Page 29 of The Hunger
“Yeah, but you ran out of the house like your ass was on fire. I’m worried, now that I’m with Oanen, you’re going to keep avoiding me.”
“Not a chance. I promise daily visits if time allows.”
“You got something else more pressing to do?”
“Don’t be needy,” I said with a grin. “It’s a turn-off.”
“Pfft. Nothing about me is a turn-off.”
“I’ve seen the way you dress up, Megan. Trust me. There are a few turn-offs. But because I love you, I’ll help you through them.”
She laughed and made me promise to keep her updated on whatever trouble I was up to before letting me go.
When I returned to the kitchen, Dad had lunch ready. I skipped the main meal and dug into the triple-layer chocolate cake he’d made after I left this morning. Mom’s burning curiosity drifted in the air around me. But she didn’t say a word as she daintily ate her salad.
“Jason, this was lovely. But if I want to make that meeting, we need to leave now.” She looked at me. “I’m interviewing for the kitchen staff today. Would you like to come with me?”
“Will Adira be there?”
“These interviews will be more personal than Adira would risk in my presence.”
Considering the sensual purr that had crept into Mom’s voice when she said, “personal,” I didn’t really want to go but knew there was no better place than the club to hide.
“You could stay with me,” Dad offered.
I glanced between the two, torn for only a moment.
“Or, maybe, Dad can come inside with us and see the club for himself.” I grinned at him. “We can bring your cake and eat it at the bar while Mom does her thing.”
“Eliana, you know that could be dangerous,” Mom said.
“So Adira was just pulling the wool over our eyes when she said that humans were safe there?” I asked.
Mom exhaled heavily and looked at Dad.
“Jason, do you understand what accompanying us means?”
“Yes. I’ll sit at the bar with Eliana and meet creatures I’ve probably never imagined while you feed yourself and our next son or daughter. I understand feeding doesn’t mean human food. It means sexual energy. The kind you most commonly consume during intercourse or around people having intercourse.”
I looked at Dad in shock. I’d never heard him speak so perfectly clear, like his words and his mind were finally in sync.
“Very well. But, I’m trusting you to ensure his safety in my absence, Eliana,” Mom said, standing.
Dad hurried to get her coat, and I wondered what I’d just done.
The car ride passed in a blur of uncertainty on my part and excitement on both Mom’s and Dad’s behalf.
“Won’t Dad have trouble getting inside?” I asked when the building came into sight.
“No, darling. I control your father’s access.” She reached across the seat to set a hand on his leg. “He knew that all along.”
“Oh.”
Dad cast me a sheepish look in the rearview mirror. I didn’t have much time to puzzle over what it meant, though. He pulled into the parking lot a moment later.
The club wasn’t yet open, which meant there was no troll at the back door. But Ymir was already behind the bar with another giant.
“Your first one is already here,” Ymir said. “I put him up in your office.”
