These Wondrous Moments (Fates)

5. Ellis

Ellis

I pull up the driveway in my Jeep and park it in my usual spot. The tulips Cade planted last fall are starting to pop their green little heads above the dirt and they line the path to the stairs in spiky sentry. The air is still chilly, but the warmth from the sun promises warmer weather to come.

The renovations on the house are finally complete. I’ve been shopping and decorating my little library like a fiend. It’s been a form of healing for me, to reclaim the thing I love most. I grab the bags from the back of my car, the most recent decorations I bought, and trudge up the steps.

I’m surprised to find Kai on the couch scrolling through his phone. It’s still a little early for him to be up. I drop the bags on the floor, shaking out my hands and walk over to him.

“Good morning,” I say, leaning down to kiss him.

He hums and tugs me onto his lap, deepening the kiss. “It certainly is a good morning,” he murmurs when he finally pulls away.

I laugh softly, running my fingers through his black hair. When I take a breath, I catch a whiff of something smoky and acrid. “Is something burning?”

Kai’s gray eyes go impossibly wide, and he throws me off his lap onto the couch. “My cookies!” he shouts, jumping up and dashing into the kitchen.

I scramble to my feet and follow him. Smoke fills the air, and I cough. I’m shocked the smoke detector hasn’t gone off yet. I quickly open the window and flap a towel around to clear the air. Kai swears as he opens the oven and pulls out a tray, letting it clatter on top of the stove.

I step up next to him and stare. “What … what was it supposed to be?” I know he said cookies, but that doesn’t look like cookies. More like blackened crisps of cookie shrapnel.

“Chocolate chip cookies,” he mutters.

I glance at him and find him sticking his lower lip out in a pout. “Okay, well something went wrong. Walk me through what you did.”

He crosses his arms and glares at the supposed cookies. “I followed the recipe exactly. They looked perfect when I put them in. I’m positive the oven was set to the right temperature. I triple checked it. I set an alarm for halfway through and came in and flipped them, then put them back in to finish.”

I gape at him, not sure I heard him correctly. “You … you flipped them?”

He nods, frowning at me. “Yeah. So the other side could cook too.”

My lips tug toward a smile, but I hold it back. I’m not sure I do a good job at keeping my voice from hiding the laughter. It shakes a little as I say, “You aren’t supposed to flip cookies.”

“But you flip pancakes.”

“Cookies aren’t pancakes, babe. They cook through because they are in the oven, where it’s hot. Pancakes only get hot on the bottom so you have to flip them.”

He narrows his gaze at me. “You’re laughing at me.”

“No I’m not, I’m …” I trail off as he slumps away, and I grab his wrist, turning him to face me. “Kai. I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I know how hard you’re trying, and I admire that you’re not giving up.”

“I just …” He pulls out of my grasp and leans against the pantry, sliding down to sit on the floor. “I just want to be of use to you.”

My heart cracks at the despair in his voice. Sitting in his lap, I take his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “What does that mean, Kai?”

“Cade and Sterling provide for you. They cook for you and do things that you need them to. I’m just … here. Useless. I can’t even go out in the sunlight, so you have to work your schedule around me. I just feel like … like a burden.”

“Where in the world is this coming from, Kai? You are so not a burden. And let’s be honest, Sterling doesn’t cook. He makes sandwiches. There’s a big difference. And the nighttime living, I don’t mind it. I actually prefer it. I feel like I’m closer to you guys because of it. I don’t have to share you with the rest of the world as much as I would if we lived during the daylight. I don’t like sharing you guys.”

He smiles, but it looks forced. “I just don’t know what I’m doing for you. I feel like I don’t have a purpose.”

“You have no idea how much you do for me, Kai. You’re the first person to make me laugh. Do you know how long I went without laughing? Even before Sam, I hadn’t laughed since my mom died. You’re the one who’s able to pull me out of whatever funk I’m in and make me laugh.” I brush my thumb along his cheek, staring into his gray eyes. “But, Kai, you are one third of my soul. If I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t be complete. I’d be wandering the world lost and missing something vitally important to me.”

He searches my face like he’s looking for the truth, and I let him see it all. I have to remind myself that even though he’s immortal, even though he’s this big, bad, scary vampire, he still has feelings and insecurities. And Kai has always been more vulnerable than others. Maybe that’s the empath in him, but whatever it is, I need to remember to make sure he understands at all times that he is my entire world. All three of them are.

“I love that you’re learning how to cook. I think it’s fun, and it’s something different for you. But I don’t want you to do it just because you think it’s a way of providing for me. Because you don’t need to do anything to provide for me. You do that just by being you. My Kai. My beloved.”

His face softens and he rests his forehead against mine. “Thank you,” he whispers.

“I love you, Malakai Thorne. Even if you can’t cook.”

I move to straddle his waist, kissing him to make him forget this ridiculous notion that he’s useless. It doesn’t take long for him to succumb to his desire. His fingers tangle in my hair and he groans as I rock my hips against his.

“I’m sure this is a health code violation,” Cade says, coming into the kitchen.

Kai laughs, and relief spreads through me seeing the glimmer back in his eyes. “Care to join us?” he asks, grinning wickedly at Cade.

Cade looks tempted but he shakes his head. “Can’t. And neither can you.” He raises an eyebrow at Kai, trying to convey a message.

“Shit,” Kai says. “I forgot.” He kisses me once, then stands, setting me on my feet. “Raincheck?” he asks.

