Page 142 of Shadowblood Souls
“I need a new fork,” he says, calm but insistent.
The waitress who’s working behind the counter area slides one over to him without bothering to ask why. She probably figures he just dropped his on the floor.
My insides are starting to feel all jumbled up, so I dig into my now fly-free dinner to distract myself. The fish is perfectly tender and the sauce that came with it deliciously tart. When I pop a forkful of the lasagna into my mouth, I have to close my eyes in a silent swoon.
Tomorrow we’ll be back to protein bars and grocery store sandwiches. I’d better savor all this while I can.
To no one’s surprise, Dominic ordered breakfast for dinner to suit his sweet tooth. He’s got a plate heaped with syrup-drenched blueberry pancakes and a couple of pieces of bacon on the side.
After five hasty bites, he’s waving his fork at Andreas. “Put maple syrup on the grocery store list for next time. I think I could live on this stuff.”
Then he turns to me, with a gentler motion of the utensil and a hint of hesitation. “Do you want some? It’s way better than table syrup, and the pancakes are great too.”
I open my mouth and close it again.
He hasn’t gotten to have food like this any more often than I have. The guardians usually kept our meals very plain so that we’d appreciate any little treats they rewarded us with—and every now and then they’d let us go without as some kind of test.
He’s probablynevereaten fresh pancakes like this—and he’s offering a portion to me.
Is he trying to make up for his reaction when we got out of the car?
Before I can answer, Zian’s eyes widen. He tears another rib off the row he’s been working through and holds it out in offering. “The ribs are really good too, if you want to try.”
“Um,” I say, starkly aware that they’re not offering to share with each other. This generosity is all about me.
An easy way to prove a point? Am I supposed to forgive everything that happened before because of a bite of pancake and a BBQ rib?
My gaze darts to Jacob of its own accord—somehow he’s the safe one since he’s the only one who hasn’t attempted to share. He meets my gaze and glances down at his plate, the same fish and chips I ordered.
“It seems a little redundant, or I’d join the club,” he says, as if he thinks I was looking at him as a demand rather than an escape.
“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “Really. I’ve got lots of food already.”
I should probably thank them, but somehow right now that feels too close to accepting apologies I don’t think I’m ready to yet.
I’m saved from getting even more flustered by the return of the waitress. “How’re you all doing?” she asks with a warm smile.
It occurs to me then that we have a perfect resource right here.
I push my own mouth into a smile. “Great! We were wondering though… Are there any good places you’d recommend around here if we wanted to go out for drinks or to, er, party a little after dinner? Somewhere really interesting, like a crowd you wouldn’t normally find outside the city. We want to get the full experience.”
I don’t know if my attempt at explaining sounded odd to her, but either it sounded like a reasonable request or she just wants to make sure she gets a good tip. She taps her pen against her lips.
“Well… if you want something on the quirky side, more of an extreme atmosphere, there’s a punk venue just a few blocks east from here. And a little farther than that, there’s a bar that I think still does Goth nights. Those are the closest ones I can think of.”
“Sounds perfect,” I say brightly, whipping out my phone. “What are the names? I don’t want to forget.”
She dredges them from her memory, and I tap them into my notes app. As she walks away, Andreas lets out a soft whistle.
“Very smooth, Tink.”
Jacob is grinning, which if you know him is simultaneously both breathtaking and terrifying. “We know what our next stop is. Finish up, and let’s get back on the road.”
Six
Jacob
It’s possible that none of the people in this club are monsters.
