They survived the haunted house in one piece, and as soon as they were out, Lake was immediately on the move.
"I want to take a nap," Lake muttered, yawning. "Let’s buy souvenirs and go home."
It was what Davian had been hoping to hear all day, so he didn’t have any reservations about the gift shop that his mate was heading towards.
It was already mid-afternoon, and other than ice pops, his mate hadn’t eaten much else for lunch. He couldn’t wait for them to be completely done so that he could feed his Omega, and then they would spend the evening napping.
Lake was very efficient while he got souvenirs. He bought a pair of colorful hairbands for Caspian, matching bracelets for Rosie and Patty, and even got things for Jael and Asher.
They spent the shortest time at the gift shop, much to Davian’s surprise, and by the time they slowly made their way back to the car, he was very close to offering to carry Lake.
He opened the passenger door and carefully helped Lake in, doing up his seat belt for him, gently touching his rounded stomach before pressing a kiss into his sweaty hair.
Davian kept the windows down as he drove them back to the mansion, going over what he could prepare for Lake on the fly. He usually asked Lake what he wanted, but before he could start cooking, he needed to provide something for his mate to snack on.
He glanced to the side when he noticed that Lake had gone quiet for too long to find the Omega fast asleep, the wind in his tousled hair. He slowed down when he noticed this, bringing the window up.
He had been in a hurry because he had wanted to feed his mate, but now that Lake was fast asleep, he eased off the gas.
Lake was still asleep when they got to the villa, so Davian carried him in, feeling like his heart was being squeezed when Lake snuggled closer.
It took a lot of effort not to get into bed with his mate, but he needed to prepare a big dinner for when Lake woke up. He didn’t have to, and he knew that Lake would be happy to eat down in the village if it came down to it.
So he reluctantly pulled away and left the bedroom. First, he brought down the souvenirs from the car, keeping them in the bedroom before heading to the kitchen.
He would miss this solitude when they returned to Haines, but he would still get to cook for his mate, and that made it all the more easier to accept.
Jael struggled to keep a straight face as he watched Caspian empty another magazine. The Omega was impressive in all the wrong ways, consistently hitting the edges of the target.
Caspian took off his ear protectors with a sweet smile, "How did I do then?"
"Good thing this is just for fun because you’re not hitting anyone with that aim," Jael blurted out, unable to keep his opinions to himself again.
Caspian was unbothered by his judgment, wrapping up early for the day. "It’s only the second session, I have a lot of room to improve." He nodded to himself.
Jael doubted that, he could see Caspian aiming right, but the bullets seemed to have a mind of their own after being fired, he respected the Omega’s optimism, though.
On the other side of the room, Rosie had a focused look on her face as she fired at the target, her aim steadier than it had been the week before.
Ivan was impressed, offering her a silent salute as she reloaded her gun carefully,
In the middle, Patty and Jazz were just stepping up to the shooting range proper. There was barely any distance between them as Jazz helped Patty with the straps on her gloves, checking to make sure that her ear protectors were on right.
Patty stared up at her with stars in her eyes, very calm despite Jazz’s proximity.
Jazz glanced down at her, a small smile on her face, "Are you even listening to me?"
Patty nodded enthusiastically, "I’ve practised loading up my gun a couple of times, I understand what to do."
Jazz’s smile widened, Patty’s increasing chattiness was endearing to see, it meant a lot to see her not as self-aware. "Sure, give it a go."
Patty stepped forward and deftly loaded up her gun, almost as quickly as Jazz had done.
The trainer wore a look of genuine surprise, "That was really good. Want to try shooting some rounds?"
Patty was just as proud of herself, basking in Jazz’s easy praise. She settled into the right position and fired some shots, nearly hitting the bullseye on each turn.
Jazz walked closer when she was done, her hazel green eyes fixed on Patty’s easy smile instead of the impressive shooting she had done. "You’re already better than I am."
"I don’t believe you," Patty accused lightly, reloading her gun. "Why don’t we have a friendly competition so I can see for myself?"
Jazz wore a look of surprise again, but she accepted, going to grab a gun for herself. She adjusted Patty’s ear protector again before going to the stall next to the other.
Jazz thought herself to be a very good judge of people, but she was quickly starting to learn that she had missed quite a lot about Patty.
"What do I get when I win?" She teased, flipping her gun with her forefinger through the trigger hole.
Patty placed a hand on her ample hip, "What do you want?"
Jazz calmly looked down to keep her intentions from being broadcast through her eyes. "A date."
Patty’s eyes went wide, but she recovered quickly, her previously steady hands trembling a bit. "Sure," She forced herself to say as casually as possible, nearly biting her tongue in the process.
Jazz didn’t wait for the go-ahead, she held up her gun with one hand and fired several consistent shots, all of them going through the bullseye. "I win," She announced with a harmless smile.
Patty flushed red, giving up on trying to compete. There was no reason to, she also wanted this.
Jael whistled from a distance away, impressed by the trainer’s aim. It was how casually she had done it, like even if she hadn’t been looking, she would have still hit her target. Maybe he could try to convince her to join the family, she seemed to be getting along great with Patty already.