Page 73 of A Malicious Menagerie
“It’s been an interesting night,” Nathan hedges. “I wasn’t supposed to be involved in this part at all. I was supposed to keep my cover as Mathis’s assistant.” Nathan huffs a sigh. “But then the wendigo had to go and undo two years of hard work in two minutes.”
My mind is whirling. “Anna mentioned you work for an organization called FABLE. What is your goal?”
“To protect cryptids and mythological creatures.” His eyes soften a bit. “Mythological creatures like you.”
“I’m just a girl,” I reply bitterly, “who ran into some bad luck. There’s nothing mythological about me. My favorite movies are the originalStar Warstrilogy. My favorite food is—was—macaroni and cheese. I was studying to be a nurse. Very boring, until the untimely demise and fangs.”
“A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back,orReturn of the Jedi?” Nathan asks at once.
I blink at him, my brain struggling to catch up with the abrupt change in tone. “If I’m forced to choose,A New Hope.It launched a multi-generational phenomenon.”
“I’ll always chooseThe Empire Strikes Back,” Nathan muses. “I’m a big Yoda fan.”
I can’t help an amused snort that would also embarrass me if I weren’t too far into humiliation to crawl my way back out of it. “Of course you would identify with Yoda.”
He grins, and the expression catches me off guard. “Are you calling me short, wrinkly, green, or some combination of the three?”
“I’m saying you have a certain assuredness to you that you soften with dry humor.”
Nathan looks taken aback by my assessment, and I wonder if I said too much. “That’s awfully astute of you for our first real meeting.”
“Astute or presumptuous?” I ask self-deprecatingly, trying to wave away the awkwardness.
“Definitely the former.” Suddenly, he leans forward, invading my space, and I fight the urge to lean away. This close, the scent of his cologne is stronger—thyme, tarragon, and basil, all my favorites to cook with before cooking became superfluous—and so is the scent of his blood. My eyes can’t help but lock on his jugular where it pulses in time with his steady heartbeat, and I swallow back a sudden flood of saliva in my mouth. What would it be like to bite this man? To sink my fangs through his smooth skin, his slight stubble rough under my lips, and let his hot, savory blood slide over my tongue? To straddle his lap and crush my breasts against his firm chest as I hold him by his broad shoulders and feel all that masculine strength beneath me?
“You never answered my question,” Nathan says, startling me from my fantasies. And, God, what is wrong with me? I’ve never equated drinking blood to desire, not even once. Hunting for a donor and feeding has been an unpleasant chore to get out of the way since I was bitten, enjoyable only in that it filled my belly and let me move on with my un-life for two to three days before I had to repeat the process over again.
But this close to Nathan, with his heat and his mouthwatering scent and the vitality flowing through his veins, I think that biting him would satisfy more than my stomach.
“Sorry, what question?” I ask at last, dragging my attention back to the conversation at hand.
“Can I take you out of here?” Nathan repeats, a small smile tugging at one corner of his sculpted lips.
Does he know where my thoughts just went?Keeping my face carefully expressionless, I consider his question. But, after all, there’s no answer other than, “Yes.”
33
The Farewell
When Chase and I arrive in the loading bay, the centaurs are already there. That bodes well for the plan since it means Colby was able to successfully lead them here before leaving to get the truck. The centaurs look wary, so I smile reassuringly. To my delight, the appaloosa woman returns the gesture with a tentative smile of her own.
Not long after we arrive, the door opens again to reveal a familiar vampire, followed closely by Nathan. “Delia!” I launch myself at her, wrapping her up in an enthusiastic hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”
She goes stiff at the unexpected contact. Just as I’m about to apologize and pull away, she tentatively raises her arms to embrace me back. “Thank you,” she whispers, her voice trembling.
My smile is so wide it hurts. “You are so welcome.”
As we pull away, Delia’s scarlet gaze finds the centaurs and widens. The stately equine beings could not look more out of place in the flickering overhead lights if they tried.
She blinks a few times in shock before raising her hand to give the pair a little wave. “Hello.”
“’Allo,” the male centaur mimics in his lyrical accent, his gaze narrowing in on her fangs.
“Oh!” I exclaim, realizing that Delia and Chase haven’t met yet. It’s amazing to me that they’ve been neighbors in a sense, but they’ve never seeneach other or spoken. “Delia, this is Chase. Chase, Delia.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Chase says with a grin, reaching out to shake her hand.
“Ditto.” She scrutinizes him with furrowed brows. “And I have to say, none of it was exaggerated.”
