Page 87 of Monster's Obsession

"Ready to go?" I asked. Steele nodded, his face a bit pained. I rubbed my chest, the tightness in his bond catching me off guard.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He wrinkled his nose. “Sometimes I forget that the bond works both ways."

I poked his chest and he sighed. "I'm not sure that this is ever going to be comfortable. I can remember clearly how it used to be, and I miss it every time I'm around them.”

I picked up the macaroni and cheese and Steele carried the other tray loaded down with dishes. I wasn't going to let anyone else be in charge of my noodles. I would hate to kill my mate because he ruined my meal.

I was joking, of course. Kind of.

"We were once brothers. Creed and I were closer than close. The loss is still with me, ya know?"

He was staring straight ahead as we walked, and it was definitely intentional. He balanced the tray in one hand and then wiped at his face suspiciously. My heart throbbed seeing that show of emotion.

Unfortunately, I was pretty sure that time was the only thing that could heal the group’s relationship with Steele. Although he’d been the one wronged, he seemed much more able to forgive than them.

Just another reason why this family dinner was so important.

We got to the dining room, and my jaw dropped. I was really wishing for my camera. The other four were all seated at the table, dressed in their best. They’d gotten ahold of human tuxedos and it was like they'd stepped out of a fashion magazine as they sat there. Even Tempest was early, which was a surprise, because the look on his face told me he'd rather be tearing his eyes out than attending this dinner.

Baby steps, right?

I had Steele set down the tray, and then I began to put all the dishes on the table, making sure to put my mac and cheese nearest to me, of course.

Ash inhaled deeply and groaned in ecstasy. “You had fleming’s stew made.”

"Shemadefleming’s stew," Steele corrected.

You would've thought I’d made all of Ash’s dreams come true by the sappy, enthralled look on his face. That had been the dish that had spewed green stuff all over me. And I had indeed thrown up in the trashcan afterwards.

But now, it was all worth it. I'd make it for him every day of the week if it would make him happy like that.

All of them talked over themselves, telling me how good everything looked. Except for Tempest, of course. He was staring down at his dish with a strange look on his face. Like the sight of it was hurting him.

"Steele told me that was your favorite, but I can make you something else," I offered, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

That shook him out of whatever daze he was in. His eyes snapped to mine and he shook his head vigorously. "It’s great. Thank you,” he rumbled, but there was clearly still something off about him. Steele didn't seem to notice Tempest’s attitude, and he led me to my seat in between Creed and him and pulled out my chair to sit like the perfect mate he was.

"Pet, don't forget about last night," Creed drawled. "You should be looking atmelike that." I flushed and stared down at my plate, feeling everyone’s interested gazes on me. I didn’t even remember half of last night. He’d done things to me I was still feeling today.

Seven scooped a couple of the balls onto my plate eagerly, obviously trying to get my attention. But there was no way I would be trying that. I flashed him a broad grin anyway though, because it was cute.

Rubbing my hands together, I scooped a heaping spoonful of the macaroni and cheese on my plate. Not even taking a second to see if everyone else was eating, I just needed to get it in my mouth now. I moaned…loudly as it hit my taste buds. I was sure if I compared it to the dish made on earth, it would be completely lacking. But right then, it was the best thing I'd ever tasted.

"Don't make those noises, Blake, if you don't want to become the main course," growled Ash. I glanced up at him and dropped my fork with a clatter when I saw how hungrily they were all staring at me.

"No. This is a sex-free meal. We are going to eat and talk and become closer. Don't distract me with your sexy faces."

Seven snorted, and the stern face I’d been trying for fell, because l couldn’t help but be ridiculously happy I'd made my usually morose monster laugh.

"Sex-free meal, hmmm? Not sure if I like that."

I stuck my tongue at him before going back to shoveling the macaroni and cheese into my mouth. I was only half aware of Creed scooping some of it onto his plate. But I definitely heard it when he tasted it. He started gagging, pushing his chair away from the table and hurling up what he'd just tried. I stared at him in horror.

"That is without a doubt the worst thing I've ever tasted. Are you trying to poison me?" he growled, sounding slightly hysterical.

The word "poison" had my gaze flicking to Tempest for some reason, and I found his eyes locked on me. I dragged my eyes from his and then took another bite of the noodles, just in case there was another part of it that didn't taste right or something. It tasted amazing though, and Steele was still eating it eagerly.