Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
I couldn’t wait to see it.
EMME
After almost dying during training, I drowned myself in the shower for an hour, got dressed in sweats, and dragged my broken, ragged ass down the stairs and into the dining room. Hunter had already informed me that we were having a family dinner tonight, and anyone who missed it was going to be in big fucking trouble.
Now, while most of the time I chose to be in his kind of trouble, I also needed to eat and replenish all the energy I’d spent today trying not to perish, vomit, or cry.
It had been a close call on all three happening at the same time.
When I stepped into the dining room, four sets of eyes locked in on me, and damn, it was disconcerting to be at the center of all their attention. It hadn’t happened many times before, as Finley usually avoided me and direct eye contact. Tonight, though, his gaze was locked on the hardest, the whiskey tones of his irises light and swirling.
“Hey,” I said softly, a weird roll of nerves assaulting my stomach. “Sorry I’m late.”
Hunter waved toward the seat on his right side. “Not late, little mate. You’re right on time.”
Trying to act completely normal, I managed not to stumble as I crossed to my chair, excited to sit and rest my aching thighs. My wolf healing wasn’t fast enough to counter Slade’s barbaric training.
Before I could grasp my chair, Finley jumped to his feet and moved the wingback from the table. He was dressed nicely tonight, in jeans, a white shirt, and a red and white flannel thrown over the top that brought out the auburn in his dark brown hair.
Our eyes met as my lips parted in surprise, and Finley responded with a gentle smile.
“I’ve never seen you smile,” I whispered, blinking at him like a moron.
His grin grew and grew and fuck me dead, he had dimples. He’d been to the barber recently and I could just make out, under his thick, dark, and now well-groomed beard, gorgeous indents. In both cheeks.
When I’d been gawking for an uncomfortably long time, Kellan laughed and eased the tension. “You broke her, Fin. Nice job, bro.”
Finley’s smile never wavered, and it wasn’t just the dimples. The amber and gold were bright in his eyes, and the bear looked… happy.
“I don’t want to break her,” he replied softly, answering Kellan but staring straight at me. “I want to protect and save her from whatever the world throws our way. I will not let anyone hurt my family again, no matter what it takes.”
He leaned in even closer, and I barely breathed as he bopped me gently on the nose. “You’re my family, Ice. Now and always. Whatever happens, and whatever you choose.”
With that, he nudged me into my chair, and I remained shocked and speechless as he pushed me into the table. Hunter looked smug as he leaned back in his chair and swirled his whiskey around in his glass. “Everything in its own time. Just as I predicted.”
As Finley returned to his seat, Kellan, who was on my right, leaned over and pressed his lips to my cheek. “You look absolutely gorgeous tonight, Shortcake. I love that color on you.”
I glanced down to my plain black sweats, while remembering I’d left my hair stringy and wet from the shower. I shook my head at him. “You’re crazy, Golden. I look like crap. Slade tried to one-up Fletcher and killed me during training today.”
The joke fell flat as all four alphas scowled. “Too soon?” I said weakly, wishing they’d all get on board with me using humor to deflect from very real trauma.
“If we’re discussing anyone touching, hurting, or stealing you away from us,” Slade drawled, also twirling whiskey, though I hadn’t seen him take a drink yet, “then yes, Snow, it’s too fucking soon. There’s never going to be a time that’s not too soon in that situation.”
Fair enough.
I’d never be able to joke about Kellan almost dying, so I understood how they felt.
Reaching for the wine Florence left for me, I took a long sip of the Moscato, enjoying the cool, sweet taste on my tongue. My body relaxed as Kellan started talking about their game today, and how they’d absolutely destroyed the Silver City Cobras.
“It’s like they brought their backup players,” he said with a snort as he took a swig of beer. “I had to do random drills out there just to keep myself from zoning out.”
I hated that I’d missed the game. “I’m so sad I didn’t get to watch,” I admitted, pouting a little.
Finley smiled at me again, and goddess be damned he needed to stop doing that. It was like getting randomly electrocuted. “You really didn’t miss much today. We destroyed them eight to one. And that one was accidentally knocked in by our goalie.”
I glanced at Kellan to see if he was kidding, but apparently not. “Oh yeah, Coach almost reamed Carlson a new asshole. He was pissed, but in the end we got the W and that’s all that matters.”
“Fuck yeah it does,” Finley called as he held his beer up for Kellan to clink from across the table.
I stared at the bear shifter and shook my head. “Has anyone done a DNA test to confirm he wasn’t body snatched?” As soon as I said, I immediately regretted it. “Fuck, sorry. Ignore me and my stupid questions. So, what’s for dinner?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Finley lean closer, and I braced myself for his response. “It’s okay, Ice,” he started softly. “I promise this is me, and this version of Finley isn’t going anywhere.”
While his promises didn’t mean much yet, I was growing rather used to him speaking in kind tones to me. There was a softness I hadn’t realized existed, deep inside the grouchy bear. “Okay,” I replied, keeping my response simple. “That’s good to hear.”
Finley nodded, as if he understood everything I hadn’t voiced out loud. “I’ll back my words with actions, don’t you worry.”
We were interrupted as Florence hurried into the room, a massive silver tray perched on her shoulder. “Dinner’s ready,” she called, beaming. “It’s pizza night.”
She dropped the tray into the middle of the table, beside the plates waiting for us to use, and then added sides of garlic bread, breaded cheese sticks, and dipping sauces.
“Gerry and I spent all afternoon handcrafting these,” she said with a hint of pride, and I took in the delicious-looking variety of toppings, steam rising up from the melted cheese. “I expect you all to eat everything. None of you have had a decent meal in days.”