true. He seemed tuned into her species. “Oh, and thank you so much for having my clothes brought here.”
When she settled into one of the two wood chairs on the porch, he put the mugs on the table between them and sat down. She passed his plate over. “I love it here,” she announced, unsure why she’d blurted it out.
“I thought you might. This is a wild place, and very much like you.”
“It’s my shifter-ness.”
“And did I tell you how much I love that part of you?”
“You’ve known me exactly one night and you already love something about me?”
He searched her face. “You find it hard to believe? Well, tell me what the shifter in you loves about me.”
“Easy question, but with more than one answer. You’re a man’s man and almost six-foot seven-inches tall. On the beach, when I nipped at your heels, you took off after me and I got the distinct impression you loved the game. But I think mostly I love just how much you look after your realm the way you do.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Let me return the compliment: I love your hair, your beautiful green eyes, and that you’re so physical.”
She shook her head. “But don’t get used to this. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t a relationship kind of woman.”
He chuckled. “No problem. I’ve promised myself that until the Invictus are gone, I’m riding solo.”
“Then we understand each other.” She looked at him over the rim of her mug.
“We do.”
She took a sip. “Ah. The coffee’s great by the way. And I do have one question. I thought vampires had to wait until full dark to be out and about, even with this level of light.” It was dusk, the sky turning deep blue. “But here you are.”
He shrugged and sawed off a thick chunk of meat. “My grandmother was human.”
She balanced her plate on her lap, and took another sip of her coffee. “Wait a minute. I know you’re old and the Nine Realms didn’t connect with the U.S. until thirty years ago, so how did that happen?”
He shook his head. “What can I say? My vampire grandfather went out hunting and brought a human female back. I didn’t get much from the strain, however, just a very slight tolerance to dusk.”
She liked that she had at least this in common with him, and that he wasn’t pure vampire.
Because she’d fed him two or was it three times, she was famished. She settled in to eat, savoring every bite of the protein-rich meal.
Holding a speared chunk of meat upright, he said, “You know the main reason I brought you here was for the privacy. I needed to be alone with you, and my retreat here seemed like the right place for it.”
“I’m glad you did. I think it suits you being in the trees, being up here in the mountains.”
He nodded. “It does. But I’m rarely here.”
“Why’s that?”
He picked up his coffee and took a drink. “Time, mostly. Usually by the end of the night, after long hours of battling, and flying over Swanicott, all I want is to be in my lighthouse home. I have a staff there that takes care of everything, my meals, my laundry, even making sure the leathers of my uniforms are well-cared for and replaced when needed. When I go home, I shower and fall into bed and I forget about what happened the night before. When I wake up, a meal is waiting for me. After that, I launch into a boatload of Realm business.”
“You have meetings with city officials and the like.”
“You have read some newspaper articles. Or is it blogs.”
“Both.” She smiled as she once more drank from her mug. Setting it back on the table, she cut a piece of steak and added some egg. Perfect first meal.
“I also meet with the leadership of various guilds, with my Troll Brigade Commander, sometimes the various Swanicott presses representing towns and villages.” He paused and cut off another chunk of steak, then stacked a generous portion of egg on top, just as she had. “But since you seem to know all
When she settled into one of the two wood chairs on the porch, he put the mugs on the table between them and sat down. She passed his plate over. “I love it here,” she announced, unsure why she’d blurted it out.
“I thought you might. This is a wild place, and very much like you.”
“It’s my shifter-ness.”
“And did I tell you how much I love that part of you?”
“You’ve known me exactly one night and you already love something about me?”
He searched her face. “You find it hard to believe? Well, tell me what the shifter in you loves about me.”
“Easy question, but with more than one answer. You’re a man’s man and almost six-foot seven-inches tall. On the beach, when I nipped at your heels, you took off after me and I got the distinct impression you loved the game. But I think mostly I love just how much you look after your realm the way you do.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Let me return the compliment: I love your hair, your beautiful green eyes, and that you’re so physical.”
She shook her head. “But don’t get used to this. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t a relationship kind of woman.”
He chuckled. “No problem. I’ve promised myself that until the Invictus are gone, I’m riding solo.”
“Then we understand each other.” She looked at him over the rim of her mug.
“We do.”
She took a sip. “Ah. The coffee’s great by the way. And I do have one question. I thought vampires had to wait until full dark to be out and about, even with this level of light.” It was dusk, the sky turning deep blue. “But here you are.”
He shrugged and sawed off a thick chunk of meat. “My grandmother was human.”
She balanced her plate on her lap, and took another sip of her coffee. “Wait a minute. I know you’re old and the Nine Realms didn’t connect with the U.S. until thirty years ago, so how did that happen?”
He shook his head. “What can I say? My vampire grandfather went out hunting and brought a human female back. I didn’t get much from the strain, however, just a very slight tolerance to dusk.”
She liked that she had at least this in common with him, and that he wasn’t pure vampire.
Because she’d fed him two or was it three times, she was famished. She settled in to eat, savoring every bite of the protein-rich meal.
Holding a speared chunk of meat upright, he said, “You know the main reason I brought you here was for the privacy. I needed to be alone with you, and my retreat here seemed like the right place for it.”
“I’m glad you did. I think it suits you being in the trees, being up here in the mountains.”
He nodded. “It does. But I’m rarely here.”
“Why’s that?”
He picked up his coffee and took a drink. “Time, mostly. Usually by the end of the night, after long hours of battling, and flying over Swanicott, all I want is to be in my lighthouse home. I have a staff there that takes care of everything, my meals, my laundry, even making sure the leathers of my uniforms are well-cared for and replaced when needed. When I go home, I shower and fall into bed and I forget about what happened the night before. When I wake up, a meal is waiting for me. After that, I launch into a boatload of Realm business.”
“You have meetings with city officials and the like.”
“You have read some newspaper articles. Or is it blogs.”
“Both.” She smiled as she once more drank from her mug. Setting it back on the table, she cut a piece of steak and added some egg. Perfect first meal.
“I also meet with the leadership of various guilds, with my Troll Brigade Commander, sometimes the various Swanicott presses representing towns and villages.” He paused and cut off another chunk of steak, then stacked a generous portion of egg on top, just as she had. “But since you seem to know all
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