Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I grumbled, “I’ll see you in an hour, stud.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. I merely tapped my bracelet to end the call.
* * *
The train to Dormi’s was more expensive than I wanted to spend for an event I didn’t even want to attend, but when the new most powerful man in the world requests your presence, you go. Quick. And hope you’re not late…because of the stupid ass person in front of you who hits ten different spots to stop at because they can’t remember where the fuck a particular bakery shop is.
I mean, what the hell? Ask someone!
But not me. I had no idea where it was. But surely someone knew.
“Excuse me?” I tapped Stupid Ass on the shoulder. “What’s the name of the bakery you’re looking for? Maybe you can call them to get their address.”
The woman glared, her sparkling golden hat practically blinding me. “If I knew that, then I would have called them. All I remember is it has a red and white canopy and is somewhere on the east side.”
I blinked and then sat back on my chair, blinking at my misfortune. “Yeah. No clue.”
Well, I tried to help.
I sighed and stared out the window. I was going to be late.
On the sixth destination she had typed in before me, lo and behold, she nailed it.
She was happy. I was not.
Those other four stops she had typed in still needed to go by before my destination went into effect. I pressed my forehead against the glass of my window and watched the clean and sparkling buildings go by in a blur. Pointy roofs. Flat roofs. Slanted roofs. New City had it all. Alaric and Rune worked well together to create the beauty of this place.
Sadly, this was turning into a pretty shitty day already. If I didn’t get a nap in before my shift, I would be cranky as hell, which would affect my tips. Customers didn’t like it when you yelled at them. Go figure.
I glanced at my bracelet. Five minutes to go.
At one minute, I was already standing at the train door, tapping my foot and waiting for it to open. My destination was finally queued up. When the door released, I ducked under it, ignoring the blare of the alarm. Unless it shut back down immediately, I wouldn’t be crushed. My feet flew down the stairs, and then I was jogging to the entrance of the pizza shop.
Rune grinned, leaning back against the front of the building. “In a hurry?”
“Shut up. Some woman couldn’t remember where the hell she was going, so it took me forever to get here.”
Rune opened the door to Dormi’s for me, murmuring absently, “I could have picked you up…”
“And I would have said no,” I grumbled, fixing my windblown black hair. I stepped inside and gazed at the interior of the pizza shop. Nothing had really changed since I’d last been here. It was like a vat of blue paint had been dumped from high above onto a white canvas, splatters of blue here and there, creating a chic and attractive environment. “Is everyone already here?”
“Yep. We all rode with Theron.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and prodded me toward the circular booth in the far back. He dipped his head and inhaled against my temple, purring, “Are you sure we can’t have a little fun after we eat?”
“I need to sleep after this. Otherwise, I won’t make it through my shift.”
He groaned against the flesh of my skin. “Too bad. I had great things in mind.”
I snickered and turned my face further into his touch, the blood in my veins spiking in desire. “Maybe after my shift?”
His heated breath spanned my cheek, as he grinned. “Sounds delicious.”
I pulled my head back from his. Then I blinked. We had already arrived at the table. We were standing directly in front of it, the occupants barely containing their laughter as they caught sight of the shock on my features. I shook my head, clearing the cobwebs of my Rune-induced sexual haze.
I waved, mumbling, “Hello. It’s me again.”
Theron was the only one not watching us, but he was the individual to flick a finger at the free space across from him. He stated casually, “Sit down. We haven’t ordered yet, Megan.”
I did as instructed—because it was an order. He really wasn’t in a pleasant mood. Rune hadn’t been joking. I scooted along the large, blue booth, allowing Rune to sit next to me at the end. The rest of the booth was packed.
