To touch a Dark One is death.
To talk to an immortal is suicide.
Yet, I've been marked by both.
A Vampire.
And the King of the immortals.
My life is no longer my own.
And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin
with.
It was theirs.
It's always been theirs.
"Ethan, a
word?" Alex stood.
"Sure."
Ethan kissed the top of my head and left the room while Mason started rummaging
around the kitchen; pots and pans clanged together, and then he pulled out a
giant piece of steak.
"I hope that's
not for me." I pointed.
"Protein…"
He threw the steak into the pan. "…feeds the blood, which feeds the mate,
which, in turn, feeds you."
"You gonna
start singing Circle of Life?" I joked.
"Circle of
life?" he repeated.
"Lion
King?"
"Cassius is
king."
I looked helplessly
to Stephanie, who was trying to hide her smile behind her hand.
"Have you
seriously never watched Lion King?"
"Werewolves are
scared of TV," Stephanie said with a soft laugh.
"And sirens are
afraid of the dark," he fired back, while she shuddered. "I'm not
afraid of the TV. I just don't see the point in sitting in front of a flat box
and watching people make fools of themselves."
"He'd rather be
the fool." Stephanie nodded and winked in my direction.
"Mason…" I
walked over to him and put my head on his shoulder. "How about I eat the
steak and we watch Lion King?"
"No."
"Dances with
Wolves?"
Stephanie snickered
loudly behind her hand.
"Wolves do not
dance," Mason growled.
"Oh, we
know." Stephanie nodded. "I've seen it once. Don't care to see it
again."
"Too much
whiskey." Mason kissed the top of my head. "Eat the whole steak, and
then we'll talk about King Lion."
"Lion
King."
"Same
thing."
I sighed helplessly
and went to sit at the table while Mason cooked.
Stephanie gave me a
side hug. "Eight tomorrow morning, alright?"
"Great."
"Bed." She
shrugged. "It's been a long night." Her eyes misted again.
"Are you sure
you're okay?"
"Yeah."
Her voice cracked. "Like Alex said, we get emotional. Can't help it."
It felt like she was
lying, but I was human, how would I know? I nodded and turned my attention back
to Mason, who'd started searing the steak.
"So you cook
meat but refuse to eat it?"
"I'm a
vegetarian." He smiled. I'd never realized how pointy his teeth were on
the sides. Maybe that's how he'd been able to bite into me before Ethan had
mated with me.
"Your teeth say
otherwise." I pointed. "Flat means vegetarian. Pointy means
carnivore."
Mason rolled his
eyes. "I didn't say it was natural for me to be a vegetarian."
"Okay… so
why?"
He let out a heavy
sigh. "Meat made my mate sick… for one reason or another. It gave her
headaches. She only ate fruits, vegetables, nuts." He flipped the steak.
"So I learned to like other foods."
"And now?"
He went very quiet,
his eyes focusing in on the steak. "Now…" His voice was hoarse.
"I honor her with my every meal."
My throat clogged
with emotion.
The fact that he
honored her at all — but with every single meal — killed me. How did he survive
that? How did he live every day having known true love? And know he may never
experience it again — living forever?
"Don't pity
me." Mason let out a gruff growl. "It makes it harder."
"Sorry," I
whispered. "So pinecones, huh?"
He laughed.
"Yes, well, it's an acquired taste."
"I bet."
My heart picked up
speed, and then I smelled him. Ethan entered the room, briskly walking by me,
kissing my head. "Steak almost done?"
"I'm a
perfectionist." Mason held up his hands. "Let the juices seal."
Ethan scrunched up
his nose. "Her blood tastes better than that steak."
"Yes, well, her
blood tastes good because she's living. She's living because I feed her."
"Werewolf has a
point," I teased. "Besides, if I eat my whole steak, we're going to
watch Lion King!"
"Whose
king?" Ethan tilted his head. "What lion? Mason's a wolf."
And that's how I
ended up spending my evening between a vampire and a werewolf, eating steak and
watching a Disney movie while they argued over the animal kingdom, not to
mention the lion's choice in song.
It felt right.
Like I'd finally
found my place.
My home.
I had no idea that
the security I felt was about to get ripped from me, from the very people I'd
put my trust in.
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York
Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and
contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee
at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .
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