“That position is one of my favorites if you would care to find out.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
He laughed gravelly, murmuring, “Innocence is for the young, Ms Ruckler. Branch out a little.”
I had no clue what he was talking about. “Whatever.” I threw a scowl over my shoulder. “Can I hurt you now?”
“Now you’re getting the idea.”
“You talk in riddles,” I muttered, then jumped, giving him no notice. I tucked, rotating in the air, then reached out and gripped his neck as I started to descend behind him. I shoved down hard as I untucked, the act where I would jerk an enemy’s head clean off. I landed beautifully on my feet as he thumped hard on the mats below me.
He grunted, grabbing at his ear. He blinked. Gave his ear another tug. “Cahal taught him well.” A slow grin up at me. “Your escort is much less innocent than you, Ms Ruckler.”
My gaze shot to Ezra. I saw the glow swiftly diminish from his eyes, returning them to their normal stunning green. My lips pinched, realizing he had used an old form of Vampire communication to say something to Elder Merrick during my take-down. My gaze moved to the intended recipient as he jumped to his feet. “I took you down fair and square.” I wasn’t about to let Ezra’s distraction say otherwise.
“You did.” Elder Merrick rubbed his neck. “A bit too hard, really.”
I nodded once. Truth. “See you tomorrow.”
He waved absently, popping his neck, and I went to where Ezra was sitting on the bleachers, next to my bag. He was reclined with his arms on the seat behind him, watching me move toward him. His gaze was guarded, even though his lips were lifted in a predatory way. I grabbed my bag, tossing him a dirty look, and pulled a sweatshirt out along with a water bottle.
Quietly, he murmured, “I didn’t say anything until he was already on his back.”
My hands stalled. “Promise?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, glancing at him as I pulled the sweatshirt on. “What did you say?”
He grinned, his fangs slightly lowered. “Nothing too bad.”
Yeah, right. “Just be careful.”
“Always,” he whispered, eyes moving around the room and not staying anywhere in particular as I began guzzling my water. “So, my dad.” He cleared his throat. “Well anyway, he stopped by the kitchen this morning and asked if I’d join him and my mom for lunch. I told him I had plans already for brunch…”
I blinked, watching as his eyes flittered everywhere but me. “It’s alright if you’re cancelling. I can just meet with King Fergus earlier.”
His eyes did meet mine then. With a bit of irritation. “You’re still going to meet with him?”
My eyebrows rose, but I whispered, “He’s lonely. I was lonely. We’ve become…friends, I guess. I’m not going to leave him hanging when he needs someone.” I shrugged, drinking from my water bottle again. “Plus, it’s fun.”
His lips pinched, but he didn’t say anything further about King Fergus. “I wasn’t cancelling our brunch.” His fingers tapped on the bleacher. “My dad asked who I had plans with,” he paused, clearing his throat, “and I told him you.” Another pause. “He somehow manipulated the situation to where he and my mom are now joining us.”
I stared. “You didn’t.”
“Not on purpose,” he groused, sitting forward and rubbing his neck. “He got the better of me.”
Goddamn Cahal and his wily ways. “Well,” I guzzled the rest of my water, “I think I’m not feeling well.”
Ezra shook his head. “Don’t try to back out. It’ll only arouse his suspicion more.”
I groaned, chucking the empty water bottle into my bag, which I then zipped up. “I’m all disgusting and stinky. If I’m going to,” Christ, “have a meal with your parents, I would prefer to be clean.” I paused. “And possibly drunk.”
He glanced at his watch. “No time for either.” He stood, grabbing my bag and tossing it over his shoulder. “We’re meeting them in ten minutes.”
“Perfect,” I mumbled, walking with him as I tried to fix my ponytail, half my hair wet from sweat. “Maybe I’ll stink them out.”
He chuckled. “Vampires, sweetheart. Not Shifters.”
“Any clue why he wanted to have lunch with you?”
He peered at me, eyes roaming my face. “Just to have lunch.”
“Oh.” I glanced forward. It had been so long since a parent figure wanted to have a meal with me just for the mutual pleasure of it that I had forgotten families actually did that. “Right.”
I could still feel his eyes on me as we wound through the Mysticals, who were watching us warily since we weren’t arguing, and he finally asked, “Did you and your mom have a favorite place to eat?”
My smile was soft. The hurt of her death was no longer unbearable. “At home. She loved to cook.” My grin increased, memories invading. “She used to slap at Antonio’s hands when he tried getting to the food before it was ready.” I chuckled. “I remember a few times when he chased her around the kitchen while she held a bowl of cookie dough like it was a football. She would always threaten to beat him over the head with her skillet when it got to that point.”
“Sounds nice,” he murmured, standing close to me when the walkway became too crowded. “We ate out a lot since my mom could burn water she was so awful at cooking. Our favorite place was this little Italian restaurant with the most hideous red décor, but the food was amazing. We’d go there every Wednesday night for family night, no matter our schedules.”
I blinked. “Is it Wednesday?” Time had blurred here, days becoming weeks as we waited, at the brink of war, in this sanctuary.
“I don’t know,” he said absently. A pause. “We should get a calendar so we’re not oblivious.”
I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly as we paused before the dining hall’s doors. “Show time.”
Ezra grunted and then inhaled deeply, opening the door for me.
It was deja vu all over again as the place went quiet when we entered. Ezra and I ignored them the best we could as we peered around the dining hall. Leave it to a scary-ass mom to embarrass her son fully by shouting from the far corner, “Ezra, dear!” She waved grandly. “We’re over here!”