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“I’m a vegetarian,” I offered weakly. “I should have mentioned that. I’m sorry.”
He raised my hands to his lips and shook his head, but I caught the bemusement in his eyes. “Don’t apologize. I’m sure there are plenty of vegetarian options for you. As a wolf, you’ll forgive my carnivorous tendencies, I hope.”
He sat back and peered at me, his beautiful irises gleaming. “I’d always understood owls to be meat eaters, too.”
I stifled a sigh, shame overtaking me as I nodded. “I would have liked to have maintained that lifestyle, but…”
I decided not to drag out my poor upbringing at such a lovely event, explaining that eating meat was such a risk for a fae in my position. Spoil could be detected so much easier on vegetables, and the choice had simply remained. But it was such a downer conversation for what was promising to be such a lovely night.
“You’re sure you won’t be offended if I eat meat?” he pressed.
“Of course not, Nyx.”
His grin lit up the interior, and he kissed my hand again as the vehicle slid into the parking lot of the most expensive restaurant in South Havenmire. I swallowed weakly, glancing at my worn coat and scuffed shoes. I’d shined my heels the best I could, but they were still old and dated, hardly worthy of a five-star dining experience.
Maybe I would just leave my coat in the car. Hopefully, restaurant patrons would see my dress and forget to look at my feet.
But if Nyx noticed the stark contrast between my shoes and my dress, he made no comment. In fact, he seemed proud to keep me close to him as we glided over the red carpet leading to the front doors, where two bellhops opened the doors, bowing almost to the floor as they saw the king. The sight of such respect made my shoulders sink some, giving me a sense of comfort on Nyx’s arm.
“Alpha, welcome!” the hostess breathed, revered by his presence. “Your booth is ready. Please come this way.” She eyed me curiously, as if trying to figure out who I was and how I played into the king’s life. I had no answer to give her.
Gentle harp music piped from a live player somewhere I couldn’t see, a dozen succulent smells reaching my nose and reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything all day in preparation for this date.
We were seated in a semi-private booth near the center of the restaurant, enabling us to see the whole establishment… but also the others to see us, too.
“We’ll begin with a bottle of champagne,” Nyx told the hostess before she could leave. “You know which one, don’t you?”
“Of course, Alpha. Your reserves are fully stocked.”
I placed my napkin on my lap. “Your reserves? What’s that?”
“VIPs have a special cache and supply of the bottles they like best,” he explained. “It ensures that restaurants don’t run out of what we like.”
I nodded slowly, wondering what it was like to live that way. I would have never considered such a luxury in my whole life. My idea of hedonism was a fully paid place to live and a refrigerator with more than one option for dinner.
“Why champagne?” I asked. My palms became sweaty as I realized that several tables were shooting looks in our direction, muttering to each other.
Or was I just being paranoid?
“Aren’t we celebrating?” Nyx teased. “Last night was a great success. I was hoping you would have stuck around, so I could tell you, but you disappeared so quickly.”
I parted my lips to tell him about Odette and her rude comments to me and Tristiana, but I thought better of it. I didn’t need to cause a rift between the king and his enchantress—assuming he believed me, anyway.
“Tris was driving,” I said instead, reaching for a menu. “I didn’t really have a choice but to go when she said.”
“Next time, I’ll have one of my drivers take you,” he declared, and my heart fluttered.
Next time. He was planning for next time.
Unsurprisingly, every dish on the menu was fraught with unpronounceable ingredients, and there wasn’t a price in sight for anything. I may not have had much experience with fancy restaurants, but I knew enough to know that no prices meant a single meal would cost more than my entire paycheck.
“Are we still doing the shows every week?”
He raised his head, cocking it to the side. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
I pursed my lips, Odette again popping into my mind. “I don’t know. I just thought…”
Trailing off, I pretended to read the menu again, and Nyx reached for my hand over the table. The overt gesture startled me, and apparently the onlookers, too. I heard someone gasp at a nearby table.
