Claimed by the Primals

Chapter Thirty

Kade and Warrick were right... again... damnit.

Sleeping in a real bed did feel good. I woke up pain-free, comfortable, and warm. The only thing missing was Kade. He's a morning person. He's usually up before Warrick, and always up before me. It was a little disappointing to wake up alone, but I could smell coffee and heard the popping of bacon grease in the kitchen, so I guess it's fine.

I was planning on rolling over and going back to sleep when I heard something else in the kitchen. Scrambling out of the bed, I managed to pull on a robe before running out. Kade stood in front of the stove, cooking away. Sitting at the bar was Warrick. They both heard the bedroom door open and looked around.

Before either of them could wish me good morning, I sprinted across the room and didn't stop until I had my arms around Warrick's neck. He sucked in a gasp and twisted slightly to guard his side. "Fuck, I'm sorry," I let go immediately and pushed up his shirt so I could see the layers of gauze and bandages to make sure he wasn't bleeding again. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? When did they let you out? Why didn't you call us?!"

"Slow down, baby girl," he laughed lightly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tugging me back. "I'm okay. They let me out a couple hours ago. I didn't call because I didn't want you guys to worry."

"That one was a lost cause, and you know it," Kade scolded. "We were going to worry about you whether you wanted us to or not."

"You can't blame a guy for trying. Or for getting the hell out of there before the rest of his family shows up at the hospital."

"They're already here?" Kade's smile faded slightly. "That was quick."

"Nothing gets a pack of anubi moving like a near-death experience," Warrick sighed and slid the plate of bacon towards me. "Here. Eat. You look starved."

"Says the guy who's been eating hospital food for the last week." I pushed the plate back, but only after taking a piece from the pile.

"Nope." It was Kade's turn to sigh. "Bacon is haram. So long as the anubi are in town, no pork and no alcohol. You can, if you want, but it is... not advisable."

I stopped chewing and looked between them. "Are you serious?"

"Even my sense of smell has nothing on theirs. You haven't officially been claimed yet, so it's not as big of a deal. You might get some looks, though."

"Wait, wait, I thought halal was an Islamic practice."

"Meat has always been a touchy subject with my pantheon," Warrick shrugged and begrudgingly bypassed the plate of bacon for a piece of toast. "Pork wasn't always forbidden, but as a part of adapting to the modern world, they took on the local practices. They take it quite seriously, so it's easier to just go along with it."

"Whereas pork and alcohol has been a staple in Italy since forever. My parents have a small farm and garden for pigs and grapes. I could butcher an entire pig by myself by the time I was eight, and I tried wine for the first time when I was ten."

I started giggling. "You're a bad influence, aren't you?" I said while smiling up at Kade.

"I am not!" Kade threw the kitchen towel, not at me, but at Warrick, who was caught in a cycle of snickering and gasping in pain. "Do you know how long I spent learning how to adjust my own cooking so they would be in accordance with halal? Ma and I were panicking over making sure we weren't going to insult his heritage the very first time he came over, just for this asshole to make pork chops with my dad the next goddamn day! Have you ever seen what happens when you tell an Italian woman she's not allowed to cook with wine?!"