“What are you two doing?” I glance between them and laugh at their attempt at looking innocent. “Whatever it is, please be careful?”

“Always,” Cade says with a smile, leaning forward to kiss me.

They disappear outside, and I hear Cade’s Corvette rumble to life. Sighing, I look at the mess Kai left in the kitchen and set to cleaning it up. I don’t know what he does when he’s cooking, but he certainly makes a mess. I’m just finishing when my cell rings. I see Sterling’s smiling face and swipe to answer.

“Hey,” I say with a smile.

“How’s it going, kitten?”

“Pretty good. I just finished cleaning the kitchen. Kai tried to make cookies.”

Sterling chuckles. “And he made you clean up the mess? I should kick his ass for that.”

“I don’t mind. Besides, he and Cade left. They were being weirdly secretive.”

“They did? What time is it?” Rustling comes through the speaker, and before I can answer him, he says, “Oh shit. Hey, I have to go. I’ll be home a bit later. Do you need me to pick anything up on the way home?”

I narrow my eyes and hum. “What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing. I just … I have another meeting I forgot about.”

“Uh huh, sure. You go do your thing. I’ll be here. Lonely. All by myself. Missing my guys.”

Sterling laughs. “That’s tempting, but you’ll have to try harder.”

“Whatever,” I huff. “I’ll see you later.”

“Love you, Ellis.” He hangs up before I can say it back.

Whatever they are doing, I’m sure it has to do with me. They’re always doing things to surprise me. Like for Valentine’s Day, when they took me back to the lake for a candlelit dinner and a repeat of the first time. Or the random flowers they bring home. Or when they set-up a drive-in movie against the side of the cabin and Cade heated a small bubble of air for us to watch a movie with the snow falling all around us.

Instead of wondering and trying to think of all the possibilities, I pick up my bags and head to my library. The pale gray walls with gold and pink accents instantly loosens my shoulders. Peace settles over me, and I set my bags down and begin pulling things out to decorate.

Fake plants—because I can’t keep real ones alive—little wolf statues, bats, and hearts. All things that remind me of my guys. I set a golden wolf statue howling at the moon on the coffee table next to a fake succulent and sit on the overstuffed pink couch.

If the guys are going to stay out and do secretive things, I’ll hole up in my library and read. Sounds like a perfect way to spend my time.

“You ready?” Kai asks, popping his head into the bathroom.

“Almost,” I smile at him in the mirror and put the finishing touches on my makeup. “There. Ready.”

His gray eyes trail over my body as I turn around to face him. “You look amazing.” He pulls me toward him and nuzzles his face into my neck. “You smell amazing, too.”

I giggle and push him away. “Not now, Kai. We’re going to be late.”

“So?” He presses me backward against the wall, all of his body lined up with mine.

I try to remember why we have to leave, but it’s hard with Kai invading my senses. “Kai,” I protest, but it’s breathy and weak. And his fingers trailing under my shirt, tracing the soft skin of my stomach only make it even harder to gather my wits about me. But somehow I do. “Kai,” I say again, this time stronger. “Kai, we have to go.”

He sighs, his breath warming the side of my neck, but he steps back. “I know. Next time we go out, don’t look so fucking good,” he mutters as he walks away.

In the Hummer, Kai keeps glancing at me from the corner of his eyes, and I can't help but smile. I’m not dressed particularly sexy tonight. Just a pair of ripped jeans, a white tee that shows just a sliver of my belly, a black leather jacket, and a pair of leopard print flats. I pulled the top half of my hair into a messy bun to keep it out of my face, and my makeup is simple.

“You should probably keep your eyes on the road,” I tease.

His lips twitch, but his gaze once again travels to me. “I’m trying.”

“Maybe I should drive then.”

“You can drive on the way home. I’m having a hell of a time keeping my hands to myself.”

I shake my head and put on an air of seriousness. “What were you guys doing the other night?”

“When?” he asks, face a mask of innocence.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You, Cade, and Sterling were out late doing something secretive.”

“I have no idea what Sterling was doing, but Cade and I went on a date.” His lips just barely twitch, and he blinks rapidly three times.

“Uh huh. You’re a horrible liar, Kai.”

“I am not!”

“Then what did you guys do?” I turn in my seat to more fully face him, crossing my arms over my chest like I’m angry.

“We uh … we went to dinner and a movie.”

“Dinner, huh? What did you eat?”

His hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter, and I have to fight to keep a straight face. “Steak.”

“Oh. How was it?”

“A little dry, actually.”

“ You ate a steak? Seems a little suspicious to me.”

“N-no. I didn’t. That’s just what Cade said.” He swallows, his throat bobbing with the movement.

“Riiight. And what movie did you see?”

“That new one.”

“Of course. That narrows it down.”

“The one with that guy in it. And the cars. And lots of explosions.”

“Seems memorable. Must not have been any good.”

He shrugs. “It was okay.” He pulls the Hummer into a parking lot and heaves a sigh of relief. “We’re here.”

I chuckle. “Whatever, Kai. Keep your secrets. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.”

He hops out of the Hummer and hurries to my side to open the door and help me down. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says for a final time with a kiss. “What’s the class tonight?” he asks, taking my hand and heading toward the building.

“Cake baking. I thought it would be a nice mix after all of the cooking classes. As funny as it is to watch you gag over raw chicken, I figured this could end up being just as funny.”

Kai grunts. “Glad I can amuse you.”

I wrap myself around his arm and laugh as he leads me inside.