Page 52 of Their Lethal Pet

And the guy in the doorway clears his throat. “Uh, yes. It was ordered by Mr. Flame?”

“Mr. Flame?” Reaper repeats before glancing at the Shifter Fae. “Is that your new superhero name?”

Flame snorts. “Only if we’re calling you Grim Reaper going forward.”

Reaper no longer looks amused. “No.”

“Pity,” Flame drawls.

Orcus sighs audibly and stands. “Here. I’ll take that.” He moves toward the guy holding a huge tray and plucks it from his grasp with a murmured “Thank you.”

The tray no longer looks big now that Orcus is holding it. He’s dwarfed it entirely, and yet the contents fill the entire table as the various plates are distributed among the four place settings.

Flame picks up my empty glass—he poured me a water when we first entered the kitchen and dining area, saying it would help my throat. He was right.

He refills the contents and brings it back to me, then grabs the seat across from me with Orcus beside him.

Reaper reclaims the chair next to me and scoffs at my plate. “Chicken and broccoli?”

“And mashed potatoes,” Flame says.

“Why?” Reaper asks, sounding offended. “We’re inNew York City. Pizza is obviously the requirement for everyone, and yet…” He glares at the hunk of meat in front of Orcus. “Filet mignon and”—he shifts his focus to Flame—“is thatsalmon?”

Flame merely smiles. “Not all of us have your refined tastes, Reaper.”

“Clearly,” the Death Fae grumbles before flipping open a box to reveal some sort of thin cheesy pie.

Pizza,I think, somewhat intrigued.

He grabs a slice and folds it before shoving a corner into his mouth.

My eyebrow lifts a bit at the display, primarily because I’ve never seen an adult eat with his hands before. That’s usually something a child would do.

Reaper’s silver-blue irises meet mine as he chews and swallows, his silvery eyebrow inching upward in response to my silent observation. “Want a bite?” he asks.

I blink at him. “I, um, no. I… I’ve just never seen food like that before.”

“You’ve never seen a pizza?” He looks alarmed. Then he shoves my untouched plate into the middle of the table before rotating his chair toward me. “Open your mouth.”

“What?”

“You heard me.Open your mouth.”

“Reaper,” Orcus says, a warning in his tone.

“Stay out of this, Alpha. This is between me and our pet.” His intense focus goes to my mouth. “Now part those pretty lips for me, and I promise you’ll be rewarded.”

I have no idea what to do. No one has ever spoken to me like this.

What is he going to do?I wonder as my mouth obeys his command.Why am I allowing this?

Because I’m curious.

Because I… I kind of like this.

It’s a startling realization, one that has my lips parting even more.

“Such a good girl,” Reaper whispers before tearing off a small piece of his pizza and setting it on my tongue. “Now enjoy your reward and don’t forget to swallow.”