Chapter 60: Chapter 60

LENORE

“Back to you, Lenore. You’ve barely given me anything,” Killian stated and I popped the last bacon spiral in my mouth before taking a sip of water.

Then I started, “I really like drawing. I started it four years ago, and I’ll say I’ve gotten somewhat good at it. The major I listed on my application—” I fixed him a look “—was math, but I’m still a bit undecided. I might change it to software engineering. I’m also undecided about what I wanted to be, but I’m leaning towards motion designing. My favorite food is french toast, and I order hamburgers—” I fixed him a look again and he grinned “— instead of cheeseburgers because I hate cheese. I also hate marshmallows and hotdogs. I love pop and hip hop. I prefer being a passenger than a driver. I haven’t gone out of the country before—I pretty much haven’t been anywhere except the pack, school, and well, here—but I want to do so after school. And uh… wow, that’s all I can think of right now.”

Dang, I was pretty boring.

“My favorite music changes every five days, and my favorite animated film is Kung Fu Panda.”

“Oh, I know that. Calley made us watch it,” he said, prompting me to picture her standing over him and Fabien while they watched it. I snorted

Then I remembered what he said to Killian about burying the next person to interrupt him while he was with me alive, and I added, “Also, I am averse to people being buried alive. I’m very averse to that.”

“Noted,” he replied, his smile widening, just as the waiter brought out the truffle risotto and chicken. It looked even better than I thought it would, and a pleased noise that escaped me after I took my first bite.

When I shifted my attention back to Killian, he looked even more pleased than I was as he watched me. “Your turn,” I said. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.” I was pretty sure there was going to be a lot of that; he was immortal after all.

He furrowed his brows slightly, glancing heavenward, and after several moments, he spoke, “Sorry, I’m trying to figure out where to start.”

“To be fair, I should also get a file on you. If your high school grades were terrible, we’re going to have a serious conversation.”

He let out a short laugh. “I didn’t go to a traditional school—I had tutors. I did go to university though.”

“What was your major?”

“Business administration.”

“Do you have any other degrees?”

“A masters.”

“…Anything else?”

“Damn,” he said, and I raised my brows. “You have high standards.”

“Oh, that’s not—” I laughed. “I just assumed you had a lot, being a vampire and all.”

“I did try to get another after getting my masters, but then I realized I didn’t have to, so I dropped out.”

I gasped, feigning surprise. “I’m afraid this won’t work,” I said, moving to get to my feet. “My father won’t approve of me dating a dropout.”

His hand shot out to grab mine so fast, it took me a moment to process it. “To hell with your father,” he said, and a laugh escaped me at the confounded expression on his face as I sat back down. Then he sighed and continued, “You already know my current favorite food, and I don’t believe there’s a food I hate. I don’t mind driving, but I also prefer being a passenger. I like reading—I have my mother to thank for that.”

I straightened slightly at the mention of his mother, but it seemed like he didn’t even realize he mentioned her.

“I’m a bit of a gardener. My favorite music genre is classical, but I also like rhythm and blues. I speak eight languages. I have a pilot’s license. I have been to every country in the world—”

“Really?” I absent-mindedly cut in and he nodded. Wow. “What’s your favorite country?”

“Eh, it’s hard to pick one.”

“What’s one of your favorites?”

He set his mouth in a hard line, thinking for a moment. “Indonesia.”

The corner of my mouth twitched and I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest. “In case you can’t tell, I’m jealous,” I said and he grinned.

“I can take you anywhere you want.”

“...Only after you break the spell on the invitations.”

“And I will,” he stated and I bobbed my head, thinking of what I would do once the spell was broken. I didn’t want to stay here because the King would be pissed and I didn’t want to become a victim, but I also didn’t want to leave immediately because the King would be pissed and I didn’t want to leave Killian to deal with it. He was doing this for me after all.

Then the pack representatives who wouldn’t be able to go home because they died during the rogue attack came to mind and I swallowed.

“Hey, what happened to you the day before yesterday?” I asked after I remembered the state he’d been in when he saved me. He’d told me we’d talk about it another time that last time I asked. “You were gone for the entire day and you well—” Almost drank my blood “—when you came back.”

Killian worked his jaw. “...My father stabbed me with a knife that drains one’s strength and life force,” he said and my eyes widened, “and I couldn’t pull it out until a couple of minutes before the rogue attack.”

What the fuck? “I hate your father,” I bit out, scowling, just as a fact rang in my mind—if he hadn’t been able to pull the knife out, I’d have died during the attack. Unease crawled under my skin and I shifted in my seat before I processed his words again.

He’d been gone for the entire day, so that meant he’d been laying somewhere in the palace and in pain for the entire day. My chest tightened painfully.

“Killian—”

“I’m okay, Lenore,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile, like he knew what was going through my mind.

But it wasn’t okay. It absolutely wasn’t.

“I’m okay,” he repeated. “Truly.”