Page 59 of Accidental Blood Lust
“You’ll like it,” Roman promises him.
“Should we shower first?” There are still a few rogue streaks of Roman’s cum on my skin, and I know all three of us smell like sex. And not “want to have sex,”but “already fucked,” which is the distinction he was trying to teach me the other day. He could have just given me a demonstration—I’m kind of a slow learner.
Roman growls. Not a human growl, but a proper wolfish sound that rumbles in his throat, his eyes flashing that glowing yellow again.
“No, I like that you both smell like you’re mine.”
“Oh, gods, what have I agreed to? You’re going to force us both to walk around with your cum smeared all over us all the time, aren’t you?” Jare teases, and Roman growls again.
“Don’t give him ideas.” I laugh.
We all drag ourselves out of bed and pull our clothes back on. My head is still throbbing and my stomach is queasy, and I wonder how long this hangover is supposed to last.
JARETH
Now that I’mnot completely panicked about Loch’s safety—hisimmediatesafety, anyway—I’m able to enjoy the interesting architecture and decor of the compound as Roman leads us to the dining room.
“What time is it, even?” I ask. “How do we know a meal is being served right now?”
“Time is weird down here,” Roman says. “But food’s always available. The ‘freaky shadow demons’ as Loch referred to them, are basically on call to summon whatever you want to eat, whenever you want to eat it.”
“Wow, that’s pretty cool.” I guess I could get used to food on demand that I don’t have to cook myself. That thought almost stops me in my tracks.
Do I have to get used to it? Obviously, I’m glad that we’re down here now where Loch is safe from the army of fae who want him dead for killing their mafia prince, but what about once that’s settled? Is Roman allowed to live in the human realm or is it part of his contract that he has to stay here? What about my garden? What about drinking tea under the full moon?
“What’s wrong?” Roman asks.
I shake my head and give him a reassuring smile. We’ll figure it out later. “Just hungry.”
He squeezes my hand, then waves me ahead with a little flourish. I give Loch a curious look but he just grins back and nudges me to go through the double doors right ahead of us. I push them open and step inside to find a lavish dining room with a table big enough to seat at least twelve, already filled with the most extensive breakfast I’ve seen in my life. Everyone else is already seated, helping themselves to their favorite foods.
Mac and Drax both have bloody steaks and runny, over easy eggs on their plates, Atlas has a veggie omelet the size of his head, Rune is licking the powdered sugar from a beignet off of his fingers, and Cassius has a mug that I’m assuming is filled with blood. He lifts it in a little greeting salute, and I notice that it has a picture of vampire fangs and the words “Mondays bite” on it. I snort a laugh.
“Pull up a seat.” Mac nudges out the empty chair right next to him.
“Are those cranberry scones?” My mouth waters. “Cranberry scones are myfavorite.” I grab one off the serving tray and take the seat next to Mac.
“The demon butlers are good,” Rune says before biting into another beignet.
Roman sits down next to me and Loch settles on his other side, wrinkling his nose as he reaches for an empty mug and eyes a gold-plated pitcher.
“Sorry if this is a rude question, but they’re not, like, slaves, are they?” As I ask the question, a shadowy form appears, hovering over the empty mug in front of me like a little raincloud, and in an instant, the cup fills with lavender tea, just the way I like it with a splash of cream.
“No more than any of the rest of us are,” Drax says while Mac leans over and licks some runny egg yolk off his chin. “They signed contracts to work for Auri for eternity, or until another demon kills him and takes over all of his contracts. They’re lesser demons, too weak to even manifest a full form. They’re happy to have steady work and a boss who is halfway decent, even if he does have a flair for the dramatic.”
I nod in understanding.
“The demon hierarchy is fascinating. If you’re interested, I can lend you some light reading,” Rune offers.
“Uhh…” I glance at Roman, and he sends a menacing scowl Rune’s way.
“Remove all curses first.”
Rune rolls his eyes. “Obviously.”
Loch finally picks up the pitcher he’s been having a staring contest with for at least a minute. Thick crimson liquid pours from it into his cup and my stomach turns.
“That’s the best vintage I have,” Cassius informs him. “It’s from a descendant of a Roman emperor. Very rare, very expensive. If you can’t stomach that, you might be a lost cause.”
