Page 52 of Blood Lord

And secretly, I was thinking of Selene the whole time. I wanted her to have a proper kitchen with real vegetables and impressive meals.

She guided us all through it, teaching us about spices and what would grow best out here. There are so many things humans need that we just don't think about anymore. We've all be vrakken for too long.

Because of Selene, though, I feel confident that any human would find this place not only better than a dark elf's basement, but they'll be comfortable and happy. All of their needs will be met.

She's told me about how little the dark elves consider them, and while she has worked tirelessly to have everything ready, she also seems nervous about welcoming humans onto our base. She worries about how the vrakken will react when there are more people, as most either ignore her or are far too interested.

As the vrakken go into their rooms to set up the belongings they brought with them, I squeeze her hand. "Soon, you won't be the only human here." I don't say the next part that I'm thinking.She won't be lonely anymore.

"Raziel, I've been more than happy with you. I don't care about anything else."

I pick her up, kissing her delicately before stopping before a door at the end of the hall. "Do you want to see our new home?"

I've kept it a secret from her, and she smiles as she nods her head. I draw the runes before the door, unlocking the entrance, and I take her in, sitting her down.

The shelves are already stocked with my old belongings, and a big bed sits in the center. There's a large adjoining bathroom, and as a bit of an homage, there are pieces of quartz that glow, fixed like lights above the bed and a miniature fountain in the corner—like both of our past homes. Small, bouncing lights bump against the ceiling to illuminate the dim room, the sun not quite high enough to shine inside yet.

And best of all, there are windows so we can see outside.

"Oh, Raziel," she breathes. "This is beautiful. You built all of this?"

I nod. "For us,nafasam."

She presses her hands to her lips, and the look on her face as she takes in the high ceilings and little details I added is worth all the back breaking work. It was hard to build all of this in such a short time, and I can feel the aches deep in my muscles, even with the help of magic.

But nothing was going to stop me from building the home of my dreams for my mate, like I always wanted. It's a long ago hope that I had buried, and it is almost a relief to see it come to life.

"Are you hungry?" I hedge.

She turns, her eyes sparkling. "Show me the kitchen."

We race down the halls, giddy as we take it all in, and I feel like I'm seeing it fresh through her eyes. While Selene has helped design a lot of it, she hasn't been up here but once to help find the right spices and plants for the garden. It's her first time taking it all in.

She almost passes the kitchen, and I have to pull her back, setting her on one of the stools in front of the large counter in the center of the room. I don't ask what she wants because I've been planning this dish for some time.

My mother used to make this for me when I was child on the weekends if we had done well over the week. It was a sign that our family was flourishing and would always get us excited.

As I summon the ingredients, the wildspont making them transport into my hand so it looks as if they are appearing out of thin air, Selene walks around the kitchen. She inspects it, and is surprised when she finds a stack of books—most with recipes.

"What are these?" she grins.

"The older vrakken gave those to me. We all kept things from our past lives but many of us felt they could be put to better use."

She pulls one down, opening it as her eyes scan it. I was as her eyebrows pinch together as she struggles with a word and then smooths out as she figures it out.

It's one of her personal goals. She wants to know how to read, and she's gotten pretty good at it. She said it would help her fulfill her role better, and it might help her with other humans, too. As always, I support whatever she wants.

I watch her as I cook, plating the meal on real plates and not bent sheets of metal that have been repurposed. We crafted these to keep the food warm without burning whoever is holding it.

As I slide the plate in front of where she is sitting, she looks up at me with a smile and then back down at the plate. Her face changes slightly, and I don't really understand why. I haven't been able to figure out why she stares at food with that odd expression, but I don't want to seem rude by asking.

"Thank you, my love," she murmurs before picking up her fork.

I watch as she heavily evaluates the dish before picking a bite and bringing it to her mouth. As soon as it hits her tongue, she pauses, her eyes widening as she looks back down at the plate. She looks shocked.

My heart pounds, and I lean forward, worried I've given her something awful. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing's wrong."

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