Page 33 of Bitten By the Basilisk

Though her stomach was more than ready to dig in, she waited until he hung up his apron, gave each of them a fork and a cloth napkin, and brought over his own lemon water as well as a full pitcher for refills.

They sat close enough that their knees touched, both of them slightly turned toward the other. The incidental contact brought her unexpected pleasure.

“So, what’ll this delectable meal cost me?” she asked, stabbing her hefty fork into her salad—a mix of shredded cabbage, carrots, celery, romaine, and finely chopped cilantro, which he had artfully sprinkled with more sesame seeds and a couple grinds of black pepper.

She expected Silas to suggest going a second round, but instead…

“A second date,” he said, no hesitation, before taking an impressively large bite of pizza.

She couldn’t respond, although not because her mouth was full of salad but rather because she was at a genuine loss for words, trapped in his gaze, her face growing hot.

His request thrilled her, as did his directness, but her excitement also unsettled her. Even before he’d pleasured her within an inch of her life, she had already liked the hell out of him. Knowing they had no fated connection and weren’t meant to be together therefore made spending more time with him feel…unwise.

Unwise, yet irresistible.

“Mm!” she moaned, the taste of her salad catching up to her distracted brain. It was crunchy and bright but also nutty and aromatic. She put her hand in front of her mouth. “Oh my god, this is so good.”

He nodded as he wiped his lips. “One of my favorites. Comes together fast.”

The pizza was as moan-inducing as its chef. The cheese was gooey, the crust crispy, the flavors well matched. As they ate, chatting only occasionally, she continued to agonize over whether to see him again and risk getting attached. Or worse, risk getting her heart ripped in half a second time.

Against her better judgment, she had let herself fall in love back in college with a guy who wasn’t the One. They’d dated for over a year, had both said they loved the other, and had been preparing to move in together when she saw his red thread of fate linking him to someone from his senior-year internship.

She couldn’t have explained to him then—before their relationship’s decline—the inevitability of what was to come and have been believed. Couldn’t have spared herself the pain.

But she could tell Silas, she realized. He wasn’t a normie. He would believe her.

Just not right now. They’d only known each other a few hours. Him wanting a second date didn’t mean he was considering anything long-term, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself by presuming he did.

While she chewed on the last bite of her second plank of pizza, she surreptitiously eyed his naked torso. He had the exact build she was most attracted to—muscular in an athletic way, not too big, his abdominal muscles softly defined. Again, she noticed his navel and thought back to when he’d said his human form couldn’t get her pregnant.

“If I may ask, your kind doesn’t um…lay eggs?” she asked, picking up her water glass to wash down her latest bite. She had already eaten all her salad.

Silas shook his head. “We like to say we’re folk first, serpent second.”

She nodded, her curiosity building. “So…how long is it?”

He coughed and swiftly turned his head to look at her, another confounded smile on his face. “Pardon?”

“Your tail,” she clarified with a laugh. “I know you’ve measured it.”

His chuckle was low and extended. “I’ll tell you if you agree to a second date.”

She fought off a smile, her cheeks warming. “I ate my meal, didn’t I?”

He glanced at her plate. “So you did. Was it enough?”

“Mm-hmm. I’ll just have one more of these.” She picked up an apple slice and brought it to her mouth. “So, how long?” She took a bite.

“Twenty-one feet.”

It was her turn to cough. Thankfully, she didn’t expel any food from her mouth. “Twenty-one?”

“And eight inches.”

She set down the second half of her apple slice, needing a gulp of water. “Is that typical for your kind?”

His eyes twinkled. “My tail is longer than most.”