Because I’d never been that girl before. But damn if the view wasn’t better with Valens in my bed.
“I did, thank you. I don’t even remember getting up to the room,” I admitted, running a hand sheepishly over my uniform, straightening a nonexistent wrinkle.
He smiled softly. “I bet you don’t. You slept through the whole thing. I called Brielle because you were also running hot, but she said it’s fine as long as you’re not in pain. Also, I got some meds delivered that she said might help take the edge off.”
Valens stood, crossing the room to a table by the door, then proffered a pharmacy bag.
“I’ll pay you back. Just let me know how much it cost,” I murmured, accepting the bag as a lump rose in my throat. This man was taking care of me when I couldn’t take care of myself, without expectation or reservation.
And Goddess, I was scared to love him for it.
Scared to let him in for good. It was one thing to let him tear down my walls during sex; it was another to do it in the fresh light of day, when there were no excuses.
But I was no coward, Goddess damn it all, I was a warrior. And warriors didn’t hide.
His fingertips under my chin pulled me from my inner monologue. “You don’t need to pay me back. I’m happy to provide for you, whatever you need.” A teasing kiss on the lips, a soft stroke of my jaw, and then he disappeared into the bathroom, giving me time to process.
I read the labels and took the meds, chugging a whole bottle of water along with them. By the time he’d finished his shower and walked out of the bathroom dressed, I felt significantly better.
“You want to go to breakfast downstairs, or have them bring something up to the room?” he asked, pulling on a pair of leather boots.
“There’s a restaurant here?”
He straightened and nodded. “This is basically a fancy hotel with a limited guest list at the back of the council building, so they all have a home away from home. Lucien gave me the rundown. There are all the typical five-star amenities, including a spa, full-service restaurant, and in-house catering staff for room service. Apparently, council members expect a certain level of pampering while away from home. All complimentary, as part of their council compensation.”
I chuckled. “Wow. How the other half live, huh?” It was a far cry from my digs back home at the enclave, where I had a single bed and a single bathroom with sixty-year-old tile, and ate in a cafeteria with everyone I knew three bland and slightly burnt meals a day.
“Yep.”
“Breakfast downstairs sounds good. Maybe we can do some subtle observation while we’re down there, look for any clues to start us off before our council appointment.”
“Sounds good.” He offered his hand, and I took it, letting him lead us out of the room after passing me a key card for the room.
The restaurant downstairs looked like it would have at least three Michelin stars in the human world, with natural lighting and cozy seating, artfully arranged to create the illusion of privacy.
Theillusionof privacy, because while there might be filmy decor separating the tables, you could hear every damn thing being said if you were paying attention.
The waiter was already at our table the second we sat down, pouring sparkling water into fancy blue glasses and leaving breakfast menus.
My eyes went wide as I surveyed the selection, there were multiple caviar choices, at least twelve varieties of crepes, right alongside the… less traditional menu options any supernatural might crave. I stopped reading atblood of a virginunder the liquid diet section.
At least there wasn’t infernabist on the menu. I shuddered as I remembered the nasty devil hogs we’d seen in Greece.
“Damn, they’ve even got a selection for carnivores of meats by the pound,” Valens murmured.
“Anything you could want, and then some.”
“And then some,” he agreed.
In the end, we ordered a simple breakfast of steak and eggs, with extra bacon. I blamed the meat cravings on my impending heat. Presumably, my body needed the extra iron.
“So, before we get tangled up in the mission, there’s something we should talk about,” Valens said, voice too careful to be casual.
“Oh?” I reached for my water glass to avoid having to say more. The bubbles in the water burned my nose.Water isn’t supposed to be carbonated.
He cleared his throat, leaning back in his chair as he studied me. “Have you thought about whether or not you want birth control for your heat?”
I froze, glancing around at the other scattered diners, who we could hear with our exceptional hearing, and who could, almost guaranteed, hear us too.
