CHAPTER 7
1020 Words
Dinner turned out to be far less formal than I’d expected. Someone shoved a plate into my hands. Someone else told me to sit down.
And before I could object, I somehow found myself at a long table surrounded by people I’d met less than twenty minutes ago.
A terrible situation.
The smell of food filled the room. Conversation bounced back and forth. Nobody seemed particularly concerned by the fact that a complete stranger was sitting among them.
Which honestly felt irresponsible.
“She’s judging us.”
I looked up.
Rowan was pointing at me with a fork.
“I’m eating.”
“You’re judging us while eating.”
"What can I say, I'm good at multitasking" I grinned at him.
A few people laughed.
“I like her.” Rowan nodded approvingly
“To be fair, we deserve it.” Talia glanced over her book.
“Speak for yourself.” Rowan gasped. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
The entire table stared at him.
“This is bullying.” Rowan sighed dramatically.
“No,” Finn said from across the table. “It’s pattern recognition.”
Several people laughed. And I found myself smiling into my drink.
Immediately, Rowan pointed again.
“See? She thinks I’m funny.”
“No,” I said. "I think Finn is funny."
His face fell.
“That hurt.” he murmured “Kaiden, your girlfriend is mean.”
Kaiden didn’t even look up from his plate.
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Yet.” Rowan teased.
That single word earned him a piece of bread thrown directly at his head.
He caught it.
Unfortunately.
“Rude.” Rowan shook his head in disappointment as he took a bite of the bread that had just been used as a weapon
“Deserved,” Talia said.
The conversation moved on before Rowan could defend himself. Which was probably for the best.
My gaze drifted towards a map that lay open near the center of the table. Several locations had been marked in red ink. Mission reports. Attack sites. Places where Axton’s creatures had appeared.
Kaiden noticed what I was looking at.
“Work mode already?” His gaze following mine.
“Just curious.” I replied as I looked away from the map.
“Curious isn't the word I'd use.” Kaiden glanced at the markings before looking back at me. “You know, most people see just a map.”
“Well that's probably because that's a map.” I replied, unable to resist the opportunity.
“Thank you for clarifying.” The corner of his mouth twitched. "So as I was saying, most people don't immediately start looking for patterns.”
“Maybe I'm just observant.” I folded my arms.
“That's one word for it.”
“What's the other one?”
“Trouble.” Kaiden said, his gaze lingering on me for a moment.
I narrowed my eyes.
A dark-haired woman I’d yet to properly meet leaned forward.
“She’s definitely joining.”
“I’m not.” I said with fake certainty
“That’s what Kaiden said.”
Every head turned towards him.
“Oh, don’t start.” Kaiden groaned.
“You said the exact same thing.” Talia grinned.
“I did not.”
“Three years ago,” Rowan added “Word for word.”
Finn nodded.
“I did not say it word for word.” Kaiden looked genuinely offended.
“Pretty close,” Finn said.
The dark-haired woman pointed toward me.
“See? That’s how they get you.”
“I knew it,” I announced dramatically “It is a cult.”
The table erupted into laughter.
Even Finn smiled. A small one. But definitely there.
Then the conversation shifted. As it always seemed to. Towards monsters, attacks... Towards Axton. The mood changed almost immediately.
“Three attacks this week,” Talia said as she flipped through the reports.
“Four,” Finn corrected without even looking at her.
“One wasn’t confirmed.”
“It was.”
“It could’ve been a rogue beast.” she said confidently.
Across the table, Kaiden leaned back in his chair.
“It wasn’t.”
The room fell quiet for a moment. Talia exchanged a glance with Finn and with that the conversation ended.
People listened when Kaiden spoke. Not because he was loud. Not because he demanded it. Because they trusted him.
Then Rowan pointed his fork toward Kaiden.
“Speaking of terrible things.”
“Oh no.” Kaiden sighed immediately.
“Oh yes.” A grin spread across Rowan’s face. “Tell her the story.”
“Not a chance.”
“Tell her.” Rowan continued
“No.”
“Tell her.” Talia smirked.
Even Finn looked vaguely interested.
“What story?” I glanced between them.
“I’m leaving.” Kaiden rubbed a hand over his face.
“You can’t leave,” Rowan protested. “It’s about you.”
“Exactly.”
The grin on Rowan’s face widened.
Then he looked at me.
“Did he tell you he’s a hybrid?”
The room went quiet, the expectant type of quiet. Apparently everyone already knew where this was going.
My gaze shifted towards Kaiden.
He looked profoundly tired.
“No,” I said. “He left that part out.”
“Because it wasn’t relevant.” Kaiden said like he genuinely meant it.
“Not relevant?” Rowan stared at him in complete disbelief.
Then Talia slowly lowered her glass.
“That's possibly the worst argument you've ever made.”
“You literally stopped a collapsing building last month.” Rowan argued.
“Technically,” Finn said, “He didn't do it alone.”
“Thank you, Finn.” Kaiden replied before Rowan could recover from the betrayal.
Talia laughed.
I looked back at Kaiden.
The second hybrid. Sitting across from me. Eating dinner and arguing with his friends. Looking nothing like the legends people whispered about. For some reason, that made him far more interesting.
And judging by the way he suddenly refused to meet my eyes...
He knew it.
- Writer
