“I have tea and a sausage breakfast sandwich with your name on it.”
Ildaria’s eyes blinked open at once. It wasn’t just the fact that it was Sofia’s voice speaking to her, but the mention of a sausage breakfast sandwich. Ildaria loved sausage breakfast sandwiches. She’d tried her first one just a week earlier, compliments of Sofia, but they had become her favorite food. She was addicted to them. They were one of the few foods she was willing to miss out on sleep for. On the other hand, she’d planned to talk to G.G. . . .
“Ildaria?”
Heaving a sigh, she shook her head. “I was about to talk to G.G. about . . . stuff.”
“G.G.’s there?” Sofia asked with surprise.
“No. In our dream. I was going to explain that we’re life mates and—”
“What the hell?” Sofia interrupted. “You were going to tell him in a dream that he’s your life mate? Ildaria,” she said with exasperation. “He’d just think that was wishful thinking, and part of his dream. Or maybe his nightmare,” she muttered with disgust, and then grouched, “Get out of bed and open the door right now or I’m giving this sausage breakfast sandwich to Elijah.”
“Fine,” Ildaria snapped irritably. Sitting up in bed, she asked, “Why am I opening the door?”
“Because I’m standing on the other side of it with your tea and sandwich. Why else?”
“Well, why didn’t you just knock then?” Ildaria asked, some of her irritation giving way to exasperated amusement. Sofia couldn’t do anything the normal way. Rather than call, she’d text you to call her, and rather than knock, she apparently called and told you to open the door. The woman was whacked, she thought as she pushed the sheet and blanket aside and climbed out of bed.
“Because I would have had to pound pretty loud for you to hear all the way from the bedroom and I didn’t want to wake G.G. He needs his sleep.”
“And I don’t?” she asked sounding just a bit pissy. She padded out of the bedroom and down the hall.
“You might,” Sofia allowed. “But you aren’t the one who’s been acting like a grumpy bear for the last week and a half . . . which is what I wanted to talk about.”
Ildaria grunted in response to that as she crossed the living room, knowing she was acting a bit like that grumpy bear right now. But it was nothing compared to how G.G. had been acting the last week. At least, when he was awake. So as she turned into the short hall to the door, she said, “G.G. has been a bit short the last week or so. Is that not normal for him?”
“Definitely not,” Sofia assured her, and then lowered the phone when Ildaria unlocked and pulled the door open. Ending the call and sliding the phone into her pocket, she added, “Which is why I wanted to talk to you when G.G. wouldn’t interrupt, and perhaps give him a chance to get some proper sleep since you won’t be sleeping so . . .” She arched her eyebrows meaningfully. “. . . no shared dreams.”
“Right,” Ildaria breathed wearily as she watched Sofia bend to pick up a takeout cup and two bags from the floor—one a small paper bag with a coffee shop logo, and the other a cloth bag.
Straightening, Sofia held them up with a smile. “But I come bearing gifts to make up for it.”
Toning down her scowl, Ildaria managed not to snatch the paper bag no doubt holding the sausage breakfast sandwich from her, and stepped back, gesturing for the platinum blonde to enter. Once Sofia moved past her, she closed the door and locked it before following her to the kitchen island.
Sofia settled herself on one of the chairs at the island and waited until Ildaria claimed the chair next to her before pushing the takeout cup and the paper bag in front of her. She then pulled blood out of the other sack. Four bags of blood, in fact.
“To make up for waking you,” Sofia explained, sliding the bags in front of her as well. “We can get by without sleep. A little blood and it’s like we slept soundly all night. G.G. doesn’t have that advantage.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Ildaria agreed. She wasn’t at all sure if she’d accept the blood, but wasn’t awake enough to argue yet.
“Speaking of lack of sleep,” Sofia said brightly. “How is it?”
“How is lack of sleep?” Ildaria asked with disbelief