Page 114 of Imprisoned with the Vampire King

Thirty seconds later, he pulled off the road we were on, turning into a parking lot.

My forehead creased, but I understood what he was doing when he pulled into the drive-through of a Werewolf Café location I'd never been to before.

“We’re getting coffee?” I asked.

“We are. If you want to get the plan done tonight, we’ll get it done.” He pulled up to the window, and looked at me. “Do you want your usual?”

I nodded.

I was quiet as he ordered for both of us.

And as we drove home.

When he parked, I didn’t get out immediately, just sipping my coffee and staring at the door through the garage that led into the house.

Going in would mean dealing with the prison mess, and I just needed a few more minutes to breathe before I did that.

Dante got out of the car.

I didn’t realize where he was going until he opened my door and leaned against it, studying me.

“Thanks,” I said, looking away without moving to get up. “For what you did in the restaurant. I could’ve done it alone, but I'm glad I didn't have to."

"I wanted to." His words were simple, and I believed him.

He'd been nothing but supportive in the restaurant. Him and Jazz had talked a little, but mainly, he'd been in the conversation with me and River. Jazz had, too.

When things got tense, Dante interrupted calmly. He had offered to get me out of there multiple times, too.

"I did everything wrong," I said quietly.

"Not everything."

"I couldn't convince River that our dad was hurting me. I couldn't get away from him without falling. Or jumping. Or maybe... going dark?" I grimaced. "My prison was a complete shit show. It still is. I left River in there too long. My rescue attempt was a fail, and made everything worse. I separated you from your family, and I'm a shitty partner or mate or whatever. It's not even hard to be a good mate. You're perfect at it, obviously, because you're perfect in general, but⁠—"

"Let it go, Ophelia."

I blinked.

"No one blames you for any of that," he said. "If they do, they can fuck off. No one who matters holds it against you. Stop holding it against yourself."

"As far as you and I go…" He bent over, leaning into the car and hitting the button to unbuckle my seat belt. When he pulled away, he left his face just a few inches from mine, so I had no choice but to look him in the eyes. "I've never been less bored, or more satisfied. Both blood-wise, and sexually. If that sounds like the description of a shitty mate, you need to find a dictionary, Angel."

"I don't think shitty mate is in the dictionary." The words were half-hearted.

"You made mistakes. So have the rest of us. It's time to let them go, and move on. We'll fix the mistakes that can be fixed, and leave everything else in the past."

Dante stood up, and offered me a hand.

After a moment of hesitation, I took it.

He slid his fingers between mine after pulling me out of the car, and I took another sip of my coffee.

"You don't need to stay up with me while I work," I said quietly. "I'm used to late nights on my own."

"I want you to get used to late nights with me."

"You probably have a schedule full of meetings tomorrow. I doubt you have time to stay up until 2 AM. Or later."