.

Aline took a deep breath and smiled sheepishly at me. “Sorry. That was a little more ranting than I meant to spew.”

“It’s all good. Everyone has those months,” I assured her.

“And it all started two months ago?” Miguel asked as casually as he could.

“Roughly,” she sighed and turned to continue cooking.

‘Have we gotten anything from Evie yet?’ I asked Miguel.

‘No.’

“It’s just been a rough month,” she continued, and my thoughts quickly went over her list to figure out what I could help her with.

“I have a friend who’s a plumber. I can have them come out and take a look at your issue. Free of charge,” I finally suggested.

“Oh, I couldn—” she started.

“I insist. We can head there after closing,” I interrupted.

“I don’t tend to get home until like two in the morning,” she countered, but I already knew that.

“They owe me a favor,” I lied.

‘Who knows how to fix plumbing?’ Miguel asked, making me grin.

I knew just the person.

‘Someone who’s conveniently in the city with their mate tonight.’

I winked as he stared at me with confusion, and then he seemed to catch on.

‘You think James is going to give up his one night a week without their pups to do plumbing?’

‘If I say pretty please?’

I pulled out my phone and texted James.

Me

Hey, I need a favor.

James

Sorry, cuz. I’m in the city with my mate.

Me

I know. I’m also in the city, remember? I need help with my mate.

James

Need a wingman?

Me

Sort of. I need a plumber.

James

I’m not a plumber.

Me

I was thinking about Zi. If she were willing.

Zi wasn’t a plumber, but she was alone for a long time, and I knew she had to be plumber, electrician, construction worker for the little apartment she rented for almost three years. She also knew enough magic to help her fix things whenever they broke down. She was my best chance.

I waited nervously for James to respond. I could have just texted Zi, but I didn’t want to make her feel like she had to. She was still fairly new to the family, and I didn’t want her to feel pressured to help. James was very protective of her, like a good mate should be, and had no trouble standing up for her if she felt pressured to do something.

It was a minute before he responded, and I sighed with relief at it.

James

She demands bragging rights for helping you out once your mate accepts you.

Me

Deal. We won’t need her until two in the morning, though. Is that a problem?

James

Nah. That works perfectly. Now we can eat, fuck and be ready to help.

Me

Gross, cousin.

James

Just keeping it real. Send me the address and time, and we’ll be there.

Me

Will do. Owe you big.

“It’s all set,” I told Aline, smiling at the shocked expression on her face.

“How did you manage that?”

“Promises of firstborns and all that.” I winked, making her laugh.

I continued to watch her and talk to her over the next few hours as she worked. Miguel was great at helping the conversation flow. I think he liked his future luna, because he kept volunteering to do shit for her. Not that she let us do anything. She kept saying it would be a health code violation to let us handle any of the food, and I couldn’t disagree with her.

Still, I felt fucking useless sitting in a chair while she worked her ass off, and I could feel the frustration rolling off Miguel at seeing his future luna working herself ragged, without being able to help, too. But we couldn’t do anything about it. Not yet, at least.

We did manage to help her clean up after closing, so long as we only jumped in after she’d put away all of the food. We were allowed to scrub that kitchen from top to bottom while she readied marinades for the following day.

We left her restaurant right after one in the morning, and I sent James the ping to her house. I sent Miguel back to the hotel so he could nap, but not before he made Aline promise to sneak us back to the chef’s table. Thank the Goddess for him, because if I couldn’t spend my nights with my mate yet, I wanted to at least spend the days by her side.

I followed her home, pretending not to know where she was going. I parked behind her this time and followed her inside her home. I inhaled deeply when I stepped inside, her scent so strong that it was all I could do not to groan out loud, while Erinda was a mess of purrs in the back of my head.

Her home was warm and cozy. Pictures of her and an older lady—her grandmother, I assumed—covered her walls. The pictures were always happy. Both women smiling at the camera in different settings. Some sort of recital when she was less than ten, homecoming, high school graduation, college graduations. Small, bright pieces of unique pottery complemented the memories.

“What degrees did you get?” I asked her as I continued to walk around her living room, tapping her graduation picture lightly.

“Bachelors and Master's in business management.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. I thought you might have gone to culinary school.”

“No. My avó was my culinary school,” she chuckled.

“Avó?”

“It means grandmother in Portuguese. She taught me everything she knew. I went to university to make sure that when I opened a restaurant, I wasn’t going to mismanage it into bankruptcy.”

“Smart,” I muttered.

I did something similar, needing to keep the pack part of Dad’s business afloat after the position was passed onto me.

