She beamed at him. Literally, she shivered with excitement. She gave him a wide smile, making her face glow with ill-contained joy. Her eyes sparkled with intensity.
Hell fire! He silently cursed. She was a danger to males everywhere. She needed a blasted blinking sign hung around her neck, warning the unwary. He tried swallowing, but his heart was stuck in his throat.
Leah gleefully asked, “Really?” Her wide eyes, now brilliant blue-violet, quickly scanned the surrounding area. Leaning forward she whispered, “Are you sure?”
“Um, yeah,” he said, blinking, trying to focus his muddled brain. “Uh, you seem awful excited about being forced to eat normal food.”
“Humph!” She harrumphed, and continued whispering to the three of them, “I don’t like feeding off people. Do you know how nasty blood tastes?”
“Then why do you?” Derek asked in annoyance, his forehead wrinkled, not understanding her at all.
Sighing, she slightly shook her head. “My father would, quite literally, throw me into the dungeon if I consumed anything other than blood or water.”
“Sounds like a really nice guy,” Beth said, disbelief warred with revulsion as it spread across her face.
“He isn’t what anyone would consider a caring parent,” Leah said.
“I can’t believe your mom doesn’t leave him.” Derek paused, frowning he backtracked, not wanted to argue with her anymore. “Never mind, I didn’t think about them being lifeMates.”
The lifeMate bond was unique among Sídhí. At some point, in an immortal’s life, they met a perfect mate; each immortal only had a single chance for a lifeMate. They didn’t have a choice in the matter. Their blood picked their lifeMate for them. The synth crystal in a person's blood ‘sang’ when two perfect immortals came into contact with each other.
Well, not always the moment they met each other. Occasionally, they knew each other for years. At other times, only one of the pair would hear the synth's odd singing, while the other mate remained oblivious for days or weeks.
Once a couple completed the lifeBond with each other, it was forever. It was a permanent mental bond that linked their emotions to each other.
“My parents are NOT lifeMates,” Leah said, raising her voice in vehement denial.
Crude laughter erupted from a dozen feet away. A weasel eyed, scrawny pre-pub and two blond thugs strutted under the archway that led from the commissary, cafeteria, and other camp buildings.
As they approached, Derek felt the hair on the back of his neck stiffen in reaction. He had a sick feeling these three were the ones Leah had tried checking in for. Before the three came any closer to the girls, he boldly stepped forward, moving to meet them.
“Her mother is some kind of mutant freak. Father chained her in the dungeon years ago,” the scrawny one said in a sneer. In the shade, his muddy brown eyes darted between Leah, Derek, Beth, and Brianna. They finally settled on Derek.
“Mom would rather be dead than bonded to that skri…” Leah snapped her teeth shut, snarling at her grinning half-brother.
“That what? You weren’t about to call father a skrivett, were you? I thought you learned your mistake the last time when you called him a demon spawn from hell. Ha! He’ll love to hear what you have to say about him,” the scrawny pre-pub said, apparently delighted in her angry retort against their shared parent. “I'll look forward to more screaming. Last time you even scared away the bats from the upper rafters.”
Calling anyone a skrivett was highly offensive, as a skrivett was a nasty slug-like rodent about the size and shape of a youth baseball glove with slimy, pus-infected skin that smelled like overflowing sewer.
Derek growled at the laughing boy. He couldn't protect Leah once she returned home, but camp was another matter entirely.
The scrawny pre-pub gave Derek a measured look. He nodded a silent order to the thug on his right then turned toward Derek with an air of triumph; he completely turned his back on his half-sister, stupidly ignoring the fuming young woman who was hissing between clenched teeth.
The tips of her small fangs, though not extended, were dangerous. Turning his back on her really was a stupid move; anyone who turned his back on a hissing vampire was asking for trouble. Mort must have felt secure with the twin elves at either elbow, but other than glaring holes through Leah the identical twins acted like mindless blow-up dolls.
