There were vague flashes of a carriage then stumbling toward her bed while divesting herself of her clothes. The last thing she remembered was collapsing face first into the bed.
Ryu’s arms squeezed her. “Are you awake?”
His voice was sleep roughened, sending goosebumps down Tate’s arms. Her stomach fluttered when he dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder, making her abruptly aware that she was mostly naked.
She turned onto her back from her side, Ryu readjusting his position. “How long was I out for?”
The moonlight from the windows shone on his face, showing his appreciative smile and the dark look in his eyes.
“Only a few hours.” He propped his head on his hand while the other remained secure around her waist.
“It feels like longer.” Tate looked out the window where the curtains were open, leaving a view of the balcony. Her best guess put the time at a few hours before dawn. “I can’t believe I passed out like that.”
“I can. You’re the oldest of us, you’re practically a novice. Moving between dragon and human becomes increasingly taxing the more times you do it in quick succession.”
Her stomach chose that moment to make itself known. Tate pressed a hand to it. She was hungry. Ravenously so.
A plate of food appeared in front of her nose before she could say anything.
“You need to replenish the energy you lost.”
Tate scooted up in bed, bunching the pillows behind her to support her back and pinning the covers under her arms in a bid for modesty before taking the plate. “So thoughtful.”
The sight of the food made her drool, reminding her that some of the reason for her hunger could be attributed to the fact she hadn’t actually eaten dinner yesterday.
The plate was full of mostly cheese and cold cuts of meat along with the berries that were her favorite. The flesh of the berries didn’t contain enough calories to replenish her reserves, but the seeds inside were jam packed with nutrients her body needed. The fat and protein from the cheese and meat were also welcome additions.
All in all, it was a perfect post-change snack for a dragon. Ryu really had thought of everything.
“Did anything happen while I was comatose?” Tate asked to distract herself from burying her face in the plate and inhaling the food.
She’d done that once and ended up nearly choking. Dewdrop and Night still made fun of her for it.
“Night returned about an hour ago.”
Tate filled her mouth steadily, not wasting words as she used her eyes to ask for more information.
She was sure she looked like a rabbit or chipmunk right now with her bulging cheeks but couldn’t bring herself to care. Filling her belly took priority.
A dimple appeared in Ryu’s cheeks. “He said he lost Peter in the tunnels.”
Tate paused, swallowing the berry she’d just eaten. “How is that possible?”
Night wasn’t easy to shake off, especially in the tunnels.
“He said the trail went cold near the tunnels around the harbor. He seemed quite put out about it.”
Tate supposed so. Having his stalking skills challenged twice in one night would hurt his pride.
“He wasn’t alone when he returned. Mia was with him.”
Tate’s eyes went wide as she stared at him with an aghast expression that quickly changed to delight.
“Playing matchmaker?” Ryu asked while Tate bopped her head in happiness.
Tate settled down. “Night is lonely. Maybe not all the time but he gets this look when he sees us together sometimes.”
“Is that why you never interfere in our games?”
