Page 41 of Royal Bite
“We’ll take them,” Corbin announced.
He carefully watched her. She turned away from his gaze and looked at the table again. She caught sight of a ring that held a pretty stone on it that reminded her of Hegna’s eyes. She picked it up and immediately felt drawn to it.
“Yes, of course.” Clementina beamed and reached for a leather packing for the bracelets.
Stormey slid them off and handed them to her. She bit her lip and stared at the ring.
“We’ll take this, too.” She thrust the ring at the woman.
Clementina practically danced in place as she took it from Stormey.
Stormey realized she hadn’t even asked the price. She turned to Corbin who had taken care of paying for her jewelry. “Um, we didn’t ask a price—”
“You don’t need to.” He patted her on her shoulder with a wide grin. “You have money now, Stormey. Whatever you want in life, it can be yours.”
Clementina handed her a linen bag with a handle that held her purchase. Stormey smiled and thanked her. Corbin guided her along the aisles, allowing her to stop at any vendor she wanted. Quickly, word was getting around about who she was. Many vendors vied for her attention. She wanted to purchase from them all, but it was hard for her to just turn off that part of her brain that remembered what it was like to struggle and penny-pinch.
The wonderful aroma of fresh-baked goods reached her. She eyed the area and saw a young woman and a few children behind the table. She smiled at the one who appeared to be about four or five. She was dressed in jean overalls with a pink, long-sleeved shirt underneath it. Her brown cheeks were chubby, and her hair was braided with colorful beads on the end.
They were human children, and it was their table that had cookies, cakes, and muffins. Stormey wondered how the woman and the children were out at night by themselves. Nighttime was always dangerous for humans.
Stormey had been shocked to see that humans and vampires could be in one place without fear. There was an atmosphere of support and fun. She’d truly enjoyed the time she had spent here. She’d met humans, vampires, and a few witches. Cici had been right. She did like it. Here, everyone appeared to get along.
“I have to go there,” she murmured. She slipped from Corbin’s side and strolled over to them. She arrived at the table, and the aroma was overwhelming. Her mouth watered at all of the treats on display. “Hello there.”
“Hi.” The little one grinned and waved at her. “We’re raising money.”
“Oh, is that so?” Stormey returned her smile.
The young woman finished her transaction with an older gentleman before her. She turned to Stormey and offered a smile.
“Yes, she’s right. We are selling baked goods as a fundraiser. What you see here is what we have left.” The woman beamed. Her gaze roamed Stormey, and she swallowed hard. “So is it true? You are the princess’s mate. A human?”
“Yes, I’m human. My name is Stormey.” She held her hand out to the woman who took it in a brief shake then motioned to Cici who arrived at her side. “And this is Cici.”
“Brandi,” the young woman said. She gestured to the children next to her. The other two were older than the little one. They looked around ten or twelve. “This is Ricky, Lauren, and the little tyke right there is Maisie.”
“Hello, everyone.” Stormey leaned her hands on the table and had already made up her mind that she was going to buy out the rest of their table. She would take the baked goods and put them in the dining hall for the employees. They would love them.
“Aren’t you all just so adorable.” Cici smiled while waving to the kids. She glanced at the table and groaned. “Everything smells so heavenly.”
“What are you raising money for?” Stormey asked casually.
“All the proceeds are going to the children at the Fountain of Hope Orphanage,” Brandi answered. She threw her arm around Ricky and smiled. “We want to renovate their playground and give them a better place to run out all of their energy.”
Stormey stared at the children. They were orphans. Her heart pounded. She hadn’t known there was an orphanage in Black Hollows. Why had she not even checked? She felt guilty that she hadn’t.
“I’ll take everything,” Stormey blurted out.
“What?” Brandi’s eyes grew round. The kids laughed and giggled their excitement. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’ll take everything you’ve got.” Stormey grinned.
“Oh, my. We appreciate it. Come on, kids. Let’s bag everything up for this nice lady,” Brandi said.
The kids kicked in and immediately began cleaning off the table and packaging everything in the boxes behind them. Brandi came from around the table and wrapped her arms around Stormey.
Immediately, Desmond was at her side, pushing Brandi away. Stormey hadn’t even realized he was near.
