Page 54 of Wild Kiss

I nodded. "Have the latest batch of supplies I requested been picked up?"

It was a bit difficult to get things into this place. Obviously we didn't want to invite any strangers into the town, so the process for procuring supplies was complicated and usually included several hour long trips and a million different cover stories. We grew our own fruits and vegetables, and made our own bread, but things like toilet paper goods that weren't easily handmade, clothes etc., we got from the outside.

Connor nodded. "They didn't ask any questions," he assured me, and I breathed a sigh of relief I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Good, good."

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" he asked, knowing that there would be a parade of people coming to see me if they had their way.

"I'm going to get Rune to fall in love with this place…and with me," I said with a wink.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I have no doubt that that's a battle you'll win."

He didn't ask more questions, and that was something I appreciated about Connor. He let me speak my mind when Iwantedto. There was a lot I couldn't tell him. He knew that I'd been the leader of the Hunters, and that things had soured as of late, but the rest was on a mostly need to know basis, even though I considered him my closest friend.

We finished our drinks, chatting about random things before he left to return to his family a few houses down.

I stared out at the darkness, up at the moon, thinking about my plan.

I couldn't fail. I had to do everything I could. She couldn't leave this place before she was in love with me.

CHAPTER 11

RUNE

Iwoke up feeling more rested than I ever had at Alistair’s. Staring out the window at the town laid out before me, I felt a bit like I'd stepped into a fairytale. The sky was a brilliant blue, seeming much brighter than at Alistair's. When I pushed open the window, I noticed it was chilly, but not uncomfortably so, and there were already people milling around in the golden streets.

I quickly got dressed and went downstairs, marveling at how much more comfortable I felt walking around the house than I had at Alistair’s.

Ares was sitting at the bar, chatting with a plump, cheerful looking woman with silver hair who was cooking something amazing smelling on the enormous stove.

"There's my girl," he said proudly when he saw me, his gaze filled with heat. I glanced down at the outfit I’d picked, skinny jeans and a sweater, but the way he was looking at me…I might as well have been naked. The woman at the stove turned and shot me a huge smile. I’d never seen anyone who looked so…happy. She kind of resembled Mrs. Claus. And I immediately liked her before she even opened her mouth.

"Oh, my dear. You are more beautiful than he's been telling me. Come, sit down. I’m making breakfast, so I can make you whatever you want."

"Eggs benedict is my favorite," I purred.

With her huge, excited smile, I felt like I had saved her life or something.

"Marcia is the second most important woman in my life…behind you," Ares said with a wink.

Marcia chortled and blushed, going back to work at the stove.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, my own cheeks flushing, not sure why the moment felt so intimate with another person in the room.

"I thought I would show you around the town today?" he offered.

I nodded eagerly, excited to get a look at everything without glass in between me and the view.

"I can even take you to the emerald mines, and you can mine your first stone," he teased.

"And in the garden, don't forget about that."

He chuckled, sounding pleased at my obvious excitement, and I blushed again.

We talked back and forth with Marcia as she finished preparing breakfast. Evidently she had been helping Ares out since they’d found this place. She also was responsible for how perfect everything looked.

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