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“How about the back patio?” he asked.
“Won’t it be cold?”
“No,” the waitress assured me, already moving. “We have warmers out there to keep it comfortable.”
We followed her through the booths to the back door and outside, and it was indeed warm enough to be comfortable. Around us was forest, and off to the right, there was indeed a ferris wheel. We took a seat at one of the tables that was half in shadow, so Roman would be comfortable. There were a few other people at tables nearby including a pretty blonde woman that I recognized. I’d met her briefly at a party at Vee. I couldn’t believe that was literally just a few days ago.
“Hi, Alyssa,” I said with a wave but that faltered. She gave off such a don’t fuck with me vibe.
Still, she waved back half-heartedly.
The waitress handed us menus and said she’d be back with coffee.
I leaned toward Roman. “Do you eat food?”
He chuckled again. “Yes, and I enjoy it too.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t have to eat it as I get my nourishment from blood.”
“Good to know,” I said, settling back against the chair. There was so much I didn’t know about vampires and questions I wanted to ask. But I didn’t know if this was the right place to ask.
“You have questions?”
“I just haven’t been around that many vampires,” I said. “But mostly I have questions about you.”
“Oh?” he asked with a smile. “Ask me anything.”
I didn’t even know where to begin. What did you ask a two-thousand-year-old vampire when he said anything? “What’s the most interesting fact you’ve learned lately?”
He chuckled. “That sea turtle shifters exist. I’ve met a lot of different kinds of shifters in my life, especially since coming to Silver Springs, but for some reason that one was surprising.”
“Really? I guess I never really expected you to get surprised.”
“Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I’m completely tired and jaded,” he said. “You surprised me too.”
I chewed on my lip. “My null magic. You haven’t seen it before.”
“No.” He reached across the table and took my hands in his. “Because you’re so honest and thoughtful. You took responsibility right away for the incident at the aquarium.”
“Well,” I said with a shrug, “it was my fault.”
“You worry about your sister and Hudson and Tripp and all of us. You’re incredibly caring.”
“Those aren’t surprising things,” I said. “They’re just normal.”
He chuckled. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, genuine human kindness is more unusual and surprising than one would think.”
“Oh.” I thought that sounded sad. “How did you and Levi get turned?”
“We were orphans in a time when there were no services or help,” he said. “Our parents were killed when our house burned down.”
“Burned? Aren’t you from Egypt?” I asked. “I thought the houses were made of clay.”
He looked surprised. “Yes, most were built of mud brick, or adobe, but palm logs were used to support the roof and ceilings and palm burns like anything else.”
I nodded.
