Bound to Earth

25: My Churros!

I'd been munching on the churros Brynjar had heated for me when Valentino sat next to me. He had woken up, intent on annoying me. "So, what'd you eat last night?"

"Churros." I lifted one to his mouth, knowing he wouldn't eat it. Anytime I offered him food, he wouldn't take it, knowing the consequences weren't worth the flavors.

"Anything else?" He bit the churro, taking half. Cringing, he leaned over and coughed. "Shit, that's sweet."

I glared at the other half in my hand. He ate my churro. I wouldn't have offered it if I would've known he'd eat it this time. My churros were sacred pieces of art meant for only my stomach. "You ate my churro. What the hell?"

His eyes widened at me in shock as he coughed on the churro. "You offered it to me."

"I didn't think you'd actually eat it." To be sure the rest of my churros aren't stolen, I pushed the plate as far away from him while still in my reach. What was he thinking? Eating my churros. Not even Alistar dared steal a piece. Not without offering something of equal worth in return.

His head tilted back and laughed, only choking on the churro further. "You're adorable."

My scowl deepened. I wasn't adorable, I was a bitch who should be feared by all. Every person blessed with my presence should cower in fear, pray to their gods that I didn't slaughter them. Valentino should be doing that right about now. But instead, he was sitting next to me, laughing and calling me adorable.

Brynjar, Alistar, and Malachi were huddled on the couch, discussing their next job plans. Though they didn't actively try to exclude me, they didn't continuously extend an invitation for me to join. But when they needed another opinion, they always went to me. At least what I had to say mattered to them.

It was safer if I ate my churros over there, than risk them here with Valentino. That, and I wanted to know what they were whispering about.

"Aw, Token. I'm only teasing you." Valentino followed me as I shuffled across the room. "Come back and give me a hug."

I stopped, turned back and pressed a kiss to his jaw line. It was meant as a distraction while I secured the churros. And it worked. There was only one person in my home I could trust to not eat my churros now. 

Malachi grunted as I dropped into his lap, my churros taking a protected spot on the coffee table in front of him. In this particular controversy, I trusted Malachi whole heartedly. The little bitch was a pure carnivore. He'd eat me before he ever ate my churros.

"Does this mean I'm your second favorite?" Malachi whispered in my ear. 

"That depends." Paranoia settled in me, more for my churros. Not a good sign for them. I may take a hand if any of them even flinched in my direction or the churros.

A finger trailed up my body, stopping on my collar bones. "On what?" 

He knew how Valentino had earned and kept second place for this long. And he might try that tactic on me if it meant he'd get second place. Only, I wasn't in the mood. My churros were the priority right now, they were what currently held second place.

The others had resumed their conversation, but still listened to ours.

Whispering would do nothing, their supernatural hearing providing no privacy. I still leaned into Malachi and whispered. "On whether or not you can keep my churros safe." 

Not a second after I had said the words, Valentino had snatched one of my churros, eating it before Malachi or I could do anything to stop him. I don't even think Alistar would've been fast enough to stop Valentino.