“You’re shapeshifters?” The rat-faced pre-pub didn’t wait for Derek’s answer. A huge smile revealed yellowing teeth with no fangs in sight. He puffed his bony chest out and rubbed his hands together, eagerly plowing forward with an obnoxious air. “I am Lord Mort PhñDick. My father, High Lord Duke PhñDick, has graciously offered to accept your renewed vows of service. And if you’re the eldest of your family – and the appointed heir – as Lord PhñDick’s eldest son, I will accept your blood oath as given for your entire family.”
Derek raised his eyebrows at the pompous little prick. Grinning, he turned to his annoyed younger sister – and supreme ruler – of their home valley. “Well, Sis, I’m soooo confused. Whatever should we do?”
As if they practiced it, all three girls snorted simultaneously and clamped hands over their mouths trying to muffle their escaping laughter.
“What’s so funny?” one of the PuckinKnück twins demanded, his face twisted into a black scowl that promised violence.
“Nothing,” Mort said flatly, his mouth puckering in distaste. “She’s as insane as her mother. This isn’t a laughing matter.” He glared up at Derek who was also chortling with laughter. “The shifters screwed up by not approaching Dhark Valley before now. This is your first, and only, chance to appease my father’s anger.”
Mort straightened his stick-thin shoulders and demanded, “You will go to your knees and give your blood oath now.”
“Not even in my worst, bloody nightmare,” Derek said. He bared his teeth in a snarl, trying to decide if he could smash the little turd without killing him.
“If that wasn’t blunt enough,” Beth said, her petite frame seemed to grow taller in anger, “the answer is no. Never. Absolutely not in a million years. It is an unequivocal rejection from our entire valley, declaring shifters will never align with the dhark overlords.”
“We’ll see about that,” Mort said in a face twisting snarl.
“They’re just idiots,” a PuckinKnück twin said with a look of hatred aimed at Leah.
Derek flexed his muscles, getting ready for a fight that would please him to no end. There was no way he'd let that monster anywhere near Leah.
“You’re right Bart, we should’ve known since Leah is talking to them,” the other twin, who had to be Burt snickered, agreeing with his mirror image. “We’ll find some smarter shifters for you, Mort. These three are valley scum.”
Derek watched as they stormed off the deck, disappearing down one of the many trails winding through the thick forest of the surrounding mountains. He chuckled. Turning back to Beth he spread his hands out wide and innocently asked, “Gee, should we have told him you’re Alpha Prime of Haven Valley?”
“Alpha Prime?” Leah questioned her voice curious as she studied Beth’s face.
“As in, ultimate life-long ruler,” Derek said, grinning at Beth’s sour expression. “Haven Valley is not a democracy. We’re more along the lines of a feudal clan monarchy or something. And my little sister does a bang-up job of keeping everyone in line.”
“True, but as the dragon so eloquently put it, at the moment I’m just another teenage brat,” Beth said, shrugging her shoulders, she smiled at Leah. “I hope you’ll still join us for pizza.”
Leah's confused expression said more than her words. “I’m an exile, just like Mort and thugs.”
“You aren’t anything like those three,” Derek said snappishly. Blinking, he realized the truth of his blurted words. He looked into her confused face and felt his chest grow tight with a desire to comfort her. He didn't like seeing her upset. “My hackles don’t rise around you.”
>
“Um,” Leah said, hesitating, she glanced toward the main building.
“This’ll be your first meal of solid food. It might be good to have us around.” Derek said, smiling at the uncertainty flickering across her face. He didn't understand his reaction toward her; he couldn’t seem to resist her. She was so cute with the tiny wrinkles between her eyes. Sucking in a lungful of air, he felt his body respond to her sweet scent. It tightened in all the right places, growing more than a little uncomfortable in the snug jeans he had on.
He needed to be careful with this dark-haired beauty, because if he wasn’t extremely careful, he might actually fall for her and he was not a one-girl type of guy.
“Yeah, thanks, I think I will.” Leah looked up at him with a frown marring her face, and hastily added, “That doesn’t mean I’m interested in you. That hasn’t changed.”
Derek scowled at her, muttering, “Of course not, I’m just valley scum.”
