Page 14 of On the Road

“Be prepared for amazement.” Zee dove into the topmost box, pulled out a packet of Oreos, and tossed it to me. After catching it, I frowned down at the cookies, then back up at the stacks as tall as Victor and as wide as one of the big werewolves. That was a lot of Oreos. Several questions came to mind. How had he gotten them here so fast, and were that many boxes really necessary? But mostly, I just wanted to know . . . “Why?”

He presented a packet of cookies in the palm of his hand. “You’ll be surprised what an Oreo can do. They come in handy sizes, make a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and they’re full of chocolatey vitamins.”

“Chocolate vitamins do not exist,” Victor grouched.

“Okay. But Zee, uhm . . . why?”

“Why not?” He plucked out another packet and tossed it to Victor.

Victor snatched the cookies out of the air and immediately tossed them onto a nearby chair, less than impressed.

Of all the things going on, a few crates of Oreos was the least we needed to worry over. “Okay, I guess.”

“Okay?” Victor repeated.

I shrugged, then smiled. “Now we have Oreos.”

“How much did they cost?” Victor asked.

“Nothing. It’s called sponsorship, Vampire Daddy. Which you won’t understand since your billionaire ass barely knows what it’s like to scrape by with five bucks in your pocket.”

“A cookie company sponsored you?” Victor asked incredulously.

“Why not? I’m fuckin’ famous, don’t you know? An upstanding member of society. I pay taxes . . . sometimes. I just gotta mention Oreos on my socials and wait for the free money to roll in.”

“They haven’t paid you?”

“It’s a pay-per-view thing. Whatever. Do you not see the tower of Oreos?”

Victor sighed, long and hard. “Every day with you, Zodiac, is a wonder.”

“Wonderful,” Zee corrected. Using his tail, he tossed a second bag of cookies at Victor’s face.

Victor snatched them out of the air but held onto them this time. “Indeed,” came his monotone reply.

“You’re just grumpy because you want to sink your fangs into Adam’s neck. Even you’ll come around to the many benefits of Oreos eventually.”

I’d forgotten Victor hadn’t fed in days. He was overdue and grouchy. “Oh right, yeah. Would you like a top-up?” I quickly unbuttoned my shirt from the collar down, and Victor’s gaze shot to my fingers, giving away his need. Even though he was too polite to demand it, I’d always open a vein for him.

“Do you think the fluffy good boys would like some Oreos?” Zee asked, lifting packets of cookies like dumbbells.

“I think, maybe, give them some space for a while.” The last thing they needed was Zee giving out Oreos when they were probably grieving the loss of their packmate. “But we will need to speak to them after Victor’s fed.”

“And visit the site of the murder before any evidence is potentially . . . tampered . . . with . . .” Victor’s voice trailed off but his gaze remained glued on my neck.

I had all his attention zeroed in on me now, and an illicit thrill shivered down my spine. There was no time for anything more intimate than making sure he was topped-up, but sometimes that was enough. Crossing the floor, I stopped in front of him and tilted my head away, inviting him to take me.

“Mydros . . .” He breathed my true name in my ear, folded his arms around me, and those cool, sharp fangs slid neatly into my neck. It never got old, or boring, or weird. It was always like the first time, when he’d needed me. His touch alone could set me ablaze.

I melted into his embrace, surrendering completely. Safe. Loved. These were the things that made him and me and Zee everything to each other.

I should tell them why we’re running . . .

Victor’s fangs slid from my neck, freeing pleasant shivers through my entire body. He hadn’t taken much blood, just enough to shore him up. We’d learned dragon blood was potent and were still figuring out all the benefits being close to a dragon brought them both.

I clung to him for a few seconds longer, and contemplated throwing him onto the bed and demanding he take Zee and me for a wild ride.

Zee’s cookie crunching summoned my thoughts back into the room. “Hm, shogood.”