"Don't tell him I actually like blonds," she whispered.
A look of concentration crossed Penny's face before she executed a perfect wink. Rheia laughed and pulled Penny into the circle of her body. Since adopting Penny, she lived for their cuddle times. She blinked a few times her eyelids growing heavy. Where was Colton? She heard the door creak and looked up. She didn't seem him anywhere. When a heavy weight jostled her feet at the bottom of the bed, she looked down and nearly screamed. A large wolf sat at the foot of the bed, tongue hanging out like the family dog. Penny sat up and reached for the wolf with both hands. The wolf walked forward and lay down on the other side of Penny. The little girl wrapped her small arms around the wolf's neck and snuggled down with a sigh of contentment.
"Colton?" Rheia whispered.
The wolf raised its huge head and swung it over to her. It nuzzled her neck in the same fashion Colton had before he licked her from chin to hairline.
"Ewww! Colton, that's gross." Rheia wiped at her face with her sleeve.
The wolf made a chuffling noise and settled in next to Penny.
Damn. Looks like I'm out a dollar.
Rheia turned onto her side and watched the huge wolf with her tiny daughter, the contrast made the scene that much more unbelievable. Yawning, she wrapped her arm around Penny and buried her hand in Colton's fur. He sighed, sounding content. Rheia stopped fighting the need for sleep; she knew that if anyone came after them, they would at least have a huge wolf to contend with. It was enough to allow her to fall asleep without worry.
*****
When Rheia woke up, she experienced a momentary sense of panic. Where was Penny? She looked around to find the bed and room empty.
"Okay Rei, no reason to freak out, she's probably with the strange people you met a couple hours ago." Rheia tried to open her eyes and gave up; it felt like they were glued together with sand and Elmers. Grumbling to herself, she swung out of bed and fumbled with her shoes. She walked to the door Colton had gone into to change and opened it. The bathroom was clean and the bright white surfaces gleamed back at her mockingly. Everything about this man down to his bathroom was bright and cheery.
She washed her face and gazed at her reflection. She looked like an angry bitch. She sighed; she really did hate the process of waking up. She turned and left the room heading towards the open staircase. She was amazed at herself for not falling head first down the stairs. Vision and coordination weren't quite online yet. She heard voices and followed them to the dining room. When she entered, everyone got quiet and looked up. Colton sat with Penny on his lap. He was peeling tangerines and handing the pieces to her one at a time. The men all stood as she entered.
"Weren't you all here when we left?" she asked still blinking tiredly.
Meryn nodded. "Yup, but that was nearly six hours ago, it's lunch time already."
Rheia grunted and stumbled toward the only empty chair, which of course was next to Colton. The men sat when she did.
"Good morning sunshine!" Colton practically sang out.
She swung her head in his direction and glared out at him from half closed eyes. "Why are you being so loud?"
"Oh Gods, not again," she heard Keelan whimper.
Colton visibly gulped. Penny held up an empty coffee cup and shook it in front of Colton's face.
He grabbed the cup. "Ryuu!" he yelled.
Rheia rested her head on her arms. "You do realize that I am medically trained to remove pieces of your body in such a way that you won't die?" she asked.
Ryuu entered the dining room walking quickly, carrying a tray with three steaming cups. He placed one down in front of Meryn, then Beth, before setting one down in front of her.
"Considering your profession, I made yours extremely strong. Please let me know if it's to your liking," he said and stepped back.
She raised the cup and took a sip. Her eyes opened wide and she looked down at the contents. She took another sip and sighed. It was hot, dark and bitter. She could almost feel the caffeine kicking in. She sat back, never releasing the cup. She looked to Ryuu. "What is it? It tastes like coffee, but it's very strong, almost too strong, but amazing."
Ryuu smiled and bowed at the compliment. "I have been studying the different types of beverages that can be made using coffee and espresso. What you're drinking is called a Black Eye. A cup of strong coffee with two shots of espresso. I used a dark roast for the coffee, but used a milder roast for the espresso shots. It was my hope that the two would balance each other," he explained.
"It's wonderful. Could I have this every day?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course, it would be my pleasure."
"All Hail Coffee God," Colton whispered. Beside him, Keelan drew a symbol in the air and muttered. "So mote it be."
Meryn held up her cup. "Ryuu, you gypped me! I'm missing an ounce of coffee."
Ryuu's eyebrows shot up. "I don't even want to know how you knew I changed your coffee levels, but that doesn't change the fact that we are restricting your caffeine intake. This will be your new blend."
Rheia frowned. "Why are you restricting her coffee?"
Aiden beamed at her. "She's pregnant, we're going to have a baby," he said proudly.
Rheia smiled back. "Congratulations." She turned to Meryn. "They're right; studies show that women who take in more than two hundred milligrams of caffeine per day double their risk of miscarriage."