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They were in sync like a choreographed dance. They were alive as much as the food, and they were as lively as the smells that enlivened my stomach. The more seasoning, the more hunger. And while I would have complained, I didn’t have it in me to vocalize it.
Slave or not, this was a walk in the park. I slept in a damn cot, sheesh. I was treated like an actualpersonhere. Everything that Juriah had promised me—the rescue, the escape, the safety—had pretty much come to pass. I mean, I couldn’t say how safe this place was specifically, but I had to guess they were prepared if they were harboring creatures like this Juriah guy.
Angels are real. Once again, that thought came without prompting, and I found myself studying Juriah for the millionth time, watching his muscles flex, watching his eyelids flutter when he was satisfied with the smell of his food.They don’t have to be like the books say. But they’re real. At least, he’s real.
Juriah cast a glance in my direction. Just seeing the way his eyes sparkled at the sight of me made me steam up, and I found myself glaring out the porch door instead. The blinds were pushed aside, allowing plenty of light to flow into the room. Birds chirped around the yard, squirrels pranced and wiggled about, and the trees bent to a generous breeze.
This place was magical. Other than the three beings in the kitchen creating delicious food, I sensed a certain feeling about this place that inspired nostalgia. But that was unusual considering I didn’t have anything nostalgic to drag from the depths of my memory except for my trip to New York with Rick.
He’d actually been nice back then. He’d actually been real with me. Without Percy around, Rick was just another wolf. He acted like a guy, he told bad jokes, and he grabbed my ass a lot, but he was just another wolf. Who knew what he could be if he left Baneridge behind.
Guilt slapped me across the cheek.I’ve abandoned my pack.
Galanthia set a mug of hot coffee in front of me. “You’re safe here.”
“I know.”
“We are aware that you know, but we can tell you don’t feel it yet.”
I stared up at her. Goddess, she was even more beautiful than last night. Something about her perfectly symmetrical features, her aquiline nose, and her stunning green eyes so unnaturally pale that they appeared as clear seawater made me feel a mixture of comfort and intimidation.
“Why are you all so beautiful?” I blurted, and then bit my tongue.
The way Izdor elbowed Juriah with that wiggly smile reminded me of the teasing jabs these two gorgeous weirdos had made last night about us being married or whatever.
I rolled my eyes. “Forget I asked.”
“Beauty is subjective,” Juriah explained as he plucked bacon from a pan and set it on a napkin. “Much like many opinions in this realm.”
Galanthia nodded. “You’ve never met an Elderling before, have you?”
“An Elderling?” I focused on my pronunciation, feeling the way it rolled off my tongue. “That’s…certainly a word.”
Izdor laughed. “It’s what we are. I’m sure Juriah can tell you all about it while Galanthia and I reinforce the protection spells around the town.”
Protection spells, I repeated mentally with a sigh of relief.Well, that’s good news.
“Good news, indeed,” Juriah stated. And then we gaped at each other as though we were kids getting scolded by a nanny. “I, uh…I mean…”
My eyes burned with curiosity and irritation. Had he justread my mind? Nope, that wasn’t possible. That wasn’t something anybody could manage to do without some serious magic mojo, or at the very least a super ridiculously good spell. Mages, magicians, witches—they were as good as their powers, bolstered by spirits, but they weren’t that freakin’ talented.
Elderlings were odd, rude yet considerate, and somehow capable of things that would take way more effort in this realm. If Juriah had read my mind just now, how many times had he done it last night? Was that how he knew exactly what I liked between my legs?
More heat crashed into my chest, causing me to rub the back of my neck with an itchy sense of anxiety crawling through my back. Sheesh, not even twenty-four hours with this guy, and he knew things about me that most men didn’t bother to figure out in twenty-fourmonths.
Galanthia frowned in disapproval, but she didn’t say anything out loud. All three Elderlings, as they were called, stared at each other—somehow at the same time. As I tried figuring out what in the world was happening, each of them nodded in turn and went back to what they were doing.
As if they had just held some kind of silent meeting.
Right in front of me.
I gulped some of my coffee. Despite it being hot, it tasted incredible, probably some of the best coffee I’d ever had in my life. That diner up in New York couldn’t have captured a better cup.
Galanthia grinned in my direction. She seemed like she was reading me too. In her own special way, she was monitoring my reaction to things. Did she have similar abilities? Was she reading my mind?
My eyes went so wide that I thought they would pop right out of my skull. I stared into my coffee mug until Juriah set a plate near my elbow. Greasy bacon, cheesy eggs, and fluffy biscuits invaded my senses, every bit of me aching with desire as I lifted a fork and dug in. I didn’t say thank you. I didn’t take a damn breath as I tossed my breakfast right down the hatch.
Galanthia and Izdor joined me at the table. Juriah stood to my left like he was a waiter trying to pick the right time to interrupt my chewing. Just when he seemed like he was going to say something, I grabbed a napkin and swept it over my lips. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—it’s just sogood.”
