and I’ve been around a long time.” He took a sip of his wine.
She inclined her head a little bit, feeling herself blush. She should have splashed cold water on her face. Her hunger had disappeared entirely.
At least, her hunger for food had.
Chapter Thirteen
Bethany
Bethany watched as London took the plates into the kitchen and dropped them into the sink. He announced that he would clean up later and put the kettle on. He suggested that they retire to the living room for a cup of tea. Bethany knew she had to leave. She was playing with fire, and not just because London was a dragon.
She was losing grip on her resolve to not let herself be seduced by London Warwick, fuckboy extraordinaire.
“You can’t go without allowing me to serve you some dessert,” he argued.
There was a double meaning there, Bethany was sure of it. He had rolled his way through his thought, his eyes sharp, clear, and full of lust.
“You can’t say no to a slice of chocolate cheesecake. It’s from a bakery not too far from here, but I can guarantee you, it’s well worth it.”
“I’ll stay for cake,” she heard herself say. She had to take a few deep breaths to recall if she had said cake or cock. That would have been an unfortunate slip.
London was tearing into his second piece of cake when Bethany leaned forward in her seat. “There’s something I’ve just been dying to ask you.”
His eyes lit up at the sound of her voice. “Oh? Go ahead. I’m an open book.”
Bethany flushed and pushed around the rest of her cake as she tried to formulate the question in the best way possible. She didn’t want to sound completely naive or idiotic. “Erm… I was just wondering which time has been your favorite.”
“You mean my favorite era?” He scratched a hand through the facial hair on his chin. “Well, I’ll be honest, this one has by far been the best.”
Bethany wasn’t even able to contain her shock. “What?” she gasped. “Really? Even with all of the medieval castles and great battles and all of that stuff?”
London shuddered dramatically as his eyes drifted off into space. “Castles are drafty structures, and you’re lucky to get a room that has a fire in it all night. Using a horse or a carriage to get around might seem like a romantic way to travel, but it wasn’t. I hated sleeping in the cold woods on the hard ground. And don’t even get me started on all the wars. I’ve fought wars with a broadsword, with a long sword, with a musket and bayonet. Thankfully, I haven’t been a soldier since the late 1700s. It stopped being compulsory, and I thought my gifts were better suited to the study of the human condition.”
“And? What did you learn?”
“A lot, I suppose. But when war is brewing, there is very little a scholar or professor can do to detract from the path. Even a wealthy, very well connected one.” He sighed deeply. “This era has indoor plumbing, actual medical care. No one is using leeches or any such thing. And if I’m honest, I think my favorite human invention has been indoor plumbing. The streets and sewers were disgusting, especially with this.” He tapped his nose. “Shifters and our sense of smell are eternally grateful for that. I am also pleased to have showers and baths. I remember a time where those weren’t so commonplace.”
Bethany shuddered. “You just made me look at my favorite movie in a whole new light.”
“Princess Bride?” he guessed.
“Yeah, ha. How did you know?”
“It’s very romantic, and I guess the idea of destined love is appealing to everyone.” His eyes burned brighter, and he leaned down a tiny bit.
Or had she imagined that?
She licked her lips. She knew that shifters had a mate sense. Johanna had explained it to her once. They knew someone was meant for them the second they laid their eyes on that person. With a deep sigh, Bethany was aware that she wasn’t London’s mate. Her crush on him was—mostly—under control. Ha, hear that, hormones? Tone it the fuck down. But surely, if she was destined to be his, he would have told her by now.
“I do like that idea of true love, of destined mates,” she admitted. “No matter what life threw their way, they were able to conquer it. It didn’t matter that years had passed, that he had died. They found a way.”
“With a little help from their friends,”