Fated To The Lycan Brothers
Chapter 19

Suri Nightingale

After that little fiasco with Atlas at dinner, people who were their guests, started to come in one by one.

I stood next to Devon the entire time, afraid and shy with all these strangers and the fact that they could probably buy my entire existence with one swipe of their credit cards. I bet that's how filthy rich they all were.

I did notice that a lot of them seemed to respect and think of Keith very highly. I would know because I have observed many different people since I always keep to myself and it's become easy for me to spot someone acting fake towards another.

If anything, it was Keith that had to put on a plastic expression to seem interested in them.

"Hey, is your dad like, the richest man around this town?" I whispered to Dev.

Dev inched a little closer to me, keeping his eyes on the guests coming in the door, but still, him leaning over that his head was just an inch away from me made my heart beat fast.

"Not entirely. He's actually one of the newcomers around here. Most of these people's wealth is old money. They've come from generations and generations of absurdly rich people that they have no idea what to do with the fortune they've amassed." Dev explained, but it made me even more confused.

I turned to him. "So why do they all look to be praising Keith like he's given them all a new life?"

I wasn't expecting Dev to also turn to me so when he did, I silently gasped because his face was so close to mine.

"Because that's the thing. It was Keith that gave them a new life, or in rich people's terms, he gave them a reason to spend their money in more meaningful ways. He opened up technology in this town like nobody's ever seen before. We may have moved here after them, but Keith certainly reinvented this whole place so much so that he could pretty much run for mayor."

"Oh... I see..." I said, my words coming off more like a whisper as both our eyes stared into each other intensely.

Holy s**t, he could kiss me from this position. Would he kiss me?!

I don't replace out the answer to that as Keith called me, and I scramble to walk over to him, plastering the friendliest smile I could on my face.

I'm staring at a sort of old couple. Maybe late fifties, but I know they're both loaded, like they could buy half a small country loaded from the way they carried themselves.

The man had his arm wrapped around his woman's waist, but by the looks of his eyes staring at my cleavage, I'm sure they didn't even sleep on the same bed, or room.

The woman definitely knows what her husband's up to, but she stays because who the hell would let go of that much money? I bet she also hires much younger men to pleasure her from time to time. I almost gagged imagining that. Sometimes I really hate how vivid my brain can be.

"Suri, I want you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Thomsons. They were one of the first who helped me get settled here in Los Altos." Keith shared and I let my hand out to shake it, the man quick to grab and hold on to it a little more touchy than usual. Gross.

"It's a pleasure, Suri." He says, and I tried not to shoot daggers at him.

Be nice, Suri. Be nice.

"You're lucky to be taken in by this guy. He's an absolute genius. A shame you didn't push through with that Armstrong deal, though, huh?" Mr. Thomson says to Keith with a sly smile, and I just know there's a dig in there somewhere.

Keith is quick to avert it though, making me realize that he has done this plenty of times. It must get pretty tiring pretending. I've only been here for what, an hour, and already I want to replace a room with nobody in it and just sit there quietly. "We're lucky to have Suri, too. She's definitely a great addition to our family and the boys adore her."

I almost choked on air at his words- no, at his lies. The boys adore me? Puhlease, it's more like they adore thinking of ways to kick me out. Except for Dev though. At the very least.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomson let out a very restrained and dignified chuckle and then they started talking about some new tech project which is yup, exactly my cue to go.

I look around and replace Dev slumping-rather handsomely-on one of the couches, guests starting to fill in around the area, but even if they put a thousand more in here, they still wouldn't be able to pack this ginormous place up. "Whiskey or strawberry margarita?" Dev asks as soon as I sit down beside him.

I look at him with a raised brow. "Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I would go for the girly drink."

He grins at me. "So, whiskey then?"

I look at the bar area and one bartender is pouring whiskey while the other blends a perfect light red concoction.

"Okay, you got me, I want the margarita." I confessed and Dev laughed as he shook his head, his soft wavy locks swaying a little.

This man really just might be the epitome of perfection.

"Wait for me then." He winked at me and I tried my best not to swoon.

When he stands up, my eyes tried their darndest best for them not to follow, but I failed miserably and watched as his perky a s s was showcased perfectly on his dark gray slacks.

Did I say 'might'? Yeah, I meant to say he really is.

"You got a margarita, too." I said with a smile that was way too wide over a drink as Dev walked back to me holding two of the same drinks.

"Yup. I can't let you have all the girly drinks to yourself." He teased me.

"Pft," I take the glass from him and sip to shut myself up before I say something I'm sure I would regret.

"Holy balls, this is amazing. The strawberries taste like they've been picked like minutes ago." I revel on the fruit's freshness, never having tasted something so good.

The only alcohol I've ever had in my life were cheap ones, obviously. They all tasted like sewer water, but the alcohol percentages were so high that you felt like you were transported to another dimension.

"That's because they were. It's from the greenhouse." Dev explains and no freaking wonder.