“I didn’t say that! Stop putting words in my mouth!” Leah demanded and then chuckled. “You’re just an empty headed… well, not quite empty headed, but you’re a completely conceited guy, who is too good looking for words, who thinks every girl should drop at his feet in ecstatic glee, begging for a smidgen of your wonderful attention.”
His eyes narrowed on her laughing face. One minute she gave him a backhanded compliment, the next she figuratively slapped him in the face.
“I’m not that bad,” he darkly muttered, faintly wishing he hadn’t encouraged her to eat with them.
“Yes, you are,” Brianna – his little sister's best friend and a pain-in-the-backside – disagreed with him; grinning, she hurried inside. By the time he caught up with her, she had grabbed a yellow tray off the multi-colored stack and started down the buffet filled with every kind of pizza, salad, and a variety of other stuff.
First Meal
Leah stood stock still, not knowing what to do when faced with such a huge selection of food. She didn’t have a single clue where to start. She swallowed hard, and clutched her tray in nervous hands. Watching as the others filled their plates, she slowly started forward, following Derek as he piled everything imaginable on his plate.
“Leah.” Derek’s softly spoken word appeared in her head, making her jump.
She jerked her eyes to his, out of the corner of her eye, she watched him slide his tray closer to hers. “If I promise not to ask for ‘ecstatic glee’ in payment will you let me help you?” he telepathically asked.
“There’s just so much to choose from. I haven’t got a clue what I might like or not like,” Leah said, revealing a slightly crooked smile.
“Let’s get a variety. In the beginning, maybe you should only eat a little bit,” he said, slipping a stick – of what she thought was bread – on her plate. It looked shiny with small globs of powdery stuff sprinkled on top.
She didn't think any of it looked very appetizing. The bread looked hard and the pizza had all sorts of red and white stuff oozing out of it, but it smelled kind of good. At this point, she would've eaten almost anything. She was starved.
“I’ve heard if someone hasn’t eaten in a long time their stomach shrinks and if you eat too much, you could get sick,” Derek said, spooning a bit of red sauce onto her plate and adding a couple pieces of pizza and green leafy stuff.
“Ew! Okay I see your point, but how will I even know what too much is? I doubt if drinking blood has the same feeling as eating food,” Leah said, baffled by the concept of getting sick. She’d never been sick, not ever. The only sick Sídhí she had ever heard of was synth sickness during pregnancy; a woman went through the sickness, but only after the unborn baby had a growth spurt. Maybe eating solids wasn’t such a great idea after all.
“Well, it might help if you eat slowly,” Derek said softly, grinning down at her upturned face. “I usually inhale my food.”
“Inhale? How?” she asked in shock, her eyes growing huge with the concept of breathing in a solid chunk of food.
“Not literally,” he said with a chuckle, leading her to several large machines with spigots on them. “I just eat fast.”
Derek put a small amount of brown foamy liquid in a cup and handed it to her. “Here, take a sip of Pepsi and tell me if you like it.”
She put it under her nose and sniffed it. “Ew! That burns,” Leah frantically rubbed her nose, “or tickles. I’m not sure which.”
“Pop has carbon in it. It gives it fizz,” Derek said, speaking between deep chuckles.
“No thanks,” Leah said, refusing the drink. She vigorously shook her head and tried giving the cup back to him, but he wouldn't take it.
“Give it a small sip. Just don’t breath through your nose when you do.” He encouraged her with a heart stopping smile that made her perk-up and take notice. Either the smell of food was making her feel light headed or his good-natured bantering was doing a darn good job of cracking the wall she had insisted on erecting between them. She frowned into the cup of liquid, refusing to believe the fluttering in her stomach had anything to do with him.
She'd known him less than an hour, but every time she turned around he was doing something nice. Whether it was helping with her first meal or standing between her and the PuckinKnück twins. She also noticed Derek didn't start growling until Mort threatened her.
She pulled her rambling thoughts back to the matter at hand and wondered if she should trust his suggestion. The brown liquid kept popping and her nose still twitched from the first time. Sighing, she held her breath, and took a very small sip.
“Hmm!” She sipped again and then gulped the rest down. “That’s great! I definitely want... BURP!” Her face bloomed bright cherry red, as she stuttered an apology.
