She contemplated knocking on the door to see if they needed anything, but she didn’t want to wake Brokk. He’d been on the verge of death last night and required his rest, so did Cole.
She descended the stairs and strode down the hall toward the kitchen. She stepped into the large, airy room with its gray stone back wall. The rest of the walls had been drywalled over and painted a cranberry color.
To her left was a large window overlooking the barn and paddock. Beneath the window was a basin sink. Sahira stood at the stove at the far end of the large island in the room's center. Thankfully, the gas continued to work when the power was out.
Her aunt was chopping herbs on a cutting block she’d set out on top of the black marble countertops. Whatever she was cooking made Lexi’s stomach rumble. However, judging by the vials surrounding Sahira, she wasn’t making breakfast. She was replenishing her potions.
Shade, Sahira’s black cat and familiar, sat beside the cutting board and watched as Sahira’s fingers worked their magic. Shade’s tail swung back and forth as he meticulously cleaned his paw. He paused in the middle of his grooming to study Lexi with his golden eyes before resuming his cleaning.
Sahira absently rested her hand on Shade’s head, and their eyes met before they resumed their activities. Lexi lifted a piece of bread from the counter before pouring some blood into a mug.
“How’s the patient?” Lexi asked.
“When I looked in on him an hour ago, he was doing much better,” Sahira replied. “He’s still sleeping, but he’s healing.”
“That’s good. Was Cole awake?”
Sahira set her spoon down with a loud clatter. “No.”
“Good.”
“He’s dark fae.”
“I know.”
She also knew what that meant. Everyone knew the dark fae were lethal and cold. They also only had one use for someone of the opposite sex… to feed on the energy they emitted during sex.
But Cole wasn’t entirely dark fae. When she first met him, all she’d seen of him was fae, but last night she glimpsed far more lycan in him. And the lycan were known for their undying loyalty to their mate. They also played the field a lot until they found their mate.
And while Lexi didn’t think she was his mate—that was not what she wanted in her life at all—she didn’t think he was like the other dark fae. Not entirely, at least.
Would he break her heart if she wasn’t careful? Absolutely.
But she didn’t plan on letting him get close enough for that to happen. However, she wouldn’t mind if he got as close as he did last night again.
You don’t want to become shadow kissed.
She shuddered at the possibility of becoming one of those mindless, sex-starved things the dark fae sometimes left behind. No, she did not want to become one of them, but for that to happen, she was pretty sure a lot more than what passed between them last night would have to occur, and she had no plans for that.
She felt Sahira’s gaze as she slathered butter on her bread, but Lexi didn’t look at her aunt as she tried to act completely nonchalant.
“I’ll be in the library reading,” she said as she lifted her mug and her plate.
“Hmm,” Sahira grunted.
Lexi strolled over to kiss her cheek. “You worry too much.”
“I always worry about you.”
Lexi squeezed her shoulder before releasing her and strolling toward the door. “I love you too.”