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“That would be great, thanks. And something to drink.”
The grateful smile she gave the kid stirred an unreasoning jealousy in me. Rio was just a teenager, and I knew he wasn’t anything more than a friend. But I wanted one of those smiles she kept directing at him.
“And milk,” I growled, because pregnant humans needed milk, didn’t they? For the calcium and stuff.
I jerked my head at Nathan, and while Rio got out the peanut butter and apples, Nathan brought Eden a glass of milk. She took a sip, then rested the glass on her thigh. She had the prettiest eyes, not just the color, but the shape: long-lidded and sultry. Now, though, they had dark smudges under them like she hadn’t been getting enough sleep.
She rubbed the edge of her thumb up and down the glass. “How did you find me?”
“You were seen by a Kral soldier.”
“What did you do, have an APB out on me?”
“Something like that.” In fact, I’d hired a top private investigation firm to hunt for her. The Kral soldier had been pure luck, though. He’d mentioned something to Rafe Kral, who’d passed the intel on to me.
“Food’s ready,” Rio said.
Eden nodded and stood up. I rose, too, standing close enough that she had to slide past me, her body an inch from mine so I felt her warmth. Yeah, I was being an ass, but she didn’t give me the satisfaction of reacting. Her eyes remained stubbornly downcast; her expression unreadable.
She padded to the kitchen island in her stocking feet and sat on a stool. Rio placed the plate of sliced apples in front of her along with a small dish of peanut butter. She dipped an apple slice into the peanut butter and ate it, washing it down with the milk.
Meanwhile, Rio got himself a baguette and a large bowl of soup and took them both to the stool beside her. Before dipping his spoon in, he glanced at me, Adrian and Nathan. “You guys eat human food?”
“Talon’s a vampire,” Eden said, “but the other two are dhampirs.”
“Help yourself.” Rio pointed his spoon at the pot on the stove.
Adrian was on a call with someone now. He shook his head at Rio.
“We already ate,” Nathan said with a grin that showed his fangs.
Rio’s cheeks reddened. He hunched over his soup. “Suit yourself,” he muttered and started eating.
I roamed restlessly around the tiny apartment. The single bedroom was barely large enough for a bed and a night table. A dresser took up most of the small closet, and a lightweight escape ladder was rolled up beneath a bedroom window.
I eyed it. Did Eden really think she could outrun me, a vampire? Even so, I shoved the ladder into the closet in the narrow space between the wall and the dresser, then grabbed the small, packed duffel bag tucked into a shelf above the dresser.
I unzipped the duffel bag, upending it onto her bed. A cotton sweater, a couple of T-shirts, and a pair of leggings spilled onto the worn flowered quilt along with underwear and socks. The bag also held a hairbrush, a toothbrush and an envelope of cash.
No jewelry. When she’d run away, she’d left behind every piece I’d given her. Like I gave two fucks about trinkets.
Still, I’d wondered why she’d take a traitor’s money and not my gifts. If she was so easily bought, why leave behind diamonds and sapphires?
The cash went into my pocket, then I repacked the bag and took it with me into the kitchen.
Eden was finishing the last apple slice. I handed Nathan the duffel bag. Her gaze tracked the bag but she didn’t say anything.
Adrian ended his call. “Any luck?” I asked him.
“The Krals have an OB-GYN in Manhattan who can take a look at her. They suggested you bring Eden to the Hotel Garnet.”
Eden’s color had improved but she was still drooping. There was no rush to return her to Canada, and for my own peace of mind, I wanted her to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.
“All right,” I told Adrian. The Garnet was a vampire hotel owned by the Kral Syndicate. I’d already received permission to enter their territory to extract Eden. “Book us a couple of suites, too. We’ll leave tomorrow night instead. And get the kid a room.”
Rio put down the dish he was rinsing. “I guess I should pack my bag.”
I jerked my head in assent.
