Page 116 of Bleed with Me

“Vegan,” she repeated calmly. “And gluten- and lactose-intolerant.”

I looked at the mountain of food covering the kitchen island.

“Since when?” I mumbled, feeling like a complete idiot.

“Since always.”

How the fuck did I not know that? Oh, I knew how. Because I knew nothing, zero, nada about her. She stalked me for weeks, learning my habits, schedules, and favorite things while I barely knew her name. I was at an enormous disadvantage.

“Jesus Christ,” I exhaled, running a hand through my tousled hair. “It’s enough to feed an army.”

Nina stayed silent, suspiciously silent, watching me curiously.

Slowly, I narrowed my eyes at her.

She blinked.

I blinked.

A smile threatened to take over her expression.

“You little…” I hissed, and Nina burst out laughing, leaning against the kitchen island.

“You should’ve seen your face.” She clutched her abdomen, slamming her hand down as if it were the best joke ever. “It was hilarious. You actually believed me.”

I scoffed and plopped on the chair, pretending to be annoyed, but relief flooded my system.

“Of course, I believed you,” I retorted, grasping my unfinished burger.

“Why?”

“Because I’ve known you for like five minutes?” I flashed her a pointed look and stole a fry from the box she’d just opened. “I don’t stalk people in my free time. Basically, I know nothing about you.”

“Malin has a whole file on me.” She slapped my hand away, hiding the box from me, and started removing pickles from her burger.

New information: she doesn’t like pickles.

“Malin has a file on everyone, me included.” I offered her ketchup and mayonnaise, but she refused both and took a salad bowl instead.

“Does it make me a part of the family then?” She raised a teasing brow, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Depends.” I shrugged nonchalantly, but my stomach was in knots. “Do you want to be part of the family?”

Her lips pressed into a line, all playfulness vanishing into thin air. Unhurriedly, she put the burger away and washed her hands while I stared at her, losing the ground under my feet.

I expected a firm confirmation. What the fuck was this? Hesitation? Reluctance? Did she change her mind?

“I believe,” she cut through my confused thoughts, “I made myself very clear with my intentions, Dorian.”

“Did you?” I masked my nervousness behind confusion, throwing an empty paper into the bin. “That’s what you’ll say to Zyon tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Her brows shot up in surprise, making me realize I hadn’t shared this information with her.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Zyon doesn’t know about you. Malin promised to leave us alone for the weekend if we come for dinner tomorrow and tell his highness everything.”

“How cute,” Nina sighed, leaning her elbows on the counter. “He planned my execution.”

“It’s a conversation,” I protested, stretching my arm toward her. Gently, I took her small palm and squeezed it softly. “If you aren’t planning to start a war, you have nothing to worry about.”