Delivered by the Defender (Kindred Tales)

Valen held her gaze with his and didn’t look away, even when the waiter came up and asked what they wanted.

“We’ll take a bottle of shool-von-shool—aged exactly thirty-one cycles. And we’ll share a volen melt with all the sides,” he murmured, still looking into Selena’s eyes.

“Very good, Sir.” The Ma’shorkan waiter nodded and took their menus. Before he left, he withdrew a small, clear glass candle with a thick pad on the bottom from his apron, lighted it, and put it on the table between them. “Your food will be out shortly,” he remarked and walked away.

“Are we having a staring contest?” Selena asked, when they were alone again. She couldn’t remember ever being with a man who looked at her so directly—she couldn’t remember ever feeling so seen.

“Maybe I just like looking into your lovely brown eyes,” Valen murmured. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek on one hand, which was still warm despite the icy surroundings. “I’ve wanted to visit this restaurant for a long time, you know,” he murmured.

“But you didn’t want to come alone?” Selena guessed.

“I didn’t want to come with just anyone. Now I think I was waiting to come with you.” His voice was a soft rumble that seemed to vibrate right through her.

Selena stared at him, not sure what to say. What had happened to their “business arrangement?” Why was he suddenly being so romantic? Not that she minded—this was incredibly sexy. Sitting here in an ice restaurant on the top of a mountain with a handsome, muscular man who only had eyes for her—Hell, a girl could lose her heart!

But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do,” whispered a little voice in her head. Be careful, Selena! Remember how he gets—every time you two start getting too close, he backs away and clams up!

She wasn’t sure what to say, but she was saved by the return of the waiter. He had a blue wine bottle with frost on its sides and two glasses that had apparently been carved completely out of ice. They weren’t just ice cube shot glasses with a cup bored in the middle, either. These were actual goblets with swoops and swirls of ice all over them. Selena wondered how long they’d taken to carve. Or maybe the restaurant had molds and they just poured water into them and let it freeze.

“Allow me,” Valen took the bottle from the waiter and poured them both a portion of what looked and smelled like blueberry juice to Selena. It was a dark, bluish-purple and it had a sweet, tangy scent when she sniffed it.

“Mmm—it smells nice,” she remarked, as Valen poured some for himself.

“Try it—it tastes even nicer than it smells.” He raised his glass to her and nodded.

Selena slipped on one of her fur gloves and raised her glass to his. They clicked the intricately carved ice goblets together and sipped.

The Ma’shorkan liquor tasted sweet and slightly sour and burned as it went down her throat. It warmed her up from the inside out, blooming like a fire inside her chest to radiate through her entire body.

“Mmmm…” Selena closed her eyes and took another sip. “This is wonderful!”

“It’s meant to warm you but it’s very potent—you should probably be careful,” Valen warned her.

“Duly noted.” Selena put down her ice goblet and smiled at him. “So what is this other stuff you ordered for us? This swolen melt?”

“It’s a volen melt. And you’ll see—I think you’ll like it,” Valen smiled.

“I’m delighted already,” Selena assured him. “By all of this, really…” She nodded around the restaurant. “It’s wonderful.”

“Only if you have the right company,” he murmured. “I am glad I waited to visit Ice Table and to go glave riding as well.”

Selena wasn’t sure what to say about that, but at that moment the waiter returned with a steaming pot and a stand to rest it on, keeping the hot pot away from the ice table. He placed the stand and pot between them and then came back with two large plates filled with little pieces of meat and bread and fruits and vegetables. Then he handed both of them long, sharp sticks and said, “Enjoy.”

“Enjoy, how?” Selena asked, when he was gone. The stuff in the pot was a reddish-orange color and smelled delicious, but she wasn’t quite sure how to eat it.

“Like this.” Valen speared a piece of blue meat and dipped it into the reddish-orange stuff in the pot. It was thick and stringy and he had to twirl his stick several times before he could put it into his mouth.

Suddenly, Selena realized what it was.

“Fondue!” she exclaimed, grinning. “It’s Ma’shorkan fondue!”

Valen smiled.

“Yes, it is a little like your Earth dish of fondue.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “I hope you like fondue?”

“I love it!” Selena assured him. “I mean—it’s a big pot of melted cheese—what’s not to love?”