Page 74 of Donovan
Dressed and refreshed, I made my way to the dining hall, following the hum of voices and the rich scent of roasted meat and fresh bread.
The long wooden table was crowded, a mess of passing hands, clattering plates, and the warm hum of voices overlapping in easy conversation.
The scent of roasted meat, herbs, and fresh bread filled the air, mixing with the smoky crackle of the firepit.
Laughter rang out every now and then, loud and unguarded, like no one here had to watch their backs, like danger wasn’t something that lurked just beyond the treeline.
I sat among them, listening more than speaking, my fingers curled loosely around a wooden cup.
It wasn’t filled with anything I could drink, but I held it anyway, more for the illusion of normalcy than anything else.
At first, I hadn’t thought I’d fit in here.
The sparrow shifters had taken to Donovan immediately. He was human, after all. One of them, in a way.
He could eat their food, drink their ale, and laugh at their stories without hesitation. Me? I was undead.
Something most shifters would rather see turned to ash than seated at their table.
And at the beginning, I felt it.
The way their eyes lingered just a little too long. The way their conversations slowed when I approached.
The instinctive stiffness in their postures, like their bodies remembered a time when a vampire’s presence only meant death.
But time had softened those edges.
I’d fought beside them. Bled for them. Protected their home when no one else would.
And now, as I sat here, shoulder to shoulder with them, their laughter echoing around me, it no longer mattered that I was a vampire.
Jonas sat across from me, tearing a piece of bread in half before tossing one side onto my plate. His sharp, knowing gaze met mine, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You look like you’re thinking too much,” he said.
I huffed a quiet laugh, shaking my head. “Just… taking it all in.”
He smirked. “Try taking in some food while you’re at it. Even if you don’t eat, at least make it look like you do.”
I rolled my eyes but picked up the bread anyway, breaking off a piece just to humor him.
Donovan caught my eye, a small smile tugging at his lips. He knew me too well, knew exactly what was going through my head.
This was acceptance.
Something I hadn’t realized I wanted until I had it.
Lena sat in the middle of the halll, eyes bright as she recounted our sparring match. “—and then I got him! Right in the ribs!”
A chorus of impressed murmurs met her words, and I smirked as I slid into my usual seat.
Donovan leaned into me, resting his head against my shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe now, it was.
I wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close.
DONOVAN
The dim glow of the laptop screen was the only source of light in the cabin. The night outside was quiet.
