I had settled on a deep-fried dish called Alcapurrias. It was made up of a plantain-based dough roll filledwith crab. I had to admit it was rather tasty.
Despite the warm weather, I was enjoying sitting out here in the sun. Music was playing loudly, and the atmosphere around us was a very happy one. It was hard to believe that this was the home of the Crimson King.
“You can tell you are Ri’s mother right now,” Marcel remarked quietly, making me look at him sharply.
“What do you mean?” He smirked slightly.
“Nothing at all.”
I frowned slightly. I had a good idea of what he meant, but I was not complaining despite how hot I was feeling. I bit into my roll, looking around. From behind my glasses, I could see there were a few werewolves among the humans. Seeing one who looked just a little younger than me at a kiosk, I decided to make myself busy.
“I’ll be back, I’m going to go get myself something else,” I said, removing my sunglasses and motioning with my eyes.
“Sure, love,” Marcel replied, trying to play the part. I turned, walking away.
Even with the sun shining, the gloomy weight of sadness washed over me, threatening to pull me into the abyss of darkness once more. I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the present.
“Can I get an iced lemonade, please?” I asked the man behind the counter.
“Right away!” I fanned my face, and, as expected, the werewolf glanced at me, his eyes skimming over me.
“New here?” He asked in accented English. I smiled charmingly, taking a seat on the stool and crossing my legs.
“Yes, just having a small family holiday,” I said, making sure to look tired, and sighed softly.
“Oh? It doesn’t seem like you are as happy as one should be when visiting here.” The man behind the counter placed my iced drink before me, and I smiled slightly, running my finger along the rim of my glass. As expected, his gaze fell to my perfectly manicured long nails.
“Trying to be,” I replied, looking him over and hoping it worked.
The only man I ever tried to seduce was Rafael, and it didn’t require much work. In fact, he had been the shameless one, trying to sneak into my bedroom when he wasn’t meant to until we were married. I blushed, remembering his shameless tactics. One wouldn’t think that Rafael Rossi, who was always so charming, had another incredibly sexy side to him. One that was reserved for me. My king. How I yearned to be with him…
“You know, if you want, and of course, if you can get away from your family, I could show you the true magic of Puerto Rico,” he suggested, ordering himself a drink.
“That actually sounds great… but I don’t know, I don’t even know you,” I said hesitantly. I couldn’t pretend to be that easy. I knew the men could hear me, but we didn’t really have time to waste, and if flirting was the way to go, then so be it. Even if it left a sour taste in my mouth.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to abduct you and take you far away.” He chuckled. “We’ll remain in public places if that’s what you prefer.”
“Well…” I hesitated until he reached over, picked up a napkin, and grabbed a pen behind the vendor.
“If you change your mind, senorita.” He held the napkin out, and I took it smoothly.
“Thank you.” I smiled, letting him notice me looking him over. He smirked, flashing me a wink before walking off. Werewolves.
Humans would fall for them with ease, so he probably thought I was up for it. I resisted the urge to run my fingers over my mark that was hidden by a layer of makeup and Raihana’s spell. We were taking extra precautions just in case.
“She’s sexy,” I heard another man say quietly to the man who had spoken to me.
“She is. I think if I’m lucky, I’ll have some fun,” the man chuckled, speaking Spanish. “You know, I like foreign women.”
I took out some money to pay for my drink, not even turning toward them. After all, they didn’t know I could understand and hear every single word. The man behind the counter smiled.
“It’s paid for by the kind sir,” he replied sunnily.
“Oh, thank you,” I replied, turning to see if he was still around, but he had vanished. Taking out my new phone, I quickly typed in his number and sent the message,
Maria: Thank you for the drink.
Hitting send, I walked over to the table and sat down.
