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“Because it’s a treat, and if I had it all the time, I wouldn’t appreciate it as much.”
I dipped my fork into the soft, spongy cake, and let the syrup rush to the plate so I could sop it up. It was the perfect bite, and I took a moment to savor it. “You shouldn’t deny yourself pleasure.”
“I don’t,” she said, digging into another bite. She didn’t make eye contact.
“Is that true?”
When she looked up, her eyes were sad. “Who knew your bullshit detector was so fine-tuned?”
“Bullshit? I don’t understand what that has to do with you.”
“It’s a saying. You caught me in a lie.” She laughed. “If I made the rules, I’d go all in on everything. I mean, look at me, I don’t exactly care about conforming. I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life on tour with rock bands. And I’m here. But in the back of my head, I keep hearing the voices of my family telling me I need to be practical. Or, as they like to say, grow up. I’m thirty-six years old. At this point, what they see is what they get.”
“Do you want to change?”
She shook her head.
“Does pleasing them make you happy?”
“Why do you have to be so insightful?” She delicately dragged a finger under her eye.
“Did you come here because you thought it would quiet your enemies?”
“They’re not my enemies.”
“If they don’t want the best for you, then they aren’t your friends, either.”
She let out a long sigh and put her fork down. “They think it’s the best. And I get it, in a way. They want to make sure I have everything I need. I came to the show so they could see that was exactly what I was doing. Just because I didn’t play the game by their rules didn’t mean I couldn’t win.”
“You don’t need their validation.” I chuckled. “You know, it’s easy for me to say that now. I lived in my brother’s shadow for years. He was the king, and I had to follow his lead, even if I didn’t agree. He would’ve never approved of me claiming you.”
She propped her chin on her hand, her gaze squarely on me. “Is that what you plan to do?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought I’d miss your fuzzy form, but I have to say, I like you human, Lars.” She gave me a wicked grin before popping another bite of pancake in her mouth.
“Good. Because I can’t wait to take you on those dates.” I looked at Bibi. “Is this one of them?”
She shook her head. “No. We wanted to make sure the two of you were compatible like this, but I don’t think we have to worry about that.”
“So what do you want to do, now that you’re human?”
Easy. “I want to go back to the mountains. Show you want I have to offer.”
* * *
“Whoa,” Hannah said as we inched closer to my home. “It didn’t seem like this many hunters when I saw it on TV. How are we gonna get to your mountain without any of them realizing who you are?”
“I can’t hide inside a studio forever.”
“But they have guns, Lars.” She grasped my hand. “And moon knows what else. They want to hurt you.”
“They can’t. I’m immortal.” I wanted to tell her that I had protection in the form of the Sempiternal Scepter, but that information still had to remain a secret.
Was I worried? Of course I was. I’d stayed up more than one night watching the video about the hunters. Listening to their interviews. They were fueled by misinformation. It gave me some comfort, even if it didn’t give me a clear advantage. But I couldn’t let fear keep me in a place I didn’t belong.
“What about your brother? Your mate? They were just like you, and they’re not here anymore.” She scraped her teeth along her bottom lip, her gaze glued to the window. “I’m sorry if I brought up some hurtful things, but I’m begging you not to be reckless. I’ve looked at some of these guys’ websites. They’ve dedicated way too much time to trying to capture you. They’re convinced they’re hot on your trail.”
