Page 33 of Dark Fire Kiss

Now I had to decide if it was worth the risk to seize it.

He looked at Bram. “You know the place.”

Bram nodded. “Aye, it’s—”

“The one right on the river,” Fergus finished.

“All right,” I blurted. A river wasn’t the ocean, but I couldn’t turn it down. And the presence of humans would ensure Bram and Fergus behaved themselves. Immortals shunned human attention. They wouldn’t do anything that might jeopardize our secrets.

Fergus smiled. “You’ve got yourself a date, lass.”

* * *

A short time later, I sat in an Inverness restaurant with my head spinning from the sights and sounds I’d experienced since we left the castle. Everything was bright and new and human. More than once, I’d resisted the urge to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

After I’d agreed to dinner, Fergus and Bram had led me to a parking garage deep under the castle, where I’d had to scoop my jaw off the ground at the sight of so many different kinds of vehicles. Fergus had chosen a sleek, black sports car with heated leather seats and a dashboard full of glowing buttons. It was a beautiful machine, and it had practically purred as it sped us away from the castle and into a city of glittering lights and quaint cobblestone streets.

The restaurant, which Fergus called a “pub,” wasn’t normally open so late at night, but he’d “pulled some strings” and now we were ensconced in a wooden booth with plates of pasta and meatballs in front of us. Bram had ordered a bottle of wine with a price tag that made my eyes bulge. But after three glasses, my mind was pleasantly fuzzy and a soothing hum drifted through my veins.

“Let’s play twenty questions,” Fergus said as he passed me a basket of bread. Just before I touched it, he wrenched it back. “Och, it’s garlic.”

I rolled my eyes and took the basket from him. “The garlic thing is a myth. How many vampires have you met?”

He appeared to think it over. “I can’t say that I’ve met any, to be honest. More often than not, they were at the pointy end of my sword.”

Well, then.

“Sorry, lass. The world was a lot more violent when I was a lad. And I didnae realize I’d have vampires for in-laws one day.”

My lips parted. He spoke so casually, like our mating was a done deal. I slid a look at Bram, who was twirling spaghetti onto a fork beside me. At first, he didn’t seem to notice my scrutiny. Then he glanced up and winked.

I caught my breath. Bram McGregor had just winked at me. Flustered, I drained my wineglass.

“So,” Fergus said. “Twenty questions.”

I frowned. “I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a bit of a game. Easy, really. I ask you a question and you answer. Then you ask me a question and I answer. And then back and forth until we get to twenty.”

“That’s not how you play,” Bram murmured.

Fergus shot him a disgruntled look. “Wheesht, spoilsport. We’re playin’ my version.” He turned to me. “Ready?” With his accent, it sounded more like reddy.

“What if I don’t want to answer?” I dared to ask.

A teasing expression moved through his eyes. “You get one pass, but then you have to answer the next question. No excuses.”

I chewed on my lower lip, then abruptly remembered we were among humans. If someone saw my fangs… But the restaurant was dimly lit, and the staff were nowhere to be seen. The hostess who’d seated us had gawked at the men and then looked me over with obvious envy. The waitress had done the same, promising the guys she’d get them anything they needed.

Somehow, I didn’t think she meant extra marinara sauce.

“Come on,” Fergus said. “I know you’re curious about us.” He sipped from a glass of whisky, the amber-colored liquid catching the light as he tipped his head back. He lowered the glass and licked moisture from his lips.

Instant heat flared over my skin, and I jerked my gaze away from his mouth. “Fine. How did you two meet?”

“On the training field. ‘Twas love at first sight, wasn’t it, Bram?” Fergus leaned toward me and spoke in a stage whisper. “He almost fainted.”

Bram sat back and folded his arms. “If I recall correctly, you tripped over your own feet and fell on your arse.”

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