Page 45 of Fanged Embrace
The house looked different in broad daylight. Less like a glorified storage unit and more like a glittering treasure trove. Everywhere I looked, sunlight spilled through tall windows,painting every potted monstera and antique picture frame in vibrant gold.
The cluttered hallway eventually spat me out at the kitchen, where River and I had convened the night before, and the sound of something sizzling reached my ears. I stepped through the archway and stopped short at the sight before me—River, looking more dazzling than she had any right to be, especially in contrast to my abysmal case of bedhead.
She stood tall and willowy in a loose silk robe of deep red, hair swept into a knot of dark curls on the top of her head. A few tendrils were making their escape and trickling down her neck, curling around her ears and over her brows.
The sunlight spilling in from the massive French windows made her look damn-near angelic where she stood—flipping pancakes?
I blinked, once, and struggled to comprehend the scene before me. She had a whole stack of them already prepared, steaming hot and glowing golden on the center island. And that wasn’t the only morsel on display. The whole countertop was crammed with a ridiculous spread of breakfast options. Everything from buttered croissants, muffins, and hashbrowns to streaky bacon and eggs—fried and boiled every which way.
I stood silent in the doorway, taking it all in with my mouth hanging open like an imbecile.
“Oh, hey! Good morning.” River noticed my presence then and her smile widened when I continued to gawk in complete befuddlement. She swept one hand out over the island spread, still flipping pancakes with the other. “Hope you’re hungry. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I, uh—I made everything.”
It took a moment to remember that I had a mouth—and could use it for more than catching flies. “You’re a vampire.” That statement alone was rather redundant, so I shook my head and tried again. “I mean—you don’t eat any of this. Why do you evenhavefood in your house?”
River slid another pancake onto the precarious breakfast tower and shrugged. “I like having guests over—” a mischievous wink like she cracked some inside joke I wasn’t privy to, “—and I’m always prepared.”
When I did nothing but stare in response, River’s eyes flicked to me, to the countertop, and back again. “You’re not vegan, are you?”
I remembered that I had decided to be indignant and folded my arms. “No, just… not hungry,” and was then promptly betrayed by my stomach which let loose another audible rumble.
River’s brows crept up. “You sure about that?”
My jaw twitched.God fucking dammit.
Scowling at a cereal bowl rather than meeting her gaze, I pulled out a stool and sat down in a huff. “No.”
A hunger strike would get me nowhere–except maybe the floor if I stood up too fast—so I decided I may as well indulge just a little bit. I skimmed an eye over the excessive spread and chose the least threatening item: a single slice of toast, dry, and nibbled like it might bite back.
River seemed satisfied enough with my selection and resumed her frying fiasco, though who was going to consume all those pancakes, I had no clue.
“Did you sleep all right?” she asked over her shoulder, and I shot a glare at the back of her head.
“Are you referring to before or after you broke into my room?”
Her subsequent laughter had no business sounding so musical, and if I felt a slight flutter ofsomethingin my stomach at the sound of it, well, that was between me and God—or whoever was out there pulling the strings.
They clearly had a sick sense of humor, pitting me against a vampire so incomprehensibly skilled at worming through my defenses.
I hated to admit it, but regardless of her intentions River really had pulled out all the stops to make me feel at home here. And Ihad, beyond all logic and reasoning, slept better after her midnight visit.
I kept my scowl locked and loaded for as long as dignity allowed—about three more seconds. The scent of fresh pancakes, the sunlight staining the entire scene golden, the faint sound of the koi pond trickling in the hall… all conspired against me. It was—nice.
It was more than I deserved.
I huffed out a sigh and set down my toast. It was an effort to jam the words out through gritted teeth. “I, um… I don’t think I’ve said it yet, so—thank you. For this—for everything.”
River registered the change in tone and set the spatula down as she turned to face me.
I lowered my eyes, flailing to find the right words and mortified at my inability to communicate without a grimace. “Look, I’m not… I’m not used to any of this.” I waved my hand around the kitchen, encompassing everything—the food, her hospitality, the simple fact that she’d welcomed me in. “But I am grateful. I just… don’t have a lot of practice in showing it.”
When I risked a peek at her, River was still watching me, pensive like she was putting together the pieces that made me what I was. I tried not to writhe under her scrutiny.
Then she chuckled and shook her head, gliding across the kitchen to start tinkering with the teapot. “You haven’t officially met the rest of my circle—they’re all emotionally stunted in their own special way. Trust me, compared to them, you’re doing just fine.”
She got to work brewing tea and I watched her, absently reaching for another piece of toast.
Her dressing gown was slipping off one shoulder, revealing a clean line of collarbone that caught the sunlight in its shallowdip. But I was interested in her hands, long fingers pinching tea leaves and handling porcelain.
