A faint smile tugged the side of his lips up. “Good. Otherwise, I might have to clear off this counter one more time.”
“Cad,” I said fondly. If only every woman could have such an attentive, immortal lover, the world might be far different.
He waved the knife at me. “Make sure you put plenty of the cue stuff in that mix.”
I came up behind him, sliding my arms up his chest, and kissed his shoulder. “All the cumin just for you,” I murmured.
We stood that way for a moment before I released him and stirred the ground beef.
“We haven’t done our check-in this week,” Cernunnos said.
Yet another reason I was pissed off at Ethan. Cernunnos was the only one who noticed my rapid weight loss and wondered if it might be due to the blood supply I was consuming, as well as how little I actually consumed. He devised an experiment using his blood and fed me on a set schedule.
Much to my chagrin, I had bloomed. All the weight I’d lost came back. My face had filled out. My energy exploded. I had more strength and stamina than ever. My hair was shiny, my eyes bright. My magic came easier.
He’d been right. About all of it. And now we were experimenting with exactly how long I could go without a top-up.
We were at three and a half weeks, and I saw no signs of my energy slowing down.
When I explained that to Cernunnos, he nodded thoughtfully.
I eyed him. “Everything okay?”
“Do you think Ethan would allow you to bite him?”
The spatula I held clattered to the ground. I stared at him in shock. “Excuse me?”
Cernunnos set his knife down and held up his hands. “I’m asking in the name of science.” His lips twisted. “Or magic, I suppose.”
“A couple of hours ago, I kicked Ethan in the stomach and cursed him up a blue streak. Pretty sure me asking him for a blood donation would get me laughed out of his house.”
Cernunnos shook his head. “Doubtful, but I understand.”
My heart thumped wildly in my chest. “I don’t think you do. Why in the world would you ask something like that?”
He sighed. “Because I’ve only fed you my blood. You had concerns, rightful ones, about how my blood might affect you in the long run. In over three weeks, you’ve shown no signs of flagging energy or weight loss. But I’ve been readily available fora top-up. I might not always be there to feed you, so I’d like to start looking at alternate sources.”
I stared at him for a long moment, feeling hurt beyond belief.
“No,” Cernunnos said, his eyes widening. “Do not look at me like that.”
“Are—are you breaking up with me?”
“What?” His jaw dropped. “No! I’m only saying I’d like to experiment with other sources of fuel.”
“So you suggest Ethan?” I rinsed the spatula off and put it back into the pan. “Of all people? Sharing blood can be an intimate act, and we have a weird history. Even if I could, I’m not sure I’d want to.”
“He’s a Lord, Moira. And you’re closest with him. His blood is bound to be more potent than a normal shifter. He’s the best choice.”
“I’d rather ask Caelan,” I grumbled.
Cernunnos stared at me with surprise. “Seriously?”
“Absolutely. We have no history other than with Evie. He’s turned out surprisingly okay, minus all the crap in the past, and he might actually be willing because he still feels like shit over what he did to Evie.”
As I watched Cernunnos, I got a bad feeling. “I’m happy to ask Caelan,” I said slowly.
“Ethan is closer, and I know he’d be willing to do it.”
