Page 87 of Bitten By the Basilisk

The mental image he inspired made her heart skip a beat. “Oh,” she stammered. “That’s…good.”

He chuckled and gestured at the passenger seat. “After you, kitten.”

Today was the last full day of courting, the day of the festival when suitors offered a gift to their desired mate. Tomorrow evening, the Nest would host the final gala, where suitors would perform their mating display.

If Alice decided to reject Silas and return as planned to Chicago, declining to attend the mating gala would be the kindest way she could spare him.

She tried not to think about that as they strolled along the boardwalk, popping into the occasional shop and sipping on a couple of coffees. But more than once, they ran into other serpent-folk who were spending the day together, and more than once, she spotted the red thread of fate connecting happy couples.

Every time, despite knowing better, she glanced down at her and Silas’s clasped hands—with hope, she realized, as it would make her decision into a no-brainer.

Silas checked his watch every once in a while, making her suspect they had an appointment of some sort. Indeed, a few minutes before the top of the hour, he looked at his wrist and announced, “We should get going, kitten.”

“Let me guess. We’re going to do some sort of haunted tour.”

The smugness of his smile told her she was incorrect. “You’ll see.”

They walked leisurely but without stopping, which was a shame because she had previously spotted the glassworks studio up ahead and had yet to go inside.

As they neared Indigo Cove Glassworks, she slowed her pace, so busy peering through the front windows that she nearly ran into Silas, who had stopped to open the door.

He chuckled at her, swinging the door past her shoulder without letting go of her hand. “We’re here.”

A huge smile lifted her cheeks, though she was a little confused. The glassworks had opened an hour ago, so why had he been checking the time?

“Oh!” she said with realization. “Are we going to watch a demonstration?”

His only response was another of his small, crooked smiles.

The front end of the glassworks was retail space. Glass art as well as more practical glassware filled the shelves and tables. Some of the art was abstract, but most of it was recognizable objects and animals, including plenty of sea life. The glassware included vases, pitchers, and drinking glasses.

Beyond the retail area, past a bright-yellow line on the bare concrete floor, was the glassblowing studio, where she spied a lean, older man rolling a glob of bright-orange molten glass across a steel table using the tip of a long blowpipe. He wore only a black T-shirt and jeans, the heat of the melting furnace keeping the garage-like interior toasty.

A young woman at the retail counter greeted them. “Hi there! Are you two here for the beginner class?”

Alice turned to Silas, her heart leaping. “A class?” she exclaimed, pressing her clenched hands against her chest. “I’m going to learn glassblowing?”

“We are, yes.” He appeared to revel in her excitement, his gaze warm. “As long as you’re okay with a six-hour class.”

She hopped in place, squealing with delight. “Yes, I’m okay with that!”

“Good,” he said with the smugness of someone whose plan was coming together, before leaning closer and speaking at a more intimate volume. “Because this is my courtship gift to you. Accepting would mean you’re still interested.”

She stared at him, both impressed and astonished. Not only had he chosen the perfect courtship gift, but he had presented it before she could even hope to curb her anticipation.

“Sneaky snake,” she mumbled, smiling.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Silas

Their instructor was a handsome thirtysomething human named Justin. He first gave them a tour of the studio, starting with the melting furnace. When he showed them a second, separate furnace called “the glory hole,” which was solely for reheating throughout coloring and shaping, Alice and Silas shared an amused glance.

“What about glassblowing interests you the most?” their instructor asked at the end of the tour, specifically of Alice.

She was far more outwardly excited than Silas and had been asking all the questions, but the way Justin looked at her, warm and lingering, said he was personally interested.

As long as Justin didn’t make her uncomfortable, Silas didn’t mind per se that another man recognized Alice’s beauty and charm, as Silas was the one who had last tasted her lips, her skin, and her slick. She was his mate.