Well, this is going to be an interesting evening,I thought to myself.Especially since I’m not armed, and if things get ugly…
“Would you like to start off with appetizers?” the waiter asked.
“No,” Glass replied. “Bring us a bottle of your best red. Neither one of us feels like teasing our appetites, so we’ll have the rack of lamb with potatoes.”
Lamb?My stomach churned at the idea of eating a baby animal. Suddenly I couldn’t get the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” out of my head. “Do you have chicken salad? I think I’d rather have that.”
“The lamb is superior,” Glass assured me, arranging the silverware on the table. “Bring the lady a side salad to go with it.” When the waiter left, Glass laced his fingers together and leaned in. “I thought you liked to try new things?”
I knew where he was going with that comment. I sipped my ice water, leaving behind a stain on the rim from my burgundy lipstick. I wondered if I looked a little too Goth with my black nail polish and dark eye shadow, but Glass was just going to have to accept the real me.
Even if my dress was a lie.
I poked at a cube of ice in my glass, trying to remember what normal people talked about on a date. I already knew what he did for a living, and most Breeds were put off when asked about human interests such as television, movies, or politics.
Then I remembered most Chitahs came from large families. “Do you have any family nearby?”
“No siblings to speak of, and my parents are long dead.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” So much for that icebreaker.
Glass looked dapper in his dark shirt and grey sports jacket. He was definitely more seasoned than the other men I’d dated. He must have been an older Chitah. From what I knew about them, they physically aged about five years for every few hundred, give or take. His blond hair didn’t give his age away, but I noticed a few grey hairs mixed in with his dark brows. Such a strange combination to have black eyebrows and light hair.
He rubbed his high forehead, smoothing out the deep lines. “My mother’s death was pretty recent—ten years ago. She was sick for a long time, and I was her caregiver, which wasn’t an easy job. I guess you have no family to speak of since you’re a Mage. Who’s your Creator?”
Glass was wandering into dangerous territory filled with emotional land mines and grenades. I breathed a sigh of relief when the waiter appeared, flourishing a bottle of wine before filling our glasses.
I gulped half my glass and got a quick refill before he left the table. Once the wine kicked in, I gazed up at the opulent chandelier. “Do you bring all your dates here?”
Glass scratched his ear. “You must have me mixed up with a guy who goes out with a lot of women.”
“I bet all the Chitahs are chasing you down. Come on. You’re a detective. That’s a pretty admirable job, and a lot of ladies love a distinguished gentleman.”
He pinched one of his dark eyebrows and smiled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were hitting on me.”
That shut me up real quick. My cheeks flushed, and I smiled awkwardly, gulping down my wine before I embarrassed myself any further. I didn’t know anything about the dating rituals of Chitahs except that their women played hard to get.
And here I was, practically throwing myself on the table as the main course. I wanted him to smell my perfume, not my desperation.
I glanced down to make sure the low collar on my dress wasn’t revealing too much. “How did you get into detective work?”
Glass swirled his drink and gave it a taste. “It’s the only job where I feel like I’m making a difference. I tried a few things before, but this one gives me a purpose. Someone needs to clean the scum off the streets. I consider it a personal mission in life. And you? How did a woman like you get into your line of work?”
I dodged his gaze and noticed a few people staring at us. “Pretty much the same reason. I guess we’re not so different.”
He leaned in. “I can scent your annoyance. Do you mind that they’re staring at us?”
“I only have a problem when people don’t speak their mind. At least I can tell who the idiots are by the way they’re gawking, but I’m more concerned about the ones who wear a mask and hide their intentions. You know?”
Glass leaned back in his chair. “Everyone wears a mask.”
“I guess that’s true. But the ones who don’t make our job a little easier.”
His eyes twinkled. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
“Glad it wasn’t just my ass.”
He rocked with laughter and drew even more eyes to our table. Our glasses clinked, and I decided it was going to be a fabulous evening.
