“From Kalithdor, to be exact. Bonkers, right?” He winked once more, turning back to flip the bacon, which was one of the few things I recognized.
Wow… “So, you arenota Vampire?” I frowned, trying to remember what I’d heard him say in the mountain.
“Yeah, that too. But I turned into one well after my first one thousand years. I was a Viking in Scandinavia at the time…” He raised a fist. “For Honor. For Odin. For Valhalla!”
“For Valhalla!” the others shouted, laughing afterward.
“Wait. A thousand years?!” I all but screeched. “How old are you?” I didn’t even know some beings could live that long.
“Who, me? Oh, I’m in my young 2’s… give or take a few zeros. It’s the sacred way of the immortal Fae.” Another wink reached me, but then Bjørn’s features crinkled. “Unfortunately forthem, becoming a Vampire after already being a Fae turned me into something else entirely.”
“Let’s just say that didn’t bode too well forthem,” Dante assured, standing beside me, and retaking my hand in his like there was no other place it belonged. Warmth fluttered in my belly with his touch, my wolf shamelessly indulging in it.
“Suffice to say,theynever turned a Fae again.”
D’s voice startled me, and I spun to find him walking toward us in ripped black jeans, a light grey sweater, and a black leather jacket on top. The hood of his sweater spilled over his shoulders and on top of the jacket, the same boots from last night covered his feet. Sadly, his arm tattoo was fully covered, and my irrational need to see it increased.
He stopped by the counter, grabbing a couple of small, rounded breads from the many trays placed there. Glancing at me, D brazenly let his gaze travel over my body as he took a bite of the bread. Approval filled his eyes with every inch he assessed, and a strange feeling rushed through me with his undivided attention.
Having him look at me that way, wishing I was the one he was tasting, made my body instantly react. My nipples hardened so violently that they hurt, before heated sensations rushed through me, making me tingle. My wolf’s reaction to his heated stare was visceral, sending a wave of need through me like she did for Dante, straight to my navel.
The way my wolf and I reacted to D and Dante were completely opposite, but still just as strong.
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, praying the others hadn’t noticed.
“You look absolutely beautiful this morning, Natasha,” D offered, taking another bite, this one purposedly slow while his hazel eyes bored into mine. The blue flecks within his crystalline irises brightly shimmered as the rays of the morning sun suddenly filtered through the large balcony, turning them gold. It was almost as though they held powerful magic.
I realized then, that in the same way Dante thrived in the darkness of night, D seemed to thrive under the morning sun.
Also, I was even more thankful now that Vanessa lent me her makeup to cover the claw marks on my eye. She had no idea how much I truly appreciated her kind gesture.
When D noticed Dante right next to me, his intense gaze went straight to our joined hands and my stomach dropped. The memory of D’s kiss slammed into me, making my lips tingle. I tugged my hand out Dante’s as a reflex, instantly seeing a sinfully crooked grin pull at D’s full lips.
“Don’t worry, I’m not jealous. Dante and I would love to share…”
What?!
What the heck did that mean?
His attention shifted to the Dark Witch, and some kind of silent communication transpired between them. D’s shoulders relaxed, seeming relieved by something.
I’d expected our interaction to be awkward after what had transpired last night, but D seemed completely at ease with me, like he didn’t hold any resentment or judgment toward me for trying to escape. He’d fully let it go.
My wolf sighed with relief too.
“Then I moved to London for a few centuries, and now here I am.” Bjørn’s statement brought my attention back to the conversation; he was placing two more trays on the counter.
“Wow, you’ve been around,” I mumbled, pulling laughter out of the stunning Fae.
“Seriously,” Vanessa teased. “He’s Fae, Viking, Vampire,andBritish. I mean, pick one already, Bjørn!”
“What can I say? I’m a man of the world.” He winked at me while the others chuckled, and then gestured to the counter filled to the brim with several kinds of food. Winking was his thing.
With a silent call, everyone gathered around the counter, serving themselves. Taking a plate too, I attempted to follow suit, but immediately noticed that each of them took something completely different from the trays. Didn’t all people here eat the same thing, like we did in the village?
I was so confused.
“What did the Fae make for me to eat?” I whispered to Vanessa, hoping she had the answer. “Do I have to eat one of everything?” I wasn’t sure my stomach could take all that.
