"You can call me ‘Liv,’" I say, getting tired of my multitude of names.
"Liv? I prefer your Dragon name, but as you wish. Well," he claps his hands together, "I will leave you to your Hunter problem. You know where to find me when you want me. Don't leave it too long, though."
"Wait, I don't know where to find you."
"I told you, Vegas, baby," he says and winks at me before he disappears in a move that I can only describe as a mixture of half-Teleporting, half-Astralling. Astraporting? I like that word.
The room starts to move again once he has gone and speeds back up to normal. I turn to CK who is glaring at Cade. "Hunter? That is the Hunter?" he gestures subtly to the bar.
"That is all you
have to say? You don't have anything at all to say about Xane Draconis, of the House of Dracul and Demon Overlord?" I snap.
He looks at me patiently. "First things first, Aefre."
"Fine. Yes, that is Cade. Stalker extraordinaire. And also, now, obviously confirmed as Vampire Hunter." I frown at that. How did this Xane Draconis know who he was?
CK steps forward, but I pull him back saying, "No, I will handle this. You have no tact."
He looks insulted by that and says, "I won't let you go over there by yourself."
"CK, I will be fine. Just sit and if he makes a move, I give you permission to rip his head off, okay?"
He looks slightly mollified by that, but I can see he is still going to refuse. Then his phone rings. He glances at it out of habit and his face changes. "You get two minutes," he says and sits, answering his phone with a brusque, "Yes?" followed by, "Everything is fine."
This makes me curious, but I turn on my heel and stalk over to the bar. "Three times in one day? You must either want to marry me or kill me?" I say sarcastically.
He smiles at me humorlessly. "I am just here having a drink. I can't help it that you happen to be in my favorite restaurant. If anything, I would say you are stalking me again."
"What do you want with me?" I ask.
"With you? Nothing. There isn't anything you have that I want," he says matter-of-factly. I take the insult quite badly. I’m about to blast him with reasons why I wouldn't touch him with a bargepole, when he interrupts me and says, "I see you are on a date with the jealous lover. Judging by the security that is in and around this building, I count six this time, he is quite protective of his investment." His eyes flash to my ring again. I clench my fingers into a fist.
"What is it with you and my ring? It is no business of yours who gave it to me or why."
"No, that it isn't," he says mildly, picking up my right hand and rubbing his thumb over it. "But I do know that if your husband had given it to you it would be here instead," he picks up my left hand and rubs his thumb over my engagement ring. "I just have to wonder why you get married and then choose not to honor it?"
I pull my hands out of his with a huff. I am completely speechless because how can I explain it? I can't tell him my reasons and besides, it's none of his damn business, so I tell him so.
He smirks at me. "Well, you clearly have something about you that warrants a second look. Unless you are just that good a fuck," he whispers to me.
I pull my hand up and slap him across the face, much to his amusement, but the horror of the rest of the restaurant.
"Is that all you've got?" he murmurs, rubbing his cheek.
CK is now at my side, hand on my back to calm me down.
"I suggest you apologize to the lady for whatever it was you said," he says quietly.
"Lady? I wouldn't call her that exactly," he says, still rubbing his face where I’d slapped him. "But I don't want to cause more of a scene... so I apologize for calling you a good fuck. Although, I would have thought that would be a compliment?" He looks at CK in question. "Is she?"
My hand goes up to my mouth, as I cannot believe the audacity of this man. My mortification goes up several hundred notches though as my sire, clearly out to ruffle some feathers as opposed to just ripping the head off the chicken, casts me a sidelong glance and says, "Oh, you have no idea. The things she can do will make you forget yourself."
Cade, now looking equally as astounded as me, but with no desire burning in his eyes, quickly adjusts his features. "I doubt that," he says as nonchalantly as he can.
"I wouldn't protest if she were so inclined to show you herself, but judging from the look on her face, I think she would much rather take me home and show me all night just how good she is," CK says and with that, he takes my arm, pulls me back to the table and sits me down. I chance a look back over my shoulder but, as expected, Cade is gone.
T he restaurant is now incredibly busy, and we feel uncomfortable talking about supernatural stuff, so we turn our attentions back to small talk. We have a few trips down memory lane, on the tacit agreement that we will talk when we get home. Neither of us eats much, so we mostly just talk and enjoy being in each other’s company.