Page 60 of Shadowblood Souls: The Complete Series

“It’d be hard for anyone who did have obvious inhuman physical features to blend in,” I point out. “So maybe they’d hang out places where it’s usually darker, like nightclubs or bars or whatever.”

Jacob lets out a short laugh. “Places where everyone’s a little weird. Every city’s got venues like that.”

I try to think of any I saw, but… “It’s hard to tell which ones are weirdest from the outside.”

“Maybe we need to start popping into some places, then.”

Zian’s forehead furrows. “I don’t know. The more we stick ourselves out there, doesn’t it get more likely that we’ll be noticed?”

I let the guys hash out their concerns a little longer while I peer out the window to where evening is falling. The streetlamps flicker on, casting their glow over the sidewalk.

Dozens more people walk by, but none of them are flashing fangs or swishing tails.

If it was easy to tell who the monsters are, wouldn’t everyone know about them?

The waitress bustles over with our food fast enough that my stomach has only just started to pinch with hunger. The sight of the golden battered fish and thick but crisp fries raises my spirits.

I definitely made the right choice—both of them. Andreas’s lasagna bulges with heaps of meaty tomato sauce and creamy cheese.

I half expect him to balk, but he immediately sets about cutting off a quarter of the slab. He drops it onto his saucer and slides it over to me.

“If you like it enough that you want more, let me know.”

I glance down at my main plate and lift one of the three battered filets onto my own saucer to offer up. “It’s a trade.”

“You really don’t have to?—”

“It’s a trade,” I repeat firmly. “I do want to still be able to walk after this dinner.”

A fleeting smile crosses Andreas’s face. “Okay, fair.”

I would grapple with the weird sense of friendship that I don’t want, except right then Jacob stabs his fork down on my plate. The metal tines clang against the china.

I arch an eyebrow at him as he lifts the fry he speared off my plate. “Defending me from my dinner now?”

He swivels the fork in his fingers to show a black blob pierced by one tine. “A fly landed on it.”

For a second, I can’t speak. He must have used his power to hold the fly in place for him to have caught it like that.

I think.

Without missing a beat, Jacob pushes out of his seat, walks to the counter, and sets the utensil down on the formica surface.

“I need a new fork,” he says, calm but insistent.

The waitress who’s working behind the counter area slides one over to him without bothering to ask why. She probably figures he just dropped his on the floor.

My insides are starting to feel all jumbled up, so I dig into my now fly-free dinner to distract myself. The fish is perfectly tender and the sauce that came with it deliciously tart. When I pop a forkful of the lasagna into my mouth, I have to close my eyes in a silent swoon.

Tomorrow we’ll be back to protein bars and grocery store sandwiches. I’d better savor all this while I can.

To no one’s surprise, Dominic ordered breakfast for dinner to suit his sweet tooth. He’s got a plate heaped with syrup-drenched blueberry pancakes and a couple of pieces of bacon on the side.

After five hasty bites, he’s waving his fork at Andreas. “Put maple syrup on the grocery store list for next time. I think I could live on this stuff.”

Then he turns to me, with a gentler motion of the utensil and a hint of hesitation. “Do you want some? It’s way better than table syrup, and the pancakes are great too.”

I open my mouth and close it again.

He hasn’t gotten to have food like this any more often than I have. The guardians usually kept our meals very plain so that we’d appreciate any little treats they rewarded us with—and every now and then they’d let us go without as some kind of test.

He’s probably never eaten fresh pancakes like this—and he’s offering a portion to me.

Is he trying to make up for his reaction when we got out of the car?

Before I can answer, Zian’s eyes widen. He tears another rib off the row he’s been working through and holds it out in offering. “The ribs are really good too, if you want to try.”

“Um,” I say, starkly aware that they’re not offering to share with each other. This generosity is all about me.

An easy way to prove a point? Am I supposed to forgive everything that happened before because of a bite of pancake and a BBQ rib?

My gaze darts to Jacob of its own accord—somehow he’s the safe one since he’s the only one who hasn’t attempted to share. He meets my gaze and glances down at his plate, the same fish and chips I ordered.

“It seems a little redundant, or I’d join the club,” he says, as if he thinks I was looking at him as a demand rather than an escape.

“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “Really. I’ve got lots of food already.”

I should probably thank them, but somehow right now that feels too close to accepting apologies I don’t think I’m ready to yet.

I’m saved from getting even more flustered by the return of the waitress. “How’re you all doing?” she asks with a warm smile.

It occurs to me then that we have a perfect resource right here.

I push my own mouth into a smile. “Great! We were wondering though… Are there any good places you’d recommend around here if we wanted to go out for drinks or to, er, party a little after dinner?

Somewhere really interesting, like a crowd you wouldn’t normally find outside the city. We want to get the full experience.”

I don’t know if my attempt at explaining sounded odd to her, but either it sounded like a reasonable request or she just wants to make sure she gets a good tip. She taps her pen against her lips.

“Well… if you want something on the quirky side, more of an extreme atmosphere, there’s a punk venue just a few blocks east from here. And a little farther than that, there’s a bar that I think still does Goth nights. Those are the closest ones I can think of.”

“Sounds perfect,” I say brightly, whipping out my phone. “What are the names? I don’t want to forget.”

She dredges them from her memory, and I tap them into my notes app. As she walks away, Andreas lets out a soft whistle.

“Very smooth, Tink.”

Jacob is grinning, which if you know him is simultaneously both breathtaking and terrifying. “We know what our next stop is. Finish up, and let’s get back on the road.”