A Legacy of the Damned: Daughter of Astaroth

Chapter 49 - Family Dinner

Dinner with the family isn't going as bad as I thought it would be.

Katherine greets me with a knowing smile as though she knew what went on between Sacha and me. She also seems warmer and more open than when we were at the river. Maybe she does know.

Elias is being more polite after getting warning glares from his girlfriend while Julie and Tata Bijou are making an effort to make me feel welcomed.

Ronan is still acting like a jerk, trying to get a rise out of me every chance he gets. But then again, he's like that with everyone except for when he talks to Tata Bijou and his maman.

Ives seems wary of me at first, but after a while, he relaxes, and by the second course, he's already hitting on me.

"It's not too late to change your mind, Dani," he says to me at one point. "It's obvious that I'm the best looking brother out of the four of us." That statement is quickly followed by a scoff and a snicker from his twin brothers. Undeterred, he looks at me pointedly and continues, "And I looove older women."

"Ives!" gasps Julie. But then both she and Katherine burst out laughing.

Even Sacha's broody expression seems to crack with that one. He coughs into his hand, trying to mask his laughter.

Ives shoots me a smarmy but cute smile while everyone else is laughing. His smile grows bigger when I send him a wicked grin. I think he's adorable and a troublemaker in the making. My kind of guy.

"We really should watch that boy," says Tata Bijou, shaking her head before she turns to me and pats my hand. "Don't encourage him."

The only person who's aloof and uninvolved is Antoine. He's observing and watching in silence. I feel his eyes on me more than once.

But I'm okay with that since Sacha's making sure that I'm aware that I have his attention even though we barely say a word to each other during dinner.

His hand strays to touch mine underneath the table whenever possible as though he couldn't stop touching me. It causes the butterflies to flutter crazily in my stomach and warmth to spread all over my body.

You couldn't tell what he's doing to me from the solemn look on his face, but once in a while, our eyes meet and hold, causing me to almost forget that there are others around us. When his hungry gaze eventually falls to my lips, I have to stop myself from leaning in to press my lips against his, just to have a taste.

As much as I don't mind spending time getting to know his family, I can't wait for us to be alone.

Right when the dinner is ending though, the doorbell goes off. It sounds like a gong that echoes loudly throughout the cavernous main section of the house, including the dining room.

Wow! That's...dramatic.

Everyone seems to be stunned by the sound but Katherine covers her giggles behind a napkin while the twins snicker and Ives snorts.

"When did we install such a doorbell?" asks Tata Bijou still looking shocked.

Sacha stares at Elias and Ronan, but the twin both tip their heads toward Ives who are trying hard to look solemn and innocent. Sacha frowns and shakes his head at the youngest of the Gauthier brothers. But I catch a twitch of his lips a second before he covers it behind his wine glass as he quickly takes a sip.

The gong goes off the second time and Ives snorts again. Very loudly. I cover my mouth and Katherine is openly laughing while the twins are trying hard to keep a serious face.

"Ives," says Julie, shaking her head even though she's smiling while Antoine sighs in resignation.

One of the male staff hurries to get the door. He comes back with a few men in tow. Three to be exact. All of them are Nephilims and one of them I've met a few times before.