“It was something. I struggled with a few classes. If it hadn’t been for a few classmates taking the time to help me, I’m not sure I’d have made it.”

“Everyone needs help every now and then,” I shrugged.

And to prove my point, my phone beeped, letting me know James and Zi were here. I heard a timid knock on the door a minute later, and I nodded at Aline when she gave me a questioning look.

“Hi! I’m Ziomara, and this is my husband, James. We’re here about some plumbing issues?”

“Hi! Come on in!” Aline pushed the door open and ushered them in.

James winked at me as she escorted them into the living room, giving me a discreet thumbs up.

“You have a lovely home, L—sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” Zi said.

“Aline. And thank you. I’ve been here for a few years, so I’ve slowly made it home.”

Home is with us, Erinda whimpered, but I ignored her.

“You own or rent?” James asked.

“Rent. Sadly, I work most of the day, so I never have time to get my landlord to come over. I don’t even know why you would be willing to come here at this hour.”

“It’s always nice to be owed a favor by a cousin. Never know when you need free babysitting,” James teased.

“Don’t listen to him. We were up and in the city,” Zi assured her.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Aline told them.

“Don’t thank us before you tell us what the issue is, so I can tell you if I’ll be able to help,” Zi dismissed the thanks with a smile.

“Wa-wait, you? I thought…” Aline stopped, looking from James to Zi.

“James? Nah, he’s an upper-middle-class white dude. He’s never had to change a light bulb,” Zi made fun of her mate, who narrowed his eyes at her.

“That was mean, Zi,’ he grumbled.

“But not untrue,” she pointed out, with a bop to his nose, and laughed when James pouted.

We’d all led a pretty privileged lifestyle for sure. We were incredibly lucky.

I was going to follow after Aline as she led Zi to a door in the middle of her hall, but James called my attention with a nod of his head, so I walked over to the kitchen and sat on a chair.

“She’s beautiful. How are things going?” he whispered.

“Okay. I think? I’ve never had to woo, and this whole ‘she doesn’t know about our world’ is definitely a curve ball I wasn’t expecting,” I whispered back with a sigh.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“About wooing my mate?” I asked, but he shook his head quickly before I could get offended.

“Are you sure she doesn’t know about our world?”

“Pretty sure? I let the word ‘mate’ slip earlier, and she asked if I was Australian.”

“Zi mind-linked the moment she met her. There’s some kind of magic she can’t recognize around her.”

My eyebrows furrowed, and I frowned. I thought I felt something a few times through the day, but I couldn’t sense magic the same way other magic users could. Was she a witch? Is that why Zi, who was half witch, could sense it?

“Can she tell me anything else?”

James’ eyes glazed over as he mind-linked his mate, but shook his head when it cleared.

“She can’t tell. She recommended something you’re not going to like, though,” he told me with a smirk.

“What’s that?”

“Meet the parents. Uncle Helios can recognize a lot more magic types than she can,” he answered.

“Seriously,” I blurted a little too loudly. I looked over to make sure I hadn’t called Aline’s attention, then continued in a lower voice, “Seriously? I barely got her name today, and you want me to bring Dad out?”

“It’s a suggestion. Zi can sense it, but she’s only part witch, and she lost her parents before she completed her training. Uncle Helios has been a lot of help with her powers while they worked on making all the mal de ojo(evil eye) protection charms. There’s a lot she doesn’t know.”

“I’ll think of something,” I sighed. This was getting more complicated by the minute.

We were still talking when I heard a noise around the back. I knew I wasn’t imagining it when James also perked up and let his wolf forward. I turned around, saw movement in her backyard and bolted outside, but I didn’t see anyone.

“Maybe it was a cat?” I suggested quietly, but Erinda’s hackles were raised, and she didn’t freak out over cats.

“I saw a foot going over the fence, but I can’t really go chase after them with her not knowing what we are,” he told me, looking frustrated.

“Alright, that’s all done. It was an easy fix,” Zi said from the hallway.

“What’s going on?” Aline asked, as she and Zi walked into the living room.

“There was someone in your yard. Do people usually come into your yard this late?” I asked.

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing. I mean, it was, but if she wasn’t aware that she had a stalker, this was a good way to bring it up, and I could maybe even get an in, so she wasn’t alone.

“No. Are you sure it was a person?” she asked, her face looking ashen as she considered it.

I recalled her saying she felt like she was being watched when she was rambling at the restaurant. This might be the confirmation she was fearing.

“I saw a foot with a sneaker jumping over the fence,” James confirmed.

“You said you’d been feeling like someone was watching you at the restaurant. Maybe you have a stalker? Has there been anyone hanging out at the restaurant too long?” I asked.

