I needed to remember he was still an immortal.
School really hadn't prepared me for what I was up against.
"Eat," Ethan urged. "I'll wait for you in the study. We can go over your horrible education after Mason's convinced you've eaten enough."
Mason held up the pan of eggs again in his hand.
Ethan kissed my head and left, leaving me and Mason alone in the hallway.
"So…" Mason moved out of the way so I could step by him. "Good morning so far?"
I fought to hide my grin. "The best."
"Wait until you eat my eggs."
"You mean it gets better?" I joked, elbowing him in the side.
"Yes, but be warned, I made the whole carton on account I'm used to cooking for more than one person. You'll insult me if you don't eat. Besides, according to your mate, you're lacking in protein."
I rolled my eyes and sat at the table while Mason served me an ungodly amount of eggs.
Both Stephanie and Alex were nowhere to be found.
I shoveled some eggs into my mouth and fought back a moan. The man could cook. They might tease him about eating berries and pinecones, but his eggs were fluffy. "So what do you guys do during the day?"
"As opposed to during the night?" Mason laughed. "Tell me, are you under the impression I go outside and howl at the moon when night falls?"
I felt my cheeks heat.
He barked out a laugh. "I may sit in on your studies this afternoon just so I can watch you blush the entire time."
I poked a few more eggs. "So?"
"The four of us are Immortal Elders, not only do we each have business holdings all over the world — ones we're still very much involved in — but we keep the peace."
I frowned. "Like the police?"
"Sort of." Mason shrugged. "I guess, in a way, I'm pack leader. I check in on the different families of werewolves in the Greater Seattle area and keep in constant communication with them. Some of the families like to live outside of the city and, naturally, outside of the country, so I get reports on them on a daily basis."
"Alex and Stephanie? What about them?"
"Sirens," Mason leaned back in his chair and lifted a mug of coffee to his lips, "tend to focus on play more than work."
"Meaning?"
"Curious little thing, aren't you?"
"Well…" I put down my fork. "I'm curious because, to be honest, when I was in school, I was taught you guys kept to yourselves. Nothing ever mentioned jobs or hobbies. I guess I assumed you just sat around and thought about your own immortality."
"How boring…" Mason's eyebrows lifted. "To sit around and only think about yourself. Sounds more like a Dark One than a werewolf."
"Is that what they do?"
"I'll let Ethan explain exactly what Dark Ones do, other than rule with an iron fist and petition archangels."
My ears perked up. "Real archangels?"
"No, fake ones… we just like the name because it sounds cool." He smirked. "Yes, real ones."
"You've seen them?"
"Once, a very long, long time ago. As long as we keep the peace between all species, they don't interfere. They have no reason to."
"And if war breaks out?"
Mason glanced over my shoulder, his eyes drawn to the hallway. "Ethan's irritated with me for keeping you so long. Two more bites then go back down the hall, first door on your left."
"But—"
"Two bites." Mason held up two fingers. "And then you get to go to school with a vampire."
I felt myself blush again because all I could think about was Ethan, in all his sexiness, trying to teach me something — anything — in that deep seductive voice of his. Yeah, it was going to be a really long day.
Ethan
I paced in the study like someone who'd just drunk an entire pot of coffee and needed to work it out of his system.
All I tasted was her.
Her blood was still on my tongue — on my lips — and her memories, the ones that came with her blood — the ones that came at the price of me sharing my own — were so horrific I'd checked my watch at least five times to see if I'd make it across town and back without her knowing.
I wanted to murder her mother.
And the rest of the humans she'd been studying with.
Yes, secrecy was necessary, but to force the humans to think so little about themselves — especially Genesis — was criminal.
She was nearing. I could smell her.
Two footsteps and she'd be in the room.
And I'd probably lose my mind with the madness that always came with her scent.
"Nice study." Her voice was husky, dripping with seduction without even trying.
I broke the pencil in my hand and dropped it to the ground, turning on my heel, knowing that just staring at her would cause my heart to pound.