She carries on giggling, and it’s so infectious that I can’t help but join in.
“Come on, let’s head back to the guys, Van’s got something that he needs to talk to you about,” I tell her, and her expression immediately sparks with curiosity.
We walk back to the guys, all of them grinning, as they watch us, which means they either heard what I said or Van told them. Studying Coen and River closely, I want to make sure that neither of them has an issue with it. Shifters are well known for being territorial, and often end up struggling if they share a mate with someone else.
Fortunately, neither of them looks bothered at all, both of them are relaxed and smiling.
“Congratulations,” Coen grins.
“Thanks,” I smile.
Neith is studying all three of them as closely as I was, and when she realizes that they’re happy, genuinely happy, she relaxes.
Looking at Van, she says, “Doc told me that you needed to talk to me?”
Van’s smile drops, “Yeah, I do.”
“Good,” Coen says, immediately guessing what Van wants to talk to Neith about. He looks at me and River, “Come on, let's go and make some dinner.”
River nods and claps Van on his back, a wicked glint in his eye as he says, “Good luck, dude, you’re going to need it.”
I try not to laugh as Neith’s eyes immediately narrow, and Van looks away nervously.
“Evander?” Neith asks, full naming him and raising her eyebrows.
“Oh, you’re in trouble,” Coen grins. He steps in front of Neith, and she looks up at him, smiling softly as he bends down to kiss her. “Go easy on him, Love.”
She shrugs, “It depends on what he’s done.”
Coen chuckles and moves away so that River can take his place.
He kisses her first, and then smirks, “Don’t go too easy on him.”
“River!” Van exclaims, and I burst out laughing.
“Come on, let's go,” I say as I nudge River out of the way and kiss Neith. “I’ll see you back at the house.”
She nods, “Bye, guys. Can someone check on Raiden and Ransom?”
“We just came from Raiden, but we’ll check in on Ransom and make sure that he takes a break,” I reply.
She nods, and we head back into the woods.
Neith
Iwait until they’re gone before I say anything to a very nervous-looking Van. That’s never usually a good thing, and tends to mean that he’s done something that he knows is going to piss me off.
“So, what’s up?”
“Can we sit?” he asks me, holding a hand out to me.
Taking his hand and squeezing, I nod, “Yeah. Of course.”
We take seats on big flat rocks overlooking the deep pool, and I wait for him to speak.
“I need to tell you something, and it’s going to piss you off,” he starts.
I smirk, “I kind of figured that out from everyone’s reactions.” I add seriously, “You know you can tell me anything, and that I’m not capable of being mad at you for very long.”
