“At least he knows my worth,” I say with a grin.
“We won’t be too late, guys,” Soren says, taking my hand.
When we walk outside, Soren opens my door and sits me in the passenger seat before walking around to get into the driver’s seat. We are taking his convertible tonight, and I am happy just to be here. Soren holds my hand as we drive, and I can’t stop smiling.
“What’s on your mind, Talia?” Soren asks, squeezing my hand.
“I’m just happy,” I say. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“I feel the same way,” he says with a charming smile.
“So what do we have planned tonight?” I ask.
“Just a little picnic,” he says, kissing the back of my hand as we drive. We ride in perfect silence until we get to an overlook, and we park. Getting out, Soren gets a cooler from the truck that he takes over to the table. We sit side-by-side, facing the insanely beautiful view.
“God, this is gorgeous,” I say. The mountains give off a blue hue, and the blue sky blends perfectly with the orange bands shooting out from behind the mountains where the sun is setting.
“It is,” Soren says. I glance over at him, but he’s looking at me.
“You aren’t even looking,” I laugh.
“I’ve lived hundreds of years, Talia, but nothing compares to your beauty,” he says. “I’ve never been able to see any of the beauty the world has to offer until I met you.”
“Goddamnit,” I sniff as tears roll down my cheeks. He chuckles and gently kisses me. “How can you be the same man who fucked Shelby to spite me?”
“I don’t know. It feels like a lifetime ago,” he says. “I don’t know if I’ve properly apologized for that. There is no excuse for how cruel I was to you.”
“What were you like before?” I ask.
“Before I became a hybrid? Jeez… I was a blacksmith for my father. He was a mean son of a bitch, but damn good at what he did.”
“How did you change?” I ask. “I’m sorry if that’s intrusive.”
“I don’t mind,” he says with a sweet smile. “No one has ever really asked.”
“It’s hard to wrap my head around,” I admit.
“Well, this woman was obsessed with me. She was older and unmarried because people suspected she was a witch. I never could get her to leave me alone,” he says. “Well, she figured if she made me a hybrid, I’d be instinctively bonded to her.”
“Clearly, she was wrong. Right?”
“Yeah, I fed off her,” he laughs. “I didn’t understand what was going on, so I didn’t know to stop.”
“Sucks to be her,” I shrug.
“Yeah,” he says. “I told my dad, and he shot me.”
“Jesus. Why?”
“He said I was an abomination,” he shrugs. “I woke up buried. So, I dug myself out and moved somewhere to start over. Anytime things got a little too crazy, or I had been there too long, I moved. I’ve lived all over the place, but here is my favorite.”
“Where will we move next?” I ask, and he grins.
“Anywhere you want,” he says, gently kissing me again.
“So, what are we eating?”
“Well, I brought stuff for a charcuterie board,” he says, opening the cooler. “I know how much you like those mini pickles, so I brought extra of those.”
