by Tamara White
The server approaches us, his back ramrod straight, and I reluctantly pause in my perusal of this gorgeous restaurant. He bows deeply to Nik, before rising. "My Prince, your table is ready for you," he says with an accent. It sounds like the slight accent that is present in Nik’s voice when he gets angry, but this man’s is more prominent, like he's been speaking Russian most of his life.
The server walks us through the restaurant, and up a set of steps where a small balcony rests overlooking the dance floor. As we get closer, I notice a bouquet of roses on the table, pale purple like the ones he gave me earlier.
Nik pulls out a chair for me. After I sit, he pushes it in and I’m unable to control the smile on my face. The server leaves, and I watch Nik with new appreciation. He could have anyone he wants, but he chose me. He was the one who arranged this lovely date after all.
For the first time in a long time, I feel confident with our relationship.
He returns my gaze and gives me a small smile. "What are you so happy about?”
I debate how to answer, not quite sure how to articulate how I feel, so I choose to divert the attention to something else instead. "The roses. You did want me to know what they meant." I beam, enjoying the slight tinge of pink that spreads across his cheeks.
He clears his throat and looks around, sighing with relief when he sees the server coming back our way, holding two plates of food.
The waiter places both plates in front of me, and another server comes out carrying another table. He sets it down next to us, and I watch in awe as the first server goes back and forth from the kitchen to our table, setting out multiple plates on the table they placed beside me.
Why so much goddamn food?
"Uh, I think the server made a mistake," I whisper to Nik, who chuckles as he reaches for one of the bottles of wine that was already on the table. He pours us both a glass as he speaks. "Em, I can't eat. All this food is for you to try. I want you to experience some of the finer foods my people have to offer. It’s also why he brought the spare table."
Oh, that makes sense. "I may have forgotten you couldn't eat food," I admit, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He chuckles and reaches for my hand, intertwining them. "It’s okay, I wracked my brain for hours trying to figure out what to do tonight. The guys suggested taking you shopping, but I asked Sie and Britt what girls like to do. Britt wanted me to take you to a strip club," he says wryly, and I can't help the burst of laughter that escapes me.
Of course Britt wanted Nik to take me to a strip club, because then we'd both be awkward as fuck, and it would amuse the hell out of her to hear how badly it went.
The server comes back with one last plate laden with food, bowing once more towards Nik. "Do you need anything else, my Prince?"
Nik shoos him away while I stare, and he shifts in his seat uncomfortably. "What?"
"Are you really a Prince?" I ask, my voice laced with amusement. I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if Britt was pulling my leg about the whole Prince thing, too.
He sighs as if he knew it was only a matter of time before I asked him that question, and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I was a Prince. One of the Romanov's bastard sons to be exact, but that still gave me the title of Prince. When my father’s family was wiped out, I too, was targeted."
"You don't have to tell me this," I say, feeling the sadness, frustration, and anger warring within him through our tie.
"No, I want to.” He sighs, his face forming a blank mask. "But I want you to eat some food while I talk. Talon told us you’ve been denying your wolf side." He frowns, and I look down at all the various dishes in front of me. I shift them around, putting a plate of crumbed chicken in front of me. It looks like the safest option to start with.
I cut into it, juices leaving from the center, and I realize it’s just a chicken kiev in front of me.
I don't want to offend him by telling him I'm terrified of trying new foods. One thing that always annoyed the crap out of my dad was how fussy I am about food.
He tried to encourage me to try new foods, but I was very set in my ways. I would rather eat a simple steak than try any fancy dishes.
And all of these dishes before me have me feeling nervous.
When I take the second bite of chicken, Nik starts speaking in a monotone voice as if he's trying to shield his emotions from me, but I can still feel them through this connection we have.
"I never really knew my father. He met my mother a couple weeks before he was shipped off to the army. From what she told me, it had been nothing but a fling. They wrote to each other, but when she finally got the courage to mention she was pregnant with me, he stopped writing back."
