thirsty?”
She hadn’t even noticed until he mentioned it, but now her empty stomach growled. “Parched. Hungry, too.”
“Thankfully, I keep a full pantry.” He moved to a mini fridge, and retrieved a bottle of plain, boring AB neg. It wasn’t Olla, but it’d do. “You want to take a shower while I make breakfast?” He tilted his head to the wide window. “Well, supper.”
“Are you saying I smell?” she challenged, just for the sake of it.
She was disgusting, and she knew it.
He chuckled low. “Oh, I’m not biting into that one. The bathroom’s upstairs, right next to the bedroom. I had Chloe bring you some clothes. They’re in there. You’re around the same size.”
Eager to shed the layer of grime on her skin, she opted to stop teasing him.
Showers were one of her favorite inventions, and Mikar’s double-headed, full-pressure glass shower contributed to making this one the very best she’d ever taken in her life. Although, given how filthy she felt, a boring old school-gym shower would have felt like a luxury.
As promised, there were freshly laundered jeans and a black turtleneck on the towel rack.
She returned to the bedroom to retrieve the boots she’d seen next to an oak dresser. They’d been cleaned, and someone had removed the weapons that had been attached to them.
That wouldn’t do at all. Diana wanted them back, stat.
There was something she wanted more, though.
She returned downstairs.
“This way.”
Following his voice to the kitchen, she sat at the breakfast bar, enjoying yet another portrait of peace. Mikar was flipping pancakes, stacking them on a plate with strawberries, chocolate sauce, and bacon. “Bacon and chocolate?”
He shrugged. “Eat it, or I will.”
She practically growled. “My bacon.”
Her stomach wholeheartedly agreed.
He slid the full plate in front of her. “Thank you.”
Truthfully, food hadn’t been the first thing on her mind when she’d joined him, but now that the plate was in front of her, she attacked it with gusto. Half of her stack gone, she swallowed to ask, “You aren’t eating?”
He laughed. “I haven’t stopped eating since I woke up about two hours ago. You crashed for longer. No wonder. I didn’t have to deal with Death last night, at least.”
It had been one hell of a night, for sure.
The food stuck in her throat as she remembered all of it. “How is…” She didn’t even know where to start. “How’s everyone?”
“Bewildered. Sad. Fucking aggravated. Ruby didn’t deserve to go like that. No one does. And Luke…” The words weren’t coming for him either. “They were friends,” he finally said.
Diana forced herself to get back to her food. It was so delicious that after a while, she managed to enjoy it.
“We’ll be burning Ruby in a few hours. I would have woken you up soon, if you hadn’t emerged.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t know Ruby all that well—not compared to him—but she wanted to pay her respect all the same. For a few weeks, she’d been a friend. Quirky, honest, and strong, Ruby had been a pearl—unique and beautiful.
“I need to tell you something. It’s going to sound strange, and you may not believe me at first—”
Diana cut off his prelude. “I’m your mate. I know.”
She’d figured it out in the middle of the battle. Her own safety had been second to his as far as her instincts were concerned, and that was all the proof she needed.
“How do you feel about that?” Mikar asked.
Leaning on the countertop, he was the picture of casual, but his eyes betrayed him.
“Like an idiot,” Diana admitted. He lifted a brow, and she explained, “I should have figured it out sooner. You…”
Gosh, she wasn’t great at this. Spelling out her thoughts, her feelings. She’d never had a chance to practice it with friends or crushes as a young girl, hence why she generally hid behind a wall of sarcasm and abrasiveness.
Not with him, though. With Mikar, she could be vulnerable. She could be herself.
“From the first moment, I felt something toward you. Something that scared me. And I was drawn to you like I’ve never been drawn to anyone. I was frustrated with myself, because, well, I can tell you’re not the kind of guy I can control. I’m used to being in control. And how do you feel?” she echoed challengingly.
“Honestly? Like a lucky bastard.” He smirked down at her. “I’ve never done relationships because I lost everyone who was close to me once, and I couldn’t deal with risking that again. So, girls came and went. But fate found the strongest woman in