“Don’t want a waffle.” I lifted the ladle out of her hand and tugged her toward me.
“Breakfast—”
“Time for a coffee break. Have you eaten?”
“She has not.” Ricky handed me a plate with waffle, apple compote, syrup, and a large mug of black coffee. “Table on the porch is free.”
“I’m not finished with the cooking,” Lu protested, but she stole the coffee and took a big gulp.
“It will be here when you get back.” I guided her out of the kitchen.
This time every person in the room wanted to say a thank you, or comment on how delicious the food was. It was taking us so long to cross the room, I could feel a growl building in my chest.
The hall had more people in it now, and a steady stream of folks were coming through the door, following their noses to Lu’s amazing cooking, just like Val had said.
We finally broke through to the porch overlooking the back of the lot. The porch was quiet, mostly empty, and Lorde was sprawled out in the grass, soaking up the early morning sunlight.
Even though the building was on the intersection of two roads, hardly anyone ever drove this way. That meant the sound of birds and bugs was loud, as were the voices of werewolves, coming toward the house.
I spotted the little round table Ricky had placed in the corner, put Lu’s plate there, then carted a second chair over so I could sit beside her, both of us looking out at the grass and our dog.
Lorde just glanced over at us and yawned, showing off her black tongue, then put her head down on her paws.
“I’m fine,” Lu said, picking up the fork and cutting a square of waffle.” She pointed it at me, apple and maple dripping. “You didn’t have to push me out here.” She ate that bite and immediately took another.
I waited until she stopped demolishing the waffle long enough to take a sip of coffee. “You haven’t eaten for too long. And you used up resources healing. Do you need something else, Lu?”
She knew what I was asking: Did she need blood? She wasn’t a vampire, and didn’t need blood to survive. She had only drunk a handful of times since we’d been attacked, when it had been the only way her body could heal, the only way she could survive.
She sipped her coffee. “No. I’m good. Though I should probably eat something that isn’t mostly sugar.”
“I think Ricky has hummus and spinach in there.”
She crinkled her nose. “Later.” She cut another large wedge of waffle and stuffed it in her mouth.
“I couldn’t stop her,” I said. “Mother Hush. I was frozen. But I saw… I saw what she did to you.”
Lu caught my hand in hers. “I didn’t keep you safe either.” She waved her fork in a circle, indicating the bruises still visible on my face.
“Bruises heal,” I grumbled.
“I know. But when I saw you frozen, all those bruises and the blood…” She slipped her hand into mine. “I can’t see you that way, Brogan. I…” She shook her head, her lips pressed together. “I want you to stay behind.”
“No.”
“I see how the world treats you. Coming back alive has been like throwing yourself into a rock tumbler. Facing down that evil in the caverns isn’t a part of your job description. It’s not your fight.”
“No? You think I should leave Abbi down there, when I was the one who lost her?”
Lu’s nostrils flared. I knew she wanted to yell at me. In a way, I’d welcome it.
She’d been treating me with kid gloves. I had enough self-awareness to know I’d been doing the same to her.
Worse, I hadn’t asked her for help when I was struggling.
“You’re right,” I said to stave off the fight and to own up to my part. “I’m… It hasn’t been easy. Living. The world. It’s hard, Lu. Sometimes it’s too much.”
Her glare shifted into something awfully close to panic, and I squeezed her hand. “I’m figuring it out. Working on getting more used to…everything. Getting used to the rock tumbler. I thought I was hiding it pretty well.”