He pauses, taking the chicken and putting another plate in its place in front of me. I look down at it, a little worried. All it is to me is a pile of ingredients covered in sauce. I’ll just pretend it’s spaghetti. Yes, that's all it is, spaghetti, I tell myself as I place the first bite in my mouth.
I hum in appreciation, pleasantly surprised by the taste. It’s a bit fishy and has mayo, I think? Weird, but it kind of works. "What is this?" I ask when I finish the mouthful, eager to try something else now. If all the food is this interesting, then I will gladly try a few more dishes.
He chuckles and takes the plate from me with a grin. "That was herring under a fur coat."
My eyes widen, and I run my tongue around my mouth, trying not to freak out. "Fur?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper. "You fed me fur?"
The few people close enough to hear my whisper look up at me with annoyed looks as if I just spat on them, but I don't care! Nik fucking fed me fur! What the hell? Who does something like that?
His laughter echoes across the balcony we're on, and a few people close by chuckle, his laughter infectious. I narrow my eyes at him, and he finally gets his laughter under enough control to speak. "Did it taste bad?" he asks, his eyes shining with barely contained mirth.
I grumble under my breath about feeding him fur, making him chuckle as I look down at the dish before me with a dubious expression. "I'm not eating that. You have severely worsened my trust issues with food. Why would you do that?"
He laughs and pulls out his communicator to show me he's on a call with someone. I cock my head, confused when he presses the communicator into my hands. I put the device to my ear warily. It doesn't take long for me to figure out who it is based on the laughter alone.
"You're such a bitch!" I growl into the phone, even as she keeps laughing. She thinks this shit is funny? Oh, I will make her pay!
"Oh come on, Mer. That was priceless! You sounded like Nik had just fed you a puppy or some shit!"
I take a deep breath and meet Nik's laughing eyes across the table as I speak to Britt slowly, making the threat in my voice obvious to both of them. "You may think this was funny, but Britt, you at least know how sensitive I am with trying new foods. I promise you now, even if it kills me, I will make you suffer for this."
Nik’s expression goes from happy and smug to wary in a split second. He finally seems to realize he made a mistake, and I can't help the grin that grows as he fidgets in his seat. I imagine right now, he's seeing a side of me he didn't know I had, but no one, and I mean no one, messes with my food and gets away with it.
"What you gonna do, Mer? Growl at me?" She laughs through the phone.
I laugh, too, and she goes quiet at just how evil it sounds.
"Oh, Britt, my dear friend. You made one crucial mistake. You brought Nik into it, which means I can enlist the help of a few husbands you have at your disposal," I reveal slowly, waiting for that to sink in.
"You wouldn't."
I chuckle and enjoy the shiver of fear that runs through Nik as he watches me with wide eyes. Good. He should be afraid. No one messes with my food. "I totally would."
I pause and listen to her fast breathing with an amused smile. "Tell me, Britt, how many times have you pulled shit like this with your men? I can imagine they would all probably be a little ex
cited at the chance for revenge."
She doesn't respond, and a second later I'm hearing the dial tone. I hand the communicator back to Nik with a small smile. He takes it gingerly and watches me cautiously as if he thinks I'll attack at any moment.
He should be wary, though. No one plays with me regarding my food and gets away with it. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes to center myself. Then I re-open them, and focus back on Nik.
"So, where were we?"
"Uh..." He clears his throat and meets my eyes nervously. "You know there was no fur in the herring, right? It was just a salad.”
I shrug nonchalantly, noticing that my lack of anger seems to frighten him. Oh well, that's what he gets for teaming up with Britt to prank me.
He gestures with his hands over to the server. Suddenly a group of people file out of a hidden room and come to take all the plates, most still filled with dishes I didn't have a chance to try yet. "I think maybe it’s time for dessert," he suggests, and the server gives a quick nod of acknowledgement.
I sit back, sipping my glass of wine and watch Nik with narrowed eyes while we wait for them to bring out our dessert.
