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I stripped my tee over my head, fighting a sigh of relief when I was free of the stiff fabric. My shorts followed. Though they were stretchy and made out of legging material, everything grew uncomfortable after twenty-four hours on the back of a wolf. I was lucky I didn’t seem to have any chafing or blisters.
I stretched my legs out on the mattress in front of me and leaned over them.
Damn, I ached.
Silence reigned as Ivaylo cooked, and I went through a few more stretches.
I was nowhere near a yogi, but I had done a few yoga videos in an attempt to reduce my stress in the past, so I went through what I remembered of them.
As I did, floating lights the size of my fist began to make their way in. I assumed they were the huvim he had mentioned.
They revealed the room to me piece by piece. Most of them seemed to gravitate toward Ivaylo and the strange kitchen he was cooking in—and he had put shorts on, thankfully. As the lights went to him, they revealed bits of the massive bed I was sitting on, along with its soft, dark green blankets.
I saw an open door that looked like it may have led to a bathroom—and another that looked like it led to the closet. Despite the fact that we were underground, and the space wasn’t massive, it was cozy.
I was starting to understand why he called it a den. Honestly, the place felt a little magical.
When Ivaylo finished cooking and brought two plates to the bed, the lights followed him over.
“What makes them glow?” I asked him, my curiosity growing too strong to keep me silent.
“They feed on magic.”
I jerked away from the nearest one quickly, and his lips curved upward just slightly.
Damn, he looked good when his face softened like that.
“They’re harmless. The amount of magic they require is nearly nonexistent, and regenerates far faster than they can take it. They are all over Evare, and no one has ever had a problem with them.”
“Not that you know of,” I said, still eyeing them with suspicion.
“Eat, Ezra. You’ll need your strength if you intend to keep resisting the frenzy’s pull.”
I scowled at him, but accepted the strange utensil he handed me. Though the food didn’t look appetizing, it smelled incredible.
When the first bite touched my tongue, I couldn’t suppress a groan. “Damn, that’s good.”
“I’m not an entirely useless male. I know how to cook for a female,” Ivaylo said, his eyes narrowing at me.
“Don’t know how to take a compliment, huh?” I asked him, cutting another bite with the side of my utensil. “You can just say thank you.”
He didn’t say thank you. “Your compliment suggests you didn’t expect my cooking to suffice.”
“In my world, if someone feeds you something delicious, you thank them. Unless you’re paying them.” I considered it as I chewed another delicious bite of whatever the hell it was. “Even then, you still thank them if it’s possible.”
His narrowed eyes softened slightly. “Strange.”
“So in Evare, it’s expected that a man will know how to cook for his mate?”
“All magical beings have their own mating culture and rules, so I don’t know. Among shifters, yes. A male who cannot satisfy his female with food is considered undeserving.”
I frowned. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want a mate?”
“I did not.”
I gave him an exasperated look. “You said something about not wanting to go on the mate run, Ivaylo. I may not know all of your lingo yet, but I know the running had something to do with mating.”
The gold around his body swelled and rippled when I said his name.