"I'll tell you a story, but you better keep this a secret and I'll know because I've never ever told anyone this." Dev says, his green eyes looking at me with intent.

I gulped nervously. Was he really going to tell me something he's never told anyone before? That means... I'd be the first?

The sheer flattery has the butterflies in my stomach going wild, but I tried to mask it by drinking more alcohol.

"Come closer," he says and I quickly oblige, leaning towards him.

He leans even more as well, making our distance so close that if I just turned to face him, and he to me, we would absolutely and undeniably end up kissing.

Good Lord, I need to get a hold of myself though because if not, he'll see right through my blushing face!

"Spill," I say to him a little impatiently.

"Promise you won't laugh," he says with a joking frown and it is just far too cute to say no to.

"Scout's honor." I was never a scout, but he didn't need to know that.

Dev let out a deep exhale. "Okay, so..."

He began to tell me a story of when he was younger. They had just built the greenhouses around the place and the gardeners Keith hired were doing a lot of work in it, making sure that many fruits and vegetables would blossom. One day, an unsuspecting Dev was told by Wes that the best way to help them grow faster and healthier was to give them a little fertilizer. Dev, who just wanted to see them grow, didn't think twice.

"Yeah, fertilizer is good for them. What's wrong with it?" I asked, confused as to why this story of his was top secret.

Dev shakes his head, embarrassment showing, but he still looked too cute. "Trust me. It gets worse."

I nodded my head, eager for him to continue and for me to figure out the reason for his shame.

"One morning, I was doing my daily fertilizing of the plants, right? Well, one of the gardeners walked in and when he saw me, he screamed so loud that everyone came rushing out. They thought someone was getting murdered or something." "And? Was there?" I teased.

"Yeah, my dignity." Dev replied before he put his face on his palm like he couldn't bring himself to say it.

I shake him by his shoulder, urging him to just spill it.

He finally gives in as he turns back to me and leans closer to whisper to my ear. I pursed my lips, careful not to let out any sound that was not appropriate in this situation.

"Wes said that the best fertilizer was your own pee..."

When Dev said that, I placed my hand over my mouth, trying my best not to cough up a laugh, but I was holding it in so much that my face started to turn red and he must have noticed this too because he said, "Fine. You can let it out. Laugh it all off, Suri." I burst out into fits of laughter and thank God the music around the room was loud enough to cover it up.

"No way. No freaking way," I kept repeating to him as I shook my head in disbelief.

"Are you saying that the gardener... caught you pants down... peeing on the ground?!"

He embarrassingly nodded his head.

I laughed even harder as Dev's face turned into a tomato, but even then he looked devastatingly handsome.

Now I know why he was so ashamed of telling it, but damn does it feel good knowing that he told me that story and not anyone else. Did that mean he trusted me enough?

I was about to say something else, when a girl came up behind him.

"Hey, Dev." She says, her voice soft and her smile gorgeous just like her.

I've seen African Americans here and there, but not like her. She looked like a tanned goddess with her light brown eyes and stunning afro blow out hair in different shades of brown.

But the thing that I noticed the most was how her eyes lit up as she looked at Dev. It was obvious.

She had a huge crush on him, and I'm not even surprised because Dev was a sweetheart.

Or maybe... It was more than just a crush? Is it possible that they had a past together?

"Oh, uh, hey Destiny." Dev replied, his body suddenly turning rigid.

I don't know what's that about but, oh my god, her name is even almost like Devon's. Are these two fated lovers or something?

That thought tugged at my heart.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you? I just have so much to tell you about my trip back home. I missed you a lot. You backed out of coming to the castle at the last minute and my dad was really excited to see you again."

Hold on, did she just say castle? Is she an actual Princess?

Note to self: Search Destiny whatever-her-last-name-is from Los Altos.

"Sorry, yeah, I had a family thing that came up. Anyways, this is Suri, and we were kind of bu-"

"Oh, look at that, I just realized I had this thing that... I needed to do because of... a thing... So, yeah!" I stood up like my dress had caught on fire.

"Nice to meet you, Destiny! Have a good chat!"

I didn't even bother to wait for either of them to respond. I wanted to get out of that awkward situation as fast as possible. I walked out of the area, bowing lightly to others I passed who were giving me friendly yet confused smiles-probably because they weren't sure who I was-and then a minute or so later, I'm upstairs and could finally breathe better knowing nobody else could see me.

I let out a loud exhale.

God, that was so embarrassing.

I can't believe I thought Dev was single nor did I have a chance with him or even think any of that at all?! I'm going insane. Barely three days in this place and I don't even know what's going on anymore. I need to get a hold of myself.

I wasn't sure where else to go to seek refuge for the meantime so I decided the best place for now was to just head to the solitude of my room.

Little did I know that there was a little birdy- well, a big birdy, that would greet me there.

Talk about the fourth of July fireworks.