“You mean besides you and Miguel?” she managed to tease for a moment, but I could see the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Oooh, shots fired,” James laughed.

I pursed my lips as I pretended to glare at her, though I could feel the smile tugging at my lips, so I wasn’t pulling it off too well.

“I like her,” Zi added, and I shook my head.

“I was invited to the chef’s table. So, I wasn’t stalking,” I lied.

“I don’t think there’s been anyone, but…” she bit her lip.

“What?” I asked.

“Every now and then, I get a few really angry people in the restaurant, but who has the time to hold that kind of a grudge?”

“You’d be surprised,” James sighed.

“So, what do I do?” she asked, looking vulnerable.

“Do you have a security system of sorts?” I asked.

“Bolt on the door…” she trailed off, motioning weakly to her front door.

“Is there anyone who can stay with you during the night?” Zi asked, giving me the tiniest wink when Aline looked away from her.

That woman was Goddess-sent, and I was going to buy her anything she wanted.

“No. My avó is in Brazil.”

“Well, why don’t I stay with you to make sure they don’t come back, and tomorrow, while you go prep for the day, Miguel and I will go get you a security system. We can install it while you work?” I volunteered.

“Oh, I couldn’—you’ve already gone above and beyond to help me. I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she replied, shaking her head.

“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering,” I pointed out.

“I thought you said you had to get something from the city?”

Yep, you, I thought.

“I do, but this is more important,” I lied instead.

“But you don’t even know me?”

“We talked for almost twelve hours. Besides, we’re talking about your safety. That’s more important than a business deal.”

Aline turned around and stared at the wall, thinking. I felt that sudden tiny awareness that I completely ignored earlier, and when I looked at Zi, she gave me a tiny nod, letting me know she felt it, too.

“Alright. If it’s not too big of an imposition. I would feel safer knowing I’m not alone in the house,” Aline finally replied.

I smiled so wide I thought my face might be split in half.

“Alright. We’re going to head out. If you need any help, let me know, Xochil. I may not be able to fix the plumbing, but I can help with security,” James mentioned, shooting a glare at Zi, who giggled at him.

“You guys are so nice. I can’t believe you’re doing so much for me after one meeting,” Aline said, looking a little emotional.

“We take care of our family and friends,” James answered.

“But I’m neither,” she countered.

“You’re her friend, and she’s family, so that makes you family,” he explained.

Aline was beginning to look overwhelmed, so I jerked my head a little to James so he would leave. I had a feeling she was not just overwhelmed because she felt alone, but that she was tired, which made it harder for her to process everything that was happening.

“We’re going to head out. Call if you need anything, Xochil,” he said, taking the hint.

“Will do. Thanks.” I hugged him and walked them over to the door.

“She’s lovely,” Zi whispered as she hugged me goodbye.

I could only smile, agreeing completely.

I immediately felt my phone vibrate after closing the door, and then it was vibrating so much I pulled it out and grinned, as the cousin group chat exploded. Those few who were still awake at this hour where pouting when James showed off that he’d met my mate, while Elim asked to be caught up on what was happening. As a vampire, Miguel’s cousin tended to miss a lot of the chaos that happened in the chat during the day.

“The spare be—” Aline started, but I interrupted.

“I’ll sleep on the couch. Just in case,” I told her.

“But we should be fine. If they know I’m not alone, they’ll give it up. The spare bed is more comfortable,” she argued.

“I’ll be okay. The couch is between the back door and the bedrooms.” Erinda wouldn’t sleep unless she knew Aline was safe.

“Okay,” she finally relented.

She looked dead on her feet, which I think helped convince her to give in. She left and came back a couple of minutes later with blankets and pillows.

“Make yourself at home. I’m going to shower,” she told me.

“Thank you. What time are you up in the morning?” I asked.

“I need to meet the produce vendor at eight-thirtyish, so I’ll be up around seven.”

“It’s almost four in the morning,” I told her, frowning.

“Yeah,” she sighed, giving me a weak smile.

She turned around and walked back into her room. A few moments later, I saw her walking into the bathroom wearing a robe.

I swallowed a whimper as she turned, and her robe opened a little to reveal luscious, thick thighs. It was torture to have her so close and not be able to show her how much I wanted her, but I needed to think of the bigger picture. So, instead of trying to join her in the shower, I lay out the blankets and pillows, and tried to make myself comfortable. One thing about being petite was that I could fit on the couch easily.

I was awake until I heard her go back to her room, and I groaned silently as the steam billowed out of the bathroom and reached me. She smelled so fucking good.