52. VANYA: FAMILY DINNER

Words wouldn’t be able to describe what I felt.
In half an hour we were going to head down to enjoy a three meal course with my aunt and uncle. I hadn’t talked to Iris since I got sick and right before that, I had been a complete bitch to her. There had been no time to apologize and frankly, I hadn’t really wanted to see her until I have sorted out the mess in my head.
Obsidian had urged me to think carefully about telling Iris that we were half-sisters, and I had. I wanted to get to know her better but I wasn’t sure whether she was ready to get involved in my world or whether she was ready to know the truth.
I knew that before we could start working on our relationship, I needed to apologize to her, which I was going to do as soon as I got a moment alone with her.
If the dinner lasted long enough.
My eyes darted over to Obsidian who was busy glaring at the wall. He wasn’t very happy about our dinner invitation and I couldn’t really blame him.
Jarrod had booked us a private booth at the restaurant downstairs. Public, but private.
The last thing we needed was to be seen in the public eye after what happened to Obsidian and me. Our faces had been podcasted on every major news channel around the world. The world now knew about them but thankfully Jarrod had stepped in just in time to prevent our home from being exposed.
“Remind me again why we have to wear this?” Ezra questioned as he walked out of the bathroom, a black suit held high as he eyed it.
“Because the restaurant has a strict dress code,” Obsidian growled from his spot in the chair. “I’m not fucking wearing a monkey suit.”
“You’ve worn one before,” I pointed out. “At the ball, remember?”
He threw a glare at me before he focused back on glaring at the wall. I was looking forward to seeing them all dressed up again. They looked fucking sexy in ‘Monkey suits’ as Obsidian called them.
“Can we take photos?” I asked softly. “I want to print it and hang it on our wall once we get home.”
They shared a glance, making me frown. It was only when they were hiding something that they did that silent communicating thing. I thought that we were over the secret-keeping thing but clearly we needed to keep working on it.
“Sweetness,” Obsidian muttered, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “We need to talk.”
My heart dropped to my stomach. “It sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Devrim took a seat next to me on the edge of the bed and reached for my hand. Ezra was busy dressing but I knew that he was paying close attention to what was being said.
“The fire...we...our home was destroyed. Unfortunately, the whole pride lost their homes. We have nothing left but the town was saved.” Obsidian ran a hand through his hair. “We can go back to the island but we’ll have nothing and it will take a few years before we can build a home for us.”
“I thought it was something bad,” I told them as I sagged against Dev. “I figured as much. Betsy told me about the damage but she has a tendency to make things sound worse than they are.”
“Obsidian wants to stay here until we have a home,” Dev said softly.
“No!” I exclaimed as I jerked upright. “We are not going to leech off of my uncle for a few years! I know I always wanted to leave the island but now I have and I can’t wait to get back.”
Obsidian’s lips twitched.
“You don’t like the city?” Ezra questioned in surprise. “I thought you loved the city?”
“I love you more.” I smiled at them. “We can live in a shack in the forest without any running water or electricity. As long as you’re at my side, I’m happy.”
“You deserve only the best,” Dev muttered. “Let’s talk about this after dinner? We’re going to be late and considering the fact that we’re...leeching off of your uncle, I’d rather make a good impression on him.”
It would have been funny if I wasn’t so worried about the conversation we were going to have later. Nodding, I pressed a kiss to his cheek and then stood.
“I’ll grab a quick shower and get dressed then.”
“You have fifteen minutes,” Ezra called.
Fifteen minutes...I can do it in less, I told myself as I stepped into the shower. But that fifteen minutes went down the drain when Devrim joined me in the shower a few seconds later.

***

There were people around. A lot more people than I expected but nobody seemed to be all that interested in the girl and her three men being guided around table to the back of the restaurant were my aunt and uncle awaited us.
Ezra walked at my front, his hand locked in mine. Obsidian was at my back, gripping my hand so tightly that I feared he might crush it. Devrim made up the rear, making sure that Obsidian wouldn’t run because I knew it was what he was considering.
I glanced at him over my shoulder with a smile in place but it faltered when I saw the panic in his eyes. The booth better be hidden from the people otherwise we were going to have a big problem.
A sigh slipped past my lips when we arrived at the table. It was hidden from few by a room divider made out of textured wood. The lightning was dimmer and the table a lot bigger than the others.
“I’m glad you could join us,” Jarrod said, standing when we arrived at the table.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
Jarrod gave us a stiff smile and gestured to the chairs opposite them. Ezra hesitated, but a glance in my direction made him slide into a chair. I smiled at Devrim when he pulled my chair out for me and then waited until Obsidian was seated before he took his own seat.
“You look great, Vanya,” Iris said softly.
“Thank you.”
My eyes darted from her to the woman who sat next to her. She looked nothing like my Mom. I couldn’t remember meeting her when I was younger but I imagined her features to match Mom’s. Her eyes locked with mine for a few seconds before they darted over to Obsidian.
I had completely forgotten about the fact that she already knew him.
“Our menu’s will be here in a few seconds,” Jarrod muttered. “I wasn’t sure what you’ll eat so I asked the kitchen to be prepared for special requests.”
“You think that we eat raw meat,” Obsidian growled.
Jarrod shrugged. “You are animals.”
“Part,” I hissed, hackles raised. “They are part animal,” I hissed at him, “and part human.”
“Jarrod,” Monica warned.
He pursed his lips but thankfully didn’t make another comment.
Silence descended around the table and it stayed that way even after our orders were taken and our drinks placed on the table. It was awkward and uncomfortable. The tension between the men were clearly visible. I wasn’t sure how long the peace would last before one of them snapped.
Iris cleared her throat. “How are you guys enjoying the city?”
“It’s noisy,” Ezra answered.
“It is!” Iris smiled at him. “I hate the crowds. People are so rude sometimes too.”
Ezra nodded. And so the small talk started. They talked about the weather, some tourist attractions, some shops and the food until they ran out of things to say. Even the waiter seemed to be aware of the tension because as soon as he dropped off our food, he hurried away.
“This looks yummy,” Monica sighed.
I glanced down at my plate. “It does,” I agreed.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t get wasted,” Jarrod muttered under his breath.
My eyes snapped up to his as Obsidian twitched at my side. Devrim froze, gripping the fork tightly in his hand while a low growl fell from Ezra’s lips.
“Did you invite us to dinner so you can insult us?” Devrim questioned. “Because if that’s the reason then we might as well leave because I’m not going to sit here and allow you to insult any of us.”
The two men glared at each other.
My appetite had disappeared. It was not how I imagined this dinner was going to go but I should have expected it. Jarrod might be helping us out but it was clear that he had a dislike towards them that I couldn’t understand.
“It’s not why we invited you,” Monica said, breaking the silence. “We wanted to thank you for saving our daughter.”
I glanced at her and then at Iris who was staring down at her plate.
“Thank you for the invitation,” Devrim muttered, slowly standing, “but unfortunately we won’t be able to stay. It’s clear that we’re not welcome here and instead of sitting here and bearing you husband’s insults, I think it’s best if we return to our room instead.”