Page 25 of Taken to the Deadlands

But I couldn’t stop myself.

Especially not when she looks like that.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and lifted her fork. With hesitant movements, she picked up the tiniest bit of stewed meat and sniffed it.

“I can promise you it’s safe,” I vowed, my voice laced with just the slightest bit of annoyance.

She narrowed her eyes at me. When I motioned for her to take a bite, she took a deep breath, then shoveled the food into her mouth.

She froze for almost thirty seconds. Panic rose in me.

Does she hate it?

I followed the recipe I remembered. And the demons I chose were similar to the fluffy white herbivores they had in the Human Realm.

Then she began chewing. Wide eyes and a shocked expression met me.

“Wait, that’s… that’s not bad.”

Pride swelled so powerfully in my chest I was worried it might burst. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

“I know,” I said and used my fingers to grab bits of meat from my bowl. She watched me eat with an intense gaze. The meat was tasty, but nothing compared to the memory of Mia’s taste on my tongue.“What?”

A small smile spread across her face.

“This is nice,” she said with a shrug. “I like eating with you instead of being locked in my room on my own.”

“You’re notlocked?—”

“Bad choice of words.” She raised her hands in a surrendering gesture. “I just mean it’s nice to have company. And I’m sure after so long you feel the same. Unless you usually eat with that other demon.”

I shook my head.

“We don’t eat together,” I said. “Like the others, we keep our distance. She does her job, and that’s it.”

She frowned and looked around the room. “Maybe you should invite her next time.”

“And have her eat you instead?” I asked, cocking my head. I didn’t mean for it to come out harsh, but the dip in her smile told me it did. “I just want to keep you safe,” I supplied hastily.

She nodded and returned her attention to her food.

“I thought that maybe if you find your time here lonely, she might as well,” she said. “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

I nodded. If it were anyone else, I would have brushed them off. Maybe even fought them for even suggestingIwas ever lonely in the first place.

But since the day she arrived, I found myself opening up to her in a way I hadn’t with anyone before.

Including the humans.

It was like I couldn’t stop myself. Like the words just flew out of me, and I only realized what I had said when she looked at me with that small smile of hers.

It means trouble.

And yet I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fight it.

Chapter 12

Mia

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