Page 13 of Death and Donuts

Something was wrong.

It wasn’t until the end of our shift that Vena nearly bowled me over with her phone in her hand.

“Did you see the group text from Miles?”

“No.” I pulled out my phone from my apron pocket.

Miles: The Dwarf Mountain is on lockdown because the prince died. Be in touch soon.

“Uh, that can’t be good,” I said, looking up at her.

“No kidding. I tried calling Mom and Dad, but they didn’t pick up.”

“And they likely won’t,” Shepard said, approaching us. “We’ll talk before you leave.”

Counting out tips was painful because Vena had the patience of a gnat. Her fidgeting kept drawing attention.

“Anchor,” I said under my breath, hoping he’d hear me from the kitchen. “You’re going to need to distract Vena.”

“Vena, can you check the ladies’ room for me?” Anchor called, coming out of the kitchen. “Someone mentioned a clog.”

Buzz made a choked noise as Vena bounded off her stool.

“He could have gone with anything, and he went with a clogged toilet?” Buzz said softly.

Shepard elbowed him and said goodnight to Pam and Adrian. As soon as it was just the wolves and me at the bar, Shepard set aside the glass he’d been drying.

“The prince was young. Late twenties, maybe. It’s unlikely he died from natural causes.”

“What does that have to do with Vena’s parents not answering their phones?” I asked.

“As guests, Vena’s family won’t have anything to worry about. However, due to the investigation that likely needs to take place regarding the prince’s death, the dwarves are probably limiting outside communication for now.”

“If the mountain is under lockdown, why did all the dwarves leave like they did?” I asked.

“To return home and mourn their prince. We probably won’t see our regulars again for a while.”

“And Vena’s family?”

“They will remain the king’s guests until he has answers. But don’t worry. He’ll want answers quickly. Worst-case scenario, they’ll be home by Monday. Until then, it’s business as usual for the rest of the world.”

That was easy for him to say. He didn’t live with Vena. The likelihood of her being okay with her family locked away in a mountain was low.

CHAPTER FOUR

A light breezeon my arm woke me. I opened my eyes, expecting to be greeted by familiar amber ones. However, I was alone. Again.

My gaze drifted to my window screen–the one Cross had thoughtfully repaired after he’d busted through it to escape whichever of Shepard’s men had been guarding us at the time. Was it the steadfast presence of werewolves keeping him away? I doubted it. He and the werewolves had made peace since then. Sort of. It was more of a grudging tolerance.

While Cross’ morning absences were slightly disappointing, I was also relieved. Especially after the kiss Shepard had laid on me last night. Why was I even thinking of another guy after kissing Shepard like that? Didn’t I have more important things to do?

Shaking my head at myself, I got out of bed. I had potential recipes I wanted Cross to try today.

After dressing, I started a simple bismark dough and another batch of the bonbons he’d liked. While he’d said sweet treats, I wasn’t sure what a vampire’s sweet threshold was. Did they vary like humans, or was there a general preference?

I sent Cross a text to find out.

Me: Do vampire sweet preferences vary like humans?

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