“To build? Or to build character?”
Acadia laughed. “The former.”
“A few months. Obsidian’s bringing in twenty trainees. With all hands on deck and ten hours a night … they should have it done by summer.”
“Just out of curiosity…” She picked at the crust on the bread. “Who’s going to be feeding the trainees?”
“Michael’s loaning us angels.”
Acadia frowned. “Angels?”
Kaj took a bite of his sandwich, chewed. “He said they’ve been bred for this.”
So what did that mean for her? For the Fae?
An inexplicable fear eliminated her appetite as she considered what that meant. She was only there to provide sustenance for the warriors and thefiestreigh. If they didn’t need her anymore—
A gentle hand landed on her arm. “Acadia, we’re keeping the trainees separate for a reason. It’ll take some time to build trust, and until then, we prefer to keep thefiestreighseparate. For your safety.”
She swallowed hard, holding his steady gaze. “Okay.”
“There are a lot of things in the works,” he continued. “And with more vampires coming on board, we’ll need the Fae. Until we have a blood source of our own, that is.”
Acadia nodded.
“You’re spread thin as it is. You said so yourself. And with you out of the mix, plus Briony…”
She frowned. “What’s wrong with Briony?”
His gaze shifted to his sandwich and he smiled. “It’s come to my attention that Mirakel has imprinted on the female. It’s safer if she is not providing for the other males. I requested she take a temporary time-out from her duties.”
Oddly, that news made her smile. Why, she wasn’t exactly sure. Briony was a special female. She’d always thought so. Sweet, innocent. And she was fairly certain she intimidated the males because of it. It was no secret that she had never availed herself to the males. Or the opposite. Which was a rarity. Especially considering the female’s age.
“That certainly explains some of the tension,” she told him. “I’ve noticed Mirakel’s been coming over and they’ve been hiding out in the laundry suite.”
Kaj laughed. “The laundry suite?” He took a sip of water. “He probably thought it was safer that way.”
“Safer?”
“Less intimate, I guess I should’ve said. Then again, I would have no problem getting you naked in the laundry suite. Or any other staff-only room.”
Acadia was grateful for the dim lighting because her cheeks were burning from her blush.
“So what exactly does one do on a first date?” she prompted, forcing herself to eat. “I read about ideas on the internet, but…”
“Good question.”
She locked eyes with his. “You’ve never been on a date?”
“Not in the traditional sense, no.” His gaze shifted to his sandwich. “I’ve always been employed by my father. Dating wasn’t conducive to protecting the Alpha. So I saw no reason to pretend otherwise.”
She thought about Bijou and, in turn, Bijou’s mother. “Have you ever been in love?”
“No.” His beautiful green eyes lifted to meet hers. “Not until you, that is.”
Another blush warmed her. “What about Bijou’s mother?”
“It wasn’t love.” He reached for a second sandwich. “It was a mutual attraction. I met her on one of Kardobahn’s trips. He would insist on interacting with the race, so from time to time, he would travel. The Zenith went with him, of course. One night, I met a female who was working one of the reception halls.”
