Page 140 of Shadowblood Souls
He’s arranged so that I get to sit on the end of the bench, where I’m not boxed in. The exact opposite of how he’d have handled this scenario a week ago with his fears that I’d take off on them.
I’m next to Zian, who’s left me plenty of space beside his brawn—for both of our benefits, no doubt.
I accept one of the menus the waitress brings us, my gaze darting between it and the window.
If the guardiansdidsomehow find us here, we’d see them coming, right? It looks like there’s a back entrance over by the washrooms.
And if we really need to make a fast getaway, glass is always breakable.
When I finally convince myself to give the menu my full attention, my mouth starts watering. We haven’t eaten anythingexcept grocery store offerings and drive-through fast food in days.
The burgers look tasty, but I’ve had a ton of those already. And so many of the other options sound good.
Even if this place isn’t five-star dining, it’ll at least be different from the stuff I’ve spent most of my life subsiding on.
I lick my lips. Andreas catches the movement with apparent amusement.
“Already know what you want, Tink?”
“I want the whole menu,” I mutter. “They have fish and chipsandlasagna. How am I supposed to decide?”
One corner of his mouth ticks upward. “I was eyeing the lasagna. How about I get that and promise you a piece of it?”
My eyes flick to him. I evaluate his expression, but he looks totally relaxed about the offer—and maybe a little hopeful.
I don’t want to feel like I owe him for the kindness. But I also really want both dinners.
I set down my menu. “It’s a deal. We’ll trade part.”
Zian hums to himself. “Ribs or steak? They should have a combo.”
Dominic casts his pensive gaze around the restaurant’s interior. “At a place like this, I think ribs would be a better bet.”
“Not like I’m that picky about my steaks,” Zian replies.
I’ve generally been trying to look at Jacob as little as possible, but it’s hard when he’s sitting in front of me. When my gaze snags on him next, his eyes are just narrowing, his attention fixed on the window.
My head snaps around with a hitch of my pulse, just as a man on the sidewalk outside fumbles his cup of takeout coffee. The steaming liquid splashes all down his shirt, and he yelps loud enough for me to hear it through the glass.
As the guy hustles away, I glance back at Jacob. A small but satisfied smile has curled his lips.
He catches me watching him and draws himself up a little straighter. “That jerk was eyeing you like he figured he’d haveyoufor dinner.”
So it wasn’t just clumsiness but a little telekinetic push that spilled the coffee.
I glower at Jacob. “Being looked at isn’t going to hurt me. And if he tried to do more, I can handle some random dude just fine.”
Jacob shrugs. “A more subtle approach is better for us than bringing out claws in public.”
He has a point, but I fold my arms over my chest. “Or you could just not pick fights over imaginary insults.”
Jacob pins me with the full force of his cool stare. Somehow it doesn’t feel all that chilly at the moment, though.
“You can still be angry at me, and that’s fine,” he says, low and even but with a terse edge that suggests he isn’t really all that happy about my feelings. “It’s not going to stop me from protecting you.”
Says the guy who spent most of the last few weeks torturing me every way he could. It’s really not fair that the vehemence behind his words sends a flood of heat licking over my skin.
“We all are,” Zian puts in, glancing toward the window as if he thinks there might be some new threat out there for him to take on next.