He choked on his laughter. “Don’t drink so fast. Pop always makes people burp, but drinking it fast makes it worse.”
“Thanks, for the warning,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, while desperately ignoring the appearance of a thousand butterfly wings churning in her stomach. Derek wasn’t good looking, his smile made him absolutely gorgeous. She tried covering her stunned reaction. Yeah, right, good luck with that one. She was so stunned, she felt nailed to the floor; she couldn’t move as long as he smiled down at her with sparks of fire twinkling in his amber eyes.
She was not – absolutely, was not – going to fall in his lap like a hundred other simpering, empty-headed girls.
She watched Derek fill his cup and she followed suit, adding a gush of pop over the chunks of ice.
They joined the girls at a small table. Leah mimicked Derek’s actions as he unloaded his tray on the table. Glancing at the various plates, she noticed Beth had white powder all over her pizza and Brianna dipped hers in a thin white sauce.
Derek lightly touched her shoulder, making her jump. She turned to look at him with wide eyes. The tingling sensation in her arm – where he lightly touched her – distracted her to such an extent she forgot to be angry with him. His smile only intensified the effect. She really needed to get a grip.
“Beth has parmesan cheese sprinkled on her pizza and Brianna is dipping hers in ranch salad dressing,” Derek said mentally, while taking a bite of pizza with chunks of stuff all over it.
“Thanks, I wondered,” she said, nodding her thanks. She glanced at her plate, gingerly picking up a slice, she took a small bite. WOW! Flavor exploded in her mouth.
“Mmm!” She couldn’t compare it to any experience she had ever known. Blood was blood, metallic, tangy, and uniformly the same unless you considered the temperature: hot and yuck or cold and yuckier.
Derek caught her gaze and grinned at her. “You're eating all meat, thin crust. Before you eat the whole thing try the garlic stick.” He picked up one of his garlic sticks and dipped it in red sauce. “Try dipping it in the marinara sauce.”
After the pop episode, she began trusting his suggestions so she dipped the bread stick in the sauce and took a small bite. “Mmmm!” Leah’s eyes closed, savoring the expanding flavor as
she chewed. “Oh, my! That’s to die for!”
A short time later, Leah wistfully looked at the pizza left on her plate. She felt ready to explode, but the others continued eating.
“Full?” Derek asked.
“I think so, I really wish I wasn’t. Mom told me how good food was, but I didn’t have anything to compare it with.” Leah shrugged her shoulders, still eyeing the pizza on her plate.
“What was your favorite?” he asked.
“All of it, but the garlic stick and red sauce – Mmm! – that's fantastic,” she said enthusiastically.
“They’re the best,” Beth agreed, nodding toward the cafeteria doors. “You can get more.”
“No, thanks,” Leah shook her head, “I’ve never eaten food, but mom drilled me for hours on table manners.” She sighed, feeling a bit uncomfortable talking so freely. “I’m sure one day I’ll change my mind, but if I ignored everything she taught, I’d feel like I was… well, hurting her or something. She’s had enough of that.” She squirmed in her chair as she felt herself turn a light shade of pink that darkened her sunburn.
Derek excused himself and went inside the building. He came back a few minutes later with a plate piled full of stuff, which he sat in the middle of the table. He grabbed her plate and dumped her remaining pizza on top of his. He grinned at her. “Problem solved. I got enough garlic sticks, sauce, and cinnamon sticks for everyone.”
Leah smiled and reached for a garlic stick. “Thanks, Derek.” Feeling a twinge of remorse, she let out a loud sigh. “I’ve been nothing but unpleasant to you and yet you keep doing things like this.”
She pointed the garlic stick at him, trying her hardest to figure him out. “I just don’t understand you.”
Derek casually shrugged his broad shoulders. “We’re going to be in the same cabin for four months. We might as well get along.”
“That’s all?” Leah questioned him, doubt crept into her voice as both Beth and Brianna chuckled outright.
“I like you,” he said, giving Leah a sweet smile, which lifted one corner of his firm lips a bit higher than the other one. “Isn’t that enough?”
A Dragon's Dream of Love (Song of the Sídhí Series #2) Page 3
