Behind the Mask

Chapter 30

North's POV

I watched her dance around the kitchen gathering ingredients and bowls. She had me pan-frying some chicken while she worked on the sauce. "Add more spice," she said sniffing the pan.

"If I add more spice, we are going to die," I chuckled.

"Seriously?" She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the pan, then sprinkled cayenne and sea salt on the chicken before stirring it. Then she dumped in the peppers and squash she'd sliced. "Sautee those until they are soft but not mushy, then turn off the heat and let sit. The pasta is cooling, and I'm almost done with the sauce. Could you check the bread?" She was completely in her element. Then again, I'm still waiting to find a place she isn't.

I pulled out the toasted bread and placed the slices in a basket with a towel to keep them warm, then I put out the salad and fixings as she brought a large dutch oven over, having already added all the ingredients. I laughed when I saw she had already added the peppers. Luke is going to have a fit. I swear she read my mind because she grinned, "Ten bucks says he eats them."

I laughed, "You're on."

She poked her head into the hall, "Come on, dinner's ready! Did Sean and Silas arrive yet?"

Sean came around the corner grabbing her by the waist, "Just got here sweetheart." He placed a kiss on her lips and she giggled. "I managed to sneak out early when Silas came by to drive me home."

Silas kissed the top of her head as he came in. "It smells amazing, agápi."

Owen placed some chilled white wine on the table along with sweet tea and water as we all gathered around. I filled her plate as Sean sat her in his lap. "You know I'm a big girl, Sean. I can sit in my own seat," she teased.

He booped her nose, "Of course, you can, but that doesn't mean you have to. Besides, I've missed you." She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Ladies first," he said and held a forkful of pasta in front of her mouth. Rolling her eyes, she sighed and took the bite from him. As expected, she moaned and we all groaned.

"What," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "I'm a damn good cook." A collective laugh filled the room, followed by our own moans and agreements when we dug into our own food. She really was a damn good cook.

"Sugar, are these peppers?" Luke asked, eyeing the colorful vegetables suspiciously.

"Yes, Luke, but I promise you'll like them. They were cooked in the same spices as the chicken." He still looked hesitant. "Will you please try them," she asked with a pout. Well, there goes ten bucks - who in their right mind could say no to that face?

He took a hesitant bite, then grabbed another piece, this time with some pasta and chicken. Pretty soon his bowl was empty and he was getting seconds - with peppers. "North, why can't you make vegetables that taste like this? They're sweet and spicy." I sighed in frustration.

"So how goes the cake recipe hunt?" Gabe asked Luke to change the subject.

"What cake recipe?" Victor asked.

"Luke's trying to recreate my great grandmother's chocolate angel food cake. I lost the recipe years ago and when I mentioned it to Luke, he decided to try and recreate it," Marissa said as she took a bite from Sean's piece of bread while he talked with Owen. He gave her a pretend look of shock to which she just grinned and took another bite.

"Speaking of your family, Marissa, could you explain to us why you are going to Texas after all the problems with your father?" Owen asked, giving her a rather harsh look.

I saw her visibly shrink back against Sean's chest and cleared my throat, "What I think Owen is asking, is what has happened? We know you don't like going home, so we assume there must be some kind of problem. Can we help?" I shot Owen a warning glance. I get he's a hardcore dom, but she isn't ours and he should know better.

"It's my mother," she said softly, still pressed against Sean. "Um, my father called and actually asked me to come to visit. He says he's worried about her, that she's been depressed recently. I guess when I avoided them last time, she was hurt."

"Has she ever been depressed like this before?" Sean asked, stroking her hair. I could see her body relaxing at his touch.

She nodded, "It's been a long time, but when she had the accident, she became very depressed." Marissa pulled at her hands - her nervous tell - "When they had to do the emergency hysterectomy, she tried to kill herself. I know that's been years, but if Father is worried, then it has to be bad. He barely notices she's alive."

"Would you like some of us to come with you?" Nate asked.

Her eyes widened, "Oh, um, no, that's okay. I'm not sure how well Father would react to that."

"Marissa, I'm going to ask, and I want an honest answer, please," Kota said, keeping his eyes on her. "Will you be safe?"

"I think so," she said quietly. Letting out a shaky breath, "I haven't been to my parent's home since before Winston died. The media attention surrounding his death was a good excuse to stay away, and since then I've made a point to be out of the country with business issues on the major holidays and my birthday.

"Wait," Gabe sputtered, "Are you telling me you haven't celebrated a single damned holiday or birthday in four fucking years?" She nodded, eyes lowered. "Sean, I need medical attention, this is fucking insane! Victor, we need to go emergency shopping right the fuck now - the woman needs four years of holiday pampering immediately!" She giggled at his melodramatic behavior as the rest of us groaned.

"Gabe, sweetie, we aren't going emergency shopping right now, but I promise we will make it up to her. Here, drink some more wine and calm down," Victor told him, giving him a quick kiss when he tried to protest more.

"Can I make a suggestion, agápi?" Silas asked. "Will you let Victor put a tracker in your phone and an app that lets you contact us immediately if anything goes wrong? We can disable it when you return if that's what you want." She seemed to be considering his idea. "We can also get a hotel nearby if you want, so we are close if you need us to come get you."

She seemed to find her voice and sat up straighter, "I'll agree to the tracker, but none of you need to disrupt your lives to follow me for a weekend visit. I'll only be gone for two days, just enough time to see my mother and get an idea of how she really is feeling."

"Thank you," Owen said, his eyes softer this time. "I apologize if I seemed upset before. I'm just worried for you." She stood up from Sean's lap, coming to stand next to Owen's chair as he turned and she stepped between his legs. He stroked her face, "I don't like the idea of you being somewhere we can't protect you, mia bella regina."

Her expression softened, "Grazie, mio ​​re. I'll be safe, I promise." He pulled her into an embrace as they whispered too softly for us to hear. When they parted, she cleared her throat, "Okay, I'll put up dinner, who's helping with dishes?"

"You go on and get ready for bed, doll," Nate said as he gathered plates. "You and North cooked, it's only fair if some of the rest of us clean." She gave him a kiss and then followed Victor down the hall to his room. When she'd left, he turned to Kota. "You do realize I'm renting a damn hotel in Houston, right?"

Kota pulled him against his chest and chuckled, "Yes, love, we are."  

Author's Notes: 2.1K reads...wow!  Thank you!   I almost didn't publish this one, it's so different from what I normally post.  

Keep your thoughts coming, goodness knows the characters keep changing details on me enough, LOL!