Once dessert is on the table, I gesture over at Nik. "You were telling me about your father?"
He shakes his head, watching as I tentatively put a bit of everything onto one plate, and start eating. I figure it’s probably better if I don't know what any of the dishes are called, so I don't ask.
"Yeah, I was, wasn't I? So, my mother thought they had some secret forbidden romance, until he returned. He ignored her letters, and even went as far as to threaten my life when I was a mere four years old. Shortly after I turned six, he married his wife. My mother raged for days after their wedding. She claimed she never loved my father, but as I grew older, I realized she lied to me about that. She had been madly in love with him, and died the day he had his first child with his new wife. All the nurses told me it was from a heart attack, but I knew it was a broken heart she died from. She loved me dearly, but knowing my father had another child broke her. I think she honestly couldn’t live her life knowing I would be nothing but a stain on his reputation, while his new child with the Princess was revered."
I pause in my eating to watch him, feeling his sadness through our tie, but knowing he doesn't want to be comforted.
"At eight years old, I was left alone in the world. They shipped me to an orphanage, which I ran away from not long after. Then two years before my father’s death, when I was just shy of my twenty eighth birthday, someone from the royal family saw me. I looked so much like my father that he thought I was and when I denied having knowledge of who he was, he went back to the palace, telling all who would listen of my existence. Not long after, two of my father’s guards tracked me down and tried to kill me, which was the night I was turned. The guards beat me within an inch of my life, and left me for dead out in the cold winter streets. Talon had been watching from nearby when they dragged me out. He came out and offered me the chance to move on from my mortal life and become something more, so I said yes. He turned me, and I haven't looked back since. This year, I'll be celebrating my one hundred and second year as a vampire."
I fight the shock I feel, and my eyes rake over him appreciatively. For someone over a hundred, he sure doesn't look it.
I remain quiet and return to picking at my food, which is actually all quite good. Suddenly, he pulls back from the table and stands over me, holding out a hand in invitation.
"Uh, Nik, what are you doing?"
He smiles down at me, but his eyes are filled with an underlying sadness. "This was supposed to be a date, and I ruined it. So, I'm making it right. Will you dance with me?”
Oh crap. "While I appreciate the thought, you didn't ruin our date. I know you were just playing with me, and I'm glad you are comfortable enough with me to do so. I can tell you like pranking people just as much as the wicked bitch does."
"Is that a no to dancing with me then?"
I can feel his disappointment and know I can't refuse now, especially since he’s already feeling down. "Okay." I smile warmly and place my hand in his, taking a leap of faith that he won't let me fall on my face. But even if he does, I'll just take him down with me.
Twenty – Special Picnic
Emerald
Nik didn’t disappoint, leading me around the dance floor like a professional. He twirled me around like a Princess, and I marveled at the way my dress flared out behind me. Although I’m still plotting my revenge against her, I will admit Britt did good picking this dress out.
Nik's now leading us out the back of the restaurant, and I can't help but wonder where he's taking me. He didn't even pay for the food. We danced for a bit, then he looked at his watch and took my hand, leading me back here.
We step through the back doors and into a tree-lined lot. He pulls me after him, his excitement contagious, which makes me all the more eager to see where he's taking me.
A few minutes later, we step into an open area with a picnic blanket set up, as well as a tray of strawberries, cheeses, crackers, and a bottle of champagne.
Cushions line the edges of the blanket, and off to the side is a thick folded blanket.
Nik turns to me with a grin. "I'm sorry I screwed up earlier, but if you'll let me, I would really like a take two?"
“When did you even have time to do this?” I ask, perplexed. He hasn’t left my side all night. There’s no way he could of snuck away to do something like this without me noticing. Unless he did it before we even left? But it sounded like he wanted to do this purely to make up for earlier, so that couldn’t have been the case.
His cheeks tinge pink and he looks down to the ground, murmuring, “I paid the server to set everything up while we were dancing.”
