Cobalt cleared his throat and handed me a folded card. “Here. Open it.”
“Ooh, another card,” I said. When I flipped it open, I smiled at Cobalt’s familiar clunky handwriting.
DEAR MUZO,
I OWE YOU A DINNER DATE
MEET ME AT THE ROOF AT SUNSET
YOUR FATED MATE,
COBALT
A wave of emotion hit me. I threw myself at Cobalt for another embrace.
“Well? Do you accept my invitation?” he asked, like it was even a question.
I chuckled, remembering what he said to me before. “You don’t even have to ask.”
* * *
The viewfrom the castle rooftop was beautiful—sky, forest, and ocean as far as the eye could see. Chromatimaeus Island was truly its own little paradise.
And now, it was my home.
Cobalt had a candlelit table prepared for our arrival. Rose petals were scattered across the tablecloth. As we took our seats, a kobold server filled our glasses with water.
“I’ve gotta admit, this is a lot fancier than I’m used to,” I said with a sheepish grin. “Hell, a few weeks ago, I was eating out of a Dumpster.”
“You won’t be doing that anymore,” Cobalt promised.
There was a hint of his dragon’s sexy growl in his tone. I squeezed my thighs together under the table. No getting worked up at the fancy dinner.
My nose suddenly caught a delicious whiff. I sat upright. A second later, the server returned with a sizzling plate of freshly grilled shrimp, placing it in the middle of the table.
I gasped. “Cobalt! How’d you know I love shrimp?”
“You mentioned it during your cruise story. I was happy it was something I could easily provide.”
Practically drooling, I grabbed a fork and went to jab the nearest shrimp, then paused. “Wait, wait. These aren’t the shrimp from your hoard, are they? I couldn’t bear to eat those little guys.”
He chuckled. “No, Muzo. Everything in my hoard is safe and sound.”
“Okay, good,” I said, then munched on the shrimp guilt-free. The smoky taste of the grill combined with the juicy shrimp meat almost made me moan. I went into a gluttonous shrimp frenzy, eating five more before I returned to my senses. “Damn. That beats leftover burger wrappers any day.”
Cobalt reached across the table and placed his large, warm hand on top of mine. “Whatever you want, Muzo, it’s yours. Let me take care of you. Let me make up for those weeks you spent hungry on the streets.”
My heart squeezed. I never thought of myself as beingthatemotional, but since falling in love with Cobalt, I got slapped with feelings all the time. Cobalt’s words were so kind and generous that I couldn’t even think of a playful answer.
“I’d like that,” I murmured with a soft smile.
Cobalt smiled back, mirroring my bliss. It made him happy to make me happy. I couldn’t believe I was this damn lucky.
“Shall I call for a menu?” Cobalt asked.
I glanced hungrily down at the shrimp plate. “I’m gonna be real with you, Cobalt. I could eat this whole thing and be satisfied.”
His blue eyes twinkled. “Just like you ate all that chocolate before our previous date?” he teased.
