“I can’t help it.” I squeezed again, just because. “I’d like to request that my coffee comes with a free ass squeeze every morning. As payment.”

“What?” Beryl laughed. “How is that payment? I deliver your coffee and my payment is getting my ass grabbed?”

“Grabbed by me.” I gave her a wide grin. “You love me.”

“How about I get to grope your ass every morning?”

“Deal,” I said immediately, my grin turning smug as I shut my eyes and relaxed into the bed. “You got played, berry.”

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter Forty-Eight

Beryl

“Okay. Nuni, Laki, Daga, Kiti, Sorin…” My mind went blank as I ticked the names of Greid’s siblings off on my fingers. I glanced over at him in panic. “Fuck, I’ve forgotten the other two.”

He chuckled, hand shifting on the steering wheel as he turned the car onto a quaint suburban street lined with squat, dark demiurgus houses. “Suni and Tuvin.”

“Tuvin’s the guy, right?” I frantically tried to picture the family photo I’d studied at home before we left.

“Yeah. Blue in his hair. Suni has green.”

“Okay.” I wiped my palms over my jeans, ridiculously nervous. “And Daga’s lifemate is called Elern, right? And they have four kids? What’re the kids’ names again?”

“Even I can’t remember that,” he joked, reaching over to palm my thigh. “Chill, berry. It’s not like they’re going to give you a pop quiz when you walk in. The ones you haven’t met will introduce themselves anyway.”

Greid’s mom, Una, had visited us a few more times in the last couple of months, twice with Kiti and Greid’s brother Sorin in tow. Kiti had demanded my number the last time, so now we spoke a lot through text. And she sent me a lot of childhood photos of Greid. The last one had been an adorably awkward yearbook photo, when he’d had braces and a huge pimple on his chin.

We’d been watching TV when she sent it, so I’d shown Greid my phone screen straight away, then launched myself at him when he dragged a blanket over his head with a groan. He was just so cute.

Laki had also stopped by once to get high with Greid, and I was glad I’d met them in advance of today so I wouldn’t be so nervous around them. They were one of those intimidatingly, effortlessly cool people—tall and lanky like Greid, with gorgeous, turquoise-streaked hair, a nose ring and weird pale tattoos all over their arms.

I’d ended up getting high with both of them. And I’d ended up telling Laki about the cult. Una and Kiti already knew—I didn’t want Greid to have to lie to his family, so I was trying to drip feed them snippets about my past to make it seem less weird.

Laki had been totally cool about it, but I had no idea if that was because they’d been high. They’d just gazed at me with bloodshot yellow eyes and said, “Huh. Glad you’re out of there now,” before stuffing a handful of chips in their mouth.

“Who else will be there?” I asked Greid, my belly jumping with nerves as we approached the house on the street with a lot of cars parked outside it. “Just so I know what to expect.”

“My Aunt Indi—Mom’s sister—and her lifemate Bax. The siblings. Daga’s mate Elern and their kids. Um… maybe some partners of the others? I’m not sure. Kiti usually invites whatever d-bag she’s dating at the time.”

“Kiti isn’t dating anyone,” I said absently, peering out the window at the big, dark stone house. “She told me the other day.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Greid muttered, pulling into an empty spot. “She has terrible taste in men.”

“Greid!” I smacked his arm. “What if some of your family think that about me? You’re dating a human!”

“They don’t care about that. And you’re not a d-bag.” Shutting off the engine, he reached over and cupped my cheeks, grinning as he squished them. “You’re the best. Plus”—he let go of me to unbuckle his seatbelt—“we’re not just dating. We live together. You love me. No takebacks.”

I snorted, unclipping my seatbelt and leaning down to grab my bag from between my feet. Una had choked on her excited gasp when Greid called to let her know we were Officially Together. She’d turned up the next day with a cake. And Kiti.

That was when I’d told them about the cult. Una’s big yellow eyes had gone glassy when I briefly explained my childhood, which had made Greid duck his head and rub his own eyes because he couldn’t handle seeing people cry.

My main worry had actually been Kiti teasing Greid, seeing as we kind of had to explain how we’d met. Surprisingly, she hadn’t. But when Greid had gotten up to go make us all drinks, she’d followed him. I’d excused myself to use the bathroom and left Una in the living room, then crept to the kitchen in case I’d have to jump in and defend Greid.

Instead, I’d found them hugging. Until Kiti pulled back and flicked Greid on the forehead, so he smushed his hand into her face in retaliation.

Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and almost slipped as my boots hit the icy ground, but Greid was already there to steady me.

“Ugh, god, you’re so embarrassing.” He shot me a teasing grin. “Try not to break any of my mom’s fancy dishes, okay?”

“Shut up.” I shoved his stomach as he opened the back door. “Did the cake survive the trip?”

I’d been practising making cake for the last couple of weeks specifically for today. Greid had told me his mom’s favourite was chocolate beetroot cake, so it’d taken me a while to get the recipe right and produce something that actually tasted good, but Greid had assured me my final practice cake last weekend was amazing. He’d eaten three-quarters of it, so it must’ve been okay.

“Looks like it.” He took out the cake carrier and handed it to me. “You okay carrying it?”

“I think I’ll manage,” I said dryly as I watched him hook six huge gift bags over his arms. “Let me take some of those.”

“No, I’m okay.” He kicked the car door shut with his boot. “I’ll get Jake.”

I huffed. “Well then at least let me take some of the bags—”

“I’m good, I swear.” He skidded as he made his way around the car. “Go inside, it’s cold.”

I clutched the plastic cake carrier tighter and turned to look at the house. There was a wreath decorated with nightberries on the tall front door and fairy lights strung along the front porch. Through one of the windows, I spotted a tall, dark figure crossing a room, bouncing an equally dark but much smaller figure in their arms.

You can do this. They’re just people. They’re Greid’s family, and Greid is the sweetest guy in the world. The cult isn’t going to come up today. The weirdest thing about you will be that you’re the sole human in a big group of demiurgus.

Exhaling a breath that puffed out of my mouth in a cloud of steam, I started walking up the drive. Before ringing the doorbell, I glanced back to make sure Greid wasn’t far behind. He was juggling the gift bags and Jake’s leash, but he was on his way.

About ten seconds after ringing the bell, the door swung open to reveal Una in a green apron with a Santa hat on her head. The demiurgus version of a Santa hat—forest green with a big red plastic jewel on the end.

“Beryl, darling! Merry Christmas!” She grabbed my shoulders and kissed both cheeks, then went still. “Did you bring him? Where’s my baby?”

“I’m right here.” Greid appeared behind me, weighed down by all the bags hanging from his arms.

“Not you, kushka.” She peered around him and gasped. “There he is! Oh, my precious angel.”

“What the fuck,” Greid grumbled as his mom dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around our Borzoi’s neck.

We’d adopted him from the pound at the beginning of December. He was a couple of years old, so already enormous—long and lanky just like Greid, with white-and-tan fur. He was also just as gentle as Greid, and almost as lazy. Some days it felt like I was fighting a losing battle trying to get him and Greid to go for a walk.