Oh, that's so sweet of him. I look back up at him, feeling guilty. He really thought he screwed up our date? Shit, I'm no better than Felicia.
"Nik, honey, our date was going fine. I'm sorry if you felt the need to do this, but you really didn’t have to. I’ve been having a great time," I reassure him, pulling him closer and pressing my lips to his, hoping to show how grateful I feel for the night he's given me. He even got me to dance, and I actually had fun. That in itself, made the whole night worth it.
He breaks the kiss and meets my eyes, his blue eyes alight with a fierceness I wasn't expecting. "No, this is your first one-on-one date, and you deserve for it to be the best. Though, I'll never ask Britt for advice on what will make you laugh again. I'm starting to wonder if she set me up more than she did you," he muses, and I chuckle, pressing my head to his chest.
She most definitely set him up as much as she had me. That's just what she does. We used to be partners in crime, but I guess she decided to go solo. Well, I've become especially good at sneaking around since she left me, so, she has another thing coming if she thinks I will just lie down and take it when it comes to her tricks.
“Come on then, let’s just sit down and relax. It's nice just to be out in the fresh air," I comment and he helps me sit down without messing up the lovely setup. It obviously took a bit of time to arrange, and it feels wrong to make a mess of something so beautiful. He takes a seat across from me on the blanket and moves the silver tray with all the food between us.
He grabs the bottle of champagne and then glances around, looking a little confused. "Uh, I may have forgotten to pack glasses," he admits sheepishly.
Then he shrugs and leans over the cushions, aiming the bottle away from us to pop the cork.
I just shake my head as he waits for the bubbles to die down. He chugs directly from the bottle before handing it to me. I laugh and take a swig before passing it back to him.
I reach down to grab a strawberry and pop it into my mouth, looking up at the night sky as I savor the berry’s sweet juice. When I reach for another, Nik's hand stops me, and I suck in a breath as I meet his blazing eyes.
He pounces in the blink of an eye, pushing me to the ground, a growl echoing around us as h
e hovers above me with need in his eyes.
I lift my hand and run it through his hair before gripping tightly, bringing his lips to mine in a hungry kiss.
His lips taste of champagne, and I imagine mine must taste like the sweet flavor of strawberry.
His tongue darts out and runs along my lips, seeking invitation, and I open my mouth for him with a soft groan.
He grinds himself between my legs, and I gasp as a zap runs through my body. I realize it must be the spell Britt placed on my dress. Nik pauses, his eyes darkening in anger. I feel the blade he slips into my hand, and in the same second, he's up, meeting our attackers head on.
Fuck, why did I wear a dress?! I roll to my feet, which probably looks awkward as fuck, especially when I almost trip on a goddamn cushion. I kick the heels off to the side as the first zombie reaches me. I swing upwards with my knife, stabbing it through the heart, but it still comes at me.
Nik cuts down the zombie in front of him and spins, coming over to mine. A fucking sword appears from nowhere and he slices the creature's head from its body.
"Stab them in the back of the head where the spinal cord meets the brain."
I don't have a chance to ask him where the hell he was hiding that sword, because suddenly we're surrounded by at least two dozen zombies.
These ones are moving faster than the zombies we faced off with before, and I struggle to not get overwhelmed as Nik and I fight back to back. He takes down two for each one I kill, but it’s like they keep appearing from nowhere.
"Britt, wherever you fucking are right now, this dress is doing nothing!" I shout as I fight off two particularly large fucking zombies. One manages to grab a hold of me, his nails digging into the skin of my forearm, which causes me to cry out in pain.
"Son of a bitch!" I scream, using the small dagger to stab him through the chin. Then I kick him hard, which sends him flying back, the dagger sliding from his chin as I keep it gripped firmly in my hand. I swing back just as the other zombie's nails rake down my chest, splitting my dress like it’s made of fucking tissue paper. I ignore the pain and I duck under his arm in time to stab him in the